My dog barks at me all the time.?

Question

I have a 7 1/2 month old male neutered lab. He barks at me all the time. When i am gone he is crated. He doesn't bark when i leave. I stand outside the door before leaving and when coming home and don't hear barking. When i am home, however he barks at me constantly. He gets 2 good walks in a day plus i play with him and his toys. He doesn't have to go to the bathroom and his food/water needs are met. Every hour and a half or so he will just bark at me (wanting to play-he will do play bows and run around with toys). I know labs are hyper but this is nonstop. Each barking episode lasts about 20 minutes. and he is getting worse. He now barks in the middle of the night wanting to play. I try to ignore him and never play with him when he misbehaves. I am waiting to hear back from my vet about this. But has anyone had any situations simlar to this? Does anyone have any suggestions on how to correct this? He is driving me crazy. I can no longer do any work at home.

Answer 1

I hesitate to suggest this, but get a shock/tone collar and train him to the TONE part of it....rarely is in necessary to shock a domesticated animal.

You should be able to easily train the fellow, for labs are notoriously intelligent!

Petco and PetSmart have good choices. I have Pit Bulls and use the collars extensively.

Be gentle and patient with your training.

Answer 2

You're dog seems to still have lots of energy left to get out. It's hard to believe, but probably true. Even though you walk him, he may still have more energy to give. I have a young lab mix male who needs a minimum of 2 hours of FAST walking/jogging each day to keep him from eating my things. Then, he still has energy to play, so we toss dog treats up the stairs and have him run up to get them. We don't toss the next one untill he comes down. He can do this for 10-15 minutes.
Before I started REALLY walking him, we just strolled around for 15-30 minutes a couple times a day, and played games a bit. This was definitely not enought. Now we walk twice for 30 minutes and once for an hour. Dogs are born to roam the territory at a good pace, not a liesurely pace. Walk out the door like you really mean to go somewhere and keep on walking. Don't stop for sniffing or any other nonesense. You're dog will pick up on your energy and will love it!
Or, you can take the easy way out and shock your dog. He'll find another way to act up, though. Save the collar for a last resort, or for situations when the dog is risking his life or a threatening somebody's.
If you simply don't have time to walk enough, doggie day care gives your dog a chance to play all day while you're away. Or use a treadmill (see Ceasar's book).

Answer 3

That really has to be frustrating. But at least you do know it IS because he wants your attention. I know some don't recommend this - but when he barks (unless you have time to play with him - so I wouldn't do it every time) and you need to be doing something else, put him in his crate. Don't yell at him - just sweetly tell him as you are putting him in there that you need a time out. I know crates should be places of comfort for the dog, so be sure he doesn't think he's being punished. Put a treat in there and let him stay for about 5 minutes or so. Eventually he will respond to your tone when you say you need a time out and stop. But here's the deal - he will grow out of that I think. He is just a pup in need of attention. Good luck, sounds like you have a fun-loving kid there.

Answer 4

Sounds like he is doing it for attention. If he barks at you while you are playing, stop the play immediately and walk away. If he barks at you while you are busy doing something else, ignore him.

It sounds like at some point in his short life he barked and you listened (like started playing with him). Pups are very fast learners, and now he thinks he can do it all the time.

It will be hard and it will take time, but ignore him. Even put him in his crate when he starts barking at you. He will learn there is no reward in doing this.

Answer 5

Yeah, I think a shock collar is your best bet. As mean as it is, he needs to learn to calm down and if you yell at him to calm down, that probably just gets him excited that he's getting attention. The barking collars don't work 100% of the time though. We once put one on one of our dogs. The dog simply learned which barking noises caused the shock and which ones didn't.

Answer 6

MY SISTER HAS THE SAME BREED AND WHEN I VISIT THE DOG BARKS AND WHEN IM NOT VISITING THE DOG BARKS. I CAN'T STAND IT SO I LEAVE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. MAYBE A BONE OF SOME KIND MIGHT CONSOLE THE POOCH. ASK AT THE PET STORE OR CALL A VET AND ASK THE SECRETARY. HE,SHE MIGHT HAVE SUGGESTIONS. CALL SEVERAL VETS .AND PET SUPPLY PLACES TOO. LOOK AROUND AND ASK AROUND LOCALLY. ITS SO LOUD AND DISRUPTING.

Answer 7

you play with him when he feels like it right? it can sometimes he hears things that you can't but if he is not at the door when he barks then sometimes he don't want for you to go, sometimes it can be he just has to go to the bathroom, sometimes it can be he just is not sleepy so he want you to play with him. try to over play with him meaning play until he just don't wont to play, or if that don't work you can try to take him for a walk until he is tiered.

Answer 8

my sbt used to do this but doesnt anymore. he did it for attention and the more i said no to him the more he carried on barking. i contacted a dog behaviourist who helped us lots. get in touch with one as some dogs need different methods.