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Lily is almost 15 weeks old. We go to the lake 5-7 x's per week where there are lots of other dogs, children, runners, walkers, bicyclists, ducks, birds, cars driving by, etc. We also go to the trails about 5x's per week where there are runners, hikers, and dogs. She attends puppy training class with about 15 other puppies. She go to the petstore about once a week and runs errands with me (bank drive-thru, car wash, etc.). She also plays with my friends' dogs that I trust to play nicely. We have been doing this since she came home at 8 weeks. She is a sole dog but I also have two cats (although they want nothing to do with her).
However, lately she has taken to barking quite loudly at other dogs, and sometimes people. For example, she'll bark at a dog that she sees at the lake and it just doesn't have the same friendly sound to it that her bark used to have. I correct her with a no bark. Sometimes I'll ask the owner if Lily can meet their dog. I try to take her attention off of the dog first and never let her go running up to a dog barking. Once there she is fine, but sometimes she does seem quite bold in her introduction. She goes right up to the dogs face and with some smaller dogs seems to try to stand over them.
Also, another puppy that she was playing with jumped on me and she pushed him off of me. Is she being possessive in a dominant way? or is that normal puppy behavior?
She has also taken to barking at people sometimes. Probably 95% of the time she is very friendly and I always ask her to sit before someone pets her...but other times she barks and it just doesn't sound like her friendly bark. For example, this morning I took her out to pee. A man was running up to the dumpster near our house and she started barking at him. And the other night she could hear someone walking by our house and she started barking and wouldn't stop for a few minutes. She tends to be more alert at night or early morning when she goes out.
Does any of this sound like the beginning of problems? or is this normal puppy development? I have never had a dog before, so it is all new to me. Any insgiht would be wonderful!
However, lately she has taken to barking quite loudly at other dogs, and sometimes people. For example, she'll bark at a dog that she sees at the lake and it just doesn't have the same friendly sound to it that her bark used to have. I correct her with a no bark. Sometimes I'll ask the owner if Lily can meet their dog. I try to take her attention off of the dog first and never let her go running up to a dog barking. Once there she is fine, but sometimes she does seem quite bold in her introduction. She goes right up to the dogs face and with some smaller dogs seems to try to stand over them.
Also, another puppy that she was playing with jumped on me and she pushed him off of me. Is she being possessive in a dominant way? or is that normal puppy behavior?
She has also taken to barking at people sometimes. Probably 95% of the time she is very friendly and I always ask her to sit before someone pets her...but other times she barks and it just doesn't sound like her friendly bark. For example, this morning I took her out to pee. A man was running up to the dumpster near our house and she started barking at him. And the other night she could hear someone walking by our house and she started barking and wouldn't stop for a few minutes. She tends to be more alert at night or early morning when she goes out.
Does any of this sound like the beginning of problems? or is this normal puppy development? I have never had a dog before, so it is all new to me. Any insgiht would be wonderful!
