# New Barking Issue (since moving into a house)



## giandaliajr (Nov 24, 2012)

We moved into our first house (from an apartment) and Berkeley is starting to have a barking issue. It appears to be getting worse. He is 1.5 years old and didnt bark much in the apartment. When someone would come to the apartment door he would give a couple barks but nothing alarming. 

Since being in the house he can see people jogging on the road and the UPS/fedex guys come up to the back sliding glass door and he isnt giving a small warning bark anymore. The closer they get to the door the more vicious it sounds. If they get too close before dropping off the package he is jumping up and sounds like he is going to kill someone. 

Even last night we were in the car running some errands and a german shepherd crossed in front of the car and he started freaking out. 

I think it has to do with the barriers that he can see through. He has always done well with any human or dog and ive never been worried that he would ever bite anyone but im not really sure what he would do if we just let him out to greet the people coming to the door before they get there. Not to mention the people might run away because of his vicious sounding bark. 

Also, he can barked and lunged at a couple store associated in Home Depot. Both times it happend when i was looking at items on a rack and had him sitting. I think both times the store employees werent fond of dogs so they tried to sneak past him and maybe he thought that was weird. Again, i dont really know if he would have actually bit them if i didnt catch the leash in time. He has never bitten anyone and I can only think of one time he ever barked at a stranger when we lived in manhattan. 

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to curb this? 

When he was younger and acting out we would repremand him by putting him in his crate, like a time-out. I have tried doing this a couple times when he gets out of control barking but he just keeps barking in his crate. Not at me, but whatever he was originally barking at. This may be an irrational thought, but it feels like he is thinking he is warning us for our own good, despite our commands to stop. Kind of like a "no you dont understand mom/dad, this guy is dangerous!"


We have a bark collar but I think if we go that route its an all or nothing training. I like the little warning bark like he did in the apartment because it lets me know if someone is coming up to the house but the level he is doing it is counter productive and scaring people. 

The only other thing i can think of is just use the e-collar when he is getting out of control and hope he understands its his intensity that's the problem.

All suggestions are appreciated!


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## giandaliajr (Nov 24, 2012)

Something interesting i left out.

He is not baring his teeth when he barks at people. I dont think have ever seen him bare his teeth and growl before. Its pretty much just really loud barking. 

Being a dog owner, i wouldnt really be concerned if a dog is just barking but the teeth bare usually means to stop whatever you're doing.


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## dextersmom (Oct 29, 2013)

Sorry I can't help, but will be interested in any responses you get! Dexter does this too, mainly in the car. He's ridiculously friendly, but for some reason, SUPER protective in the car. Any dog he can see out the window gets the low growling and loud barking.

He also has done it a handful of times in stores, directed towards people as well. The first time was in Petco and I thought maybe he connected one customer with the weird sound coming from the tag engraving machine. That customer also noted he didn't like dogs (interesting?). But he recently did it again at a tack store. He greeted the first three women to come in the store happily, but another woman came in later and he lost it. 

I think with him too, it's a matter of him wanting to bring our attention to someone/thing rather than aggression. The first people that entered the store we clearly saw coming in, but we had our backs to the last woman to come in. We usually voice our disapproval when he starts this, but it doesn't stop the barking. I think we're going to try to make him sit and tell him "It's OK" like we do when we're in the house and he barks at something. Once we acknowledge his bark in the house like that, he quits. I don't want to try the e-collar because I don't want him to associate the strange person (who he already doesn't like) with a nick too.


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## giandaliajr (Nov 24, 2012)

Nobody has anything?


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## Ichigo (May 20, 2014)

How long ago did you move? That can be very stressful for a dog. They don't understand why they are suddenly in a new and strange place. It can take a while for them to realize that they are safe in their new environment. It sounds like he's not being aggressive, just scared. I'm no expert, but I'd try to give him some time to deal with everything. Maybe if you know the UPS person is coming, put him in another room.


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## jld640 (Sep 29, 2010)

I haven't tried anything as significant as moving, but when we go to stay in new places I usually have to spend some time with 'Thank you, that's enough' until Savannah gets used to whatever is different. 

If she starts barking, I always go see what is alerting her (go to the window), tell her what it is (that's UPS), thank her for the alert, and tell her that's enough. If she does it a second time, I'll go see a second time, tell her what it is, thank her for the alert, tell her that's enough, and then gently guide her away from the window.

You might try going in and out of the back sliding glass door a few times a day with him and then getting some friends/neighbors to come to that door when he is looking so he knows that the sliding glass door is an accepted entrance.

I'm not sure what you can do about people trying to sneak passed him. Savannah knows all the kids on our block, but when they start playing hide and seek, she will always growl or bark. She knows what sneaking looks like. I'm quite happy she alerts to it, even if it means we go inside when hide and seek is in progress outside. 

If you think he is warning you and you like the warning, I would go with your instinct to avoid the bark collar or e-collar. I've never used either, so I may be a bit biased. You might try the 'Speak' and 'Hush' training. Savannah and I get better results with "Thank you, that's enough", but you might get better results with 'Speak/Hush'. Use the search bar, I believe there are a few threads on it.

Not sure any of that will help a situation as advanced as yours, but maybe you or some other forum member can build on some of the concepts so they will work.

Good luck!


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## CrazyCash (Jul 12, 2012)

I don't know if this will help or not, but years ago when I moved into my house my dogs were constantly barking at the neighbors when they were in the backyard and they barked at any noise they heard outside. Some of this was just because there were lots of new noises that they weren't used to but the barking at the neighbors was out of control. I finally took the dogs out on a leash and introduced them to the neighbors, once they realized that I was ok with the neighbors and that they weren't scary the dogs never barked at them again. 

Maybe try putting him on a leash and take him outside when people come over and have him greet them in the yard first and maybe have them give him a treat. If you are home when you know that FedEx is coming try having FedEx give him a treat. My dogs still bark if someone knocks on the door or if they hear a strange noise outside, but it's not out of control, it's just an alert.


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## giandaliajr (Nov 24, 2012)

Thanks. We moved in two months ago. I'll try out some of those things


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## SteelCityDozer (Aug 25, 2011)

I also recommend teaching something that lets him know you appreciate the warning but if you say to stop, then stop. So you could try keeping treats easily available, when he starts you wall over and look, then say "ok, thanks you" or whatever and treat if he's calmer watching you look. Or make him sit after the phrase and then treat. Or call him to a spot and make him wait, treat, you check it out, come back to him, treat, release. You'll have to figure out what works for you/him. 

Just remember its his job to warn you so honor that and don't ask him to stop of you don't mean it. On the off chance you look out the window and there's a real creeper, you'd want your boy to keep up the "vicious" barking. So make sure he knows to stop on your command, not just bec he's not supposed to bark. 

As for out in public, I don't have much advice other than he may be able to make the connection if you use the same command when he's barking. But if people are sneaking around him, you may just need to really watch him.


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