odd barking--translation please?

PeppersPop

Hello,

Since the DogForums.com community has always had wonderful advice to share, I am writing yet again to ask your assistance.

My dog Pepper (14 months, rescue dog who's been with me for 2 months) is a good dog, for the most part. He comes when called, will let me take toys/food from him without growling, and will ignore/leave/drop food, dead, or other undesirable things both in the house and outside. He barks when he hears someone outside the door, but stops when asked. He also barks when we are around other dogs, which is fear aggression I think, but we are working hard on it. Otherwise, he isn't a barker.

In a pre-dinner training session the other night, after several sit/reward, sit/reward repetitions, he started to bark at me. He was doing a "play bow" except his head was up, he was looking at me and barking. I don't want to be barked at so I said stop and then put him in the bathroom for a quick time out and then fed him as usual. He also did the same barking thing when my partner and I were in the house with him blowing bubbles and another time when we were in the bedroom getting ready for bed (and not really paying attention to or interacting with him).

When he does this, he has look/attitude that we haven't seen other than time. It doesn't feel good, friendly, or playful. My girlfriend says it looks like a mix of excitement and fear/aggression.

I can't figure out what is causing it or what it means. I don't like being barked at, especially in that way, so I have put him in the bathroom each time... just for a minute or two, to help him calm down (and communicate that that is not acceptable behavior).

Thoughts?

Thanks,
Sid

rosemaryninja

I'm not positive, but I think Spunky does this sometimes. The play-bow definitely. I'm not sure how to describe it, but it comes across a little bit like frustration. She will do it if, say, I have done sit-stay-come loops at training sessions for too long without rewarding.

I usually command her to sit before putting down her food, so sometimes if I give the command and stand there in silence for awhile she will also give it.

I can't quite articulate what it might be either, but I get the feeling it's something like "come on, I'm doing it, what are you waiting for??" I don't time-out her or anything - I just stand there calmly and make sure she's quietened down before giving the reward. Kinda like "you can yell as loud as you want, but this bowl isn't going anywhere you display the behaviour I want to see, ie sitting calmly".

LuckyLabMom

My dog barks at me sometimes - seemingly out of the blue. He'll just sit in front of me, looking at me and barking. The first time he did it I was sort of freaked out (I had only had him for a day or 2 - and this is a 2 yr old, 70 pound lab - so a big strong guy) but I stayed calm, waited till he stopped, and then patted his head. He flopped to the ground and offered up his belly for rubbing. It was pretty funny, and very cute!

He's done it probably about half-a-dozen times since then - just looking at me and barking. He's always trying to tell me something, and I can't always figure out what it is. He's hungry, he has to pee, he wants some luvins (that's what we call the belly-rubbing sessions, heh), something. Now I just tell him to lay down when he starts barking at me, and usually he cooperates. Then I wait a minute till he's calmed down and then give him luvins or food or whatever it seems like he needs.

It's probably a combination of excitement and concern - concern that he's not gonna get whatever he has decided it's time for (in your case, I would guess his dinner). I think the trick is to find the balance of not rewarding him with what he wants for barking (so as to not encourage it) but waiting till he calms down and then giving it to him.

I also wonder if it is habit - maybe it worked with Chester's previous owner - he barked and got what he wanted. There are a few behaviors that I think have carried over from them. He wasn't very well-trained. So it could be the same situation with your pup.

It's frustrating sometimes that we don't literally speak the same language as our dogs. But I think with time it gets easier to understand each other. But like in a human relationship, despite language, there will be times when we don't understand each other at all, LOL.

Curbside Prophet

Try this the next time he does this...be real still and pant somewhat loudly.

If he growls and backs away, he likely in conflict and you should look for ways in which you may be inadvertently punishing him.

If he dances around looking for a toy, he's trying to elicit play or attention. In which case, teaching a settle down on a mat would remove much of the guesswork on his part.

poodleholic

How much exercise does he get? (Other than walks, which aren't much in terms of real exercise for a dog.) Dogs who are bored and/or underexercised will do this, and it is often misunderstood due to the intensity.

I wouldn't give the dog a time out for trying to communicate with you.

You might want to jot down your observations - I found daily journaling on my rescue to be very helpful in figuring him out.

Puppy & Dog Forums

 

PeppersPop

Yes, I am trying to encourage my partner (and do it myself) to keep a journal because it makes it easier to see things longterm. When we started clicker training (still working on sit), it seemed like I was going nowhere fast... but when I think of where we were two weeks ago, it's amazing.

He gets two or three 20 minute walks and one walk that is at least an hour. The shorter walks are on a short leash and we walk around the neighborhood and up and down streets. The longer walk is on a 16 foot flexi-leash and we go into the woods so he can run and play a little bit.

I'm going to be completely honest about the time out... its for me, probably more than him. I was afraid of dogs when I was a kid and have mostly gotten over it, but when a dog barks at me, like that, unprovoked (as far as I can tell), I don't know what else to do. He runs to the door and barks whenever someone goes by, but always stops once we acknowledge him ("ok pepper" or "thanks pepper") and as annoying as it is, I know he's doing it to warn/alert me so I never punish or scold him for it.... but I can't figure out what triggers these episodes and if he would respond and stop barking, I'd just move on... but when he continues to bark, I'm not sure what else to do.

poodleholic

It really sounds like pent-up energy to me. I've experienced this with my own dog, Maddy (whom I thought had lost her mind! LOL), during the time she wasn't able to play Indy 500 and fetch games in the back yard while we were waiting for the new fence to be installed. I was truly concerned about her behavior, because it seemed that she was going to attack me (and, indeed, she did nip at my legs and hands on top of the frenzied barking, so unlike her "normal" barks and behavior)! She was about 6-7 months old. She was just bored to death, so I had to engage her brain as well as provide her with the means to release all that pent-up energy. I've seen the same thing with several other young dogs, and the "cure," if you will, was mental stimulation and increased exercise. Walks alone really don't cut it. Games will help, though, and will tire him out as well. There are lots of games you can play in the house that will keep him busy and stimulated, some that require your interaction throughout, but there are interactive toys that don't require your participation throughout (like Buster Cubes and even KONGS). Since you're working with the clicker, 101 things to do with a box is a good one to start.

PeppersPop

Thanks!! What kind of games do you suggest? He's got a kong and I stuff it, seal it with cream cheese, and freeze it. He enjoys it but it doesn't last very long. I am more than happy to interact with him and in fact have lots of free time. What kind of games do you suggest?

I just found 101 and one things so I will read up on it. I'm off to teach Pepper how to fetch! Yipiee!

Thanks,
Sid

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