Our Sunrise mascot, Sunny, doesn't make a lot of noise, but we know there are a lot of dogs out there who just can't seem to keep quiet.

Cathy Painter knows first-hand because the new member in her family is barking way too much. Mickey, her 10-week-old border collie isn't quite used to living indoors. She just moved from a working ranch where she could yip to her heart's content.

Her barking is constant. Painter describes Mickey, "she seems to have problems with barking when she wants attention, when she's left alone, when she wants food, when she wants the other dogs to play with her."

In other words, Mickey barks all day, all night with a yelp you can't ignore. "She's got the most piercing bark. It's a yip, a high-pitched yip that shatters glass. So, I'm sure they can hear it all over the island," said Painter.

To teach them to stop, animal behaviorist Wendy Mah said, it starts with using patience. When the dog barks, wait until she quiets down before giving them what they want. For example, when Mickey wanted to get into the house, she sat at the door and barked. Mah stood next to Mickey, and when she quieted down, she praised her and then let her in. This way, she said you are teaching your pet to reverse her behavior. "Barking makes what she wants unavailable to her, but quiet gives her everything she wants," said Mah.

According to Mah, you can use the technique for many things, including feed time. If your dog yaps when you're preparing the food, dump it out and start over. Repeat, until your pet learns to be quiet through the entire process. "If she can sigh and relax through the whole sequence of getting her meal ready then she can have it right away," said Mah.

One last recommendation from Mah, train during situations you can control such as dinnertime, letting them into the house and giving them a toy your dog wants. Eventually, you should be able to control them better when they bark unexpectedly.

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