Puppy Rescue Barking and Biting Regression

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Hello.  I hope everyone is well.  Almost six months ago, we adopted a four month old poodle puppy from a group that rescued his mother from a hoarding situation.  We think he spent the first four months of his life in a basement with about 15 other dogs.  

When we first brought him home, he was afraid of everything.  It took a good while to get him to go outside and every noise he heard sent him running.  He has made great progress over the last few months.  Sounds don’t scare him like they once did and he will go on short walks now.  There are three main things that we are struggling to resolve and any help that can be provided would be amazing.

1. He loses his little mind when I take out the trash.  The moment he hears the bag rustle, he starts barking and growling.  I usually keep him behind a gate when I am getting the trash ready so he stands up on two legs barking his head off.  When I walk past him with the trash, he tries to bite the bag and sometimes, my clothes.  I tried letting him sniff empty trash bags and reward him for being calm, but that hasn’t helped.  At one time, I thought it was because the noise reminds him of some of his toys, but his barking seems more angry than playful.  He doesn’t react like this when I do anything with a trash bag outside, just inside.
2. His barking is getting worse.  I think he barks for two main reasons.  In one instance, I think it is because we are not doing what he wants.  I considered that it was because he wanted our attention, but we give him a ton of attention.  We tried turning our back or leaving the room when he barks, but that just seems to make him angrier.  It turns the dial from a 5 to a 10.  In the second instance, I think it is because he hears something outside at night.  The only truly quiet part of the house is the bathroom and we can’t put him in there.  We try to turn up the TV to drown out the noise, but that doesn’t work.  We try to distract him with play, but the moment we stop, he is back at it.  There are cats that roam the neighborhood freely so we think it could be them and there is not much we can do about them.
3. He has started biting my mother.  Most of the time, it isn’t hard, but he did break skin recently when she was picking up a pillow.  I thought we had gotten him past the puppy biting, but it seems like he has regressed with her.  He still doesn’t bite me.  He spends a lot of time with her during the day and she does seem to be his favorite.  He has separation anxiety and it is worse when she is gone than when I leave.   She doesn’t do much training with him due to mobility issues.  He seems to do it out of frustration because he wants something from her, but we don’t know what.

Thank you for any advice you can give.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hi there,

Welcome to the forums! Sorry for my late reply. It's great that you have helped him overcome his fear of noises. That's a big step forward and you need to pat yourself on your back for that, it's not easy when a dog was raised in an impoverished environment.

Problem 1:

"He loses his little mind when I take out the trash.  The moment he hears the bag rustle, he starts barking and growling.  I usually keep him behind a gate when I am getting the trash ready so he stands up on two legs barking his head off.  When I walk past him with the trash, he tries to bite the bag and sometimes, my clothes.  I tried letting him sniff empty trash bags and reward him for being calm, but that hasn’t helped.  At one time, I thought it was because the noise reminds him of some of his toys, but his barking seems more angry than playful.  He doesn’t react like this when I do anything with a trash bag outside, just inside."

For fearful cases, you need to to use management, take baby steps and creative positive associations with the fearful stimulus. I suggest getting familiar with desensitization and counterconditioning.

Here is a guide on desensitization: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/desensitization/

Here is a guide on counterconditioning: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/counterconditioning/

When you need to take the trash out and don't have time to work on the problem, please keep him in an area where he cannot see what you are doing. You don't want him to be rehearsing the barking behavior or putting him into the position of feeling aroused/stressed. So when it's trash time, he goes in another room where he can't hear/see anything trash-related until you are back from tossing it. 

When you do have the time, it's important to find ways to make the trash bag less salient and split the action of carrying the bag into smaller, less arousing steps. Letting him sniff the trash bag and giving him treats it's a good start, but you have likely progressed too fast in the process and he went over the threshold. 

So I would start with a smaller trash bag that is unopened, keep it hidden behind your back, and start showing it, and as he looks at it from a distance, toss a tasty treat.

Then put it back hidden behind your back and no more treat. 

Then again, show it, and as he looks at it, toss a tasty treat.

Then put it back, behind your back and no more treat.

Then show it again, and if he comes close to sniff it, praise and toss a treat

This time, keep it out and keep on tossing a treat every time he approaches so that he's yo-yoing back and forth between catching treats and approaching. I would then put it back away and call it a day. All the fun ends once the bag is put away. Don't expose him to the bag in ways that evoke the barking, keep in a separate area when you need to toss the trash.

On another day, you can start again hiding the unopened trash bag behind your back, then presenting it and doing the same yo-yoing exercise, and then at a point, progress to carrying it around unopened at a height that doesn't evoke any jumping and tossing treats as you walk by.  Keep walking back and forth with it, tossing treats. Then leave the area and all the fun ends. Return and do the same again and then finally end the session making all the fun end. Again,  don't expose him to the bag in ways that evoke the barking, keep in a separate area when you need to toss the trash.

On another day, fill the bag with a few small items. Start again hiding it behind your back, then presenting it and doing the same yo-yoing exercise and then at a point, progress to standing up with it and carrying it  at a height that doesn't evoke any jumping and tossing treats as you walk by.  Keep walking back and forth with it, tossing treats. Then leave the area and all the fun ends. Return and do the same again and then finally end the session making all the fun end. Again,  don't expose him to the bag in ways that evoke the barking, keep him in a separate area when you need to toss the trash.

Repeat the exercise filling it up again with a little more and more each day doing the same exercises. If he does well, you then can start lowering it gradually, but you need to be very careful to toss super high-value treats his way in a timely manner so that you preempt any biting of the trash. If he manages to bite, you need to go a step back in the process and try again carrying it higher and then practice some more maybe just practicing lowering the bag before walking with it and tossing treats his way for not trying to bite it. 

As he does well with that, you can raise criteria and try training him to stay on a mat as you walk by him with the trash, giving him a high-value long-lasting treat such as a bully stick. Here is the guide for mat-training:https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-dog-go-to-mat/

This is just an example of the process, every dog may need some variations based on how things go. Consider as a general rule of thumb, that anytime he shows any signs of regression, that's a sign you will need to take a step back in the process. Please feel free to post here updates and how things go, we can always do some troubleshooting. 

 

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Problem 2:

"His barking is getting worse.  I think he barks for two main reasons.  In one instance, I think it is because we are not doing what he wants.  I considered that it was because he wanted our attention, but we give him a ton of attention.  We tried turning our back or leaving the room when he barks, but that just seems to make him angrier.  It turns the dial from a 5 to a 10.  In the second instance, I think it is because he hears something outside at night.  The only truly quiet part of the house is the bathroom and we can’t put him in there.  We try to turn up the TV to drown out the noise, but that doesn’t work.  We try to distract him with play, but the moment we stop, he is back at it.  There are cats that roam the neighborhood freely so we think it could be them and there is not much we can do about them."

It could be anxiety-driven, when in doubt, I would make sure he has all he needs, food, water (needs to go outside to eliminate?) I would also ensure his need for exercise and mental stimulation are satiated. 

With these dogs, I will carry kibble/treats always in my pocket and work on some "treat toss games." In many cases, this gives them something to do, drains their energy and most dogs start settling after this.

So this is what I do, the dog barks? I leave the room briefly and wait for 10 seconds of silence. When that happens, I peek through the door and toss a treat/kibble to send the dog at a distance, once the dog's is running after the treat I enter and toss another treat. The dog eats it, and then I toss another. I keep on doing this exercise with the dog yo-yoing back and forth. I do this until I feel the dog is calmer, and then manage to toss 4-5 treats and go grab some long-lasting edible chew to give to the dog to end the session.

I repeat this as often as needed when the dog barks. After some time, I start to introduce a 'sit' so that when the dog is yo-yoing and moves towards me, I ask a sit and toss the treat. After some time, the dog may start sitting automatically upon approach so as to add an element of obedience training. After a few weeks of this, and introducing more exercise and brain games, the barking should reduce.

The nighttime barking is tricky since you have already tried to drown noises.  I would inspect whether there may be critters around he house at night so to get to the bottom of the problem. Rats or raccoons may be under the deck or attic, sometimes, they may be in the walls. If  it's cats, I would try to find out whose cats they are and notify the owners, and if they are strays, I would put up a cat deterrent such as this sprinkler: https://www.amazon.com/Abco-Tech-Motion-Activated-Repeller/dp/B08QBQN4WK

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Problem 3:

He has started biting my mother.  Most of the time, it isn’t hard, but he did break skin recently when she was picking up a pillow.  I thought we had gotten him past the puppy biting, but it seems like he has regressed with her.  He still doesn’t bite me.  He spends a lot of time with her during the day and she does seem to be his favorite.  He has separation anxiety and it is worse when she is gone than when I leave.   She doesn’t do much training with him due to mobility issues.  He seems to do it out of frustration because he wants something from her, but we don’t know what.

It can be challenging addressing biting behaviors when we don't have enough information about what could be evoking the biting. If picking up items is a trigger, we need to evaluate if it's the action of picking up things, or if he may have been protective of the pillow. It could also be he was trying to get the pillow and happened to bite her in the process. 

What breed is your dog? How much time does he spend with her during the day? Is your mom alone with him? Have you done any training with him? 

 

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On 3/2/2024 at 2:21 PM, Adrienne Farricelli said:

Problem 3:

He has started biting my mother.  Most of the time, it isn’t hard, but he did break skin recently when she was picking up a pillow.  I thought we had gotten him past the puppy biting, but it seems like he has regressed with her.  He still doesn’t bite me.  He spends a lot of time with her during the day and she does seem to be his favorite.  He has separation anxiety and it is worse when she is gone than when I leave.   She doesn’t do much training with him due to mobility issues.  He seems to do it out of frustration because he wants something from her, but we don’t know what.

It can be challenging addressing biting behaviors when we don't have enough information about what could be evoking the biting. If picking up items is a trigger, we need to evaluate if it's the action of picking up things, or if he may have been protective of the pillow. It could also be he was trying to get the pillow and happened to bite her in the process. 

What breed is your dog? How much time does he spend with her during the day? Is your mom alone with him? Have you done any training with him? 

 

Thank you so much for your reply and all of your advice so far.  Teddy is a toy poodle.  My mother isn’t that mobile so about five days a week, he will spend the whole day with her, except when I take him outside for a couple of hours.  He even sleeps with her.  A couple of days a week, she will be gone for two or three hours at a time.  We don’t leave him completely alone due to his separation anxiety.  I train him on a daily basis for various and assorted things so I am trying to keep him mentally stimulated.  My mom doesn’t train him at all, but does play with him and they have their cuddle time together.

I think I have identified three causes for his biting, but it doesn’t explain everything.  I still don’t know what triggers some instances.  In one case, she will go to stand up from her chair.  She isn’t fast about standing up.  If he is on the ottoman in front of her chair, he will nose boop her once to tell her to sit down (I presume) and if she continues to try to stand he will grab her arm with his mouth.  In another instance, she will be looking at her tablet and he will jump in her lap and grab the same arm in his mouth.  I assume it is his way of asking for her to put down her tablet, but sometimes, even when she does put it down, he will occasionally, continue to grab at her arm.  In the third instance, she will be eating soft ice and he will pat on her arm with his paw once while looking at the ice and if she doesn’t give it to him, he grabs her arm with his mouth.

Going back to the pillow incident mentioned in my original post, he likes trying to bite some of the fabric on that pillow.  I have been trying to work with him on leaving it alone, but it is slow going..  My mother was relocating it so he could not get to it, which is what triggered him grabbing her arm.  I think it might have been a case of resource guarding.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Thank you for the extra details, they are very helpful!

Teddy is so lucky to always have company, that's crucial in cases of separation distress and during the initial stages when behavior modification is first started.

In regards to the biting episodes directed towards your mom, you will see my thoughts under the information provided.

"I think I have identified three causes for his biting, but it doesn’t explain everything.  I still don’t know what triggers some instances.  In one case, she will go to stand up from her chair.  She isn’t fast about standing up.  If he is on the ottoman in front of her chair, he will nose boop her once to tell her to sit down (I presume) and if she continues to try to stand he will grab her arm with his mouth."

This sounds like  he may be using his mouth as a form of communication, some dogs use their mouths like hands. It is more common in herding dogs like German shepherds, but other dog breeds may use their mouths when they want to communicate something like if they want to be taken outside to potty or simply wanting to play or interaction of some kind.  It could also be residual puppy biting that may take place just because her hand/arm becomes more readily available. In any case, sharp teeth and delicate skin aren't a good match, so we may need to implement some strategy to preempt this behavior. 

If this happens reliably when she is about to get up, it may help to have her carry some dog treats or kibble in her pocket and toss those one by one, preferably at a distance as she works on getting up. This can give her dog something else to do so that the dog's mind is focused on something else. Once your dog gets trained by you, she can then rely on a cue before tossing the treat such as asking him to sit and stay and watch as she gets up and then be released and rewarded with a fun treat toss. Here is how to train stay (your dog will need to know sit and down prior, but in the meanwhile a treat toss without asking for any particular behavior may turn helpful so that he doesn't get to practice the unwanted behavior): https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/stay/.  

 In another instance, she will be looking at her tablet and he will jump in her lap and grab the same arm in his mouth.  I assume it is his way of asking for her to put down her tablet, but sometimes, even when she does put it down, he will occasionally, continue to grab at her arm.  

I agree, it sounds like he is seeking attention, many dogs struggle when we are on the phone or using our computers. In this case, it may be helpful if you can prepare in advance one or two frozen Kongs (you will find many recipes on the Kong website and can use your dog's meals too) so that she can get some quiet time while your dog is kept busy too. Even better, have her put the Kong in an exercise pen so that he can go in there to enjoy it. If he plays hard to catch, it may help to place the frozen Kong in the pen with him outside a few minutes prior so that we can build a little bit of desire/anticipation so that when she opens it, he voluntarily enters and she can then close him in there until he's done. The pen will still be in the same room so that he doesn't feel isolated. This can be a good option if he's OK with being confined (something I recommend doing with all dogs, unless they have confinement phobias/severe separation distress).

In the third instance, she will be eating soft ice and he will pat on her arm with his paw once while looking at the ice and if she doesn’t give it to him, he grabs her arm with his mouth.

Even in this instance, it may help to coordinate her soft ice time with him receiving a frozen Kong on a mat or inside the play pen. 

Going back to the pillow incident mentioned in my original post, he likes trying to bite some of the fabric on that pillow.  I have been trying to work with him on leaving it alone, but it is slow going..  My mother was relocating it so he could not get to it, which is what triggered him grabbing her arm.  I think it might have been a case of resource guarding.

"When in doubt, keep it out" is one of my favorite sayings.  If he likes to chew on it and there is the possibility he's resource guarding it, best to keep it out of reach. It's also important to teach him how to leave it, drop it, and the art of trading.

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/take-leave-it/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/drop-it/

While in the process of being trained, if he should get a hold of something he shouldn't have, here is a way to get ahold of an object while reducing the risk of being bitten (and any hard feelings). I developed this method after dealing with several resource guarders coming over for boarding and training. 

-Find something edible that is higher in value than what your dog has. Think about something your dog loves and drools for that is safe for him to have. Maybe it's a bully stick or his Kong stuffed with something tasty, such as some green tripe or smelly canned dog food. Think of something valuable that is long-lasting.
Whatever it is, keep it handy so you can reach out for it as needed. In your mom's case you can have this item on a shelf that she can easily reach for but the dog can't. 

Let your dog see it, and as soon as you notice interest, have her walk past a door, toss the desired item past the door at a distance, and as soon as your dog is past the door, close the door between you and your dog so that your dog is confined and she can safely remove the object without inteference. This method works well because, on top of getting your dog to voluntarily relinquish the object, you are also teaching him the art of "fair trading."

In other words, instead of dreading you coming his way when he has a possession in fear of you pulling it out of his mouth, he looks forward to it because he has learned that you always have something better to offer.

After retrieving the object and opening the door, I like to toss the dog a few extra treats if, after eating his Kong or bully stick, he comes right back to search for the lost item. This seems to help give the dog some type of "closure."

If he's spending a lot of time with your mom, it's important to ensure a good amount of his needs are met prior to him spending time with her. The morning he's being dropped off make sure he has been walked prior, played with, has eliminated and prepare some brain games for him to enjoy at intervals when your mom wants to have a little quiet time. There are also some remote treat dispensers that can be activated with a remote and under the brain games section you will find  several ways to encourage independent play so that he's not seeking her out for attention/interaction.