A few months after adopting her first pet, a Yorkshire terrier puppy, my friend came to me asking Do Yorkies bark a lot?
She knew I would have the answer to her question because I am a mother of two Yorkies and I have had to deal with this problem. A few years back even I had the same question – Do Yorkies Bark a Lot?
I was frustrated with my puppies barking all the time and no matter how much I asked them not to, they just won’t stop. So I decided to find what I was doing wrong, why my Yorkies barked this much and what can I do to remove this habit of theirs.
Let’s take a look in detail at what I found.
Do Yorkies Bark a Lot? Top 12 Reasons
1. Natural Instinct
Yorkshire Terrier breed is a part of the terrier lineage who were bred to be excellent guard dogs. Hence they are naturally very vocal and start barking whenever they hear or see something unfamiliar.
Gender also sometimes matters here. Male Yorkies tend to bark more than female Yorkies. They are more aggressive and active than their female counterparts.
Their ears are also positioned in a way that they can detect noises and you and I could never do.
2. Excitement
Your Yorkie might be too excited for something and in his excitement, he is excessively barking.
Try to keep your Yorkie away from situations where he might get over-excited to avoid your Yorkie from barking or being hyper.
3. Way of Communicating With the Owner
Dogs can only communicate vocally with you by barking.
If your Yorkie is barking too much, he might be trying to communicate something to you. Yorkies are one of the small dog breeds like a chihuahua, cairn terrier, miniature schnauzer, and pomeranian that are very conversational and bark a lot.
4. Agitated
Did something happen that annoys your Yorkie? If yes, the excessive barking could be a result of agitation.
You might not always know what annoys or irritates your dog so you might not be able to point out the reason behind the barking but try your best to find out these triggers.
And for the reasons that you are aware of, avoid them if your Yorkie’s annoyance with them is justified.
5. Lack of Exercise
Exercising is an integral part of a dog’s life just as it is in a human’s life.
If your dog does not get proper exercise and sits idle throughout the day he will need another outlet to release his pent-up energy.
Thus he resorts to barking to let out the stored energy and your Yorkie’s barking behavior might also be because of boredom since he is idle all day.
6. Lack of Socialization
If your Yorkie has not been socialized properly, he won’t know how to behave in different situations.
Lack of socialization can lead to your Yorkie barking when he sees guests at your place or comes across other dogs.
7. Territorial Behavior
Yorkies are very territorial and protective by nature. They are very wary of anyone who tries to enter their territory.
If your Yorkie has started barking excessively suddenly, it is very much possible that he feels that there is a threat to his owner or his territory.
This behavior can be tamed by proper training and socializing. Take a look at how to train a Yorkie here.
8. Demanding Attention
Have you been busy lately? Didn’t spend quality time with your pet friend? Well, this might just be the reason behind your Yorkie’s unnecessary barking behavior.
Your Yorkie is demanding attention from you and barking is his way of communicating this to you.
Make sure you give enough attention to this tiny creature because for him, you are basically his world!
9. Pain
It is quite possible that your teacup size Yorkie hurt himself while playing or running around the house and it must have escaped your attention.
He might be in pain and he is trying to let you know that he is in pain by barking. It is also possible that you held him or touched him at the spot where he is hurt and he is barking to ask you to stop touching him there.
10. Communicating With Other Pets
When your Yorkie sees another dog he might greet him by barking. Often while playing together, dogs bark at each other.
This is their only way of communicating vocally with each other.
11. Lack of Sleep
Is your Yorkie’s sleeping environment peaceful? Has he been getting a good night’s sleep? If your answer is no then it might be that your Yorkie has not been getting proper sleep and is cranky because of that.
A good and peaceful amount of sleep is as necessary for your four-legged friend as it is for you. If that is lacking, your Yorkie might bark out of tiredness or agitation.
Make sure you have a comfortable bed setup for your pet friend. Check out this soft and comfortable bed where your Yorkie can sleep peacefully.
12. Separation Anxiety
If your Yorkie stays home alone too long he might be feeling lonely and sad. It might develop separation anxiety in him.
It can also develop because of his past traumas and fear. In such cases, your Yorkie needs you to be with him and if that does not happen, he might develop separation anxiety.
You can read up more about separation anxiety here.
What Does Your Yorkie’s Barking Indicate? 6 Bark Sounds You Should Know!
As a Yorkie owner, you must have noticed that your Yorkie has different kinds of barks. It is also important to know that each kind of barking sound indicates different things.
Let us look at it in greater detail.
1. Loud or High Pitched Barking
This kind of barking means that your doggo is looking for some attention from you. This might even mean that he wants to go out on a walk or play or just relieve himself.
It is also possible that he wants you to attend to something specific.
2. Low Tone Barking
A low tone barking implies that your Yorkie is sensing some threat nearby and is trying to warn you about it.
It is also possible that there has been a change in your doggo’s living environment and he is alert to these changes but is yet unfamiliar to them. They might seem like a threat to him.
Yorkies can sometimes be very sensitive and they might bark on hearing even small unfamiliar noises.
3. Yelping
A yelping sound clearly indicates that your Yorkie is injured and is in pain. This will be a quick and high noise that will come out as soon as he is hurt.
If this happens, you should immediately check where he is hurt and what has happened. Consult your vet immediately if it seems something serious.
4. Howling
Howling is a way of communication between dogs. They respond to each other by howling and they can keep howling at each other all day and night.
5. Growling
Growling is the kind of bark that implies warning and danger.
Your Yorkie might growl when something unfamiliar comes too close to its territory. Most of the time, growling is a warning sign asking another animal or human to stay away from him.
If accompanied with tooth snapping noises, it means that your Yorkie is serious and will bite as soon as he is harmed.
6. Whining
Whining indicates that your Yorkie is emotionally stressed. It could be a sign that he is missing you or wants to be let out of their crates or is stressed about something else.
Sometimes, it might also be because of physical distress. If you have touched him at a place where they are hurt and it is causing them pain, they will whine or whimper to let you know of this.
Check out the below video to understand the different Yorkie barking sounds.
7 Ways to Control Your Yorkie’s Barking Behavior
1. Maintain a Calm Environment at Home
Try your best to always have a calm and peaceful environment at your home.
This way your pet will know that he is in a safe space and will know that there is no immediate danger to him. If the surrounding is peaceful, he might not disrupt it by barking too much. He will get used to the calmness of your home.
2. Allow Your Yorkie to Exercise Daily
Exercising your Yorkie daily has many benefits. One of them is that it makes your Yorkie quieter.
This happens because when your Yorkie gets a good amount of exercise, he is tired and has no energy left to spend on barking. He just wants to rest. This will also ensure that he gets a good night’s sleep.
But make sure that you don’t overwork your Yorkie. Read this informative article to get to know the signs that tell that your Yorkie is getting too much exercise.
3. Use Negative Reinforcement Technique
If the barking is excessive, you might need to resort to negative reinforcement techniques like a bark collar technique or spray bottle tactic.
In the spray bottle technique, every time your Yorkie barks excessively you give them a simple spritz and with time they will come to realize that it is bad behavior and stop doing it.
A bark collar is another negative reinforcement technique you can use. In this one, you put a collar around your Yorkie’s neck and keep the remote control with yourself. Now every time he barks excessively. You can press the button and the collar will make a deterring sound, or vibrate
Check out this amazing bark collars for your doggo: citronella bark collar.
If you are looking for a no shock bark collar, check this out.
4. Train Your Yorkie
Training is the best way of taming down any unwanted behavior of your Yorkie.
Make your Yorkie learn commands like “quiet” so that when you say it when he is barking, he knows that you don’t want him to do it right now. Establish yourself as the leader first. This way he will obey your commands easily.
Be consistent with the commands that you use!
5. Proper Socialization Techniques
Proper socialization is also very necessary. It inculcates many good habits in your Yorkie. It teaches him how to behave well with both humans and animals.
Your Yorkie might also be feeling lonely sometimes. Socialization can help in eliminating that as well.
6. Provide Toys and Games for Mental Stimulation
Instead of letting your Yorkie sit idle, you can engage him in activities that will be mentally stimulating for him.
You can get him puzzle toys or play fetching games or hide and seek with him. This will keep him busy and he won’t bark unnecessarily.
7. Setup Proper Bedding
Proper bedding is very essential in order to get proper sleep. As lack of sleep can be a reason behind your Yorkie’s excessive barking, make sure that you give him a nice and comfortable bed to sleep in.
FAQs on Do Yorkies Bark a Lot?
1. Are Yorkies Hard to Train?
It can be said that Yorkies are a little stubborn but it’s not very hard to train them. All you need to do is be consistent and keep your calm and patience.
2. Do Yorkies Bite Their Owners?
Yes, Yorkies might bite their owners if they perceive them as a threat. They can also bite their owners in self-defense if by mistake they are hurting them.
3. How Do I Stop My Yorkie From Barking at Night?
To stop your Yorkie from barking at night, you can make sure that you tire him out by giving some exercise in the evening. You can also draw curtains and eliminate lights from their sleeping place so that they don’t see what is going on outside. Or you can try crate training them as well.
Conclusion
So found your answer to Do Yorkies Bark a Lot? If your Yorkie has been barking a lot, I hope this article helped you figure out the reason behind it.
Try out the ways discussed above and see if they work on your Yorkie or not. Try to not lose your calm with this barking behavior of your four-legged companion as barking is their natural instinct.
Don’t be abusive and use negative reinforcement techniques only when necessary!
