Startled barking

[Training - Experiences, Challenges, and Mindsets]

Hi all,

I've got an 8 month medium labradoodle (Andy) who has had some curious problems as of late.

He's become VERY easily startled. For instance, I'll have him at work, and he typically just sleeps under my desk as I work. In the past couple of weeks, he's begun getting very startled if someone walks up to my desk and he wakes up (not because the person is petting him, but just because the person walks up to us). He'll immediately let out a couple of barks and run to say hi to the person, and the barking is not ideal in an office environment obviously.

Second, he'll bark a bunch when my roommate exits his room and comes into our living room. It's not an aggressive bark, just a started bark, and then Andy barks as he runs up to greet my roommate.

Third, occasionally when we're sitting outside or something, and someone comes around the corner and Andy isn't expecting anyone, he'll start barking a ton at the person as they walk by.

Has anyone had issues similar to this? Any advice on how to calm him down so he doesn't get so riled up? He gets a ton of exercise - we play lots of fetch and go for walks every day.

Thank you!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

According to animal behaviorists, he's in what is called the "second fear imprint period", which ranges from 6-14 months and coincides with growth spurts and hormonal changes. It's not unusual for previous confident puppies at this age to display fear at new situations, objects, people, or other dogs. A lot of them will suddenly become more reactive, protective, and territorial at this stage. 

I found this advice on one training site:

It’s important to not make a big deal of the dog’s fear. Remove him or her from the situation, if possible, and try it again at another time or another day. If you have the time and inclination, patiently and laughingly approach the fear-producing object, and interact with it. Called the “jolly routine,” this is what I’d recommend for my students do with the lawn jockey—crouch down by him and laughingly chat with him. After a minute or so, their dog would approach to see what they were doing, would sniff the jockey and recognize that it hadn’t changed, and they were good to go to class.

The worst thing to do is to force your dog to do something he’s frightened of. It’s also not a good idea to soothe or praise the dog’s fear in this situation. That can unwittingly reinforce the dog’s fearful behavior, while using force may lead to a permanent fearful response. The best approach is to be patient, be jolly, remove your dog if possible, and know that adolescence is just a period—and it’s my fervent hope that it’s short-lived.

 

[Deborah Brown]

Good advice from Karen.  I have a 3 year old doodle who has a high startle reflex so I understand well what you are describing.  One thing I would add is that you might want to give him more down time.  Being at work with you could be too stressful for him right now.  Once the adrenaline starts flowing, it takes a while for a dog do get back to normal levels.  He probably needs a day or two of nothing to be able to relax completely.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

There's a lot going on with a dog at 8 months.  Karen mentions a fear stage, but also the dog is entering adolescence which brings on lots of different changes....and some new behaviors.  It was around that age that my Murphy really started developing fear reactiveness....and he too would startle easily (and still does).  I'm wondering if he has been neutered yet...that may help with some of the hormonal changes if your Vet feels the timing is okay.  I would also try to reinforce your leadership position as much as you can.  If he sees you as a strong leader he may be less likely to be fearful.  When he barks in these situations do your best to stay calm yourself....if he's stressed and then he sees that you are also that's a behavioral reinforcement.  You may want to step up your obedience training...at work if he's in a reliable "down/stay" he will not jump up and run toward the person coming over to your desk.  As for your roommate it may be helpful to ask him to make some noise as he comes out of his room...that will give Andy a "heads up" and may prevent him from being startled.