Barking Chihuahua pup

[V.E.M.Fontaine]

Hello!

My puppy is now 5 months and really already made lots of progress but for some reason we just can't find a way to make him stop barking... Whether it is barking at home for a reason which most of the time, we can't see, hear or comprehend or whether it is barking at another dog. He sees dogs pretty much every day, with the dog sitter and during walks, nothing bad ever happened but he just keeps barking very very loudly and sometimes after a little introduction to the other dog he stops, and some other times he becomes aggressive towards the other dog.

It can be so frustrating between this and the fact that he is teething so biting and chewing everything and everyone...

I am teaching him the heeling and going to start with attention heeling but so far it doesn't seem to get his attention. He is always very active and very distracted. We try to get him as tired as possible but he is not a fan of fetching (even though I used your technique) so we walk a lot, play with toys and also run sometimes (3/4km).

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hello!

Kudos to you for making lots of progress with your puppy!

At five months old, your dog is now nearing the doggy adolescent stage which can be tricky as at this stage these youngsters are still puppy-like but now in bigger bodies and are in need of lots of training and mental stimulation.

Here is some info on the adolescent stage:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/survive-dogs-adolescent-stage/

 

There are several forms of dog barking and the resolution may vary based on the type you may be dealing with. It's not unusual for us dog owners to think that dogs often bark for no apparent reason as we can't hear or see what they are barking at. However, dogs have a superior sense of hearing than us and they often hear (or even smell) things in the distance that we are unable to sense. Here are some common causes of dog barking and their resolution:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/behavior-training/barking/

 

When you mention "some other times he becomes aggressive towards the other dog" is this before he gets to actually meet the dog? Or does he act aggressive once he meets the other dog? What behaviors are you seeing that suggest he is acting aggressive? What is the other dog doing exactly when this happens?

 

If you are struggling with heeling and you are having a hard time getting his attention there are several potential causes. Where are you training? What treats are using? It could be that the area you are training is too distracting. Start in a low distraction area (like in the home in a quiet room) and then build gradually from there. At the same time, it may help to increase the value of the treats you are using. Switch to something your dog really likes and use that only during your training sessions. Keep sessions short and sweet and always end them on a positive note (jackpot of treats). Baby steps is the way to go with these fellows.

 

Not all dogs are fond of fetching. Some trainers think some dogs simply "lack the fetching gene." Often, I find it's a matter of the the item used to fetch. Many dogs are not eager to fetch dumbbells or Frisbees or even rubber balls. Many dogs though love to fetch tennis balls because they are so bouncy and unpredictable in their movements. I always suggest taking the tennis ball away once done playing with it. This to prevent problems to a dogs teeth and to ensure the ball is associated with fetch.

 

There are several alternatives to fetching if you are looking to get your dog to get a workout. Since you mention he is biting, you can play 'targeting' where he targets your hand and you toss a kibble piece for each successful target. This gives nippy pups an opportunity to interact with hands in different way.

Not sure if you stumbled on this already, but here are some games for nippy pups:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/bite-inhibition-games/

 

Careful in running him if you run him on hard surfaces considering that at this age those growth plates likely haven't yet closed yet.

Edited April 25, 2018 by Adrienne Farricelli

[V.E.M.Fontaine]

Hi,

Thanks for all the advice, I will try to apply them! :)

 

About the aggressiveness towards other dogs, the first thing to know is that here in the Netherlands (I'm not originally Dutch) dogs are especially well raised... Milo has never had to face a dog who was aggressive or agitated. They all either ignore his behavior or try to smell him very gently. It is only with some dogs that he will smell their nose and then he will kind-of "attack" them with his paws(like a cat would) or pretend (I hope) to try to bite them. For instance he is used to be with a white shepherd which he just loves playing with and everything goes perfectly well but he saw several times beagles and for some reason, he just won't stop barking and grawling... Even though these beagles are always so quiet and they don't even bother responding to Milo's behavior.

 

I am just a bit confused with this "selective" behavior.

 

Best,

Victoria

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Thanks for the details!

 

There may be several things going on here. Without seeing the behavior in person, it is difficult for me to get a full idea, but I can try to make some assumptions so here are a few possibilities.

 

When he smells these dogs' noses and then goes on to "attack them" with his paws and "pretends' to bite them this can be simply his way to play. Some dogs have a little rougher play styles and this may fall under the "mock attacks" category. It's important for your puppy to play with a "circle of friends " who share his play style or dogs that aren't inhibited by it. Not all dogs are accepting of this play style, but so far so good, he got lucky to have done it to some well-behaved dogs who likely perceive he is still a puppy and grant him a puppy license to display some inappropriate greetings. One may expect some dogs to give a growl and even a mild correction (air snap inhibited bite) to a dog who approaches this way or persists. This can be a teaching lesson "whoops, guess this behavior is not liked by certain dogs" but with the wrong dog he may risk getting hurt especially since he's a small fellow. While his behavior may acceptable to certain dogs right now, if he maintains this greeting style as he approaches doggy adolescence (which is right around the corner), there may be higher chances for problems along the way.

 

On the other hand, since he does it only some dogs, one may wonder if he's just trying to be a "bully." Some pups start bullying behaviors from a young age and instinctively know what dogs they can do it. Left to their own devices, these dogs may learn that they can get away with these behaviors with certain dogs. Since there is no consequence, they will therefore become more bold and try it with more dogs, and as they become more confident, there are risks for this behavior becoming the default way to interact with dogs.

 

In any cases, regardless of his intent: here is what I suggest doing. Here is a fact, practice makes perfect. The more a dog rehearses a behavior, the more it will put roots and becomes ingrained. If it is important for you that your dog meets dogs on walks (if this is where these episodes happen), try to prevent them from occurring. Teach him to just take a quick sniff of the dog to say hello, praise him and then off you go to continue the walk. Most dog encounters go well in the first few seconds, it's when things linger for longer that often problems erupt.

 

Even better, avoid meeting dogs on walks all together. If your dog learns to meet dogs on walks, there are chances he will expect to meet "every single dog" which may lead to pulling and barking due to overly excited behavior and the expectations of meeting. If your dog sees beagles and is barking/growling on walks, he may be likely already giving signs of trouble. A very social dog who is excited in seeing dogs and is prevented from meeting them, may develop barrier frustration. This read explains this in detail:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/barrier-frustration/

 

If instead, you suspect the behavior stems from simply not likely other dogs this read may be helpful:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/attacking-dogs-walks/

Hope this helps,

Let me know if you need any further assistance.

Adrienne

Edited April 28, 2018 by Adrienne Farricelli