3) Barking due to fear/ stress, nervousness
- Each dog has his own phobias, fears and triggers of elements that will induce barking. Anything that causes a Maltipoo to be on alert can additionally prompt him to become vocal. He may just be on guard or something may be causing him to feel as if he needs to go into 'protection' mode of himself, the entire family and/or the house. This can include other animal outside, cars driving by, etc.
If a dog cannot figure out if a sound is a threat, he will often fall back on the assumption that it is unless proven otherwise. Therefore, an array of noises and stimulus can cause a Maltipoo to feel nervous which then manifests as barking.
Other barking triggers for a Maltipoo may be a noise that is irritating to the super-sensitive canine hearing that he possesses. Typically this includes high pitched, piercing sounds such as car alarms and sirens.
How to fix this
- There is not much you can do about outside, unexpected triggers such as police sirens or the neighbor's pulling up the drive each night. Most of these events are short-lived and barking should cease as soon as the dog is distracted, even if briefly.
What's important is to offer assurance that 'all is fine' without offering comfort that could be interpreted as confirmation that there is indeed a danger. Overly soothing words should be avoided and instead an owner should speak in a matter-of-fact tone that implies the barking trigger is a normal, expected part of life that requires neither attention nor worry.
Dogs are fantastic at picking up their owner's feelings; humans send out a vibe whether we mean to or not. Often, if a dog is yapping away and owners become frustrated and begin to raise their voices and appear agitated, this can cause the dog to bark even more. It can be an endless cycle.
The best advice for this - and many other situations is: Distract, ignore, reward with attention when the barking stops.