Barking for attention- help!

[AngieTorres]

I moved into a dorm about a month ago with two new roommates. My dog seems to like them- she voluntarily snuggles them and asks to be on their bed and such. But she barks basically whenever they don't pay attention to her or enter or exit the house or sometimes even the room. It's getting irritating and I don't know what to do. Help please!

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hi Angie, 

I am glad to hear your Chi seems to like them to the point of warming up to them and voluntarily snuggling with them. 

Here is a guide for attention-seeking whining/barking:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/behavior-training/whining/attention-seeking/

Basically, dogs who bark for attention typically do so hoping for the owner to interact/engage in some way. When your roommates look at your dog, talk to her or check what she wants, they are reinforcing this barking since attention fuels this behavior. Even if they scold your Chi for barking, it doesn't matter. Scolding still qualifies as a form of attention--even if it's of the negative type! So ignoring is the way to go, but your roommates need to be all on the same page and they need to be very consistent!

Now, during the process, be aware of extinction bursts, that is, the phenomenon of the barking increasing or morphing into something else (like pawing at your roommates, nudging them with her nose) in hopes of generating a response. It's important that they ignore the extinction bursts as well. If they give attention to any of these behaviors at this crucial time, they'll have reinforced persistence. If instead they ignore the barking (and any other attention-seeking behaviors piggy-backing it), it should gradually subside. 

However, make a mental note and find ways to strategically prevent these episodes of barking from occurring in the first place. For instance, if your Chi barks at them in the evening when they sit on the couch to watch TV or read emails, make sure to walk your Chi first, play with her and then strategically give her something to enjoy (like a stuffed Kong) while they're busy. The goal is to have her tired enough so that her needs for interaction have been exhausted while also giving her something productive to do. 

The barking when entering/exiting the room can be attention seeking, but can also be a sign she's not too comfortable with people entering/exiting, which may require a different approach. Does she seem to settle once they have entered/exited? Do they give her attention when they come in and she's barking?

[AngieTorres]

Got it! Should I ignore her as well or try to get her attention away from them? I'll try the kong and playtime. 

As for entering and exiting she moves on quickly, like 5-20 seconds. She just seems to be upset that they're leaving or alerting everyone that someone's home (she doesn't always bark when entering). 

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Got it! Should I ignore her as well or try to get her attention away from them? I'll try the kong and playtime. 

When a dog barks intently at us, as if asking for attention, it's important to carefully evaluate whether there is some unmet need. So make sure she's not telling you her water bowl is empty, she needs to be taken out to potty, or is bored and in need for more exercise or mental stimulation (brain games!). Of course, make sure of all these things are provided before the barking occurs so you know for sure it's not triggered by any of these needs. Once we are sure all needs are met, ignoring can be used. 

I just mentioned this in another post, and it's worthy of repeating. Our dogs often display many calm behaviors during the day and they often go unnoticed, but as soon dogs misbehave (like bark, dig, chew our shoes), they get all eyes on them and interaction. It's therefore not surprising why then we get a higher percentage of undesirable behaviors- they simply get all our attention and attention is reinforcing. 

Capturing calm is therefore helpful (you'll need to keep kibble/treats in your treat bag during the day so you can reward quickly).  We can do so by praising calm behaviors with a calm, soft tone of voice, (possibly dropping a non-too exiting treat at the dog's feet) and preferably without making eye contact. Rewarded behaviors tend to repeat. Excited/hyper behaviors shouldn't get our attention-any form of that means none of the positive or negative type. Before we give any form of attention it's therefore important that we evaluate in what state of mind our dog is. 

Now, important is to avoid behavior chains. In other words, if the dog barks and then right afterwards is quiet, and we praise and reward that, this may lead to the dog learning to bark just to get the praise and reward. Therefore, it is best to not fall into this trap by either preempting any barking in the first place. So for example, if the barking happens every time you are watching a movie, or sitting to read a book, provide her with something to keep her busy before she even thinks about barking. If you know when or in what context the behavior is likely to happen, that gives you the power to take a proactive role and prevent it. 

As for entering and exiting she moves on quickly, like 5-20 seconds. She just seems to be upset that they're leaving or alerting everyone that someone's home (she doesn't always bark when entering). 

In this form of barking, it may help to train an alternate behavior. So if you are always there with her when this happens, you can initially prevent it by tossing several kibble/treats on the ground (in a treasure hunt style) and telling her to 'find them!." If you can involve your roommates in this type of training, you are at a great advantage as you can create set-ups asking them to enter/exit as you practice this. 

When you are not around, you can keep some treats/kibble by the exit in a bowl out of your dog's reach (like on a high shelf) and your roommates can toss a little handful upon entering and exiting, possibly aiming as much as possible to catch her before che barks. This prevents rehearsal of the behavior, and creates positive associations with entering/exiting as there's likely some level of stress going on. 

As her arousal levels lower, you can then progress to having her lie on a mat when your have visitors coming over. Here is a guide: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-dog-go-to-mat/

[AngieTorres]

Sorry for the late reply, I keep losing this forum page haha (by the way the forum link on the older website doesn’t lead here anymore). 

My roommates have noticed that she tends to only really bark at visitors or at them when I’m home. I’m not sure why she’d do this, or how to fix it really. Because when I’m gone she’ll even snuggle strangers! But the second I’m home she’s  barking up a storm if they so much as stand to go pee. Could there be a puzzle piece I’m missing here?

 

I’m also looking into utilizing forms of play (toys food and social) to sort of loosen her up and increase her confidence. She loves walks (if not demands them and mopes if she doesn’t get them) but seems somewhat hyper vigilant when she’s out. She won’t take anything but straight cheese or meat once she’s  outside which I’m sure isn’t the best thing when it comes to training and needing lots of treats. If you look through my page you can see how she used to be a lot more people reactive (it’s gone down to maybe 5-10% of people when on walks, inside is a different story) but has stayed dog reactive. I do my best to create distance and create new associations with treats but it doesn’t seem to be solid footing. We made some progress over the summer but upon moving back to my dorms she lost practically all of it. 
 

I know we’re very far from the manners needed for this but I’d love for her to be my psychiatric service dog one day, and I just want her to be less anxious about things. I truly appreciate all the help and advice. 

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hi Angie Torres,

Welcome back!

Little favor: Can you please provide the page exactly where the forum link isn't working? My tech team is always looking after "bugs" like these and if you could paste the page here it would be extra helpful! I will forward it to tech support, although I am not sure what you mean by "older website."

My roommates have noticed that she tends to only really bark at visitors or at them when I’m home. I’m not sure why she’d do this, or how to fix it really. Because when I’m gone she’ll even snuggle strangers! But the second I’m home she’s  barking up a storm if they so much as stand to go pee. Could there be a puzzle piece I’m missing here?

OK, this is a somewhat different situation from the original post where it was mentioned that she barked whenever your roommates didn't pay attention to her. This is interesting though because it could be that she was really initially barking for attention and this has subsided and solved (either from intentional training or just natural exposure to them and her senses adjusting or the whole novelty factor gone), and now we are left with some other form of residual barking. This phenomenon is often seen when we have dogs who are barking a whole lot to different triggers, and then the barking at several triggers subsides so we are left with more clear contingencies (where we start to see more evident patterns of the triggers that evoke the barking more than just random barking at many triggers).

Or it could be simply that barking when you are around was the main problem all around. In any case, if she's snuggling with strangers and seems to be fine when you are not around then there *can* be an element of "protectiveness" involved. This takes place when dogs don't like people being near their "favorite owner."

I say this tentatively because there can be various dynamics at play, in general  confirm the possible "protectiveness" theory, several criteria should be met. 

Can you confirm that when she barks up a storm she is in the same room with you, mostly nearby you and when they move around she barks and lunges at them as if trying to send them away from you?

Does she seem to bark/act upset when you are sitting on the couch and your roommates are approaching you? 

Does her barking when they get up or go use the restroom get more intense if they happen to get closer to you? Not saying to try this (as her behavior may intensify), just asking if you can recall her response to a possible deviation where a roommate got up to use the restroom, but then came back to approach you as if going to answer the phone nearby you or getting something close to you. In other words, what I am looking for is whether the barking gets worse upon them approaching you. 

Another possibility is simply her feeling a bit 'bolder" when you are around and putting on her "watchdog duties" or liking the attention she gets from you when she barks at your roommates. What do you do exactly usually when she barks at them?

It would be very, very helpful recording her behavior when you are not home and see if she completely stops the barking or if she still reacts as they walk around only that it's not as intense as to when you are home. 

I’m also looking into utilizing forms of play (toys food and social) to sort of loosen her up and increase her confidence. She loves walks (if not demands them and mopes if she doesn’t get them) but seems somewhat hyper vigilant when she’s out. She won’t take anything but straight cheese or meat once she’s  outside which I’m sure isn’t the best thing when it comes to training and needing lots of treats.

Brain games, obedience training, clicker training (you mentioned she's OK with the sound) are all excellent to increase confidence. More is covered here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/exercises-build-confidence-insecure-dogs/

Most of these games/ tricks are trained with a clicker, so they may be helpful to boost her confidence:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/hot-and-cold/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/preschool/targeting/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-your-dog-to-turn-on-a-light/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-dog-roll/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-dog-play-dead/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-dog-cover-eyes-shame/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-dog-give-paw-shake/

Actually, cheese and meat (like roasted chicken, baked liver, homemade salmon treats) may be far healthier choices than many of the commercial treats which are loaded with sugars, artificial colorings and unpronounceable ingredients. The secret is to use tiny pieces so to not over fill her.

Many dog owners are often surprised when they see how small I can break up the pieces of a regular treat/piece of food. I often can get as many as 10 to 20 smaller pieces, and each piece can be used to reinforce one desired behavior or form a positive association. This means that with just one treat I can reinforce as many as 10 to 20 behaviors or form 10-20 positive associations!

With you using meat or cheese, things can get messy in a treat bag, but you can cut them up and place them in a plastic baggie in your pocket or inside your treat bag. I will always keep a handful though in one hand in case of unexpected triggers or a behavior I like popping up so I have them ready at a moment's notice. I also like to keep track on how many tidbits I have and arrange walks around their amount.

In other words, to make the most out of the walk without finishing all treats quickly, it helps to strategically walk in areas where there are less triggers around and leaving most of the treats for the areas with more distractions. I will still occasionally use some treats in the quieter areas to reinforce behaviors (since most dogs are OK performing desirable behavior in lower distraction area), but the core of the treats goes to the areas where positive associations need to be formed with triggers (trigger/treat), however, this is always done aiming to keep the dog under threshold as possible. 

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

If she is too reactive or hypervigilant on walks, stress hormones will flood her body and this stress will carry over to the home increasing potential reactivity to things. And vice-versa, if it's stressful at home, that stress will be carried over to walks. So it's important to carefully manage things on walks and indoors, to prevent them from becoming too stressful events. 

If you look through my page you can see how she used to be a lot more people reactive (it’s gone down to maybe 5-10% of people when on walks, inside is a different story) but has stayed dog reactive. I do my best to create distance and create new associations with treats but it doesn’t seem to be solid footing. We made some progress over the summer but upon moving back to my dorms she lost practically all of it. 

The people reactivity improvements you have made together is wonderful! I am glad that this has gone down dramatically. It's very important to work on this. With dog-dog reactivity, things can be somewhat trickier because we don't have full control of what the other dogs are doing (off-leash dogs approaching fast or owners letting their dogs approach to meet and greet, these can really put a dent in progress) and working under the threshold can be complicated in certain areas (tight sidewalks, areas with dogs barking loud behind fences etc). 

Creating distance is important and when distance cannot be granted, you want to use emergency u-turns: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/emergency-u-turn/

If you have friends with dogs that are rather calm and social, this can be super helpful because it provides you with an opportunity to have more control over the situation creating good "pre-look at thats,  'look at that" or "closed bar-open bar" setups that can be lead to positive outcomes and a good foundation.

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/pre-lat-look-behavior-modification/

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

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/open-bar-closed-bar/

It would be helpful to analyze what could have put a dent in her progress since the summer. If walks are reduced or are conducted in places that are too overwhelming, they can lose the progress, but so many other things may be at play (other forms of stress complicating the matter,  not feeling too well, several missed opportunities for positive associations/reinforcements, sloppy implementations etc). 

Even moving to a new place can put a dent at many levels. We see this often with potty training too. Many dogs who were great at potty training at home, will have occasional accidents in their new place. Dogs seem to struggle generalizing things in new or different settings. For instance, walks  in new places means new triggers and if the previous foundation wasn't strong enough it may not have carried over.  This especially applies to dogs who are nervous/reactive on their own as these dogs crave routines and security.  A dorm with several roommates can certainly be a stressful change too, so that can too play a role. 

I know we’re very far from the manners needed for this but I’d love for her to be my psychiatric service dog one day, and I just want her to be less anxious about things. I truly appreciate all the help and advice.

My favorite saying is "when there is a will, there is a way." I have seen dedicated owners do amazing things with their dogs when there is that strong internal motivation sparkling. Back when I worked for an association that matched up completely untrained and unruly shelter dogs to veterans with post traumatic stress who were to work with these dogs to turn them into their service or emotional support dogs, you could visibly see improvements unfold one week after another (although they still had had to see us once a week for class and then had to later go to a special school for further advanced training). 

It's a step-by-step dance, always gauging the environment, ensuring that things aren't too overwhelming and preventing rehearsal of stressful behaviors to protect the hard work. Calming aids (DAP collars, calming supplements l-theanine, alpha-casozepine) can help too some dogs. Once you can get a calmer, non-reactive state, it helps to walk in gradually more challenging places (the perimeter of dog parks, frequent walks to the city where there are many people and dogs as with time they become less salient). The biggest mistake is progressing too fast and expecting results within a short time-frame. 

You can read more posts with some protocols and examples for dog-to dog reactivity behavior modification here: these are just three, but I am sure there are likely dozens and dozens of them covering slightly different approaches. 

 

[JMFS]

Going to chime in with our dogs' new favorite:  https://www.chewy.com/brands/vital-essentials-7704

I bought the actual food, but you mentioned you're in a dorm and if your college days were like mine, $30 for treats isn't exactly in the budget without knowing if they'll work.  They do have smaller bags of actual treats for around $8 - 9 you could try first.  I think of the food like Cheetos for dogs, only with meat instead of flours and fake cheese.  Meatos?  😏

The other one they really go for is the Ziwi Peak: https://www.chewy.com/brands/ziwi-7776

More expensive than the VitalEssentials, but they stink to high heaven and the dogs go positively bonkers for them. 

With both foods I break them up into much smaller pieces to make them last.  Think of the size of a Claritin pill (I can't come up with anything better for comparison at the moment!) for the Ziwi Peak and maybe an Advil for the VitalEssentials because they're a little tougher to get super small.

Just some thoughts based on my recent experience - I'm working on desensitizing / conditioning Esther to numerous distractions and these foods, used as treats, are doing the trick.  On another note, the real deal works quite well, too!  If you eat chicken for dinner, for example, you could set aside a handful for her next session (I use the innermost pieces that don't have sauce or seasonings).

[AngieTorres]

Thank you everyone for your help! I truly appreciate the thorough replies. 

9 hours ago, Adrienne Farricelli said:

Hi Angie Torres,

Welcome back!

Little favor: Can you please provide the page exactly where the forum link isn't working? My tech team is always looking after "bugs" like these and if you could paste the page here it would be extra helpful! I will forward it to tech support, although I am not sure what you mean by "older website."

My roommates have noticed that she tends to only really bark at visitors or at them when I’m home. I’m not sure why she’d do this, or how to fix it really. Because when I’m gone she’ll even snuggle strangers! But the second I’m home she’s  barking up a storm if they so much as stand to go pee. Could there be a puzzle piece I’m missing here?

OK, this is a somewhat different situation from the original post where it was mentioned that she barked whenever your roommates didn't pay attention to her. This is interesting though because it could be that she was really initially barking for attention and this has subsided and solved (either from intentional training or just natural exposure to them and her senses adjusting or the whole novelty factor gone), and now we are left with some other form of residual barking. This phenomenon is often seen when we have dogs who are barking a whole lot to different triggers, and then the barking at several triggers subsides so we are left with more clear contingencies (where we start to see more evident patterns of the triggers that evoke the barking more than just random barking at many triggers).

Or it could be simply that barking when you are around was the main problem all around. In any case, if she's snuggling with strangers and seems to be fine when you are not around then there *can* be an element of "protectiveness" involved. This takes place when dogs don't like people being near their "favorite owner."

I say this tentatively because there can be various dynamics at play, in general  confirm the possible "protectiveness" theory, several criteria should be met. 

Can you confirm that when she barks up a storm she is in the same room with you, mostly nearby you and when they move around she barks and lunges at them as if trying to send them away from you?

Does she seem to bark/act upset when you are sitting on the couch and your roommates are approaching you? 

Does her barking when they get up or go use the restroom get more intense if they happen to get closer to you? Not saying to try this (as her behavior may intensify), just asking if you can recall her response to a possible deviation where a roommate got up to use the restroom, but then came back to approach you as if going to answer the phone nearby you or getting something close to you. In other words, what I am looking for is whether the barking gets worse upon them approaching you. 

Another possibility is simply her feeling a bit 'bolder" when you are around and putting on her "watchdog duties" or liking the attention she gets from you when she barks at your roommates. What do you do exactly usually when she barks at them?

It would be very, very helpful recording her behavior when you are not home and see if she completely stops the barking or if she still reacts as they walk around only that it's not as intense as to when you are home. 

I’m also looking into utilizing forms of play (toys food and social) to sort of loosen her up and increase her confidence. She loves walks (if not demands them and mopes if she doesn’t get them) but seems somewhat hyper vigilant when she’s out. She won’t take anything but straight cheese or meat once she’s  outside which I’m sure isn’t the best thing when it comes to training and needing lots of treats.

Brain games, obedience training, clicker training (you mentioned she's OK with the sound) are all excellent to increase confidence. More is covered here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/exercises-build-confidence-insecure-dogs/

Most of these games/ tricks are trained with a clicker, so they may be helpful to boost her confidence:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/hot-and-cold/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/preschool/targeting/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-your-dog-to-turn-on-a-light/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-dog-roll/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-dog-play-dead/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-dog-cover-eyes-shame/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-dog-give-paw-shake/

Actually, cheese and meat (like roasted chicken, baked liver, homemade salmon treats) may be far healthier choices than many of the commercial treats which are loaded with sugars, artificial colorings and unpronounceable ingredients. The secret is to use tiny pieces so to not over fill her.

Many dog owners are often surprised when they see how small I can break up the pieces of a regular treat/piece of food. I often can get as many as 10 to 20 smaller pieces, and each piece can be used to reinforce one desired behavior or form a positive association. This means that with just one treat I can reinforce as many as 10 to 20 behaviors or form 10-20 positive associations!

With you using meat or cheese, things can get messy in a treat bag, but you can cut them up and place them in a plastic baggie in your pocket or inside your treat bag. I will always keep a handful though in one hand in case of unexpected triggers or a behavior I like popping up so I have them ready at a moment's notice. I also like to keep track on how many tidbits I have and arrange walks around their amount.

In other words, to make the most out of the walk without finishing all treats quickly, it helps to strategically walk in areas where there are less triggers around and leaving most of the treats for the areas with more distractions. I will still occasionally use some treats in the quieter areas to reinforce behaviors (since most dogs are OK performing desirable behavior in lower distraction area), but the core of the treats goes to the areas where positive associations need to be formed with triggers (trigger/treat), however, this is always done aiming to keep the dog under threshold as possible. 

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

If she is too reactive or hypervigilant on walks, stress hormones will flood her body and this stress will carry over to the home increasing potential reactivity to things. And vice-versa, if it's stressful at home, that stress will be carried over to walks. So it's important to carefully manage things on walks and indoors, to prevent them from becoming too stressful events. 

If you look through my page you can see how she used to be a lot more people reactive (it’s gone down to maybe 5-10% of people when on walks, inside is a different story) but has stayed dog reactive. I do my best to create distance and create new associations with treats but it doesn’t seem to be solid footing. We made some progress over the summer but upon moving back to my dorms she lost practically all of it. 

The people reactivity improvements you have made together is wonderful! I am glad that this has gone down dramatically. It's very important to work on this. With dog-dog reactivity, things can be somewhat trickier because we don't have full control of what the other dogs are doing (off-leash dogs approaching fast or owners letting their dogs approach to meet and greet, these can really put a dent in progress) and working under the threshold can be complicated in certain areas (tight sidewalks, areas with dogs barking loud behind fences etc). 

Creating distance is important and when distance cannot be granted, you want to use emergency u-turns: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/emergency-u-turn/

If you have friends with dogs that are rather calm and social, this can be super helpful because it provides you with an opportunity to have more control over the situation creating good "pre-look at thats,  'look at that" or "closed bar-open bar" setups that can be lead to positive outcomes and a good foundation.

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/pre-lat-look-behavior-modification/

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

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/open-bar-closed-bar/

It would be helpful to analyze what could have put a dent in her progress since the summer. If walks are reduced or are conducted in places that are too overwhelming, they can lose the progress, but so many other things may be at play (other forms of stress complicating the matter,  not feeling too well, several missed opportunities for positive associations/reinforcements, sloppy implementations etc). 

Even moving to a new place can put a dent at many levels. We see this often with potty training too. Many dogs who were great at potty training at home, will have occasional accidents in their new place. Dogs seem to struggle generalizing things in new or different settings. For instance, walks  in new places means new triggers and if the previous foundation wasn't strong enough it may not have carried over.  This especially applies to dogs who are nervous/reactive on their own as these dogs crave routines and security.  A dorm with several roommates can certainly be a stressful change too, so that can too play a role. 

I know we’re very far from the manners needed for this but I’d love for her to be my psychiatric service dog one day, and I just want her to be less anxious about things. I truly appreciate all the help and advice.

My favorite saying is "when there is a will, there is a way." I have seen dedicated owners do amazing things with their dogs when there is that strong internal motivation sparkling. Back when I worked for an association that matched up completely untrained and unruly shelter dogs to veterans with post traumatic stress who were to work with these dogs to turn them into their service or emotional support dogs, you could visibly see improvements unfold one week after another (although they still had had to see us once a week for class and then had to later go to a special school for further advanced training). 

It's a step-by-step dance, always gauging the environment, ensuring that things aren't too overwhelming and preventing rehearsal of stressful behaviors to protect the hard work. Calming aids (DAP collars, calming supplements l-theanine, alpha-casozepine) can help too some dogs. Once you can get a calmer, non-reactive state, it helps to walk in gradually more challenging places (the perimeter of dog parks, frequent walks to the city where there are many people and dogs as with time they become less salient). The biggest mistake is progressing too fast and expecting results within a short time-frame. 

You can read more posts with some protocols and examples for dog-to dog reactivity behavior modification here: these are just three, but I am sure there are likely dozens and dozens of them covering slightly different approaches. 

 

You are so incredibly helpful!! Yes here’s the link: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/login/ in the members area when you click forum you get a 404 error. 
 

So according to my roommates she doesn’t bark hardly at all when I’m not home, both with them and with strangers visiting. She’ll bark a bit sometimes if one roommate moves too fast (lol) but won’t bark when they try to leave. Whereas if I’m home and they try to leave she’s making a whole scene. Same with visitors, when I wasn’t home and a visitor came over she had no problems. Didn’t bark, wanted to cuddle, etc. but when I came home she barked whenever she got up even if it wasn’t heading my way. 
 

I definitely think it was just too much change at once for her. Getting roommates at my dorm plus a new puppy at my parents was a lot for her. 
 

I have trouble with emergency U turns because she thinks turning around means the walk is over and we’re heading home and will stand in place and refuse to move. She also tends to spot dogs pretty fast. Today she saw one far away (couple hundred feet maybe?) and didn’t react until it got closer (50 feet or so) but it was a small reaction. But then she got startled when a Pomeranian turned a corner and went kinda crazy even though it was a similar but slightly smaller distance. In my area theres really only two directions to walk, one with more people and less potential for dogs and one with potentially more dogs. Both seem to get her a little stressed, but it depends on the day with the people thing. It’s mainly if they get too close to us. She’s also not a huge fan of scooters and bikes but I can typically get her attention with a look at me and she won’t bark at them. 
 

My goals are to address and ideally one day eliminate her dog fears, then work on in public manners (though she’s pretty good already when there’s no dogs), then do specific tasks. Maybe I could do tasks before public manners though since those can be practiced at home. 

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Thank you so kindly for providing the link! I see now where the issue is and will forward to the tech team. Also, thanks for the extra details, they are helpful! 

Please see my observations in non-bold under your statements. 

So according to my roommates she doesn’t bark hardly at all when I’m not home, both with them and with strangers visiting. She’ll bark a bit sometimes if one roommate moves too fast (lol) but won’t bark when they try to leave. Whereas if I’m home and they try to leave she’s making a whole scene. Same with visitors, when I wasn’t home and a visitor came over she had no problems. Didn’t bark, wanted to cuddle, etc. but when I came home she barked whenever she got up even if it wasn’t heading my way. 

So if there is still some level of barking going on when you are not home, that tells us that she still isn't totally comfortable with certain situations (people moving too fast) so there is likely some fear element at play.

The fact that she doesn't bark when they leave when you are away, but barks when they leave when you are around, leaves us with a few possibilities for the behavior. I would still aim to record the behavior when you are away just to get an insider view of how she behaves when alone. Even if a dog doesn't bark, there may still be signs of stress that are worthy of being aware of. 

So, here are few possibilities that come to mind as causes for the behavior based on your roommates' version. I have commented briefly on these above, but will go more in depth on them. 

-Protective behavior- protective dogs will  will defend their owners from others just as they would with a precious bone. This doesn't mean that your dog perceives you as the human personification of a rawhide, it just means that your dog may value you just as highly. While this may be perceived as an ultimate sign of canine loyalty, devotion and affection, the downside is that, a dog who acts protective when there is no real threat, is showing signs of fear/weak nerves and this requires intervention. 

Sure, a small like a Chi barking at people may yield some giggles, but excess protectiveness can easily get out of hand and be stressful on the dog too. Not surprisingly, small dogs are often overrepresented for this type of behavior, and it's likely because being small, the issue is perceived as much less worrisome than if popping up in say a Rottweiler or German shepherd.  

Suspect protectiveness therefore if your Chi barks at your roommates exclusively  when she's around you and her barking seems to intensify (often morphing into growling, lunging and baring teeth) the closer your roommates get towards you, while the barking seems to abate the moment they move farther away. 

Usually dogs who are protective of their owners will like stick closely by them, standing or sleeping by their feet or next to them in bed or on the couch. They will be always on guard and grow increasingly nervous the moment they notice someone approaching. 

*I am not sure if this is really the case in your scenario, because I missing some info on how she behaves if they approach you versus leaving the room. Not saying to try this, but just consider how she has behaved in this case in the past. 

-Feeling more confident- You know how some teenagers like to stick together as a group to act bold, but then if you catch one alone, he is terribly shy and even stutters from nervousness? Well, a similar scenario may happen in dogs too.

Some dogs just don't like to mess with people when they are alone. These dogs are likely fearful, but when their owner is around they suddenly gain all the courage to start barking. It's as if they feel like together you and her form a team and you will have her back covered if something was to happen. 

Something similar also happens to dogs who live together when they gang up and decide to bark at people angrily when they are passing by their property. If for some odd reason though only one dog happens to be outside, chances are, this dog may just sniff around and pretend that he hasn't seen the person. 

*I feel that based on her tendency to display fear, this can be a possibility. 

-A Need for Attention- We often think of food, treats and toys as ways to reinforce dog behaviors, but attention is often an overlooked reward we often fail to consider. If every time your dog barks or growls at people, you giggle (this often happens when the dog in question is small and trying to look tough), your dog may perceive your giggling as a form of attention and possibly even a sign of approval. 

Of course the situation gets even much worse if on top of giggling, an owner ends up jokingly praising the dog or excitedly inciting him to "Go get em!" Not saying this is your case, but just wanting to point out how we can strongly influence our dogs.

When attention like this is provided contingent upon the barking behavior, there are chances that the behavior will increase and strengthen over time. While giggling is just one form of attention, several other of our behaviors may qualify as attention as well to a dog who craves it. These other behaviors may therefore end up inadvertently  reinforcing the barking behavior and this includes even attention of the negative type. 

For example, if you happen to scold your dog every time she barks at intruders, this behavior may qualify as attention too and may end up reinforcing the behavior, allowing it to put roots and persist. 

**I am not sure if this can be a cause in your scenario, because I missing some info on what you do exactly when she barks. 

Consider the power of reinforcement-There can be actually two types of reinforcement going on in these cases. The first form is the one discussed above where the dog "enjoys" the attention she gets when she barks, and the other form of reinforcement occurs when people move away following the barking.  

In this latter case, the dog through trial and error starts thinking that, it is courtesy of her barking that the people move away and leave. This ultimately gives the dog a big sense of relief which is highly reinforcing (negative reinforcement to be exact). 

This cliché' is often the reason why we see many dogs bark at the mailman and delivery people every day. These dogs come to truly believe that their barking makes the 'bad guys leave" so their barking becomes a daily routine that only stops once these people leave their premises. So if your dog craves attention and isn't too happy with roommates moving around and exiting a room, she may be getting a double whammy of reinforcement when she barks at them. With dual reinforcement at play, this requires often dual the effort to reduce this form of barking. 

Consider the risks-With dogs who bark at people, there may be risks for the barking to eventually transform into growling, snapping and possibly biting. Therefore this is something to stop sooner than later.  So..., based on your info provided (I am missing a few puzzle pieces, so this is a bit broad so to cover several basis) following are some general tips/ideas. 

-Prevent rehearsal of the problematic behavior. In other words, take all the management steps you can to prevent your Chi from rehearsing the barking behavior. This can mean keeping her in a separate area when you know your roommates are about to leave (behind a baby gate, in a play pen or crated with a safe food puzzle to enjoy).

Here's the thing: the more dogs get to rehearse certain behaviors, the more these put roots and become difficult to eradicate. This is particularly important if your dog's barking behavior is fairly new. Nipping it in the bud is paramount. 

These management steps are for the most temporary, at least until you can actively work on the problem and for those instances when an exposure is too intense or you have no time to work on it. 

-Stop the reinforcement. This means no giggling, no praising, no talking that may inadvertently reinforce the behavior. 

-Create positive associations. This can work if there is a fear component at play. The goal here is to change your dog's perception of your roommates moving around. In other words, every time a roommate is walking around fast or exiting a door, make your smacking sound https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/the-airplane-game/the-smacking-sound/ and feed your dog a tasty treat. Make it crystal clear that the treat is delivered only when the person moves/exits. Aim for a positive conditioned emotional response https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/conditioned-emotional-response-cer/

While this method can be effective, it is imperative that it's accompanied by desensitization. 

-Use systematic desensitization. In other words, use a step-by-step approach so to prevent your dog from going over threshold. Too intense exposure risk evoking the barking behavior which can set you back several steps making you lose some progress. Therefore, make sure that you have everything under control. Don't have roommates moving too quickly at first, at least until you haven't obtained a fluent response. 

Eventually, your Chi can be taught to lie on a mat when your roommates move around and exit where she gets to receive yummy edible goodies delivered there. Here is the guide on teaching dogs to lie on a mat. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-dog-go-to-mat/

The importance of working with a professional. Changing dog behaviors falls under behavior modification more than just training and this be can be quite complex. You may therefore need to hire a behavior consultant who specializes in reactivity and uses force-free behavior modification techniques. This is also for safety(dogs who bark may bite) and to up the chances for success since a professional working with you in presence can walk you through the behavior modification process and ensure its correct implementation.  

I have trouble with emergency U turns because she thinks turning around means the walk is over and we’re heading home and will stand in place and refuse to move. 

In this case, you may need to practice emergency u-turns a lot at home, in front of the home and then progress on walks, so that she understands that emergency u-turns are super fun and worthy of performing. You may have to just organize some walks just for this exercise. A goal could be that she gets to go farther on a walk only after she has successfully performed an emergency u-turn. So, very close to home initially, you can ask for a u-turn, walk 1-2 steps and then do another u-turn to go several steps farther, rinse and repeat etc etc. Try to never do a u-turn though to end a walk abruptly- since she loves walks so much, we don't want to create negative associations with them.

She also tends to spot dogs pretty fast. Today she saw one far away (couple hundred feet maybe?) and didn’t react until it got closer (50 feet or so) but it was a small reaction. But then she got startled when a Pomeranian turned a corner and went kinda crazy even though it was a similar but slightly smaller distance. In my area theres really only two directions to walk, one with more people and less potential for dogs and one with potentially more dogs.

Both seem to get her a little stressed, but it depends on the day with the people thing. It’s mainly if they get too close to us. She’s also not a huge fan of scooters and bikes but I can typically get her attention with a look at me and she won’t bark at them.

These cases can be tricky, that is, when there are dogs popping up from nowhere. These episodes increase stress levels and allow rehearsal of the behavior. It may be worthy driving to areas that are more open so that you are better able to scan the environment and prevent surprises. Walking off hours that are peak time, until she's better able to cope with her triggers, may also help. 

My goals are to address and ideally one day eliminate her dog fears, then work on in public manners (though she’s pretty good already when there’s no dogs), then do specific tasks. Maybe I could do tasks before public manners though since those can be practiced at home. 

Yes, you can start the tasks anytime at home, and they can be great confidence boosters since you can incorporate clicker training.

Happy training!

[AngieTorres]

Thank you! How does playpen training work for indoor reactivity? Should I plop her in the pen with some treats or a kong whenever she starts barking and wait until she calms down to let her out? 
 

I’m taking a training course and they suggested long ish leads for reactivity to allow them to make the choice to turn around or show physical boundaries before reactions better. Is that true? She seems to be much calmer on a retractable but I know those aren’t very safe. 

[JMFS]

I bought a long lead and tied knots in it about every 2' so I can reel it in.  That might work for you as well.  The one I got was from Chewy and it's not terribly heavy and since she's on the smaller side that may work for y'all.  Mine is 20', but they do have 15 and I think they had a 10 and an 8 as well.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Thank you! How does playpen training work for indoor reactivity? Should I plop her in the pen with some treats or a kong whenever she starts barking and wait until she calms down to let her out? 

The playpen use I have suggested above was more for management purposes (like when you cannot actively train/engage in behavior modification) rather than actual "training". In other words, it's meant  to *prevent* her from rehearsing the barking behavior in the first place, rather than waiting her to start barking and placing her there. I do find providing dogs with treats or a Kong when in the pen useful so that we create positive associations with being there. 

I’m taking a training course and they suggested long ish leads for reactivity to allow them to make the choice to turn around or show physical boundaries before reactions better. Is that true? She seems to be much calmer on a retractable but I know those aren’t very safe. 

I can't really comment on other trainer's methods, unless I know exactly what they may entail and what the functional purpose is. If you have more specifics I can help providing more info on how some methods works, the science behind them etc and possible drawbacks. 

There are several methods that involve the use of long leads to change behavior, BAT training being a popular one. Many trainers have created their own versions with slight variations. BAT remains a controversial subject in dog trainer circles due to drawbacks and some associated risks. One main drawback is that some trainers feel that a reactive dog is not in the best position to make a good choice. And if they were making good choices from the get-go they wouldn't need training or behavior modification in the first place. On the other hand, methods like BAT can be fine for a given dog, on a given day when instructed properly by a trainer very familiar with the method. 

There is difference between long leads (like long lines) and retractables. I am not a big fan of retractables due to risks for injuries, although some versions are made to be somewhat safer. 

[AngieTorres]

Got it, what if she barks from inside the pen? I have a feeling she will. 
 

I believe the long lead (I got a 15 foot) is for the sake of having a scared dog make the choice to turn around and show physical signs of discomfort before reactions instead of being forced to have little radius to move. 

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Got it, what if she barks from inside the pen? I have a feeling she will.

Since the pen is being used for management, in others words, at a distance from her triggers so to prevent rehearsal of the problematic barking when your roommates leave the home and you are present as well, I assume you are concerned about another type pf barking taking place as a result of her not liking being left alone or confined in an unfamiliar enclosure. 

Barking in the pen can be seen in dogs for various reasons, but for a good part can occur when dogs aren't used to being closed in one and therefore not enough time has been invested in creating positive associations with being in it and learning to relax in it. Clingy dogs may struggle with confinement and so may dogs who want to participate in everything owners do.  

So the big question is; ever since you have had her, has she ever been trained to calmly stay in a play pen or crate? 

If not, then it may take some time for her to get accustomed to being in one.  The goal is to ideally have dogs who are eager to be closed in it because they have associated the place with valuable things to chew and relaxation. 

For sake of an example, here is a basic guide for getting dogs used to being in a crate although it can be used as well for training to stay in a play pen.  https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/love-the-crate/

If she has never been confined before, the process needs to be done very gradually ensuring she doesn't get stressed through the process. 

An alternate option is keeping her in a separate room with you when your friends must leave (out of sight, out of mind) so she has no need to bark since she won't see them leaving. Once again, management is not a solution for behavior problems, it's a way to prevent a dog from rehearsing problematic behaviors when we cannot actively train, and to protect our dogs from too intense exposures.

I believe the long lead (I got a 15 foot) is for the sake of having a scared dog make the choice to turn around and show physical signs of discomfort before reactions instead of being forced to have little radius to move.

From this little piece of info, I very tentatively assume the exercise may be BAT, (behavior adjustment training) more specifically version 1, although several variations have been crafted from it. BAT is briefly discussed here:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/behavior-adjustment-training-bat/

If this sounds like the method you are mentioning, in what exact scenario are you planning to apply it? BAT works best in open spaces and since the dog is on a long line, some safety precautions need to be in place.  Do you have a trainer to assist you? There are dog trainers specializing in BAT and they are recognized by the acronym (CBATI) which stands for Certified Behavior Adjustment Training Instructors.

[AngieTorres]

Thanks! Sorry back to the og point of the post because there was a roommate meeting called over her barking and me asking my roommate not to harshly scold my dog. 
 

so here’s what I’ve been trying. Ignoring doesn’t work. She simply does not give up in any reasonable amount of time. I’ve tried doing the find it game which works if she’s not particularly sensitive that day or when I leave but if she’s having a “feral day” as we call it treats, even treats she likes, have a hard time getting her attention. Especially through the whole process of getting ready to leave that she’s very aware of. Keys jacket shoes etc barking the whole time on these days. Today was one of them. Morning and afternoon, when I’m home she was barking her head off at both of them when they tried to leave. But silence when I’m not home. 
 

we’re thinking of getting a pen, doing the typical training of “we like it in here lots of treats happen in here” thing, then setting her in it with a kong or something similar before they start to get ready. As i previously mentioned my concern is that she’ll just be barking from inside the pen instead of following them around. 
 

another thing I’ve tried is picking her up when they’re getting ready and treating her for her silence which typically works if I remember it fast enough. 

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hi Angie,

Thanks for the extra details. It seems like this barking is indeed a mysterious puzzle! Every post you make has some extra puzzle pieces causing a sort of mini-evolution each time. Puzzle piece plus puzzle piece though, gives us a better insight of the whole picture. 

For instance, your first post mentions that she " barks basically whenever they (your roommates) don't pay attention to her or enter or exit the house or sometimes even the room" and the thread title was barking for attention. It therefore seemed like the behavior was therefore evoked by her simply wanting attention. 

 The second post mentioned: "she tends to only really bark at visitors or at them (your roommates) when I’m home. I’m not sure why she’d do this, or how to fix it really. Because when I’m gone she’ll even snuggle strangers! But the second I’m home she’s  barking up a storm if they (your roommates) so much as stand to go pee."  From this description it seemed as if the behavior was evoked primarily by your presence and her feeling more confident or maybe even protective. It could also have been some attention-seeking behavior as well based on how you may have reacted to her barking in the past.

The third post mentioned: "I’ve tried doing the find it game which works if she’s not particularly sensitive that day or when I leave but if she’s having a “feral day” as we call it treats, even treats she likes, have a hard time getting her attention. Especially through the whole process of getting ready to leave that she’s very aware of. Keys jacket shoes etc barking the whole time on these days. Today was one of them. Morning and afternoon, when I’m home she was barking her head off at both of them when they tried to leave. But silence when I’m not home."

So we went from a dog barking when she didn't get attention from the roommates, to a dog who barks when the roommates stand to go pee but only in your presence, to a dog who barks when your roommates are getting ready to leave and grab the keys, jackets, shoes etc. I think at some point you even mentioned her barking when people entered a door as well which can be her way of greeting or alerting. It may be that we even have various forms of barking overlapping. 

So now I have a couple more questions, because many dogs bark/whine/get distressed when they suffer from separation anxiety. These dogs get emotionally attached to certain people and when they leave they sort of get a panic attack. 

So next important questions are (please answer as thoroughly as you can):

1) When your roommates leave for good (meaning they are out of the door and gone) does she become calm and acts as if she is relieved, or does she appear anxious as if waiting for them to come back?

2) how does she do when you are alone with her and YOU are about to leave? 

3) how does she do when you are not around and your roommates leave? I know you said there is silence, but for sake of clarity I would record her behavior to determine how she does once they are away for good. 

4) how would you describe her relationship with your roommates? Has she deeply bonded with them? Does she see them more than you and get to do more things with them? Does she act shy, tentative, fearful or skittish towards them?

I therefore still feel it would helpful recording her behavior when the roommates leave without you around and when you leave and she is left totally alone so to better understand the exact dynamics. 

Here's the thing: the biggest puzzles pieces needed before implementing a behavior intervention plan are knowing exactly what triggers the barking behavior (the antecedent) and what function the barking plays (distance-increasing? attention? coping mechanism?) What is the dog getting from barking? What's the functional relation?

With these puzzle pieces in place we can come up with a more strategic plan. However, when things are blurry, things get a tad bit more challenging, although we always have the option to experiment things and see how it goes such as managing the situation and training an alternate response to engage in, making it super rewarding.

When a dog is not accepting treats we need to evaluate carefully whether the treats are not high-value enough, whether the cues we are asking have been trained reliably to a fluent response,  and if the dog is too over threshold. Dogs who suffer from fear and anxiety, may be at times way too over threshold to listen. 

At this point, a behavior intervention plan that can be tentatively tried and the results can be measured over time to see if it's working. If the barking happens only in your presence (something we can only ascertain through recordings), it can involve simply keeping her with you on leash at a distance from your roommates and practicing feeding her super-duper high-value treats (many use strips of baked calf liver, liverwurst, salmon treats, tripe-the stinkier the better, but check with your vet first if she's prone to tummy troubles or has health issue) as your roommates volunteer to perform behaviors that evoke the barking but this time presented in a much milder form, taking a step-by-step systematic approach (desensitization) so that she is under threshold.

For example, they can walk towards the door, you drop a treat, then they touch the door knob and you drop a treat, then they open the door slightly, you drop a treat, then they only have a leg out of the door, you drop  a treat etc. etc. gradually progressing to where they can finally exit with her acting more calmly. If at any time she won't take a treat and starts barking, take it as a sign that she is too over threshold and you may have progressed too fast. 

If she likes to follow your roommates around, you may find the 'destination nowhere" exercise helpful from this article: 

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

More tips for clingy dogs;

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/following-owners-around-house/

Since she is a small dog, make sure to cut the treats in tiny pieces and do brief reps scattered throughout the day,  as you don't want to over fill her. We don't want to confuse a dog who isn't taking treats because she's over threshold from one who is simply full. Best to work when she's on an empty stomach. 

With the above exercise, you can may be tackling various emotions. If she's slightly anxious about them leaving, you'll be desensitizing her to their departures and creating positive associations, removing some drama. If there's some fear, stress anxiety or need to increase distance, you will be creating positive associations. If she's seeking attention, you are giving her something else too do (a dog who is chasing treats and eating, can't bark at the same time). If you can then progress to train her to lie down on a mat, at a distance from the door and hold a long enough stay there, consider that dogs who are lying down are less likely to bark. 

Since you mention that she seems to have more difficult days than others, it would be important recognizing what happens on these days. We need to consider a phenomenon known as "trigger stacking," where if a dog is repeatedly stressed by several events, they reach a breaking point, so it's important to try as much as possible to keep her calm throughout the day. Scolding her will  unfortunately only stress her out more. If your roommates are treating her harshly, this may only compound things increasing stress hormones and making her more reactive. 

[AngieTorres]

Oh you are so helpful!! I really appreciate you. Okay so for the questions:

1. She stops barking within 5-10 seconds or less and continues with what she was doing prior to barking- probably snoozing on the couch. She doesn’t appear anxious for them to come back but not exactly relieved that they’re gone either, just moving on. 
 

2. About 95% of the time when I leave she is very calm. Sometimes doesn’t even get up from the couch. It’s rarely just us two since one of our roommates tends to be home at a time. 
 

3. She calmly watches them leave or follows them to the door and doesn’t bark at the door once they’re gone (they would be able to hear). Similar to number one, she just moves on with whatever she was doing once they’re gone. 
 

4. she likes them quite a lot. Not clingy really, she tends to chill in the living room or in my room when I’m gone instead of following them. But she’ll snuggle them if they’re on the couch or something like that even sometimes when I’m home. 
 

sometime when they’re not busy I’ll work on desensitizing her to them leaving with the keys and such on a leash. But as for the leash she does seem to behave better if she can follow them out. Like if I pick her up and treat her to calm her down she’s much calmer if I follow them and don’t have her unable to be near them when they leave. 
 

the only time she barks when I’m not home is briefly at outside stimuli (dog tags that she can hear, seeing someone pass if we forgot to push in the chair near the window, etc) but it’s not excessive. My roommates said sometimes if my roommate like jumps up fast or something alarming she might do some startle barking but gets over it fast. Otherwise they can leave and enter with no issues. 

[Adrienne Farricelli]

1) QUESTION: 

 When your roommates leave for good (meaning they are out of the door and gone) does she become calm and acts as if she is relieved, or does she appear anxious as if waiting for them to come back?

"She stops barking within 5-10 seconds or less and continues with what she was doing prior to barking- probably snoozing on the couch. She doesn’t appear anxious for them to come back but not exactly relieved that they’re gone either, just moving on. "

OK, this is good. So this likely excludes separation anxiety, in particular the type where the dog gets attached to one person and can't cope with the absence. If she's moving on, that suggests she's doing OK after the departure. Dogs with separation anxiety will typically whine, bark, pant, drool, pace, scratch at windows and doors, eliminate in the home and can't seem to settle until their favorite person comes back. 

2) QUESTION:

How does she do when you are alone with her and YOU are about to leave? 

" About 95% of the time when I leave she is very calm. Sometimes doesn’t even get up from the couch. It’s rarely just us two since one of our roommates tends to be home at a time. "

This is good too. If she doesn't even get up from the couch, it sounds like she's comfortable and copes well. In those rare instances, when she is completely left alone, it would be important checking on how she does with that, if that ever happens. I recommend all dog owners every now and then record how their dogs do when left alone just to keep tabs on how their dogs are doing. The recorder should be placed so that you have a clear view of the dog and the exit door. 

3) QUESTION

 How does she do when you are not around and your roommates leave? I know you said there is silence, but for sake of clarity I would record her behavior to determine how she does once they are away for good. 

"She calmly watches them leave or follows them to the door and doesn’t bark at the door once they’re gone (they would be able to hear). Similar to number one, she just moves on with whatever she was doing once they’re gone. "
 

OK, so this emphasizes and confirms that it's mostly when you are present that she barks and based on what you and your roommates hear upon leaving, she seems to at least initially cope fine with your absences and their absences.

4) QUESTION:

How would you describe her relationship with your roommates? Has she deeply bonded with them? Does she see them more than you and get to do more things with them? Does she act shy, tentative, fearful or skittish towards them

"She likes them quite a lot. Not clingy really, she tends to chill in the living room or in my room when I’m gone instead of following them. But she’ll snuggle them if they’re on the couch or something like that even sometimes when I’m home. "

OK, so she doesn't seem to be extra clingy, constantly following them from room-to-room . You mentioned earlier that you were afraid of her being in a pen, because she wouldn't be able to follow them, so I was concerned if she was super clingy. 

Sometime when they’re not busy I’ll work on desensitizing her to them leaving with the keys and such on a leash. But as for the leash she does seem to behave better if she can follow them out. Like if I pick her up and treat her to calm her down she’s much calmer if I follow them and don’t have her unable to be near them when they leave. 

So when she is off leash and follows them out, she's not barking? Is she barking less? What is she doing that it seems like she's behaving better when off leash? When she's on leash, can she take treats tossed on the ground? Or is she too over threshold? It could be there may be some barrier frustration component going on due to not being able to rehearse what she has done for a while in the pastor it can be an extinction burst. 

Big question: What happens if you are in another room when your roommates leave?

the only time she barks when I’m not home is briefly at outside stimuli (dog tags that she can hear, seeing someone pass if we forgot to push in the chair near the window, etc) but it’s not excessive. My roommates said sometimes if my roommate like jumps up fast or something alarming she might do some startle barking but gets over it fast. Otherwise they can leave and enter with no issues. 

I would ensure that she has no access to windows to prevent her from barking at outdoors triggers as this can raise stress levels.

The startling when your roommates react to something sounds normal as long as she gets over it very fast. However, too often or too much startling can raise cortisol levels. The startling effect can be lowered by having them carefully re-create whatever evoked the barking in a strategically less intense form and tossing treats before she has a chance to bark.  I once had a dog who reacted strongly to sneezes and coughs, and all I needed to do is make some fake sneezes and coughs in low tones followed by treats to the point where the dog thought it was a fun game! At some point, upon hearing a sneeze, the dog came rushing looking forward to a treat rather than barking!

Due to the fact that dogs who startle and bark, may bite, and when done incorrectly the barking may intensify, it is best to carry out behavior modification under the direct guidance of a behavior professional.