Is he testing me??

S

Sumac3890

Forums Sage
For about the last week or so Zak has been barking or doing a low grumbly growl at noises that before he never reacted too. Like an airplane, birds, kids across the stree in the pool. Maggie walking into the room or even my husband or I shutting a door etc. Wonder if he is testing us? He is 20 months old and so it could be an age thing.
We had company over the weekend and normaly when people come over he is fine this time the barked and barked, he also barked at their baby. He is used to them since his breeder has one.
 
Mikos (14 months) recently started barking at the vacuum, the lawn mower and people sneezing. I decided that it was my fault because I obviously had gotten way too much enjoyment from reading the recents posts about the many shelties antics with these things! I shouldn't have chuckled and thought, "That's too funny, glad Mikos and Brie don't do that"!! I guess I got my, 'what goes around, comes around'!!!!
 
nbrard said:
Mikos (14 months) recently started barking at the vacuum, the lawn mower and people sneezing. I decided that it was my fault because I obviously had gotten way too much enjoyment from reading the recents posts about the many shelties antics with these things! I shouldn't have chuckled and thought, "That's too funny, glad Mikos and Brie don't do that"!! I guess I got my, 'what goes around, comes around'!!!!
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Ha ha - I sooo learnt the same lesson. Don't laugh at anything you dont want to see repeated!

Could it be the weather? My two become such brats at changes in the weather and in spring time they just go silly. Sounds like he is making his own fun (actually he sounds just like Deska). Time for some NILIF and I would definatley jump on the barking at things quickly - or you will end up with a dog like Deska on your hands ;). My vet-behaviourist did say dogs become more sound sensitive as they get older.
 
Its hard to say. Our pups go through phases that you can't imagine what triggered it.

Today we drove home from the cottage and I dropped Dave off at his house. Dogs in backseat and Dave leans in through the window to give me a kiss like he always does. Indy suddenly starts to bark and bark at this! Never did it before? Brain farts?????:confused2::lol:
 
*Caro said:
My vet-behaviourist did say dogs become more sound sensitive as they get older.
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I don't know about that. I think it is how you respond to them when they react. I know alot of dogs where reacting to noises is a learned behavior. A scary noise happens, dog reacts, owner reacts to dog reacting , dog learns to gets attention or whatever and reacts more.

Now if you were to ignore the dog and say praise them when they started to move again or calmed down or say cookies would fall out of the sky when a scary noise happens it would get better.

My Jazz was very noise reactive as a young dog. She was very not noise reactive as an old dog because I would ignore her(no body reaction or eye contact)and drop cookies near her. I also started playing lots of noise tapes when she ate. scary noises= food. Ember was the same way as a young pup. I did the same thing and she is very good with noises now.

BTW 20 months is right at social maturity for a lot of dogs. At 1.5-3yrs they figure out their place in this world. It usually passes. Even my perfect Justice lost his mind for a bit around 2yrs.
 
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