[Astroquack]

I've had my Aussie for a month and was angel when we first had him. Now he just barks constantly! I understand it's normal for dogs to bark, but it gets to the point where my ears hurt and I feel like my blood's boiling.

He barks at me when I've got food as if he's expecting me to share - but I've never given him my own food before so I don't know how this started.
He barks for my attention and when I just ignore him, he calms down then throws another barking fit 5 minutes later.
He barks through the fence and I bring him inside but eventually have to let him out to wee - and he just starts barking again. I also get him to sit, look at me and calm down but then he goes back to barking.
When I tell him a stern 'no', he runs away and keeps barking.

I'm obviously doing something wrong because he came to us with no bad habits but I don't know where I went wrong! How should I be addressing these issues?

 

[mathilda]

I've had my Aussie for a month and was angel when we first had him. Now he just barks constantly! I understand it's normal for dogs to bark, but it gets to the point where my ears hurt and I feel like my blood's boiling.

He barks at me when I've got food as if he's expecting me to share - but I've never given him my own food before so I don't know how this started.
He barks for my attention and when I just ignore him, he calms down then throws another barking fit 5 minutes later.
He barks through the fence and I bring him inside but eventually have to let him out to wee - and he just starts barking again. I also get him to sit, look at me and calm down but then he goes back to barking.
When I tell him a stern 'no', he runs away and keeps barking.

I'm obviously doing something wrong because he came to us with no bad habits but I don't know where I went wrong! How should I be addressing these issues?

When you adopt a dog from a shelter or rescue organisation they often seem relatively calm for the first weeks, because they're still recovering from the stress of shelters.
After a few weeks they often show more of their "real self" and of course of the issues they've got.
please don't get angry at him for that. he's not doing this to annoy you, but because he doesn know better.
He's still adjusting to the new life and Aussies can be very sensitive dogs. Stay calm, be patient, don't shout and reward him for behaviour that you want from him.
depending on the age it is very important to exercise your dog mentally and physically. With an adult, healthy dog, you should spend atleast 1,5-2 hours everyday walking, play and training.
if you feel like your dog is guarding the garden, perhaps he shouldn't be there alone. instead of sending him in the garden perhaps it is better to go for a shpot walk with him in the evening and morning.
For the food situation it can help to train a reliable command to send him to his blanket/dog bed/crate, when you want to eat.
You could also decide to only have food in the kitchen and make a rule that he is not allowed to be there.

 

[Shandula]

I find the Aussies I know that are BIG barkers are generally bored. How is he when you're walking or training? Is he still a big barker?

 

[Astroquack]

Thanks for the advice guys! I physically exercise more than the reccomended amount for a 4 month old so I've tried to cut that down. These are just things like walking, exploring a forest, chasing tennis balls. In terms of training, we do short sessions throughout the day - stay, recall, tricks etc. What other things do you think I can do to releive his boredom?

 

[Hannahspups]

He is sooooo cute, congrats!! For my dog to get her to stop barking I taught her the quiet command and it's worked wonders!!! I'm sure there are articles about it if you search it. Also mind stimulating toys would probably help, you can buy them pretty much everywhere I believe

 

[Shandula]

I would try teaching a "settle" command as well:

Capturing Calmness