Barking Labrador

[MissMedusa]

Hi all, I'm hoping for some advice on what we can do re our lab who barks every night after she has had her dinner. She doesn't bark at any other time of the day. We live on a half acre block and some nights she will be at the front gate, some times at the back fence or other times she will be running around the yard. She is always very aroused, tail up and barks and barks and barks! She is an inside dog but I do like her to spend time outside when it suits us as in when she has just eaten and when we are having dinner etc. We have been members of our local dog club for the last 12 monts and she has done really well and we are moving up through the classes. She is walked or run daily (depending on who takes her) and we try to keep her stimulated with training and games so I don't think we can blame boredom for this behaviour.

If any one has any suggestions for us we would love to hear.

Thanks in advance.

Ps she is 19 months old.

[harley]

Maybe she is barking at the wild life that you can't see?

[Red Fox]

Crate her inside after her dinner and teach her to calm down during this time. Some dogs seem to get a burst of energy after eating, however large deep chested breeds can be prone to bloat. No way I would be letting the dog run around within an hour before or after a meal.

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

Crate her inside after her dinner and teach her to calm down during this time. Some dogs seem to get a burst of energy after eating, however large deep chested breeds can be prone to bloat. No way I would be letting the dog run around within an hour before or after a meal.

This. Also people sometimes let their animals out after dark so they can go and poop around the neighbourhood and not be seen. It's also the time when there's lots of comings and goings in the area as people come home etc?

Best if you walk young dogs twice daily, I've fostered younger dogs and they definitely seem to need that. I only have old dogs now and go once daily but the recommended is twice daily for 10 mins.

Could she be cold?

[persephone]

twice daily for 10 mins.

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10 minutes ?

That's hardly time for most young adults to warm up :)

Nice long walks, with some obedience etc along the way ..nothing to 'rev' her up ...

My dogs go to bed after they are fed .. having lost one to bloat , a rest after eating is a house rule.

[cornell]

As you know labradors are family dogs. They want to be with her family especially if this is what they are used to.

They are also smart and love their food. She knows she is missing out.

I call the time straight after dinner 'happy hour' at our house where my dog also experiences a burst of energy and it is play time!

Have a bit of understanding.

How do you feel when you are on a diet and you can smell someone having a yummy meal?

How do you feel when someone tells you to be alone when all you want to do is talk or play?

I would not confine her she needs to release this energy.

My advice is to try giving her a deer antler at this time and pick it up when she comes in ready for the following evening. Give her something to look forward to to distract her.

Good luck!

[aussielover]

I wouldn't be letting a Lab run around after a meal, particularly if it's a relatively large meal (if she only gets fed once a day etc).

I agree with crating or settling on bed with a chew toy eg deer antler, nylabone, wizzer etc

Perhaps one walk a day isnt enough for your young lab? My lab gets at least 3 long walks (1hr +) per day plus extra training. And she is a relatively low energy lab!

Edited July 15, 2012 by aussielover

[Niques]

I wouldn't be letting a Lab run around after a meal, particularly if it's a relatively large meal (if she only gets fed once a day etc).

I agree with crating or settling on bed with a chew toy eg deer antler, nylabone, wizzer etc

Perhaps one walk a day isnt enough for your young lab? My lab gets at least 3 long walks (1hr +) per day plus extra training. And she is a relatively low energy lab!

Having not known all that many, I hesitate to make generalisations on Lab energy levels, but based on your previous posts, if Mindy is a low energy Labrador then my boy must be practically dead!

For example, the extent of his structured exercise today has been a short, 15-20 minute wander around in the middle of a 3 hour (round) road trip. He's having a sniff in the garden now and will then, most likely, conk out on the couch for the afternoon. This is not atypical for him.

OP, I've always crated my Lab after dinner. Initially because I didn't want him jumping around after eating, although that's turned into a void point given that he just started using after-breakfast as his zoomie time instead. But now (as a 2 1/2 year old) he knows that, even if he's not crated, post-dinner is a calm time. Are you able to contain her at all after her meal?

Edited July 15, 2012 by Niques

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

I didn't see the 10 mins walk part, that is not nearly enough.

When I've had young fosters, they've gone for an hour both morning and night. I'm not able to commit to this so i don't have young dogs, I'm also not physically able to do it either.

If you are going to take on a young dog, you really must get the exercise part right or it does lead to behavioural issues.

[MissMedusa]

Hi All

Thanks for all the suggestions and advice. From tonight we will be bringing her inside once she has had her dinner and I'm sure that will help as she always settles once she is in the house.

Dogmad, im not sure where the 10 minutes of exercise has come from?? We Are very aware of a young labs exercise requirements and potential stress on joints etc and we have built up to 45 mins to 1 hour each day.

Thanks again.

[Malamum]

I also second just bringing her inside.

[jakeyjangels]

Human company is more important to our 2 Labs than anything. They get about an hour a day structured exercise. Routine is also very important to them.

We have a game of ball for about 10 minutes an hour after their dinner. They then settle for the rest of the night.

[koalathebear]

Having not known all that many, I hesitate to make generalisations on Lab energy levels, but based on your previous posts, if Mindy is a low energy Labrador then my boy must be practically dead!

Well my two Kelpies would be more than dead, by that measurement. They don't even get a walk every day :p They do do agility once a week and get lots of tricks training and human time. They run around like pork chops at the dog park. Their walks are probably half hour max, sometimes only 15 minutes. In any case, running and walking would not tire my two - they're bred to run 60 km a day :p This is why I find that I like to give them moderate physical exercise and lots of brain-taxing stuff to do.

Edited July 15, 2012 by koalathebear

[sandgrubber]

Seems to me that the first thing you need to figure out is whether the dog is barking at something, or trying to communicate that she feels left out and wants to get in (or it could be something else).

You said your dog barked with tail up and aroused-looking. But what about the nose. Which direction does it point? Is she consistently going to one section of fence? If she's barking at something, there should be some focus on something she finds bark-able. If she's expressing frustration at being out, she may focus on the house, or bark in circles, but is unlikely to focus on some area away from the house, and will almost certainly be eager to come inside when you open the door.

My Labs get 'no barkies' in a stern tone when they bark at wildlife or bark in response to other dogs barking. They've learned; now they woof once or twice, but don't bark in an ongoing and obnoxious way. I make sure to do this loud enough that neighbors know I'm making an effort.