Increased barking inside and in the yard

[aguayoscar]

Hey all. My 18 m/o boy has ramped up his barking inside the house and in the yard. He rarely barks away from home (although he is frustrated greeter on-leash around other dogs, but that’s another issue). He’s been treated for anxiety with a non-sedating dose of Trazodone for about 6 months which seems to help with his general anxiety symptoms, but his barking has increased noticeably within the last two weeks.

He gets plenty of exercise and enrichment, (3-6 mile hikes, sometimes longer, 4-6x a week + 1-2 regular walks a day, daily running playtime in the backyard w/me, and daily training sessions), he’s been taught the relaxation protocol and is able to chill on his bed/mat easily, and I try to reward him for not reacting every chance I can get. He also has an excellent off-switch.

Also, in terms of management, I keep a large bay window that faces the street covered unless I’m there with him to actively work on LAT since he’s likely to bark at pedestrians. Outside, he’s only in the yard with me and never alone and if he starts barking at something, I try to redirect and treat for staying calm, but lately even treats won’t interest him as he’s already instantly over threshold. In that case, I just bring him inside.

I’ve been trying to figure out what changes have occurred in his daily life within the last few weeks and this is what I’ve identified:

1. I’ve begun removing his xpen (“his room”) from the living room except for when I leave the house. It’s been there since he was 8 weeks old and he often went in and out of it during the day as the door was always left open except when I leave. He also took his meals there, although I still give him his meals in the same exact spot in the living room, (minus the xpen). None of his bedding, toys, or other items have been moved.
2. New neighbors moved in next door about a month ago. However, they are rarely outside so we don’t ever see them.
3. The weather is warming up and so there’s more activity in the neighborhood. It’s not any different that it was last fall, but perhaps he doesn’t remember that?

I’ve talked to the vet and he surmises that it could be his final adolescent fear period and that he may have built up some territorial insecurity, but my vet seemed confident that with continued R+ training and desensitization, my boy should be able to revert back to a more relaxed state. (The vet and I have also been discussing switching him from Trazodone to fluoxetine, but we aren’t there yet.) Additionally, I’ve also looked into working with a behaviorist, but the costs are exorbitant in my area @ $600+ per hour. I have an R+ trainer that I worked with a lot in the beginning and intermittently since then, but it’s been awhile since our last training session.

If anyone has experienced this and has some pointers or experiences to share, I’d appreciate it. Thanks!