Pennies in can...good training trick or just cruel?

Question

I started shaking a can of pennies when my 7 week-old puppy barks or yelps for attention while he is alone in his safe area (our kitchen). I read that this will teach him not to yelp or bark. The noise startles him and he stops yelping and runs to his bed. I am afraid this method might be too frightening for him though, today I shook the pennies when he started yowling and when I entered the kitchen a few minutes later he was quiet but shaking like a leaf. I don't want to emotionally scar him or create a negative imprint about loud noises. He's only been in our home for one week...we adopted him from a woman who rescued the pregnant momma from the street. He's adapting very well to his new home otherwise, maybe I should just let him bark until he's more confident in our house. I haven't left him alone very long, just long enough to go to the grocery store, and still I come home and he's crying like it's the end of the world. Please tell me if the pennies in a can are too harsh for this pup and if you have any other suggestions for helping Macho to feel safe and secure when he's home alone!!

Answer 1

Does he see where the source of the sound is coming from?  Do you then give him a command to be quiet?   When he does what he's told, do you pet him and say 'good Macho, good boy, good quiet'.  I used a hand gesture to my mouth when I started training my dog not to bark.  I just said quiet and put my finger to my lips.  You can't just let him bark it out.  It's a habit he'll get in to and this will actually increase separation anxiety as you'll walk up to him while he's still barking/whining to pay attention to him.  Of course, usually puppy's aren't even given away until they are 8 weeks old at the very least so he's going through a lot right now.  I wish you luck and continued happiness with your new pup.

Answer 2

The youngest a puppy should be away from the mother is 6 weeks, I found a puppy in a dumpster 3 days ago and she is only 5 weeks, we can't find the mum and she has grown to love us dearly but whines when we are out of sight, even when I'm on the bed and she's on the floor. My suggestion is try to ignore the whining for as long as possible as the puppy will grow to understand that whining doesn't always work, if it is very bad then just walk in and sit or stand without moving, let him sniff around, play but continue to stay still, eventually he will get bored or tired and lie down. Walk out quietly.

Answer 3

Yes, this should only be done for a distraction, not to scare. Your puppy is much too young to be away from its mother, and this is just normal puppy behavior. As you've already seen, it's scaring him. If he whines and barks, ignore him. It's the best thing to do. But all puppies whine.

Answer 4

What has worked for us, is to say "Kitchen" the dog stops and goes to the kitchen.  Of course we had to escort her to the kitchen at least 50 times before she got the idea.

Leaving a radio or the TV on while you are out may help. Another comfort is to have a ticking clock wrapped inside a towel in or near macho's bed

Part of training a dog is training yourself.

Answer 5

Well you know what, I actually found out by mistake that it did work for me.  Nobody  recommended it to me.  I used a big bottle of aspirin (same type of thing).  I had a super, super hyper Keeshond who barked at everything in the world.  One day I got a huge bottle of aspirin out of my purse and he immediately sat down and shutup.  After that, every time he started barking, I'd shake the aspirin bottle and he'd sit down and shutup.  Soon he just stopped with all the barking.  I think he just started associating it with a noise he didn't like.  It's basically the same idea.... the pennies in a jar or the aspirin bottle.  Good luck to you!! I hope it works for you!!

Answer 6

Pennies in a can....hmmm...i'm not sure if it's too harsh, but if it scares him that much maybe you could just tell him "shhhh" or "quiet" when he does bark. it will take a while but he'll stop barking eventually.