HELP! My puppy won't stop barking and it's driving me crazy!

[StacyFromIowa]

I agree with others that formal training would be helpful.

For the barking, I recommend the water bottle spray first. You can also use a collar that gives a little pulse/shock, which we have used, or you can use a collar that gives off a undesirable spray to the dog. I have never heard of bitters spray for barking. Maybe I'm not thinking of the same thing. I used an Apple Bitter when my puppy was in the chewing stage. But it turned out that he liked all of the bitter sprays and inevitably, I would get some spray in my mouth (it was gross!) since it gets transferred by the dog or your own hands, etc.

For the jumping, I completely agree that you should turn around if the dog jumps up on you. Also, you can teach the dog an alternative behavior that prevents jumping. For example, you know the dog will jump when you greet him after work. Immediately, put him in a lay down command, so he is less likely to jump.

[PreVet101]

The spray bottle was the only thing that worked for me with my hyperactive lab puppy (who is also right around 7 months and 50 lbs). Doggie obedience exercises like teaching him to sit/lay down also help calm my crazy pup. If he jumps when you put down food refuse to put it down until he sits or other wise waits (wait is a good command to teach). The spray bottle however does work fairly quickly as my dog after a week or so stopped catapulting herself at my knees...Also if you need the dog to stop right then ive found that EEH EHH EEEEHHH noise gets a faster response than "no" because of the pitch, volume, and irregularity....Just like you'd say with a child who you needed to drop something dangerous right then

[Rene S]

Another thought, as he is a puppy, he has a lot of energy and *needs* regular exercise. I know Cesar Millan suggests thoroughly exercising the dog, then doing short training sessions. The dog then has its energy released and can better focus on learning.

[lasab]

Just thought I would chime in on the issue of jumping up. I agree with the idea of turning your back etc to teach him not to jump. I also think it is important to teach the dog what is allowed. When our dog was young I worked very hard on teaching him to come to me and immediately sit. After he sat he got a treat. He did not get any affection at all until he was in the sitting postion. After he got that down, I transferred that lesson to when company came over. It was not quick or easy and I had to enlist the help of some neighbor kids to practice it over and over again and make it successful. Now when someone comes to my house my dog will go near them and sit...and wait.....until the company feels like giving him attention or not.

Even after my dog was pretty good at the things he had learned, he would have his naughty moments. That is when I knew we needed a little brush-up on our training.

Like what others have said, he is a puppy. But well trained puppies are much more pleasant to have around.

Good luck!

[abuck4429]

Just thought I would chime in on the issue of jumping up. I agree with the idea of turning your back etc to teach him not to jump. I also think it is important to teach the dog what is allowed. When our dog was young I worked very hard on teaching him to come to me and immediately sit. After he sat he got a treat. He did not get any affection at all until he was in the sitting postion. After he got that down, I transferred that lesson to when company came over. It was not quick or easy and I had to enlist the help of some neighbor kids to practice it over and over again and make it successful. Now when someone comes to my house my dog will go near them and sit...and wait.....until the company feels like giving him attention or not.

Even after my dog was pretty good at the things he had learned, he would have his naughty moments. That is when I knew we needed a little brush-up on our training.

Like what others have said, he is a puppy. But well trained puppies are much more pleasant to have around.

Good luck!

I agree 100%. We have a standard poodle that was a stray and needed alot of training when we got him. Our vet suggested when he jumped on us to simply turn our back to him and cross our arms. We did not speak to him until he had quit and sat down. If he is outside when one of us gets home and he meets us at the car, we tell him to sit before he gets petted. It took a while but he is excellent at most commands now including smile (shows his teeth), bang (play dead) and dap (low 5.) If only I could get him to quit rolling in cow poop....

[Slivnfree]

Are you running him? Is he getting excirsise he needs? Chew toys that are for chewing? He seems like he is showing boredom....he has nothing better to do then bark and see what happens. Take him on walks, leave a leash on him at all times so the minute he jumps or barks you can grab the leash and make a small and light pull (not jerk) i have a large breed dog (rottie) and large breeds need stimulation, running, ball fetching, things to chew on, and a place in the chain of your home (the dog is the last on the chain) if all else fells give him up for adoption to only someone who knows the breed. Doby's are very intelligent, they need constant stimulation to keep them calm and stress free. With a baby on the way your puppy is going to grow into a confused adult not knowing his place and biting/jumping/barking/digging and aggression toward anyone or thing will grow. Good luck