Doodle Puppy excessive barking. Help!

Duke'sMom · 08-22-2011, 06:19 PM

Hi! So glad to have found this website. We have a 6 month old Labradoodle (F1B). He is in general a good and sweet puppy but he barks out of nowhere. For example, we will sit down to dinner and he has been fine and then he will walk up and start aggressively barking at us. Not just at dinner, I could be standing somewhere, sitting somewhere what ever it is and he will come up and just start up and not stop and if we go to get him to take him outside he runs and we can not catch him. I know that he is trying to get our attention but how do I stop the aggressive barking? Sometimes he will bark and nip at my leg or elbow, but I can not stop him from barking. What do we do? He will be getting fixed on Sept 1st. Will that help keep him from being so aggressive? Also, he is a big thief. He will steal anything and just run with it! We have had a lab/rottweiler mix and a beagle before and neither of them exhibited this kind of behavior. Is this just normal doodle puppy behavior?
Thanks!

**lindamarie** · 08-23-2011, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duke'sMom

. Is this just normal doodle puppy behavior?
Thanks!

Not to my knowledge. Something has triggered this.
How old was he when you got him as it appears this has just started, right?
If it DID just start, he is attempting to be ALPHA.
This can all be brought under control by some training. Have you gone to obedience classes? If not, it's definitely time to start.

Nikkiey · 08-23-2011, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duke'sMom

Sometimes he will bark and nip at my leg or elbow, but I can not stop him from barking.

That sounds like he's trying to herd you - which is odd for a doodle. If your little guy has boarder collie, australian sheppard or any other herding dog mixed in somewhere then maybe that could explain it, but either way, you need to start addressing this now before it escalades.

Juneau was a theif too. The most important thing to remember is NEVER CHASE. Even if it's your favorite touque or pair of shoes (oh how I loved those red heels

) don't chase him or it will be a game and the game will keep going and going and going.... And never move to grab him if you are not 110% sure that you can catch him. If you try to grab him and you miss, you just upped the anti for the game. Juneau went through a really bad "look what I got, bet you can't catch me" phase around 5 months. For almost 5 weeks we made him wear a 15 ft lead around the house so that he was easier to catch.

He's now 11 months old and he still has his moments.

Now it's toys though, the retrieving part got lost somewhere...but we're working on it!!!

browndog · 08-23-2011, 01:31 PM

Our puppy is now 7 months old. She also went through a barking stage. For us the barking stage started at around 4 months. She would bark at us, people walking by our yard, bicycles, other dogs, cars, sounds, etc.... We decided to nip it in the bud pretty quickly and invested in a citronella collar. It was pretty expensive ($150) but it worked wonders and was so worth it. There are 2 kinds, the automatic bark collar one that automatically gives a spray of citronella every time they bark or the remote control one where you control when it sprays. It is very humane and gentle. All it is, is a collar that sprays a little puff of citronella when they bark and most dogs don't like the smell and learn very quickly that when they bark they will get a spray, and so they stop barking. We got the remote control kind (though I think the automated kind might work better for your case) With the remote control kind you have to be on it all the time. If you miss a bark then it won't work whereas with the other one, you can be in a different room and it will still catch the dog with EVERY bark. It only took about 4 sprays for her to get the point! It was pretty amazing actually. It cured the problem in about 2 days. With the remote, you can give a little warning "beep" sound before the citronella actually sprays, and after about 4 actual sprays, she learned that the "beep" meant she had better stop barking or she would get a spray. So after the first two days, all I had to do was give her a "beep" and she would instantly stop barking (no spray). We used it on her for about 2 weeks and then we haven't really used it since. On occasion we will put it on her as a reminder if she is showing bark signs, (maybe once every 3 weeks or so) but we never have to use the spray at all....just a friendly "beep" sound and she remembers that barking is not cool with us. I would really recommend it. I know some people use the electronic shock collars but we opted for the citronella one as it sounded more gentle to us...and it worked! I actually love the citronella smell. It smells so fresh.

The citronella collar does not work on every dog though....some don't mind the smell. We learned that it would work with our dog as the dog daycare we sometime bring her to tried it on her one day when she was barking at everything and they told us it definitely worked for her. Most places will allow you to buy it and return it in 2 weeks if it isn't working and you get a full refund. I am so glad that we got it for her. She is now a quiet dog and will happily sit on our front steps and watch people walk past! She loves sitting on our front steps watching the world go by. I'd say give it a shot.

It also helped us with her "power hour" which happens every single night between 7:30 pm and 9:00 pm where she goes absolutely bananas! She is a crazy dog at this time and will run around and jump and zoom all over the place. When she was 4 months old she used to direct this energy AT us and would jump up at us and snag her little puppy teeth in our clothes and try to jump on furniture and bark in our faces etc. It was really, really bad. The collar helped with this as well. Now she still has her power hour, but she doesn't usually doesn't bark anymore and will not jump on us or the furniture. She usually takes it out on her stuffed toy and throws it up in the air and rolls on her back and wrestles with her blanket. It's actually entertaining now to watch and not stressful. We don't interact with her during power hour. So now she knows just to get it out on her own and play with her toys etc. We also often take her out to play fetch when she is crazy hyper. She settled down quite a bit after 6 months old once she was spayed. I think after you get him neutered he will settle a lot too. Sorry for writing a book on here. I have learned so much from this forum and it feels good to be able to share some of my experience now too and hopefully help someone else out.
Hope this helps!

Duke'sMom · 08-31-2011, 10:16 PM

THank you for all your information. I don't feel so alone anymore

I guess the barking thing kind of has slowly escalated. I know he needs training, so we need to find someone who specializes in doodle dogs to help us. I have been waiting until we get him neutered before we start the training and now we dont have to wait so long as the event will be happening in 48 hours!

I will look into the citronella collar. I may do the remote one as well because if we are not home, and he barks at something that should be barked at, then I don't want him sprayed.

deepnite10 · 08-31-2011, 11:01 PM

training class s will help alot..and the homework you two can do together..this will be where you ll be able to bond with a common goal..

cow s moo, birds chirp, dogs bark..its just the nature of the dog to get your attention, warn someone off or tell you something..usually, i want to play..or something he enjoys..

whatever, there are other instinctive behaviors that are usually annoying..but, unless a dog is allow d to be a dog..your going to have behavorial problems down the road..

the trick is to teach them it s alright to be a dog..but, there s a time and place for everything..

if you never want him to bark..just grab his snout and say *NO*..the alternative would be to teach him the *STOP* command..bring him close when he s barking and grab his snout gently yet firmly and say *STOP*..

no punishment or reward..yet if he bark s out the window..IMO, he s trying warn someone off and alert you..then follow the instructions for the *STOP*..and say *GOOD BOY,GIRL*..these guys are smart..and in a short time he ll get the idea..he may at time s bark for some reason..but, actually testing you to find out if its ok or not..

again, they re smart..their minds are always thinking..something they ll just play..other times they re looking for a job to do around the house..like
chewing up your favorite slippers, shoes, underwear..*you get the idea*..
occupy his mind with training and reviewing what he s alreay learn d..

a happy doodle is a busy doodle..

Ace's Place · 09-01-2011, 09:38 AM

We use Deep nite's philoshopy which generally works - which is note the first bark, acknowledge it, and actually let your dog know that you are aware that they are telling you something. So it may mean saying your dog's name, getting up from the dinner table, looking out the window or walking over to them (in a purposeful manner) to see what it is they are trying to tell you. We typically walk toward Ace, see if we can see what the "alert" is all about - usually a person or a dog or something - actually tell him Alright, thank you for letting us know, a couple of pets, and then a firm "enough". Cesar Milan's philosphy is similar - says a dog's first or second bark should be appreciated for what he is trying to alert you to, then the human needs to let the dog know that the dog doesn't have to worry about it anymore. In other words, thank you but stop now. You are essentially stepping in to take care of whatever is of concern.

I'm wondering when your dog runs, if you continue to follow him, where do you end up? At a window? A toy?

I don't know if its because we followed this philosphy since Ace was a baby, but he is not a big barker - and I do actually appreciate his barks - which are more like a low woof or grumble - because 10 times out of ten he is telling us something. Like deepnite says they are smart - and I am continually amazed at how much smarter this dog is than our beagle ever was (no offense to the fabulous beagle family which I love!).

08-22-2011, 06:19 PM	#1 (permalink)
Duke'sMom Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Dallas Texas Posts: 2	Doodle Puppy excessive barking. Help! Hi! So glad to have found this website. We have a 6 month old Labradoodle (F1B). He is in general a good and sweet puppy but he barks out of nowhere. For example, we will sit down to dinner and he has been fine and then he will walk up and start aggressively barking at us. Not just at dinner, I could be standing somewhere, sitting somewhere what ever it is and he will come up and just start up and not stop and if we go to get him to take him outside he runs and we can not catch him. I know that he is trying to get our attention but how do I stop the aggressive barking? Sometimes he will bark and nip at my leg or elbow, but I can not stop him from barking. What do we do? He will be getting fixed on Sept 1st. Will that help keep him from being so aggressive? Also, he is a big thief. He will steal anything and just run with it! We have had a lab/rottweiler mix and a beagle before and neither of them exhibited this kind of behavior. Is this just normal doodle puppy behavior? Thanks!

08-23-2011, 01:31 PM	#4 (permalink)
browndog Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Posts: 76	Our puppy is now 7 months old. She also went through a barking stage. For us the barking stage started at around 4 months. She would bark at us, people walking by our yard, bicycles, other dogs, cars, sounds, etc.... We decided to nip it in the bud pretty quickly and invested in a citronella collar. It was pretty expensive ($150) but it worked wonders and was so worth it. There are 2 kinds, the automatic bark collar one that automatically gives a spray of citronella every time they bark or the remote control one where you control when it sprays. It is very humane and gentle. All it is, is a collar that sprays a little puff of citronella when they bark and most dogs don't like the smell and learn very quickly that when they bark they will get a spray, and so they stop barking. We got the remote control kind (though I think the automated kind might work better for your case) With the remote control kind you have to be on it all the time. If you miss a bark then it won't work whereas with the other one, you can be in a different room and it will still catch the dog with EVERY bark. It only took about 4 sprays for her to get the point! It was pretty amazing actually. It cured the problem in about 2 days. With the remote, you can give a little warning "beep" sound before the citronella actually sprays, and after about 4 actual sprays, she learned that the "beep" meant she had better stop barking or she would get a spray. So after the first two days, all I had to do was give her a "beep" and she would instantly stop barking (no spray). We used it on her for about 2 weeks and then we haven't really used it since. On occasion we will put it on her as a reminder if she is showing bark signs, (maybe once every 3 weeks or so) but we never have to use the spray at all....just a friendly "beep" sound and she remembers that barking is not cool with us. I would really recommend it. I know some people use the electronic shock collars but we opted for the citronella one as it sounded more gentle to us...and it worked! I actually love the citronella smell. It smells so fresh. The citronella collar does not work on every dog though....some don't mind the smell. We learned that it would work with our dog as the dog daycare we sometime bring her to tried it on her one day when she was barking at everything and they told us it definitely worked for her. Most places will allow you to buy it and return it in 2 weeks if it isn't working and you get a full refund. I am so glad that we got it for her. She is now a quiet dog and will happily sit on our front steps and watch people walk past! She loves sitting on our front steps watching the world go by. I'd say give it a shot. It also helped us with her "power hour" which happens every single night between 7:30 pm and 9:00 pm where she goes absolutely bananas! She is a crazy dog at this time and will run around and jump and zoom all over the place. When she was 4 months old she used to direct this energy AT us and would jump up at us and snag her little puppy teeth in our clothes and try to jump on furniture and bark in our faces etc. It was really, really bad. The collar helped with this as well. Now she still has her power hour, but she doesn't usually doesn't bark anymore and will not jump on us or the furniture. She usually takes it out on her stuffed toy and throws it up in the air and rolls on her back and wrestles with her blanket. It's actually entertaining now to watch and not stressful. We don't interact with her during power hour. So now she knows just to get it out on her own and play with her toys etc. We also often take her out to play fetch when she is crazy hyper. She settled down quite a bit after 6 months old once she was spayed. I think after you get him neutered he will settle a lot too. Sorry for writing a book on here. I have learned so much from this forum and it feels good to be able to share some of my experience now too and hopefully help someone else out. Hope this helps!

08-31-2011, 10:16 PM	#5 (permalink)
Duke'sMom Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Dallas Texas Posts: 2	THank you for all your information. I don't feel so alone anymore I guess the barking thing kind of has slowly escalated. I know he needs training, so we need to find someone who specializes in doodle dogs to help us. I have been waiting until we get him neutered before we start the training and now we dont have to wait so long as the event will be happening in 48 hours! I will look into the citronella collar. I may do the remote one as well because if we are not home, and he barks at something that should be barked at, then I don't want him sprayed.

08-31-2011, 11:01 PM	#6 (permalink)
deepnite10 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Norcal Posts: 1,358	training class s will help alot..and the homework you two can do together..this will be where you ll be able to bond with a common goal.. cow s moo, birds chirp, dogs bark..its just the nature of the dog to get your attention, warn someone off or tell you something..usually, i want to play..or something he enjoys.. whatever, there are other instinctive behaviors that are usually annoying..but, unless a dog is allow d to be a dog..your going to have behavorial problems down the road.. the trick is to teach them it s alright to be a dog..but, there s a time and place for everything.. if you never want him to bark..just grab his snout and say NO..the alternative would be to teach him the STOP command..bring him close when he s barking and grab his snout gently yet firmly and say STOP.. no punishment or reward..yet if he bark s out the window..IMO, he s trying warn someone off and alert you..then follow the instructions for the STOP..and say GOOD BOY,GIRL..these guys are smart..and in a short time he ll get the idea..he may at time s bark for some reason..but, actually testing you to find out if its ok or not.. again, they re smart..their minds are always thinking..something they ll just play..other times they re looking for a job to do around the house..like chewing up your favorite slippers, shoes, underwear..you get the idea.. occupy his mind with training and reviewing what he s alreay learn d.. a happy doodle is a busy doodle..

09-01-2011, 09:38 AM	#7 (permalink)
Ace's Place Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Connecticut Posts: 124	We use Deep nite's philoshopy which generally works - which is note the first bark, acknowledge it, and actually let your dog know that you are aware that they are telling you something. So it may mean saying your dog's name, getting up from the dinner table, looking out the window or walking over to them (in a purposeful manner) to see what it is they are trying to tell you. We typically walk toward Ace, see if we can see what the "alert" is all about - usually a person or a dog or something - actually tell him Alright, thank you for letting us know, a couple of pets, and then a firm "enough". Cesar Milan's philosphy is similar - says a dog's first or second bark should be appreciated for what he is trying to alert you to, then the human needs to let the dog know that the dog doesn't have to worry about it anymore. In other words, thank you but stop now. You are essentially stepping in to take care of whatever is of concern. I'm wondering when your dog runs, if you continue to follow him, where do you end up? At a window? A toy? I don't know if its because we followed this philosphy since Ace was a baby, but he is not a big barker - and I do actually appreciate his barks - which are more like a low woof or grumble - because 10 times out of ten he is telling us something. Like deepnite says they are smart - and I am continually amazed at how much smarter this dog is than our beagle ever was (no offense to the fabulous beagle family which I love!).

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