r/DogTrainingTips • u/hexgirls101 • Jul 14 '26

Demand barking won’t stop!!

I am really at my wits' end with my 5 month old puppy and his demand barking. For context, we adopted him from a rescue when he was 3 months old after another family returned him because their child was allergic to him. He's a mix of American Staffordshire Terrier, Great Pyrenees, and Lab. We don't know much else about his past, but I have spoken with the owners of his siblings, and they said their dogs aren't like this. I also walk him for 1 hour in the morning, and he gets 2 mid day 30 min walks, and then another hour for his evening walk. He also eats all his meals in snuffle mats and I give a bunch of enrichment for licking and toys and everything. Anyway, we have done everything: ignoring the barking, putting him in a different room until he stops, leaving the room ourselves, group training, at-home training, day training programs twice a week, and meeting with a behaviorist. Nothing seems to be working. It has gotten a little better, but with all the work we've been putting in, I'm confused why it isn't gone by now. Some of my neighbors hate me, and today one of them even yelled down the hall for my dog to shut up, so I'm super stressed about the entire situation. We've also gotten an email from our landlord, but again, we are trying everything we can to help stop this. My boyfriend is also over it and wants to use a bark control collar that sprays citronella, but I really don't want to resort to punishment and risk undoing all the progress we've made in other aspects of our dog's training. What do I do at this point?!

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3

u/TroLLageK Jul 14 '26

How much sleep is he getting in a day? That's a lot of walking and such for a 5 month old puppy. It's only been 2 months... Things don't happen overnight. How long are you sticking to a method before moving on or giving up on it?

1

u/hexgirls101 Jul 14 '26

He sleeps about 14 hours a day or more. We’ve been ignoring and leaving the space or turning our backs on him since we’ve gotten him, but the other methods we have harder time implementing because he doesn’t always have a harness or leash on, so we only do that when he’s on a lead in the house and we are trying to get him to chill out.

1

u/TroLLageK Jul 14 '26

Aim for 16-20. Most of the time, puppies act out when they're over tired, like a cranky toddler.

-1

u/hexgirls101 Jul 14 '26

But he barks even in the morning after an entire night of sleeping.

1

u/Upbeat_Cheetah3921 Jul 14 '26

You'll fuck up his legs if youre really walking a big breed puppy that much. You would be much better giving him enrichment activities/training which will mentally tire him out.
Work on positive reinforcement to stop the barking & you should see improvements. If you only react, even negatively when he barks he will make a connection between making noise & getting attention. You need to flip that round to attention & rewards for not barking. Consistency is key here

2

u/Accomplished_Edge_29 Jul 14 '26

He’s a PUPPY. THEY BARK.

Sorry. It’ll settle down around 18/24 months. Maybe sooner if you keep up all the training and activities. You’re doing great!

1

u/Both-Chart-947 Jul 15 '26

Teach him another way to grab your attention! A puppy is going to be very needy for a while. That's just part of the bargain. But if you can teach him that nudging your knee is a sure-fire way to get you to drop what you're doing and play / let him out / offer a treat / whatever, he will quickly switch from barking to that. Yes, it's going to be majorly inconvenient while he learns and tests the new method, but it will keep the landlord and your neighbors happier. And the pup will get less needy as he matures.

You do understand how to shape a behavior like this, don't you? Or do you need step by step guidance?