I have a litter of eight week old puppies that are barker's. They go out for an hour to two every couple of hours to play. Run around the house with adult dogs. Get plenty to eat, but when I put them in thier pen(12x10)so I can get other things done or at night they BARK. I tell them to Hush and tell them no but the continue until they finally fall asleep. At night it is really bad. I think they think they are supposed to have free run all the time. How do I break them of this and how are they going to be in Crate Training then?? Any suggestions. I don't want to break their spirit but I DO want them to learn not to BARK!!!!! at least at night

Sell them. I do not keep barkers here. They drive me insane. Oh, and it is like fence fighting, it's catching.
I prefer a temperament that is easy to live with, for me and my pet owners.

Maybe you gave them too much freedom too soon? I wouldn't want to go back in my puppy pen either if I knew all the good things, people and big dogs, outside and inside, to play with and smell. Mine are seven weeks old and they get small forays into the living room, one or two at a time, and to a puppy play area outside when it isn't raining. They play hard in the daytime, but lights out and TV/radio off when it is bedtime and they settle right down and are quiet all night, 8-9 hours.

I set up crates for each of them, once they get to be 8 weeks. I think they settle better in a separate crate.

I agree...if wire crates, perhaps cover partially wish a sheet - that worked for me with a noisy pup - it helps to eliminate all of the outside stimulation.

Or turn the light off...

IF all else fails, a little squirt of warm (room temp) water from an empty cleaned out window spray bottle while whispering "quiet" can do wonders to teach pups not to bark.

this might not work for a gang but we put on the Lord of the Rings CD at nap and bedtime. That mans voice puts anything to sleep, including us. I don't think I have made it through the trilogy all the way many pups later.

A good suggestion Breeder. I use cooler water but not ice cold with a firm *no!* command. It's amazing how they react to a little spritz and command. 3 times, it stops usually although rare I've had it happen with a litter. There is always at least 1 or more barkers looking for sole attention. They're babies that have voices to vocalize what they want. I don't think it's a temperament issue at all. If I happen to keep a pup that barks, in a matter of days after littermates go home, it halts after a couple of spritzs'.




You can purchase the spray bottles brand new for $1.00 or so at Dollar-style stores usually. I grab several when they have them in stock for future use if needed.

*Help*, I would stop giving them run of the house if they are barking for it when you need a break. Get them outdoors weather permitting a few times daily with the adults, then back in their 12x10 pen which sounds like plenty of room. You gave them a litl taste of honey with full run indoors which they apparently enjoy, to the point they bark for more. I hope those 2 suggestions help and your non-keepers are going to their fur-ever homes soon. You can then work with your own pup however you decide to. It should be much easier with 1 or 2 pups then the entire litter.

It's suggestions like these that make me glad that I'm a breeder; I never have to worry that one of my puppies has been subjected to them.

This is my post, and I lay awake all night wishing I had not posted it! We've only used this method several times on my son's field (read hyper) pup around 8-10 weeks.

Be sure lights are out and pups have enough water, and something cozy to sleep on. I never, never have my well bred puppies barking unless there is a reason.

I have seen the comment about barking in several different places. Last time I checked, barking is a natural behavior for dogs--it means they want something. If all you keep are submissive, silent dogs, isn't that just as bad as keeping "barkers?" Sure, it's annoying, but they need to be trained to be quiet. I find that if my dogs bark, they need more exercise and attention. "Be Quiet" is a great command to teach. Of course, then they must do it.

Hi-
My litter at 6-8 weeks were barking and whining when they needed something - out to go potty or food or attention. If I was sure I had satisfied all of their needs then I started giving them gentle corrections. But really it was usually a matter of needed to go potty or more exercise. They were really starting to be pretty serious about self potty training. By 10 weeks I pretty much had them on a great schedule and they rarely made a potty mistake and as a result they rarely whined or barked unless it was play barking - something I don't have a problem with as it is normal and natural. By 8 months, they are really well behaved in the vocal department. Hope this helps you.
Don't dispair. It will get better.
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