# Sharp Puppy?



## Yoshi (May 12, 2014)

So I've noticed that Drogo when encountering strange animals or strange people or anything strange he tends to do a lot of deep barks. I heard somewhere that this could mean that he is a sharp puppy. Can anyone tell me what this means?  

When he's barking I am not sure if I should just ignore it or give him a correction? My last dog hardly barked at all.


----------



## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

low threshold. doesn't take much to set him off. with everything I know now if I can go back I'd correct my dog. even if he's only a pup


----------



## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

do not correct the dog . Proceed as normal . Set the example , show the dog how you feel about the situation.
Keep on going . Once past the thing of interest and dog settled , while you are still in motion, acknowledge the dog - "see there , no worries -- good dog " .
YOU maintain your even keel . Dog will learn.


----------



## Yoshi (May 12, 2014)

lalachka said:


> low threshold. doesn't take much to set him off. with everything I know now if I can go back I'd correct my dog. even if he's only a pup


Low threshold? Can you please explain? 



carmspack said:


> do not correct the dog . Proceed as normal . Set the example , show the dog how you feel about the situation.
> Keep on going . Once past the thing of interest and dog settled , while you are still in motion, acknowledge the dog - "see there , no worries -- good dog " .
> YOU maintain your even keel . Dog will learn.


I haven't been correcting him as of yet because I do like it when dogs give a warning bark. I don't want him to stop barking all together. Yeah, I just ignore it and carry on as usual and he follows. I think he tends to be pretty suspicious of things. 

I'm not sure if he's scared or not. His ears are faced forward and he's mostly looking at the target he's barking at, with his tail held high or wagging. Sometimes the hairs on the back of his neck seem to be raised while other times it doesn't. After a while of barking he begins to turn his head a little. It's interesting because some things seem to bother him while other things don't. Mostly it's strange animals and people that get him barking but the other day we were building a new shed for the chooks and we are banging away, using the drill, moving large objects around and he didn't seem bothered at all. Then we were chainsawing wood and when the chainsaw first started it startled him but he came back and followed me around while I picked up the wood while the other person was still chainsawing.


----------



## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

I did explain as much as I can))))) doesn't take much to set him off. Low threshold for going in defense. How much it takes to elicit a response. Something like that. 

Carmen, can you explain? I don't know the real definition, just what I think it means in relation to my dog


----------



## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

and yoshi, he's scared. not scared like hiding and cowering but still scared. or insecure. like he's not sure about what's in front of him and he's trying to drive it away by putting on a front. 

if he wasn't nervous, afraid, not sure (use any word you want) then he wouldn't bark

about you saying that you don't mind the bark. at some point I asked all the same questions because my dog does this as well

I also don't mind the bark at 3 am in a desolate place but it all comes down to thst the dog is nervous. so now he barks, person or a dog walks away because they're scared or because they just keep going on their way and your pup learns that this is how he gets rid of anything he doesn't like. 

and then you will have a big problem on your hands when he goes into fits anytime anything sets him off. easier to nip it now and just teach him to bark on command. 

my opinion after dealing with the same problem


----------



## ApselBear (Feb 10, 2014)

He's only 10 weeks old so the nervousness is expected. I think Carmen's advice is sound, keep on like you own the world. Your dog will learn to have confidence in you first and then build his own confidence.

Maybe I'm confusing methods, but I also remember reading about LAT(Look at That) and it may be beneficial in this instance. http://clickerleash.wordpress.com/2009/08/23/look-at-that-a-counterintuitive-approach-to-dealing-with-reactive-dogs/
I haven't personally tried this technique, but my old trainer and several others have reccomended it.


----------



## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

10 weeks old? oops. sorry. forget about corrections. i thought he was 4 months for some reason


----------



## ApselBear (Feb 10, 2014)

lalachka said:


> 10 weeks old? oops. sorry. forget about corrections. i thought he was 4 months for some reason


I figured you were thinking along those lines I thought the same at first when yoshi mentioned the deep barks, but I've been keeping up with his puppy post too


----------



## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

ApselBear said:


> I figured you were thinking along those lines I thought the same at first when yoshi mentioned the deep barks, but I've been keeping up with his puppy post too


I have been too. he just got this pup. lol brain freeze. happens all too often


----------



## my boy diesel (Mar 9, 2013)

if the dog he is barking at approached him he would cower or hide behind you
that is barking because of fear and being unsure 
he is a baby and that is why he is doing this

as carmon said keep going and ignore the offending dog and your pup will realize it is nothing to be afraid of


----------



## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

He hasn't learned yet. Your response teaches him how he's going to behave in the future. Take him out a lot, keep him out of touching distance and walk by dogs, people, groups, as if it was no big deal. Train him to heel and have him focus on heeling, a toy or a treat or all three. Eventually teach him to pay attention to you. Puppies need to be exposed to a lot of people, animals and situations. I try to expose mine to hundreds of people and animals while we're training and socializing.


----------



## Yoshi (May 12, 2014)

Thanks for the link AspelBear. Will have a look at it. 

Yeah, he's got a very deep bark for a 10 week old puppy. So I will just continue to ignore it and see how he goes. If he was barking like that when 4 months old what would that mean?


----------



## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

Yoshi said:


> Thanks for the link AspelBear. Will have a look at it.
> 
> Yeah, he's got a very deep bark for a 10 week old puppy. So I will just continue to ignore it and see how he goes. If he was barking like that when 4 months old what would that mean?


nothing. my dog started reacting at about 4 months. with everything I know now, if after a few times of me acting like there's nothing to be scared about he didn't stop or escalated - I'd correct. 


once he stops reacting you csn work on his fears. when he's in the zone he doesn't see or hear you so you can't work on it.


----------



## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

Don't correct the dog for reacting /barking, regardless of his age. You want to get him focused on you and show him that there is nothing to worry about. Giving a correction every time he looks at another dog could backfire. 

If you want to eventually apply corrections to the situation, do so for disobeying a known and proofed obedience command. This will help the dog understand what the correction is for, and allow him to learn what you want him to do in a given situation.


----------



## Yoshi (May 12, 2014)

my boy diesel said:


> if the dog he is barking at approached him he would cower or hide behind you
> that is barking because of fear and being unsure
> he is a baby and that is why he is doing this
> 
> as carmon said keep going and ignore the offending dog and your pup will realize it is nothing to be afraid of


Doesn't seem to be bothered around dogs. He loves interacting with them and can get pretty annoying when he's too pushy so the other dogs try and correct him. It takes a few corrections from them for him to eventually leave them alone. Mind you, he's only met three other dogs so far. I am waiting for his next vaccination and then I want to take him into town with me for further exposure. 

This pup is quite a conundrum! As I mentioned before he used to want to have nothing to do with the chooks and now he's insisting on following me into the chook pen!


----------



## volcano (Jan 14, 2013)

A perfect example of low threshold is my neighbors gsd. Nobody can walk past or be seen without getting barked at/ not even neighbors.


----------



## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

My pup tends to bark at some folks when he sees when he looks out the window. I go and look and thank him for the announcement and then walk away. He is learning to calm down quickly after that. 

When he sees a someone he considers a friend, then he barks and barks. It is more of a "hey I see you! come see me". I don't correct because the barking doesn't bring his friends any closer. When we are out and about I tell folks to wait until he is calm to come forward, so sitting quietly gets rewarded.


----------



## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

David Winners said:


> Don't correct the dog for reacting /barking, regardless of his age. You want to get him focused on you and show him that there is nothing to worry about. Giving a correction every time he looks at another dog could backfire.
> 
> If you want to eventually apply corrections to the situation, do so for disobeying a known and proofed obedience command. This will help the dog understand what the correction is for, and allow him to learn what you want him to do in a given situation.


I didn't say correct for looking. I said correct for reacting. sometimes acting like there's nothing to worry about doesn't work. that's why I said, if after a few times of me acting like there's nothing to worry about he was still reacting and it was escalating I'd correct. 
after a certain number of reactions it becomes a habit and then it's hard to break. and takes much more force. 
that's what I'd do if I had a pup that was staring to react.


----------



## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

the answer still is - do not correct .


----------



## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

carmspack said:


> the answer still is - do not correct .


for him at 10 weeks I agree. he asked what if the pup was 4 months. still dont?


----------



## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

anyway it doesn't matter. this is what a few trainers said to do and this is what worked for me. everyone will have their own opinion and he will decide for himself if it ever escalates to that point and acting like nothing is wrong doesn't work


----------



## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

If you actually read what I posted, I explained when and why to give a correction. I didn't advise to ignore the behavior if it continued.


----------



## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

David Winners said:


> Don't correct the dog for reacting /barking, regardless of his age. You want to get him focused on you and show him that there is nothing to worry about. Giving a correction every time he looks at another dog could backfire.
> 
> If you want to eventually apply corrections to the situation, do so for disobeying a known and proofed obedience command. This will help the dog understand what the correction is for, and allow him to learn what you want him to do in a given situation.




making it really easy for lala 

regardless of his age


----------



## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

lalachka said:


> anyway it doesn't matter. this is what a few trainers said to do and this is what worked for me.


According to your previous threads, this hasn't worked for you. You claim you have a reactive dog. 


OP- At this age, your pup is saying, "Hey! Look at that! What is it! Hey! Check it out! Hey!" - When you correct at this point you are telling your pup that what ever it is that has gotten it's attention is bad and results in a correction. 

Walking through the reaction or even redirecting his attention back to you tells the pup - "Yea, I see what you're talking about, but it isn't anything to be concerned with. I've got this. Let's just keep going or doing what we were doing before you noticed it. "

When your pup gets older and you've done your homework, your pup will be trained to know specific commands. So you are walking along and your pup starts to notice something and begins to bark - you say, "leave it!" (or heel, or quiet or let's go! etc.) and continue walking. Your pup will hear your directions and comply. If it doesn't comply to the command, you correct. Your not correcting for his action - but for his refusal to act in the way that you've taught him to be solid in.


----------



## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

He's a young pup, I agree with the previous posters that keeping things upbeat and not reacting negatively to the barking is key. It may be embarrassing but a quick smile and shrug as if to say 'sorry, he's young' goes a long way to diffusing the situation if people are staring or reacting

Something as simple as stepping in front of your pup and blocking him slightly tells the pup that you've got his back and will handle it. Or simply give the dog a slack leash and walk right up to whatever triggered the response and address it. Talk to it, circle it, if it's a human then greet and maybe even shake their hand all while allowing the dog to keep their distance if they so choose. The more he sees you interacting with different things and not reacting or getting hurt the more he'll realize it's ok

One moment something like a fire hydrant may be something weird, the next day a certain tree - pups can be unpredictable but when they see you reacting the same way they'll follow your lead. Allow him to explore at his own pace and distance and you should see him coming out more and more as he gains confidence in not only himself but in you


----------



## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

Lilie said:


> According to your previous threads, this hasn't worked for you. You claim you have a reactive dog.


it has worked. lots of progress in a week.


----------



## Gib_laut (Jul 25, 2014)

If the dog is barking at something you should walk up to it and touch it yourself. Let the dog smell it. Don't make a big deal either way. 

Just make sure to not unintentionally reinforce the barking. Things like it's OK! Good boy! And petting it to calm it down. That's basically the same thing in Schutzhund when a dog barks at a decoy and the owner pats it on the side and praises the dog FOR barking.


----------



## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Gib_laut said:


> If the dog is barking at something you should walk up to it and touch it yourself. Let the dog smell it. Don't make a big deal either way.
> 
> Just make sure to not unintentionally reinforce the barking. Things like it's OK! Good boy! And petting it to calm it down. That's basically the same thing in Schutzhund when a dog barks at a decoy and the owner pats it on the side and praises the dog FOR barking.


This is exactly what I do and it works every time. The minute I touch the object, he stops barking, checks it out and dismisses it.


----------



## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

carmspack said:


> making it really easy for lala
> 
> regardless of his age


I know how to read and that's just your and his opinion. I posted mine. people will choose what works for them. not one person is right. there are different ways of dealing with it and they all work. I've been dealing with this for over a year. tried many things. this is what worked for me and my dog.


----------



## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

lalachka said:


> I know how to read and that's just your and his opinion. I posted mine. people will choose what works for them. not one person is right. there are different ways of dealing with it and they all work. I've been dealing with this for over a year. tried many things. this is what worked for me and my dog.


You asked the question. You got an answer.


----------



## Yoshi (May 12, 2014)

Shade said:


> One moment something like a fire hydrant may be something weird, the next day a certain tree - pups can be unpredictable but when they see you reacting the same way they'll follow your lead. Allow him to explore at his own pace and distance and you should see him coming out more and more as he gains confidence in not only himself but in you


Yeah, he's a funny little bloke. It's amazing, it hasn't been long but it's as though I forgot how puppies are like or they can be so different from others. I'm so used to thinking about my previous boy when he was an adult. :crazy:

OK, another question in regards to barking . . . I have already been ignoring his barking and have been touching or feeding the animals that he has been barking at but today it looked as though he wanted to have a go at some of them. He would jump about, roll over, jump up again and it looked like he was trying to bite them. What would be the best course of action for this? A correction? Today I just calmly steered him away and we went somewhere else.


----------



## Yoshi (May 12, 2014)

volcano said:


> A perfect example of low threshold is my neighbors gsd. Nobody can walk past or be seen without getting barked at/ not even neighbors.


So low threshold means that it doesn't take much for a dog to react to something?


----------

