Barking at new people
by Daniel & Cooper
ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
When we visited the vet on Tuesday Cooper was very quiet even when other pet owners wanted to come over and see him. But this morning he has been barking at everyone he sees for the first time, like our housekeeper and my grandfather. It sometimes gets so bad the it distracts him when he tries to potty outside. Is there anyway to teach him to be nice to new people? Also another question, is anyone else's Maltese VERY hyper in the morning. It looks like he practically is *sliding* on the granite floor when he runs around from his crate to his day bed to me and to his toys! :) Well thanks for reading.
DISCUSSION:
Isn't he about 5 months old? Sounds a bit like adolescense to me. There hopefully is information on this topic (adolesence) in the archives.
anneh
Daniel, I just read your next post which stated he is 4 months old, so adolesence is ruled out! He is a dog and dogs bark, so unless he's barking excessively, I wouldn't worry about it. You need to socialize him by taking him out around other dogs, people, strange noises, anything that he is going to ever be around or associate with. It is very important to do this before he is 5 months old, so get busy!! BY the way...any of those things at home don't count. Has to be off his turf sometimes.
Being hyper in the morning is quite normal. People, on the other hand, are slower in the mornings!
anneh
Daniel, Cooper only runs like the wind in the morning? My Chiclet is like that all day! LOL She is almost 5 mos & has started barking at people. I tried to observe her closely & it seems she backs up & even retreats if the person starts to approach. So, my guess is, she's going thru a stage of being 'unsure', maybe even a bit of, 'oh no! somebody new - what should I do?' I just quiet her, pretend Im checking out the source of her concern, then when its feasible, let her become friends.
We do a few things to curb barking but still realize its one of her ways of communicating; she must, after all, have good manners! :))Good luck with Cooper!
BeeGee
Daniel, my Angel never barked until he was 5 months old (I actually dared hope I'd gotten a non-barking dog!). He tends to bark more at animals than people (we get a lot of wildlife by me) but what's happened lately is that if he's out in the backyard and the couple who live up the mountain behind me walk up their driveway (alongside my backyard), Angel will bark at them if they don't say hello. Joanne told me last week she said hello as they walked by and, when Angel continued to bark, she urged her husband to say hello (he thought she was nuts), but when he said hello to Angel, Angel stopped barking immediately. Guess he just wanted to be recognized!
Siobhan
Daniel, I think you need to socialize Cooper also. I am trying to do that with Buster but working 5 days a week it is sometimes hard. We don't have alot of compamy coming to the house so he doesn't see alot of people. When we took him to see grandmom last weekend he barked at every person who came to the house. Buster too, gets up in the morning and is very hyper. Also when I get home in the evenings. I try to take him outside and let him play keep mommies shoe from her to get him to release some of that energy. I also try to play fetch with his ball when inside. So it boils down to socialization and getting that energy out. Good luck
Libby & Buster
The grocery store is a great place to socialize them with people and some noises. Grab a lawn chair if there is no bench outside, some treats and go for it. Ask a few people to stop and pet your dog and let them give him a treat. The carts are great noise socialization. Try this once a week. Hold him at first but as he gets more comfortable let him be on the GROUND!!!...leashed, of course.
Another place to socialize around animals is in the vet's office. Take treats and just sit there and visit everybody that comes in. Let the dogs smell each other, etc. if they're just in for shots or something minor. Then go around to the cat side and repeat. Go back to the exam. rooms , pop a treat, say hello, etc. Repeat once a week. Your vet will be GLAD!! IF notn you really need to find another vet.
anneh
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