Barking

[kateincornwall]

Reuben isn't a prolific barker thank goodness , but recently he has started to bark when excited or aroused in any way . He doesn't keep it up for long but I would like to nip it in the bud if I can , before it becomes a habit , any suggestions gratefully received x

 

[kateincornwall]

Just adding , this isn't barking when someone comes to the door , this is barking just because he is excited , and sadly I have neighbours who do not like dogs and so I don't want to give them any ammunition ! x

 

[snowbunny]

Give him a kong, a chew, a snuffle mat - anything to lower his arousal. Fix the emotion, the behaviour follows

 

[kateincornwall]

Thanks , he doesn't ever give warning that he is in barking mode, it just comes out of nowhere , so I suppose a kong at hand to distract him with is the thing to do ?

 

[snowbunny]

That or treats in your pockets / in pots on shelves. Does he do it when he's laying down chilling?

 

[kateincornwall]

That or treats in your pockets / in pots on shelves. Does he do it when he's laying down chilling?

No , its usually when he is playing with Nelly , or trying to coax her to play . Right , treats in every pocket from now on !

 

[snowbunny]

OK, that makes sense then. Yes, just interrupt with a "scatter" cue, and rain treats down on his head. Then maybe have a little game of "hunt the treats" around the room for them both to give him something else to do.

 

[HAH]

Just to add that Kipper went through a phase of barking a little at about 9 months, it was like he’d suddenly found his voice exactly as @snowbunny says, distracting and lowering arousal did the job and he learnt quickly to deal with the excitement in different ways.