lmperez

Lucca is 6 mos old and I started to notice that he is easily startled. When my son comes out of his room upstairs Lucca will bark and bark at him. It is as if he doesn't reconize him. My son will come down stairs and he sometimes stops when I am there but my son says when I am gone he will not always stop barking. Is it possible he has a difficult time seeing? What should I look for? I know poodles have eye issues so I am a liittle concern. He came from a very reputable breeder that did all the pretesting so I manot sure my concerns are vaild. Any thoughts?

bigpoodleperson

Does he like your son? Does he stop when your son talks to him? Most dogs with eye problems will stop barking when they hear/smell that it is someone that they know. If he doesnt stop like your son says, then I would be more likely to call it a behavioral issue. How old is your son? Does your son play with him, feed him, walk him, do anything "good" with him? He could be going through a fear period now. I would recommend that your son start doing fun and rewarding things with Lucca to get their bond stronger.

__________________
RIP my sweet baby Riley

lmperez

My son is 18. He does talk to him but that is about it! He is my dog and he is with me when I am home. I was also thinking fear period.

BorderKelpie

It certainly wouldn't hurt to have your vet check his eyes just to be sure nothing is starting to go wrong.
You may also get your son to start giving him really yummy treats.

Or, you all could use this to train Lucca to bark on command. When he barks, tell him 'speak' (or whatever). Then, tell him 'quiet' and give him the treat - he can't bark with his mouth full. This is how I got my Sheltie to not bark so often (her name was Chatter if that tells you anything). By the time Chatter learned to speak on command, she also learned 'Quiet' and 'Whisper' - a muffled chuffing sound. That was her 'indoor voice.'
There's no reason Lucca can't learn when to use his bark.
Having your son give him the good treats will help get him smoothly through a possible fear period as well.

Best wishes!

Kloliver

Second Fear Period

Many dogs will show a rise in their level of aggression (reactivity) during this time. They may become protective and territorial. Incidents of teenage flakiness may recur.

6 to 14 months
In large breeds this period could extend longer since it is tied to sexual maturity. Incidents may occur more than once.

Corresponds with growth spurts. Therefore it may happen more than once as the puppy matures.

May suddenly be apprehensive about new things or shy or timid of new people or situations. Most of height growing is over, but pup will start to fill out over the coming year.

Puppy begins to mature sexually: male begins to lift leg, and female has first heat period anywhere from 6-12 months. Puppy coat being replaced by adult coat, starting down the spine.

This is a fear of new situations and are handled with the utmost patience. The dog is encouraged to work it out on his own. If anything, it is better to ignore the whole situation than to reinforce the fear by praising the dog or petting him while he is afraid. When you "reassure" a dog with pets and "it's okay, fella", you are telling him it is okay to be frightened and you are creating a potential problem.

If your puppy appears apprehensive, avoid confrontation.

Build confidence through training.

Avoid any potentially overwhelming circumstances you cannot personally oversee, such as shipping your pup in the cargo bay of an airplane.

This from the training school we attend Developmental Stages

I would suggest something like this...

(happy voice)
"Let's go look. No Biggie"
Then shrug & walk away or distract with something fun.

This way he knows you have his back but at the same time whatever frightened him is really of no consequence. No coddling though.