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  1. #1
    Senior Dog doubledip1's Avatar
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    Alarm barking on walks

    Luna has been quiet as a mouse since she came home at 9 weeks. I've heard her bark once in the entire time we've had her (at a deer in the woods, alarm bark), or a quick woof to invite play. She's always whined if she wants something and that's fine. Recently (past month), she has been alarm barking. She barked at something behind the fence at my parent's house. I checked it out and didn't see anything, though they live in the Adirondacks so totally could have been a snake or something I just couldn't see. She did not stop after I told her it was okay. I brought her back inside the house, and that was fine. The next day she barked at a friend and her daughter getting out of their car at the house, and she has met them both multiple times and likes them. She stopped after approximately 30 seconds. She was rapid-fire barking and pulling at the leash today at an old man who walks around our neighborhood. He carries treats for the dogs. Today did not seem like friendly barking.

    Please advise us is with any tips you have to stop her barking. We are trying to nip this in the bud before it escalates. Currently I am confident, say thanks Luna, but it's okay and tell her to leave it and walk away from whatever she's barking at.

    She will be a year old on the 14th. She is not yet spayed, but her surgery is the 23rd. She has gone through one heat cycle, which was in March thru April.
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  2. #2
    Senior Dog WhoopsaDaisy's Avatar
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    Hey Sarah! I have been experience some similar things with Daisy so I'll be interested to hear some of the responses. She barks at neighbors sometimes for no reason, or at a stranger when out on a hike. It sounds like it could be a fear stage? From what I have read, you are doing the right thing the way you are approaching it.
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  3. #3
    House Broken Maggie's Mom's Avatar
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    It may just be maturity and becoming more aware of out of place things and people. Puppies are usually less observant or may lack the confidence to bark at something, but most adult dogs will bark when they feel something is out of the ordinary or not right. My first dog would bark for the door bell or at loud noises outside, I would just say, "thank you, ok," and he would stop. If that does not work, you could try to carry treats on walks and use the "watch me" command to keep her attention on you.

  4. #4
    Senior Dog Snowshoe's Avatar
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    Jet got barky at about a year old. For some it could be a fear period but I think Jet was alerting me to what she took to be a possible threat as it was nearly always and only people we met on walks in the bush when she was off leash. She seemed to think it was her job to advance and warn them off. A bit of obedience routine helped remind her I was the boss and I would decide who we would bark at. I put her in heel beside me while I spoke to the people. But I noticed she didn't bark at people I knew who I greeted in a friendly fashion. Easy fix for me, just be super friendly to everyone. "Hi, great day, nice to see you out." Whether I knew them or not.

    Poor Oban, three new families moved beside, beside and kitty corner to us and spent way more time outside than the previous people had. I found laughing worked on him. "Ho, ho, ho, you big silly, they live there now, they are nothing to bark at." Worked. Worked again when they all, within a year of each other, all got intact male dogs where there had been no dogs living at all. More laughing from me, quite a bit more and I really didn't feel like laughing sometimes but it really, really works on Oban.

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  6. #5
    Senior Dog doubledip1's Avatar
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    I will try laughing when she does it next. After a long discussion about it, we think her barking all the old man today was demanding his treats. She always goes into a "down" whenever people approach, without fail, 100% of the time. As they get closer, she gets excited and starts to pull. I'm terrified she's going to knock him over... he's at least 90 and walks a mile or more every day. I will pay close attention next time to see if it's crazy persistence for treats or a warning and update.
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    Senior Dog Maxx&Emma's Avatar
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    It does sound like it could be a fear stage. Definitely work on her confidence and continue to keep to your normal routine. Laughing to distract her or anything that will change the focus is great. As long as you stay confident and encourage her confidence I am sure she will be fine.
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  8. #7
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    What's the age for for Luna?

    Daisy in the other post is around the age where maturity sets in. (as mentioned in the other post) Don't be afraid to use your feet to shuffle into your dog when they are barking at somebody. You're not hurting them, but using similar body launguage they use. Getting between them and whatever they are barking at will send a good message. What I've found is some dogs who have had their way for a while, the same technique works, however, they try to get around you. If we continue to stay between them, they will eventually calm down. If they don't some get a correction, while others get shuffled backwards away from the 'threat.'

  9. #8
    Senior Dog doubledip1's Avatar
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    She will be a year old on the 14th of June.
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  10. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by doubledip1 View Post
    She will be a year old on the 14th of June.

    Similar advice as above. If you're in the house on the couch, and she acts up, you or someone else needs to get up every single time. It can be a RPITA when they start up every 30 seconds, but you're teaching them that you will check. The one mistake IMO I seen in the post is that you walk away. You need to get the dog to walk away. This is where moving them by crowding works. But you also have to be a bit attentive too. Remember their noses and ears are usually much better than ours. I want the alert, but then if I get up and check and I don't see anything, I want them to stop. More than once the dog has been right, like an animal outside or something like that. Getting them outside on a leash might help, but normally I want them to sit by the door and not go outside unless I allow it. If you see the pattern here, I'm checking, I'm getting up to the alert, I may even investigate outside and with them sitting by the door, you're showing them that you'll handle. Then you can also teach two commands. That is Quiet and Enough! The dogs learn quickly that when I say enough, if I say it again, they're going to get corrected somehow someway, so they quiet down.

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  12. #10
    Senior Dog doubledip1's Avatar
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    She has never barked inside the house, EVER. It is ONLY outside.
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