Barking A LOT!

[DanielleTrapkus]

Hi!  I have a 7 month old chocolate lab named Lily.  My husband owns his own business and has a large area where he meets his crew every morning.  He takes Lily with him each morning and will play fetch with her, but lately she's gotten very demanding and barks so much (to have the ball thrown) that he can't even talk to his crew.  What can we do to address this issue?  Also, she's becoming very vocal over noises in and outside of the house, knocks at the door, strangers she sees on walks, etc - it's becoming a big issue for us.  Thanks!

[Adrienne]

Hello and welcome to the forums!

Fetch is one of those games that can get out of hand. It's surely a great way for dogs to keep busy and exercise, but  it's easy to cross the line between a fit dog and a fanatic fetching machine on four legs. To tackle the demand barking at the business I would suggest the following:

-Keeping all balls out of sight. Out of sight, out of mind. Stashing the balls in another room or placing them in a cabinet may help.

-Getting the ball out only when your husband wants to play fetch. This would mean ignoring her initiative and requests to play ball. This may not be feasible in the office, as it would lead to temporary louder, more persistent barking (as a result of an extinction burst), but at home or in the yard do your best to ignore her requests. If your dog keeps insisting, get up and leave the room/area. Fetching games should only start on your husband's terms. 

-When in the office/business, she can be offered alternate activities to fetch that will keep her busy such as rewarding indoor games that provide mental stimulation. Stop feeding meals from a bowl and offer kibble in an interactive food-dispensing toy instead. Stuffed Kongs, Buster Cubes, Kong Wobblers, Snuffle mats, Licki-mats are just a few examples of food dispensing toys that will keep her busy for some time and hopefully quiet. 

-When playing fetch, use a cue to tell your dog when the game is over. You can say "game over" or "all done" as you in a matter-of-fact way put the ball away. After several reps, your dog should learn to disengage.

-Train Lili some impulse control games. This will help her learn to better control her impulses and cope better with his frustration over time.  Here are several: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/impulse-control-frustration-tolerance/

-If she seems obsessed over playing fetch, take a break. Some dogs benefit taking a little break from playing with the ball (like a month or so) so they have the opportunity to explore other forms of playing and take a vacation from all the adrenaline (fetch is a game that raises adrenaline). Once the month is over, the ball can be re- introduced, but it can be offered in  more productive settings such as for reinforcing trained behaviors.

-Take advantage of your dog's ball drive. Use the ball as a reinforcer for calm, composed behaviors. Ask your dog to sit and reinforce it by tossing the ball. Ask your dog to lie down and toss the ball. If your dog barks, don't toss the ball. Hold on to it and move away.  Fetch only happens when she displays calm behavior, like a sit or down and then you can toss the ball.

-You dog at 7 months is at the peak adolescent stage, here is a read about what's going on during this life stage: 

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

For the noises, if they occur predictably, I like to use the "hear that" method if it's reactivity/fear based. You can find it in this article:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/fear-noises/

For door knocks, here is a guide:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/behavior-training/barking/doorbells-knocks-on-doors/

For barking at strangers on walks, this may help. I know it mentions neighbors but the process is the same with general strangers:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/barking-at-neighbors/

Prior to working on this on walks, you may find it useful working on seeing strangers walk by your property using this foundational exercise:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/look-at-that/

and then prior to walks you can move to this from inside the car:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/barking-strangers-car/

It goes without saying that if the barking is due to reactivity towards strangers/aggression, it would be important enlisting the help of a dog behavior professional for safety and correct implementation of behavior modification. 

I hope this helps!

Let me know if you have any questions or need elucidations on any of these,

Best,

Adrienne

 

 

 

[DanielleTrapkus]

Adrienne,

Thank you so much for all the great information.  We adopted a few of your suggestions - taking a break from throwing the ball and introducing a puzzle toy (filled with her breakfast) to occupy her - and the results were amazing - no barking whatsoever!  I'm still working on her barking at the house and at strangers, but hopefully over time (and with your information), those behaviors will lessen (or disappear) too 🙂

Thanks again!

Danielle 

[Adrienne]

So glad she has found the puzzle toy worthy of her attention! 

Thanks so much for the update.

I am always here if you need any further help or have any questions,

Best,

Adrienne