She barks like crazy, he can get up to use the bathroom, walk back in and she barks at him. She is pretty vocal about any man, but mainly him. It is really beginning to wear on him, he has tried giving her treats and love, but she runs from him and hides behind me. We got her from a family that could no longer keep her, I don't know what her first 6 months have been like, but I have to find a solution, because he is at his witts end. He wants me to find her another home. I really want to make this work. However, I am out of ideas. Any help woudl be greatly appreciated!
2006-12-18 10:54:51 · 19 answers · asked by Nancy R 3 in Pets ➔ Dogs
Your hubby needs some one on one time so the dog can build a stronger relationship with him and then the trust will build from there...seems the dog may of had bad feelings with a previous owner and feels thretend by ur husband..
in general labs area a family dog so there is room for improvment in the dog...
try these technics
1,get your hubby to have 1 on 1 time,take him in the garden for a hr a day and play with the dog at his level (get your husband to play with the dog on his knees so the dog is not thretend by his height)
2,get ur husband to take him for walks on his own (this way the dog will think"wow this guy is ok he takes me for walks")sounds od but its building that bond that is needed...
good luck/
2006-12-18 12:03:32 · answer #1 · answered by glen w 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have two collies and they both bark like mad when anyone comes to the house - not just in greeting but trying to protect me and scare the person away. The best way i have found of stopping it is to ask the visitor to completely IGNORE them and this does seem to work. Many dog experts recommend ignoring a dog anyway on coming into the home and i wonder if it could help your husband to try this out. I have to spell out to people that ignoring means not looking at the dog, not trying to be friendly or make encouraging noises or reaching out a hand. It takes some doing when there is noisy barking going on but it has worked wonders and eventually my dogs get more trusting and come forward to have a sniff. At this moment it is still important to IGNORE them and almost pretend they don't exist.
when your dog barks at your husband i suggest you both ignore it and just try to carry on with what you are doing as if it isn't there at all. The if it stops barking you reward it, you not your husband.
It sounds to me that your puppy has been badly scared by a man in the past and just can't forget the memory...yet. she is reacting from fear and the more calm and quiet you can be then the more she will be able to stop and think. Don't get into reassuring her while she is barking - just ignore totally till she stops.
Wishing you both luck and patience - i know how hard this kind of thing can be!
Kate
2006-12-18 19:22:38 · answer #2 · answered by songbird 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Does your dog do this when it is just your husband in the house, or is it with you? Sounds like the dog has bonded with yourself and doesn't want to share. Don't reward the behaviour with any attention whatsoever. Turn your backs, no eye contact etc. It may take time. Also, involve your husband in everyday care, not just treats, feeding by hand, grooming etc. Anything that will build a bond between them. Finally, plenty of exercise, good long walks, if you can with your husband. A tired dog is less inclined to make a fuss about anything!
2006-12-18 20:01:29 · answer #3 · answered by beagtan 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Probably no quick fix, it seems that the pup is perhaps reacting in a way which reflects how she was treated by a male member of her previous home, perseverance and understanding is required get your husband to take the pup for some long walks and have him interact as much as possible , at the end of the day a pup does not normally react in this way unless she has had a bad experience in the past.
2006-12-19 07:16:26 · answer #4 · answered by The Guru 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It seems your dog either has had little or no contact with men (or) associates men with fear, danger, anger, etc - possibly due to some previous action or fright.
It would be an idea to make your husband associated in the dogs mind with all things good.
e.g. When its play time, he does the playing and you show no interest. When its walk time, he does the walking. When its meal time ...... yup you get where i'm coming from.
The dog will them stop seeing you and the main character and associate the good things in life with your husband.
* We never know what the dogs have gone through before we get them. Some have been treated so badly it would have you in tears. All things need time.
ALTERNATIVELY......... Have you consdered getting rid of your husband and keeping the dog? It would solve the problem.
2006-12-18 20:09:16 · answer #5 · answered by John S 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Many times, humans will unintentionally make a dog nervous by staring at them, looming over them and being physically intimidating, or just by being! Since you say there's no way to know what your dog went through before you got her, just work on making her comfortable around him. Don't feed her her regular dinner - instead, have him sit on the floor with her bowl and try to hand feed her. You may want to up the ante the first few times by mixing in treats that she really loves with her food. Your husband shouldn't ask for any behaviors at all - except for the dog being able to hang out with him. No hard eye stares, no sudden scary moves - you get the picture. You can try calming signals to let your dog know that you know what's going on. At other times, have your husband ignore the dog. Have patience and good luck!
*please do not punish or intimidate your dog with unfair surprise tactics! These make no sense - what you're dealing with is a fear issue, and these canNOT be solved by punishment! *
2006-12-18 19:11:36 · answer #6 · answered by Misa M 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Leave your dog for a few minutes—you might even get in the car and drive down the block. Then get out of the car and walk back home.
When you return, if your dog is barking, surprise him by rushing in. Throw a shaker can at him, squirt him with water and/or scold him seriously and give him a scruff shake.
Repeat the exercise. Leave for varying amounts of time. He will come to the conclusion that you could burst in at any moment, so he'd better be good! If he remains quiet, reward and praise him. I Am A Dog Specialist
2006-12-18 19:05:30 · answer #7 · answered by ~!<God's Daughter>!~ 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
The best thing you can do is let your husband do everything for her that I suspect you do at the moment, if you feed her then let him do it, if you exercise her see if he can do it before he goes out in the morning, you literally have to take a back seat, don't make too much fuss of her yourself, let your husband take over the driving seat until your dog gains trust in him, it will be hard for you I expect and it will take a while but worth a try.
Good luck!
2006-12-19 02:41:33 · answer #8 · answered by Pawstimes16 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
tell him to stare at the dog until it looks away it might take a while but it usually works then after give it a treat or try walking her or throwing a ball. good luck
2006-12-18 19:02:48 · answer #9 · answered by melissa1988belfast 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
sounds like she has been abused by a man !!
give it time and get ur husband to show her love and affection spend some time alone with her.
she will always have that fear now but she will learn that ur husband is good to her soon beleive me i had the same problem
2006-12-18 18:59:44 · answer #10 · answered by samantha 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋