HELP!!! Please! This is one of the main habits I wanted to avoid. We have always ignored any form of cry/ whimper/ moan/ general puppy noise and not acknowledged in any way. However, in the last week our puppy has found his voice and started barking. It seems to be a bored/ frustrated: attention type bark. We can be mid play when he decides he is bored of that game, does a quick whine and then immediately follows it up with a bark. He will do it when my other half is attempting to keep him occupied but he knows I'm upstairs and seems to want me. He'll do it if we've played/ done some training and he's not ready to sleep but we aren't giving him enough attention (in his opinion). We are so far just ignoring the barking - not even looking at him. And in the last day or so have tried leaving the room and closing the door behind us. We are trying to ensure he has as much playing, training, interaction as possible but it's getting to the point that unless he's asleep you daren't leave him uncrated to please himself for even one second otherwise he will bark. It's not endless barking - just one or two 'woofs' but I really don't want it to escalate. Also in the last day or two he has started to bark at strange people we meet. Obviously this is a fear thing as it isn't everyone, but how do I deal with this when it happens. We've done our very best to socialise him - carrying him around before vaccs etc and putting him in as many different circumstances as possible but obviously it's ongoing with a puppy of his age - he's 4 months.
it sounds a lot like a play bark. Most pups do it. Just make sure all play stops when he barks and starts again when he's quiet. If he's not ready to sleep then give him a Kong or something to chew when you've finished your training etc. sit at your iPad/Laptop or get out your newspaper and sigh, turn your back and totally ignore all barking. Once he's chewing/playing by himself then give attention again - which can just be a few treats or a little game of tuggy. You won't prevent ALL barking (he's a dog!) but bored barking should stop, over time ...
When it comes to anxiety we are taught to let them look at the 'thing' but move no closer and don't react to it in any way ourselves (they look to you for cues). If they are mildly worried then let them look, stronger reactions move to a more comfortable distance and look. Only move away after they relax. ...
I noticed our Pup Duggan would bark a couple times intently if we changed his routine or forgot something. You could set your watch to this guys routine. And he has no problem reminding us. No barking other than that, thankfully. Well, his mother in law taught him to bark but we caught it very early and now he's back to body language.
Betsy was very noisy when I got her! Which was a surprise because Charlie had been silent as a puppy. She would bark in frustration if I didn't let her say hello to a person because she was pulling on her lead etc. She'd bark if she thought I could be a bit quicker dishing out her grub. She'd bark if people were outside her pen and ignoring her efforts to get attention. I was pretty zero tolerance about it - I'd leave the room if she barked and made sure everyone else did the same. Very luckily, my older dog also thought her barking was beyond the pale, and he would also leave if she barked, which was extremely convenient because she would bark at him from her pen. I haven't heard her bark now in weeks. I think a lot of impulse control work also helped a lot - and from the circumstances you describe, barking when you stop playing etc it would help your puppy too. Betsy was definitely a frustration barker.
