# Barking at inanimate objects?



## rockhead (Jul 8, 2007)

Rookie is now a very handsome 15-month old and has developed very well both socially and emotionally. He's got this weird quirk, though.

I first noticed it when he was about 6 months. My neighbor left his wheelbarrow unattended near the border of our yards. I let Rookie out the back door and he immediately hackled up and barked at it for about two or three minutes. I don't remember how I handled it, but I do remember figuring it was just a dumb puppy thing and he'd grow out of it.

He hasn't yet. 

My neice left a rubber duck near the pool and he freaked over it. The lawn sprinkler caught him off-guard last week. Just yesterday he barked at my truck which wasn't where I normally park it. It's always something new to the environment, and his sense of what's new is really amazing. He picked out a recently placed "For Sale" sign along a road where we walk 2-3 times a week. 

He doesn't always bark at these things - he approached the sign with great apprehension, sniffed, then ignored. 

He does perfectly fine in new surroundings and doesn't shy away from people or objects at all. It's just new things in areas he knows.

He's still young and his confidence will improve over time, but I was wondering if anyone out there has had similar experiences and/or any advice in overcoming this behavior.


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## bellamia (Feb 7, 2010)

my mia is 18mnths now and she still does it, exactly how u describe it!. It started off with a fire hydrant one day but since it always is there at the same spot same time she doesn't care about it. but anything else out of the normal routine, even if i leave my cabinet door open for eg, she doesn't like it, or neighbhors package outise his door which usually isn't there etc etc, it quite funny to me. I just ignore it. I must mention here that she is very very friendly, social and TIMID! unfortunately. but she is good at alerting me if someones is outside the door etc.


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## chicagojosh (Jun 22, 2010)

haha, funny stuff.


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## Relayer (Apr 29, 2010)

Max normally loves mirrors... he'll even lay down right next to "himself" sometimes at our large mirror in the bathroom. Yesterday he was outside with me barbacueing and there was very large and shiny stainless steel pot out near the grill. Suddenly he see's his very distorted image on the curved surface of the pot and started barking at it pretty aggressively! He wouldn't stop, no matter what I said to him. That was really funny... only because he is always very social and loves to play with all the real dogs he encounters.


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## cshepherd9 (Feb 11, 2010)

Ha. My Willow does the same thing. She has barked at concrete lawn animals, leaf bags, flags blowing in the wind, etc. Just last week we were walking and she barked at a man walking across the street with a wheelbarrow. She never barks at people so I can only assume it was the wheelbarrow that freaked her out. If at all possible I try to take her up to the object she is barking at and let her smell and investigate it. Usually she smells and walks on.


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## Freddy (Apr 23, 2009)

It's very common for them to go through stages like this. I have a 16 mo that went nuts barking and growling at a recently shed snake skin at the sch club last weekend. 

He also barked at an aluminum ladder in our backyard that had been recently moved. 

I also try to get him to approach and investigate although I wasn't so insistent with the snake skin. I'm fine with him not wanting to get a close up investigation of that smell.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

Yes, a 15 month old is still a puppy - this is normal puppy behaviour. Nothing in your post would cause me to be concerned - he sounds pretty well balanced overall. Give him more time to grow out of it, and in the meantime, enjoy the dufousness!


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## GSDSunshine (Sep 7, 2009)

Koda used to do this, and anytime something spooked him.... Something new like that, i made it a point for him to go up and smell it (assuming it was possible. I would touch it he would touch it and we figured out tat new things in familiar places are just fine.


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## WynterCote (Feb 15, 2010)

Lol! I love the stories. I think that's normal pup behavior. Shya, at 6 months, does the same thing even though she's well socialized. Yesterday it was a small bag of potting soil I brought home and placed on the floor in the mudroom. I let her out of her crate and she immediately knew it was something different in the house. She wanted to play with it! Got down on her belly, tail wagging, nipping at the bag... Makes us realize how observant they really are!


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## Fuse (Feb 25, 2010)

We we first got Zoey home she would FREAK OUT on the wirespring door stoppers. 

Now she lays down by them and, well sounds like she is trying to talk to them.


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## Mac's Mom (Jun 7, 2010)

Hi All, I started a new thread "barks at tools" before I saw this.

Mac is a generally a pretty laid back 6 month old. He's sweet as can be. However, Mac barks agressively at shovels, rakes & the lawnmowever so I have to crate him when I do yard work. Same thing with mops, brooms and vacuum cleaners. I've been trying to calm him but it is temporary and he starts to freak out again. He only freaks out if a human is holding or using the item in our yard. He doesn't bark when the neighbor mows his lawn. And he ignores the tools when not in use. Weird hey?


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## rockhead (Jul 8, 2007)

Mac's Mom said:


> He only freaks out if a human is holding or using the item in our yard. He doesn't bark when the neighbor mows his lawn. And he ignores the tools when not in use. Weird hey?


The only time Eich would display aggression was when I had the weed whacker in my hand. He would attack the head of that thing and it wouldn't matter if it hurt him - he got his snout whipped more than once - he wouldn't stop until: A) I turned it off and put it down, or B) I removed him from the environment. I never figured it out.


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## DianaB (Jan 3, 2007)

Siena used to bark at the garbage bags on garbage day. Then when it came time to recycle the christmas trees, she barked at that (they were on their side, not upright). She even freaked out when she passed this huge boulder. I think it is funny.

Siena is not allowed in my yard if I am gardening with any tool that will cause injury. She tries to nip the clippers (not good). No way with the weed wacker.


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## LARHAGE (Jul 24, 2006)

Gavin is so weird, he's used to seeing my horses with their heads hanging over the stall doors, but one horse loves to rub his big butt against the door on occasion and Gavin goes bullistic, he hackles up and charges the door always looking back at me as if to say what is he doing? I just ignore him so he can realize it's no big deal whether it's a head or a butt!!! LOL


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

sounds like he needs a lot
of socialization. get him out and introduce
him to all sorts of things on a daily
basis.


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## Shadow's mum (Mar 13, 2010)

Shadow did this one day when we were walking her (approx 7 months at the time) We turned a corner and there was an empty silver biscuit bag on the foot path. Shadow went crazy barking and growling. I had my 11yr old show her is was harmless. He stomped on the bag several times. The look on Shadows face was priceless, It was like "oh wow your my hero". My 11 year old tells every one that Shadow has autistic traits. (he has aspergers/high functioning autism) She doesn't like change, everything has to be in its place, she can be a little obsessive, she used to has some separation issues.


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