Barking puppy

[Frances]

My 10 month old Maltese puppy Harpo, was quiet when we first got him at 4 months.
As weeks passed we knew he would pick up some of the habits of the older 6 year old Maltese, Bernadette, and sure enough he did.
It is strange though, and I know being related may not be part of this, but Harpo exhibits anxiety like Bernadette. He never had this to begin with and taking him on walks was easy. He does better with no anxiety, when he goes on walks separate from Bernadette.
He will become anxious with other dogs and people when we go on walks, usually when Bernadette is with us and taking them both on walks is not always fun. We take detours.
But the issue of late, is his bad habit of yapping & barking at Bernadette. Always in her face, then nips at her back and barks at her constantly. Sometimes it is a playful gesture, but most of the time it isn't, and Bernadette will retaliate. On occasion, after an incident with Bernadette, Trying to determine if this happens before or after meals, or when I am busy in the kitchen...truthfully, it doesn't matter which way the wind blows. It is not a constant thing, but it does happen at least 2 plus times a day.

I have to separate them which sometimes is not always possible. I have tried the reward technique ;when he barks I use my cue word to have him come to me, pet him and give him love, then reward him. Doesn't always work. I am considering a trainer helping me with Harpo.

Our vet said, it has been known that after liver shunt surgeries dogs become more active...he is more active but more of a barker too.
Looking forward to insight and advice and it will be awesome to discuss this coming weekend on the live stream seminar.

Thank you.

 

[Dr. Christina]

Frances, did you get any insight from the seminar this weekend?

I would suggest several things.
1. do work with a trainer, or maybe Jennifer will chime in here. I am not sure, but it sounds like by calling him to you and rewarding him when he barks you are praising the barking.
2. Check with several intuitives to see what is going on with the two of them. One is Sharon of Anaflora and she makes her own flower essences. 3. Or give both dogs safe space from Spirit essences (jackson galaxy essences). Or other flower essences from the other companies. Though this article is focused on lameness, it lists all the different companies.
4. Since the barking did start after his increased energy after the surgery, it could be that his prior behavior was abnormal (quiet d.t. low BEAM) and this is more how he is.
5. For walks, (and again I would love feedback from Jennifer) I would start by walking them separately. When he is not anxious with other dogs when walked alone, take both on a very very short walk together after they have both been walked. See how that goes.

 

[Frances]

Hello Dr Christina,
The Homeopathy seminar over the weekend was wonderful and choc full of information and learning. I look forward to reviewing it again. Many things that were discussed rang like bells for me and I have since made changes to my dogs eating ( from pureed to blended to more solid foods) and happily to report he has not thrown up...18 days now!!!
I plan on watching the BEAM seminar you have up on the forum. I am sure there is a plethora of information there too. I shall also look into the suggestions you made regarding the flower essence. (thank you)

We take the dogs on walks together in the morning for 10- 15 minutes, but on the long evening walk, we take Harpo alone. Harpo does better on his own and does not bark at other dogs but seems more timid around them.
We have been separating them more to avoid the constant barking and nipping at the older Maltese, Bernadette. We had spoken with a trainer about this who also suggested separating them. Doing that for the entire day is not possible, and I do the best I can. Harpo does spend most of his time by my side, so that helps.
I have also included a few more licky style toys and increased activity for Harpo. This has helped a lot.
I am considering taking Harpo to a play date with other small dogs to get him used to interacting with small breeds.
I am so grateful to you and Dr jeff and cannot thank you both enough for enriching my life with valuable information for my pups.
Hugs
Frances

 

[jenbridwell]

Hi Frances-
So glad you participated in the seminar and found it useful.

The yapping at her sounds fairly normal for a puppy trying to get his housemate to interact- even if he gets her to snark at him and chase him a bit, that's better than nothing if he's bored.

You mention anxiety- how does that express?

Separating them as much as possible is helpful.

I'd agree that his pre- surgery lowered BEAM was probably at least partly responsible for his quiet demeanor.

I would certainly suggest socializing him with puppies of various sizes, and stable adult dogs who will correct him.

Without seeing the chain of events in action, I won't speculate on if he's being inadverdantly rewarded for the behavior, but its a possibility. If he's not coming away from her, that probably isn't the case. I'm not sure if by "Cue word" you mean a cue for a specific behavior, or a conditioned reinforcer.

Using feeding toys for the bulk of meals can be helpful in keeping his attention and energy directed.

I'd definitely suggest you get him into some classes, so you can learn together!

 

[Dr. Christina]

So glad you found benefit from the class, Frances, and that you've gone 189 days with no vomit.

Dealing with behaviors can take careful notetaking and observation, along with trying the different suggestions from Jennifer, myself and others. Just think about 3 siblings in a human family and how their interactions can move from great to challenging, even in one day!

Dr. Chambreau

 

[Frances]

Hi Frances-
So glad you participated in the seminar and found it useful.

The yapping at her sounds fairly normal for a puppy trying to get his housemate to interact- even if he gets her to snark at him and chase him a bit, that's better than nothing if he's bored.

You mention anxiety- how does that express?

Separating them as much as possible is helpful.

I'd agree that his pre- surgery lowered BEAM was probably at least partly responsible for his quiet demeanor.

I would certainly suggest socializing him with puppies of various sizes, and stable adult dogs who will correct him.

Without seeing the chain of events in action, I won't speculate on if he's being inadverdantly rewarded for the behavior, but its a possibility. If he's not coming away from her, that probably isn't the case. I'm not sure if by "Cue word" you mean a cue for a specific behavior, or a conditioned reinforcer.

Using feeding toys for the bulk of meals can be helpful in keeping his attention and energy directed.

I'd definitely suggest you get him into some classes, so you can learn together!

Thank you for the suggestions. I have begun taking Harpo to play dates and he gets to interact with other dogs. Our older dog, Bernadette, now interacts better with the younger one and sometimes will play...we have discovered what she classes as play, and we know when they are not playing. The cue word we used helped separate when they were getting into a play/fight. i would pet him first and then get him to sit before rewarding him so i think he actually associated the reward with the sitting. I have learn much form this group and just keeping notes on my dogs have helped me make better decision and how to assist them. Thanks again for your input. It is truly appreciated.

 

[Frances]

So glad you found benefit from the class, Frances, and that you've gone 189 days with no vomit.

Dealing with behaviors can take careful notetaking and observation, along with trying the different suggestions from Jennifer, myself and others. Just think about 3 siblings in a human family and how their interactions can move from great to challenging, even in one day!

Dr. Chambreau

Thank you Dr Christina, BEAM has really helped me a lot when it comes to figuring out what my dog is experiencing. I keep a journal as well. Like the vomiting, which I have been able to distinguish more clearly what the causes are and by eliminating them, his vomiting has diminished and are far and few. Couldn't have learned it with you and Dr jeff. Going to watch the BEAM seminar and gather more information. Thank you.