# Growing up and barking! Fluffmeister is turning into a handful.



## peccan (Aug 26, 2014)

Well Sulo is definitely growing up these days. As I type this he's vigorously wrestling his pillow to try and get it stand up so he could hump it. He's also begun to guard the home, he'll sometimes go 'whuff' when he hears a noise from the corridor. Sometimes he outright barks.

The thing that troubles me is, today he barked and growled directly at people for the first time! The situation should be plenty normal for him--waiting at the bus stop. First he made noise at the young guys at the other side of the road, who were behaving just like any other youngster groups we've come across. Then at a girl who came to the stop in all peace. Boy was I surprised and also embarrassed! I didn't know what else to do when Sulo didn't heed my calls so I reeled him, grabbed his head, and "read law" to him. Even in my hold he sideglanced at the girl and made little growls at her. I had to end prematurely because our bus came. I regret it but I had to take that bus, but it was getting late.

Sulo has never guarded his toys, food, his place, or anything, from me or anyone else AFAIK, but he does have some separation anxiety we're working on these days. Might the bus stop barking be about resource guarding me against the strangers, brought up by his tendency to separation anxiety and his now roaring hormones?

Or what else?

And most importantly, what to do? Another thing we're working on is paying more attention to me, especially outside now that the environment is bustling with so much sound, movement, and smells than it has been earlier in Sulo's short little life this far. It's hard trying to be more interesting than his first spring!!

//edit: he's six months old


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

How old is he now? I would be a little wary of reading the Riot Act when he growls - it probably means that he is a but nervous and unsure, and that rather than guarding and protecting you he needs to know that you will guard and protect him! I would work on building his confidence, being very calm and matter of fact around things that worry him, and if possible giving him time to explore them a little when he is ready. It can be very easy to get anxious yourself anticipating his reaction - tightening your grip on the leash, stiffening, forgetting to breath - and it can quickly become a vicious circle when he picks up that you are ill at ease.

On the barking, both of mine went through this when they hit adolescence. It was as if they felt they were now old enough to need to warn about possible danger, without yet having the experience to know what was, or was not, actually dangerous, so warned of everything. Sophy wuffed at every twig the jackdaws dropped on the doorstep, and jackdaws drop one hell of a lot of twigs! I found Turid Rugaas' little book "Barking: the sound of a language" very useful. She recommends getting up and investigsting the source of the noise, standing between it and the dog with your back to the dog. It does work, but you will find yourself getting a lot of exercise while you mutually work ut what is, and is not, worthy of a warning!


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## peccan (Aug 26, 2014)

My signature has an age ticker, but in case you don't have signatures on, Sulo is now a bit over 6 months. He doesn't lift yet but he's been much more interested about p-mail than earlier. He's also directed his attention from me to the outside world more so yes, what you say sounds most likely to me too.

Luckily the investigation routine is exactly what I've been doing with him about the door! I guess I'll just have to start explaining myself to the people he gets his warning up about, and try and show him they're okay fellas.

What I'm worried about is that Sulo might pick up the wrong message from when we give way to the POI we meet on streets or on the bus (or any others but POI are the only consistent group)--so I've tried to be super casual and relaxed about it.


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## patk (Jun 13, 2013)

even if it is merely your boy's adolescent "feeling one's oats," i would not be happy if my dog growled and barked in public at people for what would appear to a human to be no apparent reason. if you're uneasy about this behavior and where it could go, take a look at judyd's thread about her spoo and what, in blue's case, was diagnosed as leash reactivity. not speculating that that is what is going on with sulo. but the point is that an unwanted behavior that sends the wrong message to the public at large should not be left to develop on its own. judyd eventually went to a trainer with whom she is happy.


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## peccan (Aug 26, 2014)

patk said:


> even if it is merely your boy's adolescent "feeling one's oats," i would not be happy if my dog growled and barked in public at people for what would appear to a human to be no apparent reason. if you're uneasy about this behavior and where it could go, take a look at judyd's thread about her spoo and what, in blue's case, was diagnosed as leash reactivity. not speculating that that is what is going on with sulo. but the point is that an unwanted behavior that sends the wrong message to the public at large should not be left to develop on its own. judyd eventually went to a trainer with whom she is happy.


Leash reactivity doesn't sound that fitting but I'll go have a look nevertheless. Can't be over-educated when it comes to training, eh.

Luckily we have a trainer already, and I've messaged her about this. I also have the fortune of getting some tête-à-tête with two other experienced dog people, specifically our groomer who's helping us at our first show this Sunday, and a retired GSD breeder and trainer tomorrow. I'll definitely bring this up with them.


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## patk (Jun 13, 2013)

no, i wasn't saying leash reactivity is the issue with sulo. judyd's dog exhibited unwanted behaviors that were diagnosed by a trainer as leash reactivity and a way to treat that was found. using experts for advice about how to help sulo is the key. good you have folks you can rely on. let us know what they suggest and how it goes. he's such a beautiful boy. hopefully he can enjoy the world as much as people would love, i'm sure, to share in his beauty.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

This sounds like a fear period that happens in many puppies right around your pup's age. Puppies seem to regress in various areas when this period hits. Avoid reprimanding your puppy. This can cause the fear to escalate and cause him to associate these things he's afraid of with more danger. This fear can increase to the point where, as he ages can turn to aggression. So, be patient. Continue to socialize him in a proactive way...that is: feed him high value treats when he sees these triggers (rapid fire delivery) but before you think he's going to react. Don't force him to get too close but try to catch him when he's at a comfortable distance for him. Try to gentle it along. He'll get through it. 

I would avoid real life situations and work on this in controlled settings for a while. Take him where it is possible to stay back a ways from the people he's fearful of and work through it where he isn't too over whelmed. 

Here's something that can help. It helps diffuse your pup's attention so that he's not as over whelmed from his triggers. lat training - Bing Videos

Another thing that I think is good is Click to Calm, by Emma Parsons. Very helpful!

Bark training...you can hunt Kiko pup's videos for that. Or read Culture Clash, by Jean Donaldson. She has a great method in her book. Just super. Takes some work and dedication but once they get onto it, it's really cool to see how well it works.


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## peccan (Aug 26, 2014)

Poodlebeguiled said:


> (...)I would avoid real life situations and work on this in controlled settings for a while. Take him where it is possible to stay back a ways from the people he's fearful of and work through it where he isn't too over whelmed. (...)


Thanks for the advice and tips, it's much appreciated. Sadly however I do not have the option to avoid real situations since I don't have a car and must use buses to get around in my daily life. Sulo does not come with me when I go shopping or taking care of things, but when we visit friends or the vet, the groomer, the trainer etc, it's a bus ride.

I'll try to do lower stress situations at various stops when we don't need to be anywhere so I can concentrate on training the dog. It seems he's way more on edge in strange locations, that might have been a factor yesterday.


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

When Buck was around that age and we encountered new, and strange things that caused him to be fearful, my trainer advised a happy cheer:"Yay! It's the garbage truck!" It wasn't so excited an exclamation that he got amped up, but it did work. I agree he's probably a bit overwhelmed with all the sights and sounds which is very understandable in a young puppy.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

peccan said:


> Thanks for the advice and tips, it's much appreciated. Sadly however I do not have the option to avoid real situations since I don't have a car and must use buses to get around in my daily life. Sulo does not come with me when I go shopping or taking care of things, but when we visit friends or the vet, the groomer, the trainer etc, it's a bus ride.
> 
> I'll try to do lower stress situations at various stops when we don't need to be anywhere so I can concentrate on training the dog. It seems he's way more on edge in strange locations, that might have been a factor yesterday.


Oh, I see. Well, I think with some patience and a little extra work, he'll come back around.

Matisse hit what seemed to be a fear period a few months ago and he's almost 2 years old. He has always liked kids and been eager to stop on our walks and visit. All of a sudden, he got extra cautious. He'd still approach but not without some look of apprehension. So, I worked with him using better treats (there has to be some kind of motivation and a positive thing to tie the kids to) and he got over it within a week or two. Now, he's back the way he was before...all looney tunes over kids. _Woo hoo....kids, let's go see._ No hesitation. I thought maybe something might have happened in association with kids that worried him, but I can't think of anything. Nothing bad that I could see ever happened. So, maybe that was some fear period. I don't think it's cut and dry when these little spans of time where development causes some kind of re-evaluation for dogs...they think there are reasons for these fear periods...a time of adjustment or when young, wild dogs begin to join in some of the older dog activities.

As long as the dog has a good, stable temperament, I'm sure, with your good handling, he'll come back around. New locations and contexts are good. Just remember to try and expose him to things that are scary or make him trepidatious in a more mild form...a little distance when possible, a little less intense situation. If you can't avoid highly stressful situations, I'd leave the dog at home if at _all_ possible. One big, fat trauma can ruin all your efforts.


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## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

Blue, bless his little dog-aggressive heart, doesn't react badly to people. Nevertheless, you might try what I've been doing with Blue (the behaviorist I'm working with advised this), which is to give lots of treats in a potentially over-stimulating situation (at the bus stop, for example) before he gets upset. Giving them while he's growling can send a message that the growling is being rewarded. What I've been doing with Blue is to walk until we see a dog. Then I start giving treats every few seconds as long as he's not reacting to the other dog. If he begins to stare or bark, I tell him "no" in a firm but not angry voice, turn and walk in the other direction until he's been calm for about 10 seconds, then have him sit for a treat. Then we start off toward or parallel with the other dog, again treating as long as Blue's behaving. Repeat as needed. It's called counterconditioning, I think. The idea is that he begins to associate lots of yummy treats, instead of aggressive behavior, with being around other dogs. It's working.

Maybe you can encourage Sulo to associate being at the bus stop, around people, with good things. It is hard to remain calm (believe me, I know how hard it is), but that's a big part of the correction. The dog sees that you're calm, so he doesn't get even more amped up.


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