My doodle is a weirdo

Sadie is now almost 8 months old and has developed an odd new behavior. She's always been very aware of any change in her surroundings and will bark her disapproval. For example, a sponge in the bathtub (instead of on the shelf), a suitcase in the corner (when my mom visited). She'll bark and bark until I tell her to stop and touch the offending item to show her that it's not a threat. Once, my neighbor left the door to our hurricane shed open and Sadie behaved as though thieves were in the process of removing her dearest possessions.

In the last week, she has expanded her repertoire to include people that seem "out of place." Last night at the dog park, a woman was sitting on a blanket with two tiny Chihuahuas (on the other side of the fence from us, in the little dog park) and Sadie barked and barked at her, though from a respectable distance. Apparently someone sitting on the ground was too "different" for her. The day before, she barked at some people who were sitting on benches in the park reading (because these benches are usually unoccupied--at least I think that's what it was). It's not a threatening bark, but more of a woo-woo-woo alarm bark, and she'll calm down if I walk her over to show her that someone sitting on the ground with two tiny dogs is not in any way a threat to her or society at large. Does anyone have any insight into this behavior? Should I be doing something to more actively discourage it? Is this just the beginning of all the neuroses to come?

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Permalink Reply by Nancie & Gracie Doodle on October 7, 2011 at 5:52pm

They are just being Doodles. My Gracie Doodle is 4 years old and has been doing it since about 6 months or older. Anything new out of the ordinary she does the woo woo bark. It is like..."Mom, Mom, there is a boogy man out there". If we are taking her usual walking route and some holiday decorations have been put out since she last passed by she does this. We have to walk up and touch the stuff and then take her up to sniff it. One day we were in the car and passed by a wheelbarrow just abandoned on the corner sidewalk of a street. She really got going on that one. Also, homeless people who pan handle when you are stopped at a red light. We really get laughing when she is looking out the living room window and starts doing her woo woo thing. We always go to see what it is she is upset about and have to tell her it is OK, give her a pat and hug and tell her thank you for telling us. Last time it was a motorcycle parked across the street in front of the neighbor's house. Go figure....

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Permalink Reply by Becka on October 7, 2011 at 6:05pm

On Labor Day some of my neighbors had little flags on the borders of their lawns and Sadie was having none of it--she had to check out all of them.

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Permalink Reply by Donna K & Quincy on October 7, 2011 at 7:40pm

Gracie takes her neighbourhood watch very seriously!

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Permalink Reply by Lisa, Daisy & Dexter on October 7, 2011 at 7:38pm

Hold on to your socks it gets better and more prevalent as she gets older...at least with my Daisy it does.

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Permalink Reply by Jane, Rooney & Stuart on October 8, 2011 at 3:48am

This gave me a good chuckle - doodles really are odd ducks. I've never had anything but Labs and never saw this type of behavior. Rooney is totally strange - he WILL NOT walk off the porch after dark to potty unless you leash him up and walk him on the side walk. He just locks his legs up and won't walk. He also refuses to step on wet anything. Go figure. Stuart is afraid of the hatch window in the SUV. He is a woof woof barker at his own reflection in the window. Doodles are such great entertainment!