Barking fiercely at inanimate objects

[ManidaMorrell]

Hi Adrienne,

 

I am wondering why Blue would bark at inanimate objects.

 

He barked at a big tree stump the other day that we have walked past many times, he looked nervous and unsure.

 

Today we walked in town and he barked at a parked car in the same manner (not done that before) It's not till I take him closer to sniff that he calms. He was not fully calm after sniffing the car and he was very tentative and nervous and jumpy while sniffing like he was afraid something would jump out and get him. He was also very whiney for most of his walk which he wasn't the last two days.

 

He has barked at signs, bins other tree stumps etc. He has become used to the odd thing but continues to be nervous and bark.

 

Another example is when our chihuahua runs out to bark at something outside, he pricks his ears, runs after her and starts barking but looking in all directions seeming to not even knowing really what he's barking at.

 

My concern is..

 

Is it his eyesight? (When he was a pup and I was doing a recall exercise on long lead he didn't seem to know where I was and turned in all directions, the teacher thought he may have a sight problem but tested him at closer proximity and thought he was fine, long distance?)

 

Just a very nervous dog?

 

Anxiety genetic or otherwise?

 

I had been taking him to training every fortnight to socialise with other dogs as he is so aggressive towards them. no real apparent reason...no bad experiences that I know of and I've had him since puppy, he first showed signs at three months at puppy school and it worsened from then on. He seemed to progress a bit where I could be around the other dogs (he'd still lunge and bark if I let my guard down a little) but has regressed right back and maybe worse since I stopped classes. He will walk well when it's just him and me.

 

Sorry for long post. I'm really worried for him as there just seems to be no reason for his reactiveness. And the fact that it started when he was a 3month old.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hi Manida Morell,

Sorry to hear you have been facing some issues with your border collie.

The barking at inanimate objects often stems from fear much like a startling response of "bark, first, think later" sort of thing. Your dogs is now 14 months, and there is belief that there is a second fear period going on at this time so that may be a possibility. We see fear periods take place in puppies between the ages of 8-10 weeks and then between 6 and 14 months. This fear period is believed to be tied to the dog's growth spurts and in large breeds it may develop later compared to a smaller dog. Often, this stage is also known as the "teenage flakiness" stage.

 

Reactivity levels rise during this stage causing the dog to act defensively. Owners often report the fear seems to pop out of nowhere. Dogs appear fearful of novel stimuli or stimuli met before but that did not trigger significant reactions. As in the first fear period, it is best to avoid traumatic or overwhelming experiences.

 

During such a stage, it helps to continue socializing as much as possible but without exposing your dog to overwhelming situations

Create positive associations through counter-conditioning

Build confidence through training and confidence building sports and exercises

Avoid traumatic experiences during this delicate phase.

 

The barking in reaction to the chihuahua's barking I have seen it occur when dogs feed off other dog's emotions, but aren't sure exactly what is the culprit. Again, they' ll bark first react later and it sounds like Blue is barking and then trying to orient to the source of all the commotion.

 

You mention possible issues with his vision. I know your trainer excluded this, but really only a vet can test a dog's vision with the use of an ophthalmoscope and possible referral to an ophthalmologist.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

"I had been taking him to training every fortnight to socialise with other dogs as he is so aggressive towards them. no real apparent reason...no bad experiences that I know of and I've had him since puppy, he first showed signs at three months at puppy school and it worsened from then on. He seemed to progress a bit where I could be around the other dogs (he'd still lunge and bark if I let my guard down a little) but has regressed right back and maybe worse since I stopped classes. He will walk well when it's just him and me. Sorry for long post. I'm really worried for him as there just seems to be no reason for his reactiveness. And the fact that it started when he was a 3month old."

 

 

It is concerning that the fear appeared in puppy school, but not for the fact that it popped up, but because it sounds like those running the class provided you with little info on what to do about it? Just guessing. That's a shame considering that issues as such can be helped a great lot when tackled from a young age as such and providing continuing socialization.

 

With border collies not liking other dogs much, these are the possible dynamics and causes that come to mind.

 

Herding instincts at play

 

Border collies are herding dogs, and as such, they were used to control the movement of sheep as a living back in the days. As herding dogs, border collies are strongly attracted to movement, at a much greater extent compared to dogs primarily bred for being lap dogs and for providing companionship.

 

Anything that moves can potentially trigger a border collie's interest and instinct to chase and herd. Border collies tend to stare intently at sheep, and the same behavior can be seen upon spotting a dog at a distance.

 

The staring behavior is known as "giving eye." The purpose of this stare it to control the flock of sheep. Apparently, upon staring sheep, the sheep respond to it naturally because it mimics a wolves' tactic of selecting a victim in the herd before chasing.

 

The inability for a border collie to herd can cause frustration which can lead to the border collie "venting" by barking and lunging at moving stimuli, and that often includes other dogs.

 

The behavior to herd and drive away is instinctive and more likely to be seen in border collies who aren't provided sufficient outlets for their high levels of energy and instinctive behaviors.

 

A Matter of Fear

 

A lot of dog barking and lunging at other dogs is triggered by fear. In this case, the barking and lunging is a distance-increasing behavior. In other words, the dog is asking for space because he's not comfortable having other dogs around.

 

 

This may stem from a lack of socialization, a negative experience, but it can also be genetic. Some dogs may be predisposed to being more fearful compared to others. This can may start even before being born.

 

If mother dog is stressed during pregnancy, the stress hormones circulating in the bloodstream may lead to alterations in the brain structures of the developing puppies leading to behavioral deficits such as excess reactivity and the inability to cope and adapt to challenges and threats.

 

In border collies though, there may be an exacerbating element due to this breed's instincts. While lunging and barking due to fear can be pretty common in any dog, it must be considered that in a border collie the behavior can be highly reinforcing because its often coupled with the strong instinctive herding behaviours described above.

 

A Matter of Barrier Frustration

 

And then you may stumble upon border collies who bark and lunge at other dogs once again because they are frustrated, but this time because they want to meet and greet any dogs they see.

 

These dogs may at a first glance appear aggressive, but then, if you let them off leash, they love playing with other dogs and demonstrate proper social skills.

 

Barrier frustration is therefore seen in dogs who are very excited and can't contain themselves. If they are restrained by a leash or a fence, window or other barrier, they will therefore get frustrated causing the explosion of barking and lunging.

 

 

Unlike dogs who are undersocialized and fearful and bark and lunge to increase distance, these dogs bark and lunge because they want to decrease distance and wish to engage in affiliative, social behaviors. Often, the dogs acting this way are older puppies and young dogs. These border collies do not hate dogs, although it may look like it.

 

A Few Behavior Quirks

 

Many dog breeds have some quirks and border collies may have their own. Of course, this doesn't apply to all border collies as all dogs are individuals, but this may be worthy of mentioning.

 

Some border collie may have a lower tolerance of rude or overbearing dog behaviors and can be quite quick in telling the rude dog off. Dogs who are very bouncy and all in your face, may get a snarl from a border collie to tell them to back off. This may be perceived as aggression, but it's actually a way to prevent aggression if the other dog understands what it means and backs off.

 

 

In a sort of way, it's like walking down the street and a complete stranger comes up to you and gives you a big bear hug. Of course, such level of confidence will likely put you are on the defensive: "who in the world are you?"

 

Border collies may therefore dislike it when a big bouncy happy-go-lucky Lab or golden comes up to them and tries to jump or put his face too close to theirs. These to the border collie are all obnoxious, ill-manners that may be worthy of correcting. We are talking about a serious all-business working dog here after all!

 

Some border collies may enjoy playing with other dogs as puppies, but then as they start maturing they get more discriminative over who to befriend. Some just aren't comfortable mingling and wrestling with unknown dogs and do better with a few well-known friends.

 

Some things that come to mind when on leash:

 

Many leashed dogs feels more vulnerable when on leash, and if you are shortening the leash every time you see another dog approach, you may be communicating your feelings of impending danger through the leash, causing your dog to go straight into alarm mode. Instead of tightening the leash, try training your dog to perform an emergency u-turn the moment you see a dog coming your way.

 

Keep your dog under threshold. If your border collies gets nervous when other dogs are nearby, provide him with more distance. Find a distance where he is less likely to react or reacts with less intensity and he is more responsive to you.

 

If your border collie barks and lunges from fear/dislike of other dogs, work on creating positive association by using high-value treats. A great behavior modification exercise for reactive dogs is the "Look at That Dog" game. You can find how to work on this and the emergency u-turn in the archive.

 

Working with a professional in person works best for safety and correct implementation of behavior modification. It sounds like you are enrolled in socialization classes already. The really helpful ones are the ones that focus on working dogs under threshold by exposing them to calm, stimuli dogs using counterconditioning with desensitization. Reactive Rover classes are now offered in many places.

 

I hope this helps,

Best,

Adrienne

Edited May 1, 2019 by Adrienne Farricelli

[ManidaMorrell]

thank you Adrienne,

 

This helps a lot. I think I will take him to a behaviourist So they can see him first hand and see where this leads us. If they suspect any eyesight issue it will be a visit to the vet (not that he can be given glasses to see better)

Otherwise I will keep up with the desensitisation an socialisation at a distance.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

If you will be seeing a veterinary behaviorist, that's extra helpful because these are veterinarians specializing in behavior so they are very adept in screening for medical issues that can trigger changes in behavior. I wouldn't though rely entirely on the assessment of a dog trainer or a behavior consultant for vision issues as there are risks they may miss something.

 

For sake of an example, not too long ago a dog trainer was called to help with a dog who was acting very anxious at night. The dog trainer chalked it up to the dog having some negative experience at night or reacting to some night-time noises. However, turned out, this dog was actually developing the initial signs of PRA, an eye condition causing degenerative changes to the photoreceptor cells known to cause dogs not to see well at night.

 

Keep us posted on how things go with Blue!