barking schnauzer

Question
please help my 6 month old miniature barks at everything and everyone whilst out on the lead he will bark and lunge at dogs and people not growling just barking. on the driveway he is the same. even in the house he will sit at the window and bark every time someone passes. this may sound strange but also he has a small towel that he places in his mouth and runs around the house crying trying to find a place to hide it. I have booked him in the vets to be neutered will this help. Also he never sleeps past 6am he sleeps in his crate but with this and his behaviour i am worn out please help.

Answer

Hi Anne,

The neutering will help if the cause for the barking is hormonal, which might indeed be part of the scenario.

Along with the neutering, your dog needs to be trained to walk nicely on the leash, and to stop barking upon your command. The simplest most direct method of getting your dog trained, is to enroll in a dog obedience class, and to practice the techniques you learn every day. A class or private instructor is so much more effective than just reading about a possible solution because the instructor can observe your dog's behavior and make helpful suggestions specific to your particular dog. Ask your vet for a referral for an obedience class, or you can locate one here:
http://www.apdt.com/petowners/ts/default.aspx

The towel your dog favors and tries to hide isn't really odd behavior. Many dogs have an object they particularly love or see as "theirs", and try to hide the object to keep it safely away from others who might want to take it. Just let him hide the towel. You can pretend you don't know where it's hidden, as it can be stressing your dog out.

Many dogs are early risers, this won't change after your dog is neutered. If your dog is reliably house trained, and doesn't need to be taken right outside at 6am, try ignoring your dog for 10 minutes longer every morning, until you get it to a more reasonable time that you want to get up. This might take a couple of weeks, if you're in the habit of giving in to your dog, and getting up when he demands it. Even if you're awake in bed, don't let your dog see that you're awake, and don't get out of bed until those extra 10 minutes are up.
Make sure there is nothing like a coffee maker on a timer signaling him that it's time to wake up! Also, when you take your dog out for the last time a night, make sure he runs around a bit to help ensure that he's more tired.

Best of luck,
Patti