barking

[lindsey]

I have a wonderful male rottie who is 8 months old. He however does not bark at anything that comes to the door. i don't want him to be overly agressive when someone comes to the door but i want him at least to bark. will he outgrow this? what is strange though is he will bark at things that are out of place. like if you but something on the floor that is not normally there he will bark and growl at it like it was going to get him. Is this normal.

[Trish]

I have a male similar to that. Remember first at 8 months he still a baby and has alot more growing up to do. One thing that I did with my male 9 months old, was when someone came to the door give him a "Watch" command be eager to look and excited at the door. When he responds, praise praise praise. You probably will not get a bark at first, maybe just a look. Go step by step, looking first, then maybe a grumble, then a bark. Again praise him all the way. He will get there. You just have to let him know what you want him to do. Having a third party, ring the door bell or knock on the door helps too. You can use the bell or knock as his trigger to respond.
Another thing you could try is the "speak" or german form "Gib Laut" command. If you can teach him to "speak". Then give him that command when someone comes to the door.

Hope that helps ya, Good Luck

trish

[judy v]

you may also notice a distinct behavior change between 1 year and 18 months. it could even happen earlier.