Finding the perfect dog for your family means considering every personality trait and habit and ensuring these line up with your family’s needs. One question most ask is Do Sheepadoodles Bark a lo?
As a general rule, Sheepadoodles do not bark a lot. These adorable dogs can be rightly called gentle giants. They are huge, but they usually don’t bark a lot. Depending on external stressors like anxiety and fear, your dog may occasionally bark excessively. Fortunately, you can train them out of this.
If you live in a close neighborhood and are looking for a docile and friendly dog, you will need one not meant to be a guard dog. A Sheepadoodle can be perfect in this regard
It is important to understand that even dogs with naturally docile temperaments can sometimes develop uncharacteristic behaviors.
It will be your job as the owner to figure out why this is happening and how to eliminate this.
Are Sheepadoodles Calm?
Sheepadoodles – or Sheeppoos – is a mix of the Old English Sheepdog and the Poodle. Both the parents are friendly dogs that love their humans and are calm around other animals.
Fortunately, Sheeppoos inherit these traits.
While this is not the kind of a dog that will lay on the couch all day, they are also not overly active and do not have excessive barking tendencies.
Sheeppoos usually love all humans they know, including children. They are also friendly with other pets.
While they may not behave like Golden Retrievers and immediately start playing with strangers, they are also not aggressive and tend to accept new people given their time and space.
If you are looking for a guard dog that will bark to alert you every time someone comes close to your property, Sheeppoos might not be the right choice!
With targeted training, they may become good watchdogs, but they are still more mellow than other breeds meant to be protective and territorial.
Why Is My Sheepadoodle Aggressive?
Being aggressive towards strangers is usually not in a Sheepadoodle’s nature. However, if this is normal behavior for your dog, it is likely due to one simple reason: poor socialization.
Regardless of breed, all puppies need to be socialized adequately. This means exposing them to different people and animals while still very young, even under eight weeks of age.
It is also important to buy from responsible breeders; puppies are usually their responsibility up to at least eight weeks of age.
By this time, puppies should already have been socialized to a large extent. Here are a few questions to ask your breeder.
- Has the puppy met new people?
- Are they exposed to various sights, sounds, and smells?
- Are they friendly with other puppies?
When you bring your puppy home, it is your job to continue socializing them to grow up to be friendly.
Suppose your Sheepadoodle is already an adult and has turned out to be an aggressive dog.
In that case, it is advised that you hire a professional trainer to help your dog unlearn these behaviors and become trusting of new people.
Why Is My Sheepadoodle Barking?
A pet parent can immediately tell if their dog is acting unusual. If your Sheeppoo is usually calm but has recently started barking a lot, this could be due to a number of reasons.
Fear –
Barking is just your dog’s way of communicating with you. If this is a new behavior, there may be something new in their environment, causing them to be fearful.
This could be a particular person or an animal that your dog doesn’t like. It is also important to remember that dogs are much more sensitive to sounds and smells.
They may be hearing distressing sounds like distant fireworks or be bothered by a new smell around them.
Anxiety or Boredom –
Sheepadoodles do well when they spend time with their humans. While you can certainly train them to spend a few hours without you, they are generally social animals and like having a companion.
If you are in a new situation like changed working hours, your dog may be feeling abandoned, lonely, or frustrated from lack of physical exercise and mental stimulation. Increased walks and playtime may solve the problem.
Pain or Injury –
Your dog may simply be trying to tell you that there is something wrong with them. They may have an injury or internal pain.
A thorough physical inspection or a general checkup with your vet is advised.
Threat –
Unfortunately, dogs often become victims of abuse. Ensure that there isn’t an animal or a person around your dog that is mistreating them.
This can naturally cause dogs to become defensive and retaliate by barking excessively.
New Situations –
If you have recently gone through a major change, like moving homes, it is normal for your
Sheeppoo to be anxious for a while. They may express this by barking, whimpering, or even changing their eating and sleeping habits.
With lots of time and love, they will soon adjust and return to being their calm and friendly self.
How to Train Your Dog to Stop Barking
If it seems like your Sheepadoodle’s occasional barking is turning into a habit, it is important to control it before it becomes a personality trait.
Here are a few training techniques that will help.
- Many renowned trainers believe that the only way to teach your dog the ‘Quiet’ command is to teach them to ‘Speak’ first. Use positive reinforcement and treat to teach them to bark on command.
Once they learn to do this, hold up a treat and ask them to be quiet. Every time they stop, repeat the command once again and give them a treat. - Perfect the ‘No’ command. If your dog knows what no means, you can simply reinforce this and make sure it is followed every time.
Practice initially with treats and sometimes wean off with praises and playtime. This ensures your dog doesn’t develop a habit of listening only when there is a treat involved. - Enlist the help of a friend or family member to assist in teaching your dog to be quiet. Ask your assistant to do what triggers your dog’s barking, for example, ringing the doorbell.
When your dog starts barking, firmly say ‘No’ or ‘Quiet’ and make them focus on you using a treat or a toy. When they become quiet, wait for a few seconds and then reward them.
Repeating this over a few days will ensure your dog learns to stop barking on command.
Sheepadoodles are great family dogs and can be extremely loving, friendly, and sociable when provided with the right training and socialization.
Listening to your dog and identifying unusual behaviors is the key to stopping them before becoming strong habits. Give your dog lots of love and regularly exercise them to keep them from releasing their energy through barking.
That being said, it is sometimes also important to let your dog be who they are. Occasional barking for dogs is normal; it may just be excitement and happiness!