Goldendoodle puppy barking&whining when closed in a room with sm or separated by a fence

[ReneeThurber]

Hello everyone! 🙂 

We bought the course on Brain training and Behaviour training but can't quite figure out how to categorize/handle our case. Our 4-month goldendoodle puppy barks really loud and whines when we have to close him in a separate room when someone comes to our new house to fix smth etc. But one of us (either me or my husband) usually stays with him in the room. We try to play with him and distract him but he is just obsessed with going out of the room and keeps on barking (very loud&annoying, deafening...!). What to do in this case? I cannot use the "attention heeling command" because we are not on a walk but in a closed small space. Should I ignore him as recommended in the chapter "attention-seeking barking"? I tried but the thing is... he doesn't stop and keeps on barking. Please help.

Also we have a big issue with barking&whining when he is separated from us by a fence. We need to separate him like that while vacuuming or exercising on a yoga mat (he hinders us greatly). He starts going crazy when he is blocked and cannot go to the room (hates walls, fences, closed doors, any obstacles between him and the rest of the world in general). He can see us, the fence is transparent (see the picture attached). What to do in this case? Just ignore and remove the fence only when he calms down and stops barking? 

I hope we will get some help 🙂 Many thanks in advance! 

Kind regards,
Thurber family

Edited August 22, 2021 by ReneeThurber

[JMFS]

Quick check because I see maybe a chew toy on the ground, but nothing else to entertain him.  Do you have a Kong for him that you can put treats in?  With all that carpet it might be prohibitive to use peanut butter, apple sauce, or yogurt (though a little along the inside for smell shouldn't cause a mess).  However, Blue Buffalo biscuits, Buddy Biscuits, soft jerky, and many other easier-to-clean treats can be put in there.  I mention the two specific biscuits because they're small enough to get into a Kong, but big enough to stay in rather than just falling out.  For jerky I fold it in half to get it in, trying not to break or tear it, then let it do a kind of bridge inside.  If I'm really lucky the jerky will form to the wall of the Kong for an extra challenge.  You could put a sheet down to minimize the mess and keep it in one area.  I use a twin fitted sheet over our dogs' beds, but I found mini crib sheets that are 38" x 24" and will go over a single bed.  $6 each at Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000O7SR18/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1  One day I'll go to a thrift store to see what I can find, but for now Amazon is my friend.  :)

To easily get the biscuits in the Kong I put the toy on the ground, then use my knee to make the opening into an oval.  If your hands are strong enough to do that then lucky you!  I need the extra force I can put on it with my knee because of arthritic hands so I wanted to share that tip.

I like these, too:

https://www.chewy.com/starmark-everlasting-bento-ball/dp/106037

https://www.chewy.com/starmark-treat-dispensing-pickle/dp/50537  kibble and small treats fit in that one

This is a favorite, they really have to work to get things out:  https://www.chewy.com/petstages-orka-tire-tough-dog-chew/dp/46935

Another fave: https://www.chewy.com/jolly-pets-monster-ball-dog-toy-35-in/dp/38809

We've had all of those for at least a year and they're tried and true for us.  The Monster Ball is starting to get wear and tear from Esther's sharp puppy teeth, but everything else is free of damage.  The Everlasting Bento Ball doesn't have to be refilled with their treat.  I often put larger treats in the empty space instead of using their refill.

[Adrienne]

Hello, 

Welcome to the forums!

What a cutie! He looks like a big pup already!

Please see some of my observations/thoughts/questions in bold. 

 Our 4-month goldendoodle puppy barks really loud and whines when we have to close him in a separate room when someone comes to our new house to fix smth etc. But one of us (either me or my husband) usually stays with him in the room. We try to play with him and distract him but he is just obsessed with going out of the room and keeps on barking (very loud&annoying, deafening...!) What to do in this case?

It sounds like he may be eager to meet/greet the person and the presence of the barrier (baby gate) perhaps frustrates him. If that's the case, I would expect him to bark facing the repair person, with loose body language and an eagerness to meet.

On the other hand though, some young pups bark when they are intimidated by people visiting and repair people who walk back and forth carrying tools and large items stress them out.  In that case, the body language is more tense.

If he's very social and more on the confident side, the meet/greet scenario sounds more likely. 

I cannot use the "attention heeling command" because we are not on a walk but in a closed small space. Should I ignore him as recommended in the chapter "attention-seeking barking"? I tried but the thing is... he doesn't stop and keeps on barking. Please help.

In the case of somebody coming over to repair, I think your pup may benefit from learning to respond to the smacking sound using some high value treats, practicing first in a quiet area and then with increasing distractions. Since somebody is with him in the room, you have a good opportunity to practice it. Here's how to train it:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/the-airplane-game/the-smacking-sound/

Once you have a solid response, you can start playing the "look at that" game, making your smacking sound every time a volunteer, and then later, the repair man walks by.  Your pup may do better initially on leash at a distance from the baby gate. Here is how to train it:

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

The advantages of this game is that it helps get the pup to be more responsive to you, it keeps the mouth busy (so less barking!) and on top of that, it helps create positive associations with having people over (and repair men which are often barked at as pups develop and become more standoffish/territorial). 

Once your pup becomes more responsive and develops more impulse control, you can then train him to go on a mat when people come over where he'll receive treats for watching visitors/repair men walk by. An indoor tether attached to a body harness can come handy initially when his stay on the mat isn't too reliable yet (always be around when your dog is tethered). Below is a guide on mat training:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-dog-go-to-mat/

Also we have a big issue with barking & whining when he is separated from us by a fence. We need to separate him like that while vacuuming or exercising on a yoga mat (he hinders us greatly). He starts going crazy when he is blocked and cannot go to the room (hates walls, fences, closed doors, any obstacles between him and the rest of the world in general). He can see us, the fence is transparent (see the picture attached).

What to do in this case? Just ignore and remove the fence only when he calms down and stops barking? 

This type of barking/whining can stem from him wanting to be with you and perceiving any type of barrier as an obstacle from being part of family activities. Jennifer's tips of giving something tasty to keep him busy can help with that. This should be given contingent upon you vacuuming or exercising so your pup looks forward to this routine.  You want to make being confined there a great place to be. 

You can also build some anticipation for being confined there. A few minutes before you need to vacuum or exercise, place a safe long-lasting edible chew or food dispensing toy in the confinement area with the baby gate closed so he cannot access it. This will help build enough anticipation so that when it's time to close him, the moment you open the baby gate, he'll be eager to enter on his own. 

If your puppy still barks/whines despite the long-lasting goodies offered, this is often a sign that he is too over threshold. In other words, being separated from you is too overwhelming for him to focus on eating. 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/

You may therefore need to work on baby steps, building up the time he stays enclosed there and creating positive associations. You can start with some peek-a-boo games while your pup is behind the baby gate, as outlined in this guide:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/exercises-to-prevent-separation-anxiety-in-puppies/

Start with being away just a few seconds, then gradually add in more time but every now and then mix in shorter absences so that your pup doesn’t predict an increase in difficulty.

For the yoga exercises, once your puppy can stay alone for the allotted time, you can see if doing them out of view helps reduce the barking. Many pups can't resist joining us when we are sitting on the floor or moving certain ways that may be interpreted as an invitation to play and being behind a barrier frustrates them. 

And as always, don't forget to keep that brain busy with brain games and training. Impulse control games may also help build some more frustration tolerance as he matures:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/impulse-control-frustration-tolerance/

Hope this helps! Happy training!

Adrienne 

[FrederykBlot]

Hello,

 

lovely buddy !

 

If I may, here are some little personal tips, while everything Adrienne and JMFS said are all really insightful

 

To me, it's really looks like reactions issued with crate training, some equivalent of basic crate training may be helpful : 
playing IN and OUT game, WAIT IN and close the door, go away few seconds and treat when back, and increasing the time...

 

But something that worked well with Loki for crate training and pen training was actually things while he was not contained : 
You left the contained area open, and you put very high value in there when he does not see you, and let him go in by himself
He will start to think "oh my ! this area is soooo cooool !! It spawns high value treats ! being in there is not that bad after all"

 

And also doing normal stuff in there, to show it's not just an area of exclusion : 
If you want to play some tug, or some chase, just go in with him, close the door behind you both, and play while in there
Same for mental games : Loki looooovveeesss the muffin game. Many times we played it inside his pen. We couldn't obviously make the STAY with distance, but we could train the STAY with time while in the pen

 

I'm not sure he can put away all the barking and whining, specially if the dog is clingy, and can have FOMO, but it will reduce much

 

Hope that can help