Results 1 to 10 of 10
  1. #1
    Puppy
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Location
    PA
    Posts
    2
    Thanked: 0

    Barking for Attention

    My chocolate lab pup Frankie is 4 months old and aside from the normal puppy biting, high energy and the occasional accident in the house he is a really good boy. About a week ago he has started barking (only at me, his main care taker) when we are in the house and I am not paying attention to him. I know that I should ignore him and let him bark it out, but I live in a shared townhouse building and I am afraid my neighbors are going to hate me for letting him continually bark it out (usually at 6am and 8-10pm are his worst times). I have tried putting him in the crate and he still barks. Most of the time he is confined to a long hall way portion of the house by a baby gate (he will still rip up everything in the house if he isn't), so he will put his paws up on the gate, spot me and bark like crazy. We could have come in from a 30 min walk and he still does it. Any other suggestions for getting this behavior corrected? He had never barked at all prior to this past week.

  2. #2
    Senior Dog voodoo's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    NM
    Posts
    1,162
    Thanked: 689
    My chili is not a barker, but he does bark on occasion if I put him in his crate when company comes over and on some occasions to get me out of bed in the AM. I used to put a sheet over his crate and that used to work, but not any more. the only thing that works is ignoring the barks(about 15-20minutes) and then he finally realizes to shhhh and takes a nap. so honestly I cant give you a solution, it would drive me nuts if chili was a barker more than what he does.
    Amateur pet owner
    Hidden Content
    Chili born 7/21/2013

  3. #3
    Best Friend Retriever xracer4844's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    483
    Thanked: 291
    So when he is confined and sees you he barks? Or is he barking at you even when you are in view? Are you using a crate for training, or do you plan on just using the hallway for training?

  4. #4
    Best Friend Retriever emma_Dad's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Atlanta, Ga
    Posts
    543
    Thanked: 190
    how much exercise is he getting? Labs need a lot more exercise then your average pup in order to stay sane. and not just walks, since walks seem to do nothing for my girl, they need off leash play time and a lot of mental stimulation.
    Could the 6am one be he letting you know he needs to go potty or did you recently change is breakfast time?

  5. #5
    Puppy
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Location
    PA
    Posts
    2
    Thanked: 0
    He is barking at me even when I am in view. I have tried letting him roam the house with me when he starts barking but he just trys to bite, jump and play with me, which is how i know the barking is for attention.

    He is crated at night and when i am out of the house and does just fine, no barking at all.

    He gets a 30-45 min walk twice a day, 20 mins at lunch, a few other pee breaks and then a combined 30-60mins of play time with me a day. I will say this past week has been insane busy for me so i haven't spent the time mentioned above this week (i have since we got him every week otherwise). so maybe that is part of it too, a different routine?

  6. #6
    Real Retriever
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Location
    Wake Forest, NC
    Posts
    294
    Thanked: 179
    Quote Originally Posted by Frankie's Mom View Post
    I will say this past week has been insane busy for me so i haven't spent the time mentioned above this week (i have since we got him every week otherwise). so maybe that is part of it too, a different routine?
    I think you just answered the question here. Not only a change of routine but a decrease in exercise. That 6 am call is the "I'm up and READY TO GO!" The evening one is the same "I know bedtime is close but I"M STILL READY TO GO PLAY!"

    I hate to warn you, but it will take more than leash walks also. Frankie is telling you he NEEDS time off leash to RUNRUNRUN like a nut time. He is only 4 months old, there is a LOT of energy in that little package!!! As you are finding out, if YOU don't find a way to help him release it, HE will find his own way to release it! Example: "Most of the time he is confined to a long hall way portion of the house by a baby gate (he will still rip up everything in the house if he isn't)..."

    You will have to discover what Frankie's exercise requirements are, and they will grow as he does. It might be 30 minutes a day, 1 hour, 3 hours, or more. My little over active black gal WORE ME OUT for the first year and a half! My life outside keeping her active was nil. An hour in the woods before work, gave her a piece of firewood to destroy while I was gone, come home, let her out, grab a sandwich then off to the woods/creek for 4 hours or so. Home at 9 or 10, bed, up at 4..... Rain, cold, hot.... Get one of those strap on headlights and a belt clip mag-light and rechargeable batteries.

    I realize my gal's energy level is at the extreme end of the spectrum. She still requires a LOT of off leash exercise, but we both can control it now. And, the time I spent has paid off huge! I sacrificed two years of my life for her and she is going to repay me with, I hope, 10 or more years of being the perfect companion.

  7. #7
    House Broken Maggie's Mom's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    PA
    Posts
    226
    Thanked: 131
    Most dogs/puppies, and especially really social breeds like labs just want to be with you. When my puppy was that age I walked around my house with her on a leash attached to me. If I wanted to sit or get something done, I would have her sit or lay next to me and give her something to chew. Of course a lot of my time was spent reminding her not to bite, chew off limit items, etc. Now at 11 months she follows me around the house and is pretty good most of the time. We have also worked on teaching "speak" and "quiet."

  8. #8
    Senior Dog Jeff's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Grand Rapids, MI
    Posts
    1,816
    Thanked: 2198
    The other thing is you need to train him and quickly that barking doesn't get your attention. First, like first thing in the morning, stuff like that, you need to get him out to potty and stuff and make sure needs are met before he starts barking.

    Then you can start training and it is all about timing. So first when he starts barking, there is a pause. Thats what you want to cue. So it might be Bark, Bark, Bark pause, Bark, Bark, Bark, Pause. Well you want to start rewarding the pauses. So you are out of the room, or maybe back turned, Bark, Bark, Bark, pause and before he starts barking again. Happy Voice, Oh Hi, there let me get you and love you up, maybe a treat. Keep doing this, if he starts barking when he knows your going to let him out of the crate stop and turn away, wait for the silence moment, reward that. Keep repeating. It does work, does take a little time, mine caught on in about a week. Quickly shut him up too cause being quiet means I get out of the crate. If you slip just once and let them out when barking, well they won. Timing is very key. Even if you leave the room out of site, pause right on the edge of coming into view wait for the bark, bark, bark, pause and now enter.

  9. #9
    House Broken
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    NJ
    Posts
    145
    Thanked: 154
    By limiting him all day to the hallway you are not teaching him anything about your house rules or what behavior you want so he can grow up to be a good adult dog. A crate, a confined area for a short period of time when you can't keep eyes on him is fine but not for the majority of the day and night. This is the age when a pup really, really wants and is eager to learn and please you. They need guidance though to do that. Keep him tethered to you on a leash, that would be much better than alone in a hallway. I like a minimum of 4 or 5 short training sessions a day, along with free play time, outside free time. I also give a couple scheduled naps, usually late morning and late afternoon (when I am preparing dinner). If you add in training times, more free play (exercise) times his barking will decrease. Right now he is desperate for attention when he sees you. To a puppy being confined to a hallway for most of the day/evening is like solitary confinement and is just too much alone time.

  10. The Following 6 Users Say Thank You to Lauranj For This Useful Post:

    Maxx&Emma (09-27-2014), MikeLynn (09-26-2014), sheltieluver (09-26-2014), Sue (09-26-2014), Woodrow_Woodchuck (09-26-2014), xracer4844 (09-26-2014)

  11. #10
    Senior Dog ckfalz's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    826
    Thanked: 652
    I wish you luck. Sam is a big time barker and it drives me insane. He started barking at me at various times. He wanted attention and to play. He was basically demanding my attention. Ignoring him did not help in the least, we went through a long period of that with no results. I then started telling him to be quiet and redirecting him to a toy. He learned to not demand things from me, but only when we are at home. When I have him out where there are lots of other dogs or excitement, he bark at nothing in particular and he barks at me. At dock dogs, he will bark his head off, usually at me, while we wait for our turn. Luckily, most people at dog events are understanding but at people events he is not well received when barking too much. We're working on it but so far, no real progress beyond his own house.
    Hidden Content

    Instagram: SAM.AVA

 



Not a Member of the Labrador Retriever Chat Forums Yet?
Register for Free and Share Your Labrador Retriever Photos

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •