Lola is a barker. She barks at people she doesn't know that are outside in the yard and she does occasionally bark for attention if someone is outside she knows that isn't paying attention to her.
Drives me insane! She will also bark if she's in the truck and someone she doesn't know approaches. Yet if you take her out of the truck... she's quiet. She almost seems territorial (she's only 8.5 months old though
) but at the same time she is anti-social with people she doesn't know. She's been that way since we got her.. definite lack of socialization as a pup. She missed the critical socialization period shut in a house alone with her mom and littermates and then with her first owner that was a complete tool and never took her anywhere. We have worked our butts off trying to socialize her and she has came a long way in that time. Although not where I'd like her to be.
I think she may be going through a fear stage since lately the behaviour just seems amplified or like it's backtracked.
Even though we haven't slacked in her training.
Up until a month ago it was just her. But now her behaviour seems to have rubbed off on Bubba.
But he has taken it a step further now and will bark at strangers entering the house. Only when they are coming in.. once everyone is in the house and sitting down he stops and is his normal
self. If I wait to let him see the company after they are already sitting he doesn't bark at all. They can get up and do whatever and he's fine.
At first I thought he may have been picking up on Lola's anxiety. But regardless of whether she is there or not he's reacting the same way. I wouldn't say he's being aggressive. He's never even remotely attempted to bite/nip. It seems more fear based. Anxious and jumpy. If the person turns away from him he'll stop barking and come up and sniff them, but if they face him he backs up and barks. He's even started doing this when he's in the truck. Hubby took Bubba with him to get gas and he said he barked his brains out at the poor gas attendant. It sooo odd. Bubba used to pull me to see stranger, it got to the point where I couldn't walk him anywhere he had to say Hi and slobber on everyone.
After talking with my hubby we both realized that his behaviour starting changing within the first week of getting Lola. That's when he started barking in the yard and it's progressed to what he's doing now. He hardly barked at all for any reason before we brought her home.
Could he be picking up on her insecurities and anxiety? I know dogs can learn behaviours from each other.. The barking is one thing.. but they are both exhibiting the same fear-based behaviour whether they are together or not. Unless they are both going through a fear stage at the same time.
Which I guess is possible but it just seems unlikely.
To someone that has never met them before they look like aggressive beasts. It's frustrating, upsetting and embarrassing all at the same time.
To go from having one well trained, happy go lucky dog to now having 2 barking monsters.. I just feel like a failure.
I am going to be contacting my trainer and get them both evaluated after the holidays.. but does anyone have a good stiff drink (lol), tips, insight, ideas.. anything..
