People are afraid of my 11 week old GSD...

[EJQ]

Originally Posted by Midnight

What do I do about constant barking in his crate? He gets his favorite treats for going in, has his favorite toy, a nice cushion with a blanket. I don't get it. At night he still cries/barks for about 10 minutes before he settles down, but I crate him when I shower (he's a chewer) and he barks the entire time or he'll quiet down for about 20 minutes, then start barking again. I'm in a house so he's not bugging the neighbors, but he just doesn't seem to be warming up to his crate at all.


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What was the age of your puppy when you brought him home? At 11 weeks he is still very much a baby and you really have to look at him in that way. It's hard to comment on the barking thing without actually seeing him in the action. Many puppies at that age will bark at a stranger because they are fearful (that's true) but you need to study his body language - he might be excited to see new people. My "BB" is a real social butterfly and can't wait to get up close and personal with new people. As far as the crate is concerned, I would back off a bit - meaning - let your puppy know that the crate is his den and his place of security and safety but don't be too surprised if he's not comfortable right away - some dogs take a bit longer to adjust than others. Is his crate of wire or plastic construction? Put his treat and toys etc in the crate but leave the door open. Let him wander in & out on his own. Where does he sleep at night? Put his crate next to your bed for a few nights - let him smell you and hear you breath; it will make him feel a bit more secure.

Sorry I didn't go into tremendous detail but I'm guessing you puppy is quite normal and it sounds like you are the right path but are in need of some help and advice. Good luck and keep asking questions - that's why us "old timers" are here!

[Midnight]

So I took Midnight over to the sports fields by my house and then down to the waterway where there are a lot of restaurants and shops. At the sports field he barked at the first lady, but she was really understanding and complimented him on guarding me, introduced herself to him and he calmed down. He didn't bark at anyone else!!! He wasn't completely comfortable with the waterway, but he did get gushed over a lot. Today I took him with me to go pick up a friend who was dropping off a Uhaul. The people working there came out to look at him and no barking! He even let them pet him, which he hadn't really let anyone do yesterday. I'm feeling a little more hopeful.


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[reck0n3r]

There were a couple of people who were mildly afraid of my pup that early, but for the most part everyone showed him a lot of love wherever we went.

30-40lbs later, not so much, but he does get the occasional stranger who will see him and run over to baby him, but they're also fellow dog owners.

I'm guessing they're afraid because he's barking a lot. Not sure what to say about that, other than hopefully he'll grow out of it soon. He's a cute puppy, congrats!

Edit: Just saw your post about him not barking at people anymore, that's awesome. He's coming along great then. Good on you for socializing him as much as you are!

[Midnight]

@reck,

He's doing a lot better with the barking, but he still went nuts at one of my neighbors on our walk last night. I'm going to keep working on it. /


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[KristenMarino13]

I have a all black shepherd he barks at people sometimes people dont want to pet him cause he barks but as soon as you put your hand out he is fine and happy .. same thing with dogs usually if the other dog barks first he starts barking so people dnt wanna bring there dogs up to mine but as soon as they meet my dog is fine he stops barking and acts nice