Need Help Four months old - suddenly very skittish about EVERYTHING


TC91

New Member
Hi all

My little boy David came home to us about 6 weeks ago and has always been quite good at taking everything in his stride. Over the past 48 hours however he has changed drastically and has been barking excessively at ANY noise indoor or outdoor and really for no reason that I can discern!

He has also taken an intense dislike to the fridge as he can see his reflection in there - this is brand new (has seen the fridge mayny times before!) so any advice on how to resolve this in particular would be very well received

He's never been overly vocal so I'm really taken aback at his new excessive, constant barking. He's not in any pain that I can see or feel. However he IS teething...

What do you think? Is it a fear phase or teething or both? Will he grow out of it?
 

TC91

New Member
Just to be clear on the fridge issue he will stand and look at his reflection and bark - i can tell he is afraid as he now looks behind him at the fridge as he is eating - never been fussed before!
 

Cashs Mom

Member
Teething could be affecting his behaviour. As far as the reflection in the frig goes, most pups go thru a streak where they suddenly discover the "other dog" in the mirror, window, on an appliance. I think it's pretty natural to bark because in their world that's a strange dog in their house! Definitely cause for alarm! lol I don't think looking behind is a sign of real fear. He's just not sure what is going on. Mine got over that pretty fast without much intervention on my part.

He's still pretty young and could be just discovering his voice and wanting to use this new toy. It's sort of what a lot of dachshunds do. I've had some that barked incessantly and some that rarely barked. Just a difference in personality, I think. I have had a bit of luck with calling them away from whatever they were barking at, making them sit or down and then giving them a treat. You have to be pretty diligent about it, but I've been able to get them to where when they bark and I shush them and they run to me for their command and treat.
 

MIDSH

New Member
I have an eight year old dachshund and live in a condo so she hears many noises to make her bark. My solution was to put a few pennies in a small glass jar and when she starts barking, I shake the jar and she immediately stops barking. I have no idea why, but it works for me! :)
 

MIDSH

New Member
My dachshund was transported from a breeder in North Carolina to me in San Diego, CA 8 years ago via airplane. I attribute her fear of many things to the trauma of the airplane trip. Ever since I have had her, she trembles and has diarrhea any time I take her outside. The only way she is comfortable when I absolutely must take her out, is if I put her in her stroller. Then I guess she feels safe and secure because she is in a relatively enclosed space. She is afraid of EVERYTHING! In spite of that, she is a fantastic, loving, and very friendly girl! She has never snapped or bitten anyone--she just trembles. I just keep her at home. We live in a second floor condo and she has a doggie door and place on the patio to do her business and she is fine with that.
 

Cashs Mom

Member
I have an eight year old dachshund and live in a condo so she hears many noises to make her bark. My solution was to put a few pennies in a small glass jar and when she starts barking, I shake the jar and she immediately stops barking. I have no idea why, but it works for me! :)
That does work! I used a soft drink can and the pennies. The dogs would stop whatever they were doing immediately. I may have to get that can out again for Honey!
 

CaseyKC

Active Member
I do believe I have tried everything to stop Annie's barking, including a spray bottle with water, (she loves being sprayed and it does not stop the barking,) pennies in the can makes her squat and pee on the floor, (did not stop the barking and I then had two problems, barking and clean up the pee,) so I am currently researching vibration collars. I have one on order right now, it is supposed to be a mild vibration, no shocking and will vibrate when the dog barks and stop vibration when the dog is quiet. I haven't received it yet, but will report back after it arrives and we have tried it.
 

Cashs Mom

Member
I hope it works for you. I've heard that they just get used to it after a while and ignore it. For dogs that like water or ignore it, I mix vinegar with the water. I haven't seen a dog that like vinegar on their face. Might try that.
 

Chariya

New Member
The one thing I've learned from owning 5 Dachshunds over the years, I currently have my 4th and the 5th is a puppy they all have different personalities. The fear in your Dachshund could be from something happening at the breeder, it was handled poorly through the flight or just genetics. My first Dachshund was a puppy and she also came from North Carolina and flew from there to California. She didn't have any fears or nervousness, very friendly and loving. I flew a retired breeder Dachshund from Texas to California and again no problems with fear or any other problems.
I do use a shock collar on my older Dachshund that has a remote to activate it for barking and she just ignores it. I use a different shock collar that shocks her when she barks when I go somewhere and she responds to that one. They do get collar smart. Vibration doesn't work on my dog. When my puppy is 6 months old she will have a shock also because she's a barker. I know there's people that are anti shock collar but I find they can work.
 

Chariya

New Member
I also forgot to mention if your dog has any tags on it's regular collar that make noise when it walks or shakes remove them, they will activate your collar and cause it to vibrate without the dog barking. I found this out with my dogs collar because she had metal tags and it would shock her when she wasn't barking. I removed the tags and no problems.
 

CaseyKC

Active Member
So far, the vibration collar is working. I can put it on Annie if I know someone is coming over. At first volley of barking, it makes a high pitch sound that surprises her. The look on her face is priceless as she tries to look down at her chest to see what is making that sound. If she continues with the barking, it begins to vibrate and she retreats to her bed and is wonderfully quiet. My young granddaughters were at my house this past weekend for me to watch them while their parents went to a wedding out of state. After two or three times barking, she retreated to her bed. Because she was nice and quiet, I gave her a small treat and lots of praise. I left the collar on for maybe an hour while the little girls settled in and Annie remained silent. I removed the collar to recharge it at that point, and with the exception of the door bell ringing to alert me to a package delivery, (several barks at the door) I showed her the collar, didn't even have to put it on her, and she stayed quiet. The weekend was a success and she even allowed one of my granddaughters to sit next to me on the sofa without barking. I hope this will be a solution to the non stop barking that I have endured for the past four years when anyone came into the house. I will let you know if it continues to work.
 

CaseyKC

Active Member
At this point I am not sure how often I will have to re charge the collar, but at this point, I am thrilled with the silence.
 

CaseyKC

Active Member
I hope it works for you. I've heard that they just get used to it after a while and ignore it. For dogs that like water or ignore it, I mix vinegar with the water. I haven't seen a dog that like vinegar on their face. Might try that.
You were 100% correct, she got used to the collar.
 
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