[kitkat]

I have a newly acquired 1 yr. old black lab.

My problem is that my parents get up at 6am ish every day, and I dont get up till about 8. My room is in the basement, and when Bodhi (my dog) hears anyone upstairs, he barks like crazy, and I wake up, almost having a heart attack.

He does this actually anytime he hears anyone walking around upstairs, mostly at night, but kind of all the time. I read that he's still insecure about himself so barking (and growling, which he also does) is how he deals with it.

[Renoman]

Originally Posted by kitkat

I have a newly acquired 1 yr. old black lab.

My problem is that my parents get up at 6am ish every day, and I dont get up till about 8. My room is in the basement, and when Bodhi (my dog) hears anyone upstairs, he barks like crazy, and I wake up, almost having a heart attack.

He does this actually anytime he hears anyone walking around upstairs, mostly at night, but kind of all the time. I read that he's still insecure about himself so barking (and growling, which he also does) is how he deals with it.

You say he's newly acquired.. my guess would be he's reacting to the sounds he hears in his new environment and once he's settled in and knows the household routine he'll calm down and the barking will stop.

[jesirose]

It'll do ya good to wake up earlier You guys will both get used to the new sitation I bet. He'll probably get used to the noise and you'll get used to waking a bit earlier.

If he barks like mad and you pay attention to it, you're reinforcing the barking. Try distracting him with a toy and then praising him for being quiet.