Desperate about barking

Barking

astronut said:
Wow, thanks for all great tips everyone!

Yes, Largo is neutered. I let him sniff the baby, but I get pretty nervous about him licking him. I'm a bit of a germophobe. Consequently, I pet him less because I don't want to touch the baby after petting Largo without washing my hands (which I can't always do).

I didn't know the thudershirt could have so many uses, I thought it was only for separation anxiety! I'll take that into consideration. I also had a look at the websites Caro posted. I had no idea about some of the stress signals. Very useful. From what I read on family paws it and your comments, I think there's a good chance that his problem is the changed home dynamic due to the new baby.

We live in a small apartment right now and we don't have a car. Unfortunately, all the agility and obedience courses in my area are far, so I have no way to get there. But, in the summer we're going to be moving to a place that has a backyard. So, once we're there I want to start trying to do agility work in the backyard with him. Do you guys have any other suggestions for a "job" I can give him in the meantime (something to do in the house)?

I've already read up on teaching him to bark on command. The thing is I've been to scared to try it, LOL. I'm scared of the barking fiasco I might unleash! I will give it a try though, and post on the progress we make.

No one mentioned anything about the citronella collar. Any experience with that? I know it's also a "band aid" solution. But, for future reference, I'd like to know if there is any use in it.

Oh, and about the dreaded teenage years. How long does it last? Have any of you seen behaviours like this develop during adolescence, and then improve with age?

I really hope we can work through this. If he really is acting out because he's getting less attention, then this whole situation creates a vicious circle. He barks uncontrollably and I loose my temper and get mad. Which doesn't improve our relationship. Sigh.
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Citonella collar is a waste.They learn to bark through it.I went through the same you are going through.I had tried everything and my dogs are trained in agility so they aren't bored.I had animal control at my doorstep and neighbors complaining and I knew I wasn't getting rid of my guys so I bark softened my younger one.My other was done when I got him.I am happy, my neighbors are happy.
 
I am sorry, your situation sounds very frustrating. I'll be sending you good vibes that some of the great ideas shared will work for you.

I did want to say that I would vote against debarking. Not because I'm morally opposed to it, but because it doesn't solve your problem. He is still going to get worried, and act exactly the same. He'll open his mouth and make an anxious noise. It just won't be as loud.

I have a dog that barks out of reactivity and anxiety. Admittedly, it's not as bad as the situation you described, but I do find it frustrating. I've never considered debarking for him, because it's his attitude/reaction that I find frustrating and stressful. The noise is just an annoyance. It's like treating a cold with a throat lozenge. Might make your throat feel better, but you're still sick.
 
You don't need to have the dog that close to the baby if you are worried - that's perfectly fine. Instead when you are holding baby just talk to your dog and let him know that he has some of your attention too. You could try putting something scented with your baby into the dog's sleep area so he gets used to the smell. You can always let the dog see the baby when baby is in it's cot or play pen - so you can control the distance he keeps. Even playing with the dog near the babies cot will reassure him. Just keep some handwipes nearby (or the baby wipes) if you are worried about passing things on (altho the dog is going to have the same germs as you).

Go with some of the behavioural stuff first before trying a collar. It's a tough call whether it will work or not.

Adolescence is pretty fluid - it could take 6mths for the behaviours to settle and they really aren't adult until they are 2. Not that the barking is likely to go all that time. Routine and structure is really important at that age tho to give them some certainty.
 
Definitely sounds like he's stressed about the baby. Probably feeding off of your anxieties. Have you considered Clomicalm(clomipramine)? I had one of my shelties on it for years and it helped immensely! Once you get him calmed down, then it would be easier to train him out of the anxieties. Just an idea...
 
astronut said:
I let him sniff the baby, but I get pretty nervous about him licking him. I'm a bit of a germophobe. Consequently, I pet him less because I don't want to touch the baby after petting Largo without washing my hands (which I can't always do).
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<unpopular response warning>

Oh, please get over that. Seriously. Germophobes do nothing but make themselves sick, and provide entertainment for the rest of us when they grab three or four toilet seat covers in public restrooms.

I think that until you are not anxious about the dog and the possible germs, you aren't going to solve the problem. That dog is absolutely picking up your anxiety, and your feelings against him. It's not fair to him to have to live with you thinking he's gross and carrying something that will kill your kid.
 
ClantyreSheltie said:
I think that until you are not anxious about the dog and the possible germs, you aren't going to solve the problem. That dog is absolutely picking up your anxiety, and your feelings against him. It's not fair to him to have to live with you thinking he's gross and carrying something that will kill your kid.
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I 100% agree. Your dog is probably picking up on your anxiety about him being around this baby, and maybe even stress and other emotions in the house. My dog can most definitely pick up on negative emotions such as stress, anxiety, even mourning.

As far as the germaphob thing, I don't want to tell you not to worry about germs because I'm not sure what "level" of germaphob you are. There are people out there that are seriously incapible of living a normal life because of it. My co-worker's wife is so OCD and germaphobic, when their washing machine broke and they had it repaired, she didn't want to use it anymore because a repairman had touched it. They had to buy another washing machine! So if you are that severe of a germaphob, I'm definitely not going to tell you to "get over it" because that's a mental illness thing you have to work out with a medical professional. But if you just like to keep things clean and sanitary, but not to an obsessive level... maybe just try to relax and not worry so much about what germs the dog might bring in. A certain amount of germs are good! Our bodies rely on germs to build antibodies so we can fight an infection. Or at least that's what I learned in 10th grade biology...
 
Hi everyone. I wanted to post a quick update on Largo's progress.

First off, I've taken your advice on not being such uptight with the germs thing. (I don't have OCD, just like to keep things as hygienic as possible.) So, I've been giving him A LOT more attention, petting him when I have the baby in arms, going to the park with both him and the baby and praising him tons when he's good. I've noticed a pretty significant improvement in his barking. I'm pretty taken aback actually. He's still barking at anyone that comes remotely close to the house, but not so much at ME anymore for seemingly random things.

So, based on this change, I've concluded that his barking was/is due to two things: lack of attention (I must have really been ignoring him, and not noticed. Poor thing!) and him thinking that he has to be more territorial now that there's a baby (maybe that's why he barks so much at the door). So, the first seems like it's improving. The second we can maybe work on by teaching him to stop barking on command. I'll be working on that.

Thanks for your help everyone! Hopefully this new improvement keeps up!
 
astronut said:
Is it possible to upload a picture form my computer? Or does it have to be online?
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Yes, you can upload from your computer. Scroll down on the screen where you compose your message to Manage Attachments and follow the prompts there.
 
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