Barking in the evening, or even whenever

[spydre]

WE've been having moderate success training Dodger, although we are still working on his separation anxiety, but has made great strides with that. But that isn't our current problem.

Just in the past month or so, Dodger has started barking - non-stop, rather high pitch. He'll accompany this with chewing on hands. Unfortunately, it can mean a variety of things (all of this is always directed at me, because I'm the one who will stop what I'm doing to deal with the issue): he needs to go out, he wants to play, he thinks he's not getting enough attention, the simple fact that I, or we, may not be in the living room, or even for no obvious reason at all - other than attention mongering. This also usually goes along with pawing - he doesn't mean to be rough, but he's 95 pounds now, so when he drops a paw on my leg, and pulls, it can leave bruises (not to mention the fact that I get injections in each leg and arm, so if he hits that spot it HURTS). If he does the paw trick on my leg when I'm in my office chair, he can actually pull me around, but at times he will climb up on his seat behind me and do it to my back as well (or again, just start chewing on my hand, etc.) I'm at a loss on what to do about this - like I said this just started recently. At first I thought it was because the weather was changing, so my younger son wouldn't go outside to play with him as often, but even on nights when he gets played with until he's wiped out (inside or out), has gotten his exercise, has just been out (and ends up going out again because of this, and still nothing) this still goes on. There are some nights where I don't think he's done it, or hasn't done it as much, but there's even been nights where I'm the only one out of the living room, I come into the den for five minutes and he starts it up. My husband wants to start using a water bottle to control the barking (frankly, it's had little effect so far). We've tried getting him into commands, but it works as long as your hand is on him, or your eyes are on him, and that's about it. Unfortunately, unless I actually tell the kids come play with the dog, or take him out, etc. (which ends in an argument most times), I'm the one that ends up dealing with it most of the time (as my husband says, he only talks for me).

Any input or help that could be offered would be appreciated.

[spydre]

Oh, and as another note - the only other area that we haven't had a ton of success with Dodger's training is when workmen come to the house. He loves receiving company, but if someone is carrying something into the house, like say the Orkin man, or when my father in law brought an torch over to thaw a frozen pipe, he gets upset. When the Orkin man was here, we had to keep Dodger outside (which was lovely on a day where the snow was thawing - 30 minutes outside meant Dodger was covered from belly to pads in mud - which he seemed to enjoy!) while the guy was working in the house. The other times we've had workmen here since we've gotten Dodger he's had much the same reaction. My father in law, as soon as he put the torch and the tools down, and took his gloves off, Dodger was fine with, and was even upset when my father in law left. I'm not sure what it is, but he just doesn't want to tolerate someone working on or in "his" house. If they were there socially it would be no big deal to him.

[Fundog]

I don't think it's really the people he's barking about, or even that they are working on the house, but rather, the equipment they bring. The equipment of various occupations can be somewhat scary and unsettling to many dogs. You can try asking the workmen to let Dodger investigate their equipment before proceeding with their work, but there is no guarantee that will help. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't.

A couple of years ago, I was interviewed for a story in our local newspaper. The reporter and a photographer came to the house to interview me, and then we went out for a walk (with Annie) to get some pictures. The photographer was a young man, (one of Annie's triggers) but once I introduced him to her, she liked him, letting him pet her and giving him kisses. However, when he raised his camera to get pictures she changed to the complete opposite of "friendly," growling and barking at him. (I knew that she is camera shy) We tried to let her sniff the camera and praised her for doing so, and although she stopped growling and barking, she continued to stay on the complete other side of me, as far away from the photographer as possible (he had a hard time getting a good shot with her in it, lol!). But once we got back into the car to go home, she was nice to him again.

[spydre]

I agree with you, I do think it is the equipment that they bring in that is triggering him. Even after the termite guy left last week, Dodger was sniffing around where he had set his bag in the hallway. And when my father in law was here, it was the torch and the gloves that set him off - gloves, and also hands in jacket pockets are another trigger for him it seems. He doesn't like hidden hands, so if the hands are in gloves, he tries to chew, and if someone is walking around (my mother in law is famous for this - we tell her to keep her hands out, but she still does it) with their hands in their coat pocket, he tries to jump to get at the hands.