my guy just turned 8 months and dear god has he found his mouth!!!!! like most people here have said it is a big boy thing done for attention ect, just redirect his attention be fair and consistent and it will work out, give him his cookie in different parts of the house so he does not run to one part demading food, things like that, try your best not to reinforce his"bad" behavior. I am allowing my boy to bark when someone enters my shop and i am in the back, he barks twice and the minute i come out he is given a pat on his head, when i am in the front he has learned very fast he does not need to bark, so they learn very fast,i am very proud of my guy.

judy/wilson

There is lots of help on this board with behavioral issues. I agree with previous posts that obedience classes would help. I also would like to add
that if your dog is barking while in the crate and staring at you, he's waiting for your reaction-be it negative or positive. Do not let him out of the crate-if so he just achieved his goal-do not "show" him attention-the can of pennies and water bottle may work, but don't let him see YOU are doing it-otherwise he's gotten your attention. If/when he quits barking after several minutes than you can show him praise and attention. He is at teenage age-he's pushing the buttons to see how you respond. Kind of like a kid testing the ground to see how far they can go. Dogs are very similar.
Laura

If you are dominant, and can get your dog to obey for anything with just a "HEY" or snap or clap of your hand, then you have a good dominance and control over your dog. If you say "NO" or snap your fingers and he keeps barking, then that is a lack of RESPECT and they are testing your dominance over them. The minute they see that they can get an advantage or get away with the inappropriate behavior, then it will continue. As they get older they are always testing the pecking order in the house until about 3 years old. There will be many experts that will urge you to get him fixed. But a very important thing to remember is that if your dog goes into surgery to get fixed and is "out of balance", then they will be "out of balance" after the surgery and you will be scratching your head thinking it was supposed to help and it didn't.
Get some training via a trainer or research the internet or this board here for little techniques to train your dog. If you start now you'll nip it in the but now and it should get easier with time.
Let us know how it goes!
Cheers!

Sean-Owner
Edins Blanca Tonka-Dog

he's 10 months old. It's really sad because our other guy, Oliver, hates it when he barks, and if Ollie is in the beanbag, a coveted spot to be, Chez will bark and Ollie will get up and leave. He's gotten a little better, he was really a barker at 6 months of age. The trainer told us to make a noise that is different, in other words don't just say no, go 'aaannnnt' or ugh or something pretty loud to distract him. You can also try the empty coke can full of pennies (don't let him see where the awful noise is coming from) or a spray bottle full of water. I think obedience class has calmed Chester down a lot.

Kathy, Ollie and Chester

shes the smartest dog i own shes now 2. If she got bored she barked... If i kept her active, with walks, or anything to keep her mind busy she slept like a log.... it was alot of work to keep her entertained while younge but she needed it. Shes wonderful now. I'd say he's just bored... good luck theres hope!! lol

barker also. He generally does it to get attention. When he barks for something 'real' (someone outside the door etc.) I thank him and give him a pat on the head. When he barks for attention I make a loud noise and tell him 'no bark'. He stops barking but will give one of those growly moans. Thanking Tank for the 'heads up' bark and telling him 'no' for the attention barking has helped a great deal.

I've been given advice that he is being crated for too long during the day..about 19h.

Is a puppy pen as bad as a crate? We can section him off in the kitchen during the day and night, but there is still not a lot of room for him to exert energy. It's a galley kitchen in a one bedroom apt.

Do you think it's worth trying to help with so much crating?

I've been given advice that he is being crated for too long during the day..about 19h.

Is a puppy pen as bad as a crate? We can section him off in the kitchen during the day and night, but there is still not a lot of room for him to exert energy. It's a galley kitchen in a one bedroom apt.

Do you think it's worth trying to help with so much crating?