# Can't take the barking anymore



## TanyaB (Jan 22, 2016)

Jasper will be 11 weeks tomorrow. He is as cute as anything, but today has been awful. Like so bad, I was wondering if I have made a mistake getting a puppy. Starting at 8am he started barking, and basically has barked almost non stop all day. I put him in his crate while showered. He barked the entire time. Prior to crating him I had fed him, taken him potty, played with him etc. Half an hour later - he just didn't stop barking. He doesn't love his crate but normally he settles after a few minutes. Not today. He started biting the kids so I removed him from them - he barked for a while. I put him in his pen - he barked. I won't let him out of the living room into the homeschool room (he isn't allowed in there) so he barked again. It is 3pm now and pretty much he has spent the majority of his waking time barking. I do not respond to him when he does it, but that doesn't seem to make him quit. He seems like his usual self apart from this barking. It's like every time I don't let him do exactly what he want's he starts barking at me. This is totally not appropriate behavior, but if the ignoring him isn't helping, I have no idea how to stop it. I have such a headache now, and and starting to wonder if I should have gotten a puppy at all. I have never had a dog bark at me like this, constantly, all day. I know it is only one day but I am nervous that this is a taste of things to come!

Help me!!!


----------



## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

He is bored and lonely.

He barks because he knows you guys are right around the corner. 

I hate to tell you this but you are starting to enter the period of time where golden puppies are the most difficult. You will find that by the time he is 7-15 months old, everything will change and he will settle down and relax and really get used to a routine. But early on they know nothing except what's been wired into them.

He went from being 1 puppy in a full litter to just 1 puppy who is being kept in isolation from everyone.... it's really tough for these pups to get used to that. 

There's an easier transition if you bring the crate or playpen into the homeschool room. He's teething right now and getting more active, so load up on chews - including ice cubes. Take him outside frequently. Let him run. Don't leave him outside by himself. Have him onleash if you are short on time. Or just make sure he's learning that running to the door and getting inside earns him a treat every time. 

It's a lot to handle in addition to homeschooling kids, but it is part of raising a puppy. They need time and attention too. It's why a lot of people do not recommend adopting or purchasing a puppy until the kids are older. It's not unusual. Actually, the quiet and lazy puppies who are perfect all the time with very little work by the owners in a very active household - are unusual. Golden retrievers should be active dogs - as a sporting breed.


----------



## TanyaB (Jan 22, 2016)

Megora said:


> He is bored and lonely.
> 
> He barks because he knows you guys are right around the corner.
> 
> ...


Thanks for this but I do not see how he is bored and lonely. The only time he was alone was when I was in the shower - and even then, the kids were in the room, eating their breakfast. I just can't leave him out of his crate because he likes to use my youngest as a chew toy. He did have a stuffed kong in his crate, and his favorite stuffed toy. We never leave him outside alone, and he gets a lot of play time - actually I was wondering if he doesn't play a little too hard based on some of the comments I have seen on this forum - he likes to play fetch, frisbee, soccer (nothing cuter than a tiny puppy chasing a soccer ball), and dig in the mud with my eight year old, we do training with him - sit, down, touch, when I am doing things around the house we use the umbilical method (his leash is attached to me). The only time he is crated is when I just can't watch him. Even our homeschooling is currently done in the living room, although we couldn't do that today because his barking was so much we couldn't even focus. The kids generally use the homeschool room as a play / craft area, that just wouldn't be safe for the puppy to be in, and our house is open plan such that the only thing separating him from us if we do go in there is a baby gate - he is still within 4 feet of us even when he is in the living room part of the floor. He has just never been like this before, and I have just found today to be incredibly hard.


----------



## ceegee (Mar 26, 2015)

I agree with Megora: he sounds like he's bored, and he's also calling the shots right now.

Are you doing any training with him? The best way to tire out a puppy is to train it - they become mentally exhausted and just go to sleep. Use food rewards: teach him to sit, lie down, stand up, spin, shake a paw, whatever. Training periods should be short - a few minutes - and as frequent as possible. Once he knows a specific behaviour (e.g. sit) and is reproducing it reliably, you can ask him for it when he does undesirable stuff like biting.

If he doesn't like his crate, give him a reason to start liking it: for example, buy several Kong toys, stuff them with peanut butter and other food that will be difficult to extract, then freeze them. When he's being good, you can toss a frozen Kong into the crate for him. It won't be long before he's going into the crate by choice. You could also feed him in the crate too.

Don't ever get him out of the crate while he's barking. Just leave him there, however long it takes. It doesn't matter if he pees in the crate: the important thing is that he doesn't come out until he's quiet. Just ignore him. You might have to settle for a fairly short quiet period at first (e.g. 30 seconds). Have you tried putting a cover (large towel or blanket) over the crate? This sometimes works, and may help in your case because he won't be able to see you.

He sounds like a fairly "pushy" puppy. I'd be inclined to put him on a "nothing in life is free" regime. Make him sit before you feed him. If he comes to you for attention, make him do something (e.g. shake a paw, lie down) before you give it. Playtime also has to be earned (e.g. with a training session). You need to be in charge, not him.

If you're not already taking him to puppy class, I'd suggest doing that too, as soon as possible. Not only for him, but for you, too. Our training centre's puppy class includes a weekly question-and-answer session, where participants can get advice for their specific problems. Puppy class is also a great place to teach the pup to focus on you, and not on what's going on around him. You should take your children too, so that they learn how to train and interact with the puppy, without getting him too excited and worked-up.

Until he's learned to be a polite member of the household, I'd suggest stopping all chasing-type games, games that involve him jumping on you or your children, and games that he initiates himself (if he wants to play, he has to earn it). I'd also suggest stopping the game if he starts barking, so that he learns to play quietly.

When he barks, make sure he doesn't get anything: no food, no outings, no attention, nothing. Just pick him up, put him in the crate (no treats) and cover it.

Best of luck - I hope you can get a handle on this. Pushy pups are a handful at this age, but training really is the key. The good news is that this type of pup usually responds well to training - they enjoy it and look forward to it. I've raised three very high-energy pups in the last ten years (agility dogs - two performance-bred golden retrievers and one poodle), and they all loved their training sessions.


----------



## TanyaB (Jan 22, 2016)

I'm pretty much already doing every thing you mentioned here. We had a pushy dog before so did NILF with her and it worked a treat. We are training him, he is in puppy class, I do not acknowledge him when he is barking. I was feeding in the crate but then decided hand feeding would be best with the pushy pup. I leave surprise treats in his crate for him to encourage him to go in there and check it out and think it's super awesome. We do the kongs. We do not pay chase games (only fetch, and usually on a long line) or tug of war games. I am wondering, during the process of reading these responses, if it's not that he is calling the shots so much (because he really doesn't - that's my job) but if he is just trying his luck with it all. Because that is what it seems like - as though he is just fighting me - trying to outlast me or something. Clearly, him being a dog and all, that isn't his thought process, but I wonder if it is something along those lines at least. 



ceegee said:


> I agree with Megora: he sounds like he's bored, and he's also calling the shots right now.
> 
> Are you doing any training with him? The best way to tire out a puppy is to train it - they become mentally exhausted and just go to sleep. Use food rewards: teach him to sit, lie down, stand up, spin, shake a paw, whatever. Training periods should be short - a few minutes - and as frequent as possible. Once he knows a specific behaviour (e.g. sit) and is reproducing it reliably, you can ask him for it when he does undesirable stuff like biting.
> 
> ...


----------



## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

TanyaB said:


> Thanks for this but I do not see how he is bored and lonely. The only time he was alone was when I was in the shower - and even then, the kids were in the room, eating their breakfast. I just can't leave him out of his crate because he likes to use my youngest as a chew toy. He did have a stuffed kong in his crate, and his favorite stuffed toy. We never leave him outside alone, and he gets a lot of play time - actually I was wondering if he doesn't play a little too hard based on some of the comments I have seen on this forum - he likes to play fetch, frisbee, soccer (nothing cuter than a tiny puppy chasing a soccer ball), and dig in the mud with my eight year old, we do training with him - sit, down, touch, when I am doing things around the house we use the umbilical method (his leash is attached to me). The only time he is crated is when I just can't watch him. Even our homeschooling is currently done in the living room, although we couldn't do that today because his barking was so much we couldn't even focus. The kids generally use the homeschool room as a play / craft area, that just wouldn't be safe for the puppy to be in, and our house is open plan such that *the only thing separating him from us if we do go in there is a baby gate - he is still within 4 feet of us even when he is in the living room part of the floor.* He has just never been like this before, and I have just found today to be incredibly hard.


This stood out to me because this means nothing to him. Being close does not mean being with. All he wants is to be with you all. I had a puppy who howled if I stepped out of the x-pen and was standing a foot away from her. I have an open concept kitchen/living area and if I had her in the x-pen in the living room, I could not be standing in the kitchen, looking right at her, talking to her, without her going bananas. For me, what worked was just rearranging everything - using the x-pen to block off furniture and electronics cords I didn't want her to have access to while she was still in the chewing stage, and I used baby gates, and puppy proofed, and let her follow me around. 

I know this is not quite as easy for you if you are homeschooling, but just for the next few months, can you rearrange things so that the school room is puppy-proofed so he can be in there with you all, with plenty of toys and bones to chew, and his crate for naps? Just a thought.


----------



## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

Another thought: are his days structured? Does he get time with you guys and time to exercise before you guys start the school day? Structure and habit are very big to dogs - doing the same thing at the same time everyday makes them feel secure - eating, going out, exercising. And getting a chance to run off some energy before having to have a nap and be quieter will always help. 

Right now, he is really just being an 11-week old puppy. He will want and need a lot of attention for several months before he sort of starts to turn into an adult dog. I saw a big maturity jump between 2 and 3 years old. Exercise and training are big keys right now.


----------



## Wolfeye (Sep 15, 2015)

A lot of the positive reinforcement philosophy hinges on what you "allow" the dog to do. With our current puppy we've been very tolerant and open minded, but he's progressively lost more and more freedoms because he isn't reliable off leash in the yard. As far as cages, he has one, but we almost NEVER use it unless he's done something wrong. It's more a time out spot than a sanctuary or a place to restrain him, but he goes in there on his own often too. We close off all the doors to rooms he's not allowed in, but other than that he has free run of the house. At 5.5 months he's now spending his days at home, not caged, and he's let out at noon for potty. He's not a barker. Never has been. He did recently "discover" that other dog in the mirror, and spent half an hour barking at it so it would come play with him.

In your case, you're making the right decisions in some ways, but I agree with the folks who indicate he's bored or lonely. We didn't know how to properly use a crate when we got our last dog, my beloved Fenris, so we did a lot of what you're doing. He spent time in his cage and barked. A lot. Jesus H, there were times we thought we'd go insane from the barking. He eventually stopped but that sort of hell is bad for both dog and owner.

My advice, having had a cage barker and a dog who seldom if ever barks? Ditch the cage. Give him more time out of the cage. Take him outside for potty breaks even more than you do now. Yes, the dog will control your life for a while. That's the way it works. How to prevent the biting? You have to redirect. Or keep the pup leashed to your belt as you wander around the house. Goldens can not handle separation that they feel is unwarranted. If you and dog are in the house together there is no reason the dog should be caged.

Ultimately, the two keys to successful puppy raising are:

1. Understanding that it's not about you any more, it's about the dog, and being fair to him as a partner. Be responsive to his needs and desires and limit your time doing other things.
2. Putting the pup in situations where he can succeed, not ones that set him up for failure. It's hard to believe, but they do eventually calm down and take less of an interest in the commonplace people and items around them. A roll of toilet paper is irresistible to a puppy. To a 3-yo Golden, it's part of the scenery.


----------



## rounak (Jul 28, 2016)

TanyaB said:


> Jasper will be 11 weeks tomorrow. He is as cute as anything, but today has been awful. Like so bad, I was wondering if I have made a mistake getting a puppy. Starting at 8am he started barking, and basically has barked almost non stop all day. I put him in his crate while showered. He barked the entire time. Prior to crating him I had fed him, taken him potty, played with him etc. Half an hour later - he just didn't stop barking. He doesn't love his crate but normally he settles after a few minutes. Not today. He started biting the kids so I removed him from them - he barked for a while. I put him in his pen - he barked. I won't let him out of the living room into the homeschool room (he isn't allowed in there) so he barked again. It is 3pm now and pretty much he has spent the majority of his waking time barking. I do not respond to him when he does it, but that doesn't seem to make him quit. He seems like his usual self apart from this barking. It's like every time I don't let him do exactly what he want's he starts barking at me. This is totally not appropriate behavior, but if the ignoring him isn't helping, I have no idea how to stop it. I have such a headache now, and and starting to wonder if I should have gotten a puppy at all. I have never had a dog bark at me like this, constantly, all day. I know it is only one day but I am nervous that this is a taste of things to come!
> 
> Help me!!!


TRUST ME!! donut was same... he was bitting, he was barking crying all the time and we did everything but he never stopped but one fine day we decided and accepted that he is now part of our family and he is our son and we accepted all these stuff from him and within next 3-4 months he became the best decision we ever had in our life. YES!!! thats true... goldens are like that only once he gets 4-5 months old then you`l be amazed to see how adorable and humble these dogs will become.


----------

