Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Quite suddenly, after having her for four years, my Corgi/Lab mix has started barking at things in the sky - blimps, jet contrails, the moon...and it's not a playful bark, it's the kind of aggressive bark usually reserved for squirrels and intruders! Any notion what might prompt this behavior?
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http://teenagebambam.blogspot.com

For what period of time is your dog left outdoors? It's been my experience that dogs left alone for extended periods of time become bored and that brings on the barking.
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Bob

If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.

She has access to the outdoors all day (dog door) but doesn't spend a great deal of time outside. No, this is when she's sitting out on the porch with us, or when we're walking her - she'll look up, see the moon/blimp/contrail, and go into attack mode!
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http://teenagebambam.blogspot.com

Something happened to your dog that created a negative association with things in the air. It's not always easy to interpret exactly what happened, but if you want to stop the behavior, you need to desensitize your dog to the things she's baarking at. You can start with a helium ballon to make it easier on yourself and work your way up from there. THe idea is to give your dog a treat BEFORE any negative reaction starts. Once a reaction happens, you are in damage control mode. Sadly, I just dont' have a long time to write out the whole lengthy process of this right now, but there are many great websites that discuss fear issues with dogs and how to desensitize them.

Good luck and I'll try to come back a npost more if you have additional questions.
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Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles