# Barking at men



## CrazyCash (Jul 12, 2012)

A couple of weeks ago Penny had a reaction to a man walking up behind us during obedience class - she growled and barked at him. I thought it was because he was wearing a hat and because he walked up behind us very quietly so I thought that maybe it startled her. 

Well now I'm on vacation with my friend and her family and Penny is having the same reaction at times with my friend's husband. It's really strange - she likes him, she'll follow him around the house and she wants him to pet her, but then at different times she'll start growling a little and then barking at him. It seems like every time he walks in from around a corner or a different room she will start barking at him, but as soon as he sits down she will go up to him with her tail wagging and want him to pet her and lick his hand. I've had him start talking before he enters the room so she knows that he's coming and that seems to help, but it hasn't stopped her completely. 

Just now she was sitting on my lap on the couch and we were all having a conversation - he got up to walk out of the room and when he got off the other couch and started walking towards me Penny started growling and barking at him. I'm not worried that Penny is going to bite him, it's more of a warning from her and when she does it, he just ignores her and walks away and that is the end of it. 

I'm just wondering if you have any suggestions on how I should approach this in the future. Penny was a stray for the first 6 months of her life (she's a year old now), so I'm assuming that she had some kind of issue with a man when she was younger. I also think that it could be her trying to protect me because she is really attached to me, but like I said most of the time she likes my friend, but then at random times she barks at him. Any ideas?


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## CrazyCash (Jul 12, 2012)

Oh - and I forgot to mention that she doesn't do this to women or kids. My friends have three kids here this weekend, two boys and a girl, and she's completely fine with all of them.


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## bob smart (Sep 7, 2011)

Hi

Before I start, I do not have the answer. I therefore look forward to the responses from the forum.

Tamaz has for some time barked and growled when approached by people, especially when he is on a lead or for example, sitting by our side in a pub garden. Off lead, he is much better. It is amazing but even if I approach him when he is laying on the floor, he grumbles. Ziva our girl is just the opposite. 

We live in hope of a solution.


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## Nelly (Feb 7, 2013)

Similar things have recently started happening with Nelly (just over 6 months) - not necessarily men, it seems to be anything in the distance, dog, man, woman etc. and more recently than that the elderly who walk with canes or walk hunched over, which is not great. 

We have started some beginner behaviour adjustment training (BAT) which is worth a search. It basically gets to grips with why the dog is reactive and works on adjusting the behaviour before it escalates (knowing when the dog is about to peak). 

We will enlist the help of a trainer in this and should have done it sooner but I actually wondered if it was another stage of puppyhood. We shall see!


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## Nelly (Feb 7, 2013)

I should add that Nelly just barks, I have never actually heard her growl unless she is tugging her blanket out of her crate!


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

My dog Cash is some what like Penny.
Friends aways come in and sit down in the living room.
He is happy tail wagging with them.
If a man or teenage boy stands in the entryway to long, he starts to puff up. Its like he thinks they don't belong.
Cash has learned quite and place, so it hasn't been a problem. 
If i see his demeanor start to change with someone, I have two choices. I can either send him to his place, or I have them sit down. If its someone that I don't care for, I don't do either. Cash makes them uncomfortable enough that they are ready to leave.


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## WillowyndRanch (Apr 3, 2012)

Free Professional advice removed by Author.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Ken is spot on.
I have my reasons for not totally trying to train it out of Cash. The big city keeps getting closer to where I live, and bringing the unwanted elements with it.
I don't suggest others do it this way.
If your not vigilant, it could go wrong in the blink of a eye.


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## CrazyCash (Jul 12, 2012)

I agree, it definitely feels like a protection/claiming behavior. I obviously don't let her get away with it - it's unacceptable and I don't like it, but I think that you are right that I need to be more firm about it. Shoving her off my lap is a good idea - I need to take away what she's guarding, which is me. I've been reprimanding her, but I was also holding on to her collar because her barking made my friend a little nervous and I didn't want her to run up to him. Penny has always been a little pushy and she would definitely like to run the house if given the chance, but she's come a long way since I first got her. Most of the time she's the sweetest dog, but I do watch her more closely than Cash because she has her moments where she just gets too intense and I need to be on top of it. I also think that teaching her to "place" is a good idea for when she does get too intense. Penny is my little challenge, she's a smart little thing and has the potential to be a great dog, I just need to help her realize her greatness.


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## Rudy (Oct 12, 2012)

Mace all men with Girl Body sprays

they were probably Stinkers  lol

No more barking"

Lickies"  ;D

Clean is mean

Tight is right


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## Nelly (Feb 7, 2013)

'The Beast' is getting so big Rudy!


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## Rudy (Oct 12, 2012)

;D

red devil

golden Nut

Snacker'

Run Big Rud"


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Looks like she is going to need a bigger pool.


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## Rudy (Oct 12, 2012)




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## CrazyCash (Jul 12, 2012)

Sooo - Penny's barking at men seems to be something I'm going to have to work on. Twice this week she's barked at men, both times the men were wearing hats. One of the times it was my Dad, who she knows and loves, but when he walked in with a hat she started barking at him and as soon as he took it off she ran up to him all happy and wiggly looking for a pet. 

I've always trained my own dogs and I've taken them to obedience classes, more for their socialization than anything. I'm thinking about taking her to a professional trainer for some extra work. I feel like this issue is something that I could work with her on, but my problem is that I live alone (well, alone with two adorable dogs  ) and she's not consistently exposed to men, I can only work with her when the issue randomly comes up. I'm meeting with a potential trainer this weekend to help me decide if I want to go that route. What do you think - am I overreacting? I just feel like this is something that I want to nip in the bud and I don't want it to turn into a problem as she gets older.


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

No, I don't think you're overreacting at all. I think it's a good idea to work on the problem before it can escalate. Enlisting the help of a good professional trainer will put your mind at ease.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Penny is young and the problem just started. Its a great idea to get help before she has a chance to have it take root.
*Most of the time*, the sooner you deal with it, the easier it is.


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## WillowyndRanch (Apr 3, 2012)

Free Professional advice removed by Author.


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

There are so many different kinds of hats to wear, so little time... the sooner we start the better, I guess


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## CrazyCash (Jul 12, 2012)

I like the way you think Ken. . I'll have to find someone to come over and help me with my dog!! 

But that is a really good idea - I'm not sure if I've ever worn a hat around Penny, so I'll put one on and see what happens.

Datacan - Penny (and my neighbors) would probably think I lost my mind if I started walking around in a Cat in the Hat hat. . That's pretty funny, I'll have to get some crazy hats and see what she does.


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## CrazyCash (Jul 12, 2012)

An update on Penny. As I posted on another thread - Penny has been home a few weeks now from her training "boot camp" and for the most part she's doing really well. This last week I've had quite a bit of company which included my Dad, my brother and my uncle - Penny was fine with my Dad, but when my Dad came over he was alone. My uncle (who she's never met before) and his family came over and Penny immediately started barking at my uncle and backing away from him. I asked my uncle to ignore her and then to go and sit on the couch. Once he sat down, Penny would immediately go up to him, but she would timidly approach him with a big grin on her face (much like the picture below) and he would put his hand out, she would sniff it and then all of a sudden he was her best friend - she would sit next to him and put her head in his lap and just want some pets. She would follow him around and try to crawl in his lap if he'd let her. But if he left the room, when he came back in she would start barking again. Almost the same situation occurred with my brother even though she knows him, but again he was wearing a hat - as soon as he took the hat off and sat down she loved him. Oh - and also when my brother came over his whole family came, so there was a lot of stuff going on. Penny is clearly scared and as soon as she realizes that they aren't a threat then she's her normal loving self. This barking only seems to happen at my house - when we are out for walks and a man walks by I tell her to leave it and she will walk past him with no problem.

I'm trying to figure out the best way to deal with Penny when she's barking. What I've been doing this last week is to tell her to " leave it", which seems to work a little because she will walk away from them, but she won't stop barking until they sit down. With my brother, I told Penny to go to her "place" and she did, but I told her to do that after she had already stopped barking. I'm going to call the trainer and see what they say, but I thought that I would throw this out there and see what you guys think. Do you think I should just try having her go to her place right off the bat, or just ignore her when she's barking or any other suggestions?


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## einspänner (Sep 8, 2012)

hmm... maybe put her in the garage before people come over, have them sit down, and then bring her in on lead, place command, and make her stay there for a few minutes before allowing her to greet them. Just an idea.


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

That's a cute face, Penny :-*

She may pick up on your emotions... Try feeling secure and confident, also, friendly and happy to meet the stranger... who knows, it may work


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Place is a command used to get the dog to go to that place, and settle. If she is standing/sitting and barking when on place, it sort of defeats the purpose.
I would go over have her down and learn the quite command. Negative reinforcement if she barks/growls and positive reinforcement if she lays quietly. 

My dogs have learned quite in different ways, depending on the dog. Cash (hardheaded boy) was a flat hand tap on the chest, Lucy a small tap with my finger to the side of the neck, it just bring her attention back to me. 
Both dogs would get positive reinforcement for doing it right. Then increase the time that they stay quite before you praise. Once the command has been learned, it can be transferred to the ecollar. Owners that don't use ecollars can use a spray water bottle.
June is a will work for food dog. She speaks on command, so teaching her quite was easy.


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

Haha, the thump in the heart area and praise, sounds familiar  
(I can just hear the treehuggers boil with anger) 

I remember the first time Sam looked at me surprised, what is that... He remembered only the praise. He never barks... Only when absolutely necessary.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

datacan said:


> Haha, the thump in the heat area and praise, sounds familiar
> (I can just hear the treehuggers boil in anger)
> 
> I remember the first time Sam looked at me surprised, what is that... He remembered only the praise. He never barks... Only when absolutely necessary.


A lot of different ways to do it. It just needs to be attention getter, that's tailored to the dogs temperament. Some people use a light tap on the lead, using a slip collar. If I'm walking more than one dog, I will use a tap with my foot to the flank, or a tap on the lead. Adding the word quite. So instead of the other dog joining in the barking, they both turn their attention back to me. If I have the dogs out running I can put them on whoa at a distance. If one starts to bark, I give the command quite. After the command is given I don't repeat it to any of the dogs, its a nick from the ecollar.


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## hipEchik (Apr 13, 2012)

Is it a "I want to play" kind of bark? My Scout will do this on occasion (with men) with his hind up in the air. He plays with my husband and will do this with random men who (I guess) send off the "let's play" signal. With mine, I know it's playful as he's nearly two and still gets into that puppy play stance. On the other hand, there have been a couple of men who he is not fond of. In those instances he just comes to me and clings to my legs. He does this also when faced with the one dog he doesn't like. A Siberian Husky who bit him over a year ago. He never forgets.


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## CrazyCash (Jul 12, 2012)

TexasRed - good point about "place", I haven't been sending her to her place until after she had stopped barking, but you're right, if I send her there before people come in, then she's going to bark from her place. I have been wanting to work with both the dogs to stop barking when they are told, so this will be a good motivation for me. 

hipEchik - it's not a play bark, she's clearly unsure and once the men sit down, she approaches them with caution and then she's happy once she realizes they aren't a threat. She's not being aggressive at all, the barking is a warning bark as she's backing away. 

We'll just keep at it - I've seen a definite improvement with Penny in some areas, I think that this barking is going to be an ongoing issue that we need to work on. I just need to keep exposing her to men and work on her reaction. Thanks for the suggestions!


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## CrazyCash (Jul 12, 2012)

More company today - my Dad and some other family members. My Dad did not have a hat one, but my Aunt was wearing a hat. I actually put Penny and Cash outside before everyone got here, but the dogs could see in through the sliding glass door. Once everyone was inside, I let the dogs in - besides the usual craziness (which we are working on), there was no barking at anyone. Penny ran around like a crazy nut, but no jumping and no barking and she actually went to her place all by herself at one point. 

Ahh - my Penny girl is going to keep me guessing and on my toes! Her uneasiness with hats seems to be isolated to men wearing them and I'll have to keep looking for a pattern of when she barks and when she doesn't. At least life with Penny will never be boring and I just love her sweet little face!


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## tknafox2 (Apr 2, 2013)

I know Penny just got back from" Boot camp" I wonder if a man wearing a hat frightend her while she was there?
I'm sure that it was a bit traumatic for her being away from home, and all she knows and loves, even though she may have been having a blast/the best time of her little life. She may just remember a bad/unpleasant event, and remembers/associates it with the man in the Hat!
I know, that doesn't solve the problem, Just a thought as to its origin.

Ps... I just love reading all your amazing ...How to fix it's! Who would have ever thought of having the whole clan wear a hat?


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## CrazyCash (Jul 12, 2012)

Actually - the barking at men in hats started a few weeks before I decided to send her to boot camp and it was the main reason I decided to send her. She's a rescue and was a stray for her first 6 months, so who knows what happened to her when she was a little puppy, poor girl. If this hat/man issue is her only side effect, then I think she's in pretty good shape. I talked to the trainer about the hat issue before I took her to boot camp and they wore hats all the time and said that never once did she bark at them. I think that Ken is right in his suggestion that it has something to do with me. Penny would like to be the queen bee around here, but she doesn't seem to fully understand that that position is mine.  she's getting there, but we still have work to do - she can be a stubborn one. 

I can't take credit for everyone wearing hats - that was Ken's suggestion too, but it's been pretty fun making people wear random hats when they come over.


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## tknafox2 (Apr 2, 2013)

;D I can totally get the visual ... the Hat rack by the door with every hat, bonnet and beanie ... all a matter of choice
to the guest, as long as they wear one, and keep a cookie under it... right! 
I had no Idea you got to rescue her...lucky both of you!


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## CrazyCash (Jul 12, 2012)

It's the land of misfit dogs over here  Cash was a rescue too, so I have three legged Cash and Penny with a big scar on her leg from most likely being hit by a car. My friends tease me that I only get dogs with leg issues. When I first got Penny, her leg was still badly injured and they said that if it didn't heal properly they would have to amputate it. Can you imagine if that had happened - people would have looked at my strangely walking two three legged dogs down the street. 

If dogs have soul mates, then Cash and Penny are each others soul mate - I've never seen two dogs more in love...


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