Dog won’t stop barking at my roommate, started being more aggressive

[theendwasin70ad]

My roommate “Claire” (22nb) and I (21f) live in a house with four other roommates (27-40 of various genders). Claire and I adopted a dog two weeks ago, a 7 year old female shiba inu. We’ve both owned dogs with our families, but this is the first time we’ve had our own dog in this house. Claire and I live in separate rooms on the top floor, and there’s nothing up here except our bedrooms.

Our dog, Akiera, is fairly well behaved, except one thing: she consistently barks at two of our roommates. Specifically, she loses her mind when the only two men in the house are literally anywhere. One of my roommates (40m) is an insomniac and the other (29m) is an elementary school teacher, so both are awake when the rest of us are asleep - and Akiera won’t stop barking until they either leave or go back to their rooms. She sleeps upstairs either in one of our (me or Claire’s) rooms, or on the rug between them.

My last dog was extremely food motivated, so we’d just have people feed him and he’d usually calm down, but Akiera will have none of it. We only got her about two weeks ago, but I really want to nip this in the bud. I just don’t know how to go about it!

Any suggestions welcome

 

[mykell]

@theendwasin70ad Head over to r/reactivedogs since there’s a mix of info here, some that’s not in accordance to the sub’s rules. I’d strongly caution against anti-bark devices and the YouTube trainers mentioned in a comment. Look into a trainer with certifications like KPA or CPDT.

 

[theendwasin70ad]

@mykell we’ve been working on crate training her, but worry she’ll bark for attention while we’re out/people are sleeping. i’m hesitant about the anti-bark device for downstairs, where she mostly interacts w the 40 y/o roommate, just because i don’t want her even MORE stressed, but do you have any thoughts on using one of those devices for attention barking rather than stress responses?

we’re also working on rewarding her once she STOPS barking, if that’s any help

 

[mykell]

@theendwasin70ad Crate training is awesome! If there is a safety concern for your roommates this will be the best option.

Good question- When anti-bark devices work (decreasing a behavior) it is because the sound or sensation is unpleasant. They suppress behaviors while neglecting to fulfill a need behind the behavior be it distance or attention. Other problem behaviors can pop up as a result.

I think your situation is tough because your dog is living with triggers. You did say that the behavior of barking is maintained until the roommates are gone or back in their rooms so maybe careful set ups with high rate of reinforcement for them appearing can help. Don’t worry about rewarding while barking to create positive associations. Teaching an alternative behavior like moving away (ideally out of context first) from a trigger can be another tool in your kit. Exploring CAT could be helpful as well.

Again, I stress looking into professional help. It’s hard to assess the nuances online.

 

[kyx]

@theendwasin70ad If your dog is over threshold, which it sounds like she is, she won't accept food even if she is food motivated.

This sounds like reactivity, although without more context, I can't be sure what the cause is. But considering both these room mates are men, and your dog is presumably a rescue, I'd say it's fair to assume she has a fear of men.

Do you have any background information on this dog or her circumstances before she came to you? If she is afraid of men, even if it's only some men, she may not be appropriate for living in that environment. I would contact the place you got her from to ask them if this has been a problem in the past.

 

[theendwasin70ad]

@kyx i’ll give the shelter a call, but she’d only been there a couple days.

i should add, she’s slowly warming up to the elementary school teacher, but HATES the insomniac. there are other amab (assigned male at birth) people in the house, but she loves them. the insomniac is the only person of color in the house, which leads claire and i to… unhappy conclusions :/

 

[kyx]

@theendwasin70ad Ah, yeah, that could be it, unfortunately. Dogs who have been in very sheltered/neglectful/abusive environments can be afraid of people for very specific reasons because of their circumstances. I've seen shelter dogs who are scared of things like umbrellas, people wearing hats, basically anything you could imagine.

I think you have the right idea, though, in trying to create a positive association with the person/people she is afraid of. You might need to find a force free trainer near you to help you out as this is a pretty tricky situation.

 

[theechef510]

@theendwasin70ad First step is take is the dog doesn’t sleep with you if that’s mostly where the issue is coming from. The dog has decided that’s his territory and it’s not. A crate is very appropriate for dog. It’s not a punishment, and gives them a safe space. Anxious dogs need this.

 

[theendwasin70ad]

@theechef510 we’ve been trying crate training! she’s whining a lot but today’s the first day i’ve gotten her into the crate and been able to close the door. small victories in this house!