You’ve already met Rocco. I’d like you to also meet Bella, my other long-haired chihuahua!
I recently watched one of those animal behavior shows and I could’ve sworn that the dog I saw on TV was none other than Rocco in Yorkie form. This dog had almost the exact same characteristics as Rocco when walking, when the doorbell rings and especially around other dogs. Bella has picked up on some of this behavior, though only about 5% to the extent of Rocco. Really I was just looking for a reason to post an incredibly cute picture of her.
The solution the dog trainer came up with to solve the problem of the Yorkie barking madly at other dogs turned out to be incredibly simple. Using a squeaky toy, the dog owner would distract the Yorkie immediately after it noticed another dog. It’s important that the owner would cause the distraction before any barking. Eventually the Yorkie associated seeing other dogs with a positive experience, the squeaky toy.
Because everything you see on television is true, I went out and got a squeaky tennis ball to take with me when I walk the dogs. Bella hardly ever gives me any problems outside, so I’ve yet to see if it will affect her much. I did however get to try the tactic while walking past a cat with Rocco. When outside, Rocco pretty much has his nose glued to the ground, smelling whatever it is dogs smell. So I noticed the cat while he was otherwise occupied. As we walked past, instead of letting him keep smelling around I squeaked the toy and it definitely distracted him. He looked up, away from the cat, and we walked by without any incident. I want to try this with another dog nearby now!