New pug mix owner...HELP!

I have recently adopted a pug mix who is almost 11 months old. We were told he was a pug/terrier mix.....but the vet seems to think he is a pug/rottie mix. Either way, he is adorable and sweet. He came from a family.....a man and his fiance, who ended up breaking up and neither could keep the dog. He is the most mellow and laid back dog i've ever met. I have one problem. In just three days this dog seems overprotective of myself and my family. Prior owners did tell us he was not a barker unless someone came to the door. This is true, as he NEVER barks at all, except when there is company at the door. Normally this would be ok, except he does not stop barking until they leave. He barks incessantly at anyone in my house who is not a family member until they leave. I need to break this habit. But on the flipside, in public or at parks, he barks at no one walking by. I have never owned a dog in my adult life (i'm now 38), so i'm at a loss as how to fix this behavior and looking for advice. Any replies would be greatly appreciated.

Frying pan and a laddle, or anything that can make a shocking noise. Our lilo would bark like crazy if people didn't pay attention to her 24/7. when she barks we will use the laddle and frying pan to make loud noises, only needed it for the first couple of days, now when she barks i just show her the frying pan and she stops.

At this point she barely barks at all anymore. At first i didn't want to do it because it seemed mean, but the method works and she is doing just fine.

This sounds like alarm barking to me. Barking is a hard habit to break because it is self reinforcing, but it can be done.

Here's a good link on working with barking behaviour:

http://www.clickertraining.com/node/1125

You might try keeping some treats by the door where people come in and have the people toss the dog a treat as they come in the door. This works pretty well for most dogs if they're a bit fearful. It also helps sometimes to put the dog up or behind a baby gate and let the humans get seated and then let the dog out. People are much more threatening if they are standing and moving around and a nervous dog will feel more comfortable if the people are seated and stationary.

If you've only had him 3 days, it's going to take him some time to settle in and get used to a new household. Much of the barking might go away once he feels more comfortable. It can take anywhere from a few weeks to a couple of months for a new dog to settle in.

Good luck!

All these comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated :o)
I have read a lot of websites that mention lemon water in a spray bottle, and then once he stops, to give him a treat. Any thoughts on this?

cbard wrote:All these comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated :o)
I have read a lot of websites that mention lemon water in a spray bottle, and then once he stops, to give him a treat. Any thoughts on this?

I'd hold off on the water bottle. As Karen said, if he's only been with you 3 days this could all be about adjusting and settling and not an ongoing permanent problem. And the lemon water stuff hurts their eyes and can sting nose and mouth tissue. I'd start out with gentler methods and then you could move to a squirt bottle. I always start with the least aversive training method.

Always reward him when he doesn't alarm bark and I ditto Karen's suggestion of making visitors a pleasant experience for him with treats and other goodies.

cbard wrote:All these comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated :o)
I have read a lot of websites that mention lemon water in a spray bottle, and then once he stops, to give him a treat. Any thoughts on this?

I'd hold off on any aversives until I've tried the treats first. He's new at your house and he's going through really huge change in his life. I'd aim for making this transition as easy on him as possible. Many thing like alert barking go away on their own once the dog settles in.