Suddenly barking at me for food...

jakesmyluv · #1 03-27-2009, 01:32 PM

My 14wk old puppy Jake has been a little underweight since we got him. Some people suggested adding some canned food to his dry to help him gain weight, and so I started doing that this past week. However, since I started it I've noticed now that he barks at me while I'm preparing it which he never did before. (This is a problem at 6:30 or 7 AM when my children are still sleeping!) I'm working on getting him to sit and stay before I put the food down, but he usually breaks his sit before I put it down or will bark at me and kind of jump back or run away when I ask him to stay? I don't understand why he's doing that, am I doing something wrong? Any suggestions would really be appreciated! Thanks!

Cami · #2 03-27-2009, 06:16 PM

I don't mean this in a bad way but.....
He is doing it because he can. Somewhere along the way he learned that barking got your attention or got him something. You may not have even realized it was happening.
The best way to nip this in the bud sooner rather than later is to literally STOP whatever it is you are doing at the time (preparing the meal in this situation) and just walk away.
If it takes 2 minutes or 10 he needs to learn that barking gets him the opposite of what he wants.
Barking at inappropriate times = getting nothing that he wants.
Being QUIET means he will eat (or get a toy or whatever).
He will learn quickly!
He learned quickly that barking was a way to get your attention. You may have even hushed him a few times. That was "something" (attention) in his eyes.
Stop the meal preparation and leave the room. Teaching him to stay out of the kitchen too might help but not getting something because of a certain behavior is a faster choice, IMO.
Let us know how it goes!

BxrMommieNAZ · #3 03-27-2009, 07:10 PM

I 100% agree with Cami. Also if you are teaching him to sit and stay before he gets his food then if he gets up you walk away and he doesn't get fed and try a couple of minutes later. He will eventually learn what you want him to do. Basically you are somehow rewarding bad behavior and letting him get away with it. If you stop doing that the behavior will change.

**Jan** · #4 03-28-2009, 07:08 AM

If he barks at you when you are getting the food ready. Just leave for a few minutes. He will soon figure out that barking doesn't work in getting the food any faster. If he doesn't sit and stay when you tell him to. Don't give him the food. Keep in mind that he is only a 14 week old puppy and you really can't expect him to sit and stay, the whole time you are getting the food ready. I would only expect a sit stay for about a second, while I actually put the food down. You can gradually increase the time. Make sure that you have a release word, telling him that he can now break his stay. It should not be okay, as that is way too common a word that can be used by accident.

Good luck!

jakesmyluv · #5 04-02-2009, 08:31 AM

Thanks everyone! I think I was just acknowledging his barking too much by hushing him,(especially when it was early in the morning!). But it only took 2 days of my ignoring him and walking away or doing something else and making him wait, and now he sits quietly out of the way in the living room waiting for me to put his food down! Not one peep!

LILYLARUE · #6 04-03-2009, 09:41 AM

Good boy Jake!!! He's a quick learner! Keep up the good work!