# Help!! My 9 month old golden had a meltdown today!



## greg bell (May 24, 2005)

look at it as opportunity to teach "quiet".... when barking.. grab muzzle with left hand fimrly, look square in the eye.. point at him with right finger... and sound mad.. "NO. QUIET"... and sound like you mean it.. 

I am assuming he was barking in his crate in the basement because of the baby and doesnt normally do that... if so, you could just put him away in the crate before the baby gets there.... 
but I would teach him to be quiet...


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## mblondetoo (Jan 9, 2006)

Did he act like he would hurt the baby or was it just noise and being a PITA? We recently went through the same thing but ours was a great meeting. Just wondering.....


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## RickGibbs (Dec 16, 2005)

mblondetoo said:


> Did he act like he would hurt the baby or was it just noise and being a PITA? We recently went through the same thing but ours was a great meeting. Just wondering.....


What's a PITA?

I was also wondering what type of barking he was doing... I mean, was he acting like he wanted to attack? Or wanted to play with a new friend? Samson will sometimes bark at kids outside, but it's very clear that he sees them as new playmates.......


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## Dilligas (Jun 17, 2005)

PITA:

(1) A soft bread-like food, used often as a wrap, for example in gyros.
(2) Acronym: Pain In The ....


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## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

Dilligas said:


> PITA:
> 
> (1) A soft bread-like food, used often as a wrap, for example in gyros.
> (2) Acronym: Pain In The ....


Ahhhhhhhhh.........this has been a day of lessons.


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## goldencharm (Dec 26, 2005)

he was barking very loudly and excitedly but not aggressively, not snarling. He was just out of his mind. But he seemed especially uncomforatble when I held the baby. 
And no, he wasn't in his crate. (he outgrew it; may need to get a new one). But he would bark like a nut anyway.
THANKS FOR THE TIPS AND KEEP THEM COMING!


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## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

Sounds like he didn't know what the heck that creature was! Kinda like when Lucky barked incessently at a ladder my neighbor left propped up against his house. I was actually embarrassed. I couldn't hardly pull him away. A ladder!

If it were me....unless I had better advice of course...I'd keep Lucky in the security of his crate when that strange creature came over. I'd have the crate in a position where Lucky could see the baby and watch us as we coo over it. The crate puts Lucky in a better frame of mind to see things a little more rationally. After a bit if he seemed calm, I might get him out and see what happens.


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## MarleyLove (Sep 2, 2006)

Could you get a baby blanket that the baby has used so he could get used to his/her smell? If he's never seen a baby before, maybe he was just wondering what on earth it was.


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## greg bell (May 24, 2005)

all of these are great ideas, but I would also take advantage of the situation to train "quiet".. a good command to have in your pocket..


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## jeffreyzone (Feb 8, 2006)

greg bell said:


> all of these are great ideas, but I would also take advantage of the situation to train "quiet".. a good command to have in your pocket..


Yep, Greg is right. These teaching opportunities are very important, because after the baby, there will be something else. Bottom line, your dog should be paying attention to you and taking direction from you. When the baby visits, your dog must understand that you have the situation under control, and he needs to exercise some self-control. But he won't know how to do that until you teach him.

For some insight on teaching self-control, click this link and scrioll down to "Guildelines for Teaching Self-Control."

http://www.flyingdogpress.com/artlibreg.htm

The part about moving slowly and talking quietly is something to keep in mind. In most cases, it is very difficult for the person to remain calm when their dog is freaking out, and even though it may not seem like it, the dog is indeed taking cues from his person.

Good luck. It is fortunate that you had the baby's visit; that event triggered a behavior in your dog that is important to understand. As you work with your dog, you will begin to happily anticipate the baby's future visits and other trying situations.

-Jeff


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## Brandy's Mom (Oct 5, 2005)

Brandy isn't quite 22 months and she still gets freaked out (barking) at things that are new to her. The other day, it was a stroller. Another time, it was a helium balloon that someone had attached to their mail box. 

Some pups just have a natural tendency to bark at things that they've never seen before. 

In addition to teaching quiet (which we haven't mastered!) I'd also suggest socializing him around kids so that they become no big deal. Maybe stand with him outside a toy store and let the children pet him. Do it once or twice a week for 20 minutes. 

Also, right before you are due to have the baby over again, distract him with his rawhide in a quiet place away from the front door and all the action. If he's in a kennel (always good to have one around!) then you might want to bring the baby to the kennel and let him smell and see up close.


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## Brandy's Mom (Oct 5, 2005)

There's no edit button, but forgot to add that like anything else, he'll just need practice. The more you show him the right way to respond, the better he'll become. 

But also he's 9 months old, so he's in his adolescent stage when learning and behaving can become a bit of a challenge. Hang in there, keep reinforcing, and it will click with him one day.


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## Goldndust (Jul 30, 2005)

Sounds to me like he just wasn't sure of what that little baby was, is this the first time he ever seen a baby? Was he safe to go near the baby while you were holding the baby and smell the baby? If so, then one thing you could try would be to put him in a sit and try to redirect him a bit while your holding the baby. From going by your post though, it does sound like he a bit fearful of the baby, so maybe getting him out on leash and socializing more around babies may solve your problem if he is safe near babies.

It does sound like to me though he's just a bit unsure of the baby do too lack of socialization around them. So maybe you could also work this in with your golden. It may cure the whole barking issue if it is the baby. Another thing is try to see how he reacts out of the house with the a baby walking by in a stroller and such.

Don't worry, OB can sometimes goes out the window when a new heavy distraction comes into the picture or a socialization problem exists. This is why training is ongoing and socialization really never ends. It just shows you where more work needs to be done.


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## RickGibbs (Dec 16, 2005)

Lucky's mom said:


> Ahhhhhhhhh.........this has been a day of lessons.


Yep....I learned something new.....

My wife thinks I'm a PITA.....:uhoh:


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## marshab1 (Aug 28, 2006)

Labor Day weekend was the 1st time Tinkerbell was around a baby, she barked until we let her see and sniff the baby (thankfully they have 2 dogs of their own). Then she was fine so much so in fact that she stayed right by wherever the baby was just staring at it. She was so comfortable with the baby that when the parents put the baby in a bouncer to feed her some cereal Tinkerbell reached over and licked the cereal right off the baby's mouth.:yuck: Thankfully they are dog people and thought it was funny. She didn't like when I held the baby though she kept trying to climb in my lap too.


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## Buffy & Abby's Mom (Nov 27, 2005)

My Buffy loves people tremendously, sometimes too much. But the only time I've ever had her not like someone was a baby. It was in Super Pets. Some lady went by with a baby and Buffy started barking and barking like crazy. I'm not sure why she had such a reaction. I think she just doesn't know that people can be so tiny. At the moment we don't know personally any babies, so it's not a problem. Although, we're going to be grandparents in 4 months, so then it will be a problem when they visit. But they live in California and we're in Ohio, so the visits will be very few.


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## greg bell (May 24, 2005)

RickGibbs said:


> Yep....I learned something new.....
> My wife thinks I'm a PITA.....:uhoh:


did you have a meltdown????... you been barking at babies again?


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## goldencharm (Dec 26, 2005)

your replies have been awesome! thanks so much. I too agree with using this as a teaching situation. And, yes, I do believe he was afraid of the baby. I tried to hold the baby and he just wouldn't have it!Again, not aggressive but licking and climbing all the while barking...as you can imagine, baby was crying her head off! Iwill try stalking those areas known to be frequented by young moms with infants! Time to _*desensitize*_ as babe and family are returning October 21!


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## Brandy's Mom (Oct 5, 2005)

Be sure to let us know how it goes!


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## greg bell (May 24, 2005)

I don't really know that you can desensitize to every possible new encounter a dog will have during its lifetime... 
It is actually ok for them to bark at strange things.. its just that when you are there, they need to accept the fact that you have things in control... thank you for alerting me, now I've got it...


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## goldenstaples (Apr 3, 2006)

greg bell said:


> all of these are great ideas, but I would also take advantage of the situation to train "quiet".. a good command to have in your pocket..


I agree totally with Greg but instead of quiet I use the word hush! Another good command is "enough" They learn when you say enough whatever they are doing they are to stop, it is enough.


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## goldencity (May 26, 2005)

I know its not possible to "desensitise" your dog to everything it may meet, but you can make sure it meets as many things as possible.

When our pups were young, we took them everywhere we could to meet people, I found the open air market really good. Here they met [and were fussed by] people of every size, shape, colour,age, with hats, with beards, with turbans, smoking, eating etc etc the list is endless.
Now they know not to be alarmed by things they dont understand- which is what I think what happened at your place with the baby.

Perhaps lots of practise at meeting small people? The quiet command is also v. usefull, but difficult to enforce with a dog barking hysterically at somthing new!


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## Dog (Sep 26, 2006)

Yes I understand the excercise of familiarising your dog to everything it may meet but I must say that I do not totally agree because someone told us that we are suppose to take our dog to the country because SHE needs to get use to sheeps, cows, horses, chickens etc... 

We live in Central London and haven't had a holiday since last year!! Is this a joke? So you can't own a dog if you can't afford to go on holiday while your dog is a pup? How do people who adopt dogs at a much later age cope? Were they all introduce to sheeps, cows etc... How can the new owner know and be sure of what a dog is use to/have seen or not seen?

My Amber never saw a TILE CUTTER before and when she was 5 months old she simply stayed in her crate while workmen were doing their job in our garden. Not a sound from her. 

She does bark though when someone is moving behing our fences and so far I'm not worried about it (unless the neighbours starts complaining). Aren't dogs suppose to bark?


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## LaurJen (Aug 10, 2006)

Shirley said:


> Yes I understand the excercise of familiarising your dog to everything it may meet but I must say that I do not totally agree because someone told us that we are suppose to take our dog to the country because SHE needs to get use to sheeps, cows, horses, chickens etc...
> We live in Central London and haven't had a holiday since last year!! Is this a joke? So you can't own a dog if you can't afford to go on holiday while your dog is a pup? How do people who adopt dogs at a much later age cope? Were they all introduce to sheeps, cows etc...


Sheep? Cows? LOL I live in the suburbs..when is my dog going to encounter a cow?  You don't have to expose a dog to every possible situation/animal--they just need to get used to things that they would normally see in their daily life. So if you live on a farm, then sure, they need to meet the chickens and tractors and whatnot. If you live in the city, they should become familiar with city things. Aim for a variety of experiences, but no need to go out of your way on special cow-viewing holidays


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## kra (Oct 2, 2006)

greg bell said:


> all of these are great ideas, but I would also take advantage of the situation to train "quiet".. a good command to have in your pocket..


Good advice, I'll second it. This problem / issue popped up Monday between 
Nugget and me in my office Bay window when she hears the afternoon school bus.
Then as soon as she notices her new little friends at the bus stop she hits 
the red zone! She wants her way, which is go outside and meet the little 
kiddies just off the bus. I have to control her and what and when we do it.
That will start by remaining quiet as the bus bounces down my road. I'm using the method you suggested above! Today, she struggled with me but I pulled off round one. As soon as she remains claim during the bus stop time,
I will reward her for positive behavior that I rubber stamp "O-Kay":dblthumb2


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