Bonita of Bwana
Posted : 2/14/2012 2:10:28 AM
Flying a dog can be very stressful added to the move, your Juno is dealing with a lot right now. To avoid this behavior from becoming a permenate issue I would suggest two important things.
#1 Do Not tell Juno "It's Alright" or "It's Okay", we instinctively want to reassure them that they have nothing to worry about. However you are not actually doing that when you tell the dog things are fine as they are doing the behavior that you don't want. In reality they hear you telling them that they are RIGHT to be barking. So make sure Juno is not getting mixed messages from the beginning.
#2 The best thing you can do when your dog exibits a strange behavior like barking , or greeting people , new or old friends, in a verbal or physical manner is to be ready to distract them with commands. Telling her to sit , down and sit again takes her mind off the urge to bark and puts it back on pleasing you in hopes of a treat, toy or praise. My hounds are very food motivated so when I wish to teach them using food as a reward speeds up results considerably. There are bowls of treats all over our home. The dogs are not treated Every time once they have a behavior down pat, but they are treated often enough it keeps them motivated to react in the manner I want.
We have 5 adult Rhodesian Ridgebacks and have added a puppy from our current litter. There are also her 3 brothers who are with us until this weekend and the one following. Along with 5 grandkids 12 and under living with us our home is constantly filled to the gills. We must have a reliable dog to accommodate an ever changing household.
Juno may be simply feeling the pressure of changes or she may have had a less than ideal flight. We now refuse to ship our dogs because one of them did have a rough flight from California to join us when we relocated to Alabama nearly 30 years ago. He was a huge male who loved everyone. Yet when he arrived in Pensacola Fl he had a broken canine and had the luggage crew quivering in fear! It was apparent that he had been teased at some poin in his traveling and reacted as Ridgebacks are known to do. My husband and I had to walk out to the tarmac to collect him as the ground crew were convinced he would come out of the locked crate. His kennel mate, Kahlua, was uncharacteristically quiet for a week after the flight. She was so relieved to see us she quivered with both excitement and stress. It is a terribly un natural environment at best. Between a long day with out being walked, the seperation from family and the uncertainty of the strangers who will be handling the crates there are just too many unknowns for them to deal with as a captive audience.
She may also be trying to figure out how your Uncles fit into HER family. They most likely give off an "I belong here" vibe that she may have some questions about. If she has not grown up with them as part of her family she will be wondering why they seem to think You "belong" to them? It may bring out her protective nature more strongly than you have seen it before.
We were fortunate that our hounds rebounded quickly. We used positive training methods and set them up to succeed by working them with commands they knew in a calm and consistent manner. The two breeds you mentioned that may make up Juno's back ground are both breeds that thrive on having a job. Left to their own devices they can make unexpected choices. By working her on commands , she knows you have specific functions to do. It truly takes the mystery out of the moment.
Best of Luck to both you in your move and Juno in settling down in her new home!