Barking through fear?

Ellie

I recently rescued a 5 month old mixed breed puppy. (Dutch Shepherd x ?) I didn't get him from a rescue centre, but from a private home. He was being kept in appaling conditions with 3 other dogs. He had not been wormed or innoculated. He had occasionally been fed and it was a very poor diet. He had also not been walked or socialised.

He now has a loving home with myself and my 2 1/2 year old Belguim Shepherd. The problem I have is that he barks at everything and everyone. This includes children. I understand that this is most probably a fear thing, but I am unsure of the best way to deal with it. I have had him now for almost 2 months, and the problem seems to be getting worse. I really don't want this to turn into aggression and would appriciate any help or ideas. Thank you

kmes

I would look for an experienced trainer/behaviorist and sign up for obedience classes.

Corinthian

I've had working line Hollandse Herder, and Berger Belge for a long time and it's hard to say from your description if he is barking out of fear or simply because that's what they do.

I think all of my dogs went through a period around 8 months where they decided to eat, or at least chase and bark at kids. However, either way it is something that needs to be addressed with counter conditioning and desensitisation

Find a real people who've had this problem and have hired a specilist vet/behaviorist. Until then this is something to think about. One more thing. The sooner you can fix this problem the better because as he matures these behaviours can become more difficult to change.

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Mikey

Totally agreed.

Simply put-you give him very small doses of these things (like just seeing a kid from far away) and reward him heavily for appropriate behavior(not barking, looking away, sitting when told etc)-generally making things tougher and tougher as you go (moving closer to the kid, and then approaching or getting pet by the kid)


(Note that you don't want to go steadily harder-go like harder, easy easy harder, easy etc )

elisabeth

Stark is 9 months old, he is confident, well adjusted and very social..

Last month a little girl (about 4 years old) got off the elevator while Stark and I were waiting to get on and started to SCREAM in his face then proceeded to run right by him while screaming.

It startled Stark.

So for the past month Stark has been barking at anyone who shows any fear or uneasyness (is that a word?) around him, especially kids.

We have been walking by schools during recess, daycare centres, malls, playgrounds, etc., especially to desensitize and reassure him that it is okay. That these little people or people who are unsure of him are okay. No need to worry.

He is right at that age (so is your puppy) where they are going through their last fear stage. It is a crutical time and so keeping up with socialzing is key.

I would bring a tug, treats, and a special toy (anything the LOVE) with you while walking by people or things that your dog is uneasy with. If you see them tense up, distract them with the toy, allowing them to associate the good/fun with the thing that makes them uneasy.

If that doesn't work (some dogs just will not be distracted - Stark) then keep walking.

Don't let YOUR uneasyness or aura interfer. Keep positive, calm and keep going.

Stark and I are working on it and so I know exactly what you are feeling.

elisabeth

While I agree that if it becomes dangerous, a behaviouralist or trainer may be in order, but I don't think that is the answer.

Stark is in Advance Obedience (comptition ready), Schutzhund, Tracking, Agility, and a "puppy socialization group" where we take our dogs to different places and expose them to new things.

He does great with all of this. Listens to all the commands, behaves correctly and yet when we are alone, has these issues (see above post by me).

I don't think Stark's is lack of socialization nor is it lack of training.

He gets WAY MORE than the average dog on a daily basis.

I think it has a lot to do with the age (fear stage) and possibly a occurance that she is unaware of.

Ellie

Thank you so much for all your advice. I will try taking a toy out with us again and see if I can get his attention. My Malinois comes from working stock and I experienced different problems with her as a pup i.e chasing cars, joggers etc. I trained her through the Army Working Dog Unit that we have here in Germany, but we have moved to a different area and those same facilities are not available.. We live now in a small community and don't speak the language. It's difficult to find a trainer/behaviourist that speaks English

elisabeth

I totally understand about having a working line.

My female Beau is from West German Showlines and although is very much the average GSD she has no where near the drive as Stark.

Stark is from DDR lines (East German Working Lines) and is a totally different dog than Beau or any other Shepherd I have had.

Jakes

I think that you need a trainer if it turns to aggression, but but before that I would just try giving him treats every time the 'feared' thing comes close and he doesn't have a negative reaction.

bullseye

Does he wag his tail when he barks? I think that when a dog wags his tail while barking, he is being friendly. Our Japanese peach used to do that, get excited when people come to visit, so she would bark and wag and look at the person like expecting an approval and at times she would jump around the person. But she never showed any sign of trying to bite or harm our guests.

But when she barks with her tail down and not wagging, it means she is mad, specially when she sees cats and rats.

Still it wouldn't hurt to consult with a professional.