Another horrible rainy, cold day so lots of short walks instead of a nice long one where I can really let Teddy run about a bit!
The barking at external stimuli is developing now that he's getting a bit more confident. Where it was initially more nervy it's becoming more bold now. I've found this can be a pretty common development after the first few days in a new home!
It's not aggression, actually more of a sign that he's beginning to trust us by raising the alarm that he can hear something he wants us to know about. Really frightened dogs don't dare do that in case they have to deal with the situation themselves.
I'm dealing with it by acknowledging this 'job' he's taken on and telling him calmly 'that'll do' and sending him back to his bed. If the stimulus has gone (i.e. people walking outside the house or sounds next door) then he's happy to do this because he's done his job and got my attention. The important bit is not making a big fuss of it so there's no point in him continuing to bark unless the 'problem' is still there, in which case I'll remain with him until it's gone. Ignoring it or merely telling him to 'be quiet' would only tell him that nobody else can hear the sounds so he has to continue barking!
