I love love Skips, they are gorgeous and such expressive eyes.
For the barking I have a tip that worked very well for me. I just joined a Karen Pryor clicker class and it's a wonderful experience. Here's what she suggested, our pup barks like mad when excited in her crate by a visitor. She so wants to go MEET them. I stand by the crate and click/treat every quiet second, even if only to inhale for the next bark. Be very quick and fast, timing is key. Have a handfull 20+ pea sized good quality treats like cubed chicken, beef, cheese etc.
To get the timing down use a tennis ball with a partner or mirror and bounce random timing and try to click right as it hits the ground. As puppy realizes what's happening you can back up a step and toss the treat. This is easier if the pup is crated in a wire crate (open top) or tethered so they can't run off and get distracted. When I tether I put a bungee on the leash so pup won't pull too hard. Wire crate is the easiest if you have one.
The quiet times should get longer, as they increase and puppy stays quiet you can c/t again. Don't look at puppy when barking look to the side, it's not necessary to say good or anything since it might amp pup up more. The treat is the praise. Increase distance and just toss treats from that distance. As you get better add a voice cue like quiet just before you click.
For those out of crate times you can try asking for a come or making a weird noise like smooches or high pitched boop! or a soft touch to get attention. At the very first start of a head turn or hesitation in bark frenzy click/treat. Use good treats -- not boring cookies and ideally something puppy LOVES to eat.
Mill pups and shelter dogs also need lots of time time and patience x 10. Go slow and keep your sense of humor. I bet if you look somewhere you'll see daily progress big or small and it will be so rewarding to watch as she grows. I tell u this assuming you used a clicker or know what one is..sorry I should have offered a reference. There are loads of good books but I love my Karen Pryor books and trainer. Her web site is
www.clickertraining.com. Our last foster and several dogs got so much from clicker and positive food rewarded training. I had previously considered food a crutch but realize now I should have tried it first. :dogtongue2:
You fade the food and clicker as puppy masters that task. Food stays random and clicker goes away for that behavior. Once you use it you may never train another way, the dog has so much fun and is really thinking and offering behavior after a while. Things get so much more fun and easy.