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Growling and Barking

JLP

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Hey guys,

So my miniature poodle, Lilly, 9 months old has recently started barking and showing signs of dominance in the last couple of months. Before she was always fairly shy, never pulling on the leash (still doesn't) but when someone would ring the doorbell she would look and then go back to whatever she was doing before. Now when someone rings the doorbell, or comes to the house the fix something then she growls and barks for an amount of time.

I have noticed a stark increase in her confidence since she has her period. She got her first period around Xmas time and is slowly coming to the end of the phase. Could this have anything to do with it or simply is she getting older and therefore more confident? I'm super happy that she's becoming more confident but would like her to express it in the right ways!

With other dogs she seems to be 50-50. At times she runs to them and is sniffing and wanting to play (regardless of the size) and at others she sees a dog, her tail goes between her legs and she wants to walk back the way we came.

Has anyone got any tips on how to work on this behaviour, or do you think this is a phase that she's going through?
 
This isn't dominance - that's an outdated concept which simply doesn't apply to the sort of behaviours that are often wrongly thought to exhibit it. She is, simply, unsure about people coming to the house. So in this case, it's more lack of confidence than increased confidence.

Dogs do go through a fear period at around this age, as well as being adolescents and so occasionally being a bit stroppy.

My dog isn't keen on people coming to the door or into the house. I throw him a treat whenever the doorbell rings, and went through a phase of getting the rest of the family to ring the doorbell before coming in so he didn't see it as a sign that a stranger was coming. Before opening the door to let someone in, I close the room he's in with a stairgate, ask him to settle down if he's showing any signs of stress, and give him a treat either before they come in or when they've left. Generally, because he knows he can't get to the 'intruder' and they can't get to him, he can't be bothered reacting at all.

So I'd make sure she has somewhere she thinks of as a 'safe place' to go, associate the doorbell ringing with good things (treats) if she goes there, and physically prevent her coming to check out the visitor. Also, if necessary, as the visitor to ignore her.
 

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