I answered through your link.

I read your link. It sounds like she is barking for attention or to get you to do something -- play, cuddle, feed, whatever. Our husky has gone through periods when he would look at us and bark or sit in front of us and bark, not persistently but a few "woofs." Sometimes it means he wants a bite if whatever we may be eating, or wants to be fed NOW, or it could mean that needs help finding his ball that just rolled under the furniture, but often it means that he is bored and wants a little play time or a walk. As long as we are good about ignoring him and not reinforcing, it is kept to a minimum. But if we slip up and give him that bite he was asking for or get up and do whatever we figure out he wants, then we have to start all over again. He gets plenty of attention and probably too many treats without being demanding, he just needs to be reminded that demanding won't get a reaction.

You pup probably has had a good deal of attention during her surgery and recovery and now that she is feeling better wants more. Just don't positively reinforce the behavior and she will probably get the message. Even if you think she is barking because she is hungry, make her stop barking and go back to whatever you were doing for a few minutes before feeding her. If it happens at night for attention, move her and her bed to another room. She will probably soon learn that the barking is counterproductive.

I have a rescue dog and the first 3 mos she would sit and bark at me while sitting about 6' away. Of course I had no clue what she wanted and admission it bugged me. Now it is only one bark and timed during the day...when we take walks, treat time and training time. She is being trained as a therapy dog and loves every minute of it. I swear she has a clock inside her. She now talks to me too (not barking), love it, and know it is for attention. The one bark and looking at me is not constant anymore, just when the schedule is on. Sometimes I'm not up to the moment, but "No Bark" now works.

Rarely barks outside or at other people/dogs. Although I have a herd of deer that sleeps next door, when they are there she will bark. But stops when I tell her. She does love the world and wants to play with everyone/dog seen, a very gentle gal. She is also a bit stubborn and thinks she is the princess going on walks.

I've never had a dog that did this, they always just showed up by my side and nosed me or whined a bit and I knew what was needed. Without knowing my dogs background it is hard to decipher the bark, but she is definitely settling into life with me and me with her now.

Aside from the above, with what yours has gone through, she may still have pain. Especially if this has just started. So difficult when we don't know and I love these rescue pups to do the right thing for them. Yes, perhaps a vet visit is due to check for any issues.

Any chance she's going deaf or not hearing you as well as she used to? We have a senior dog who barks at us quite a bit (more that I care to admit, lol) - stares us right in the eye and barks. I'm not sure it makes any sense, but it seems to have started about the same time we noticed her hearing was going. She's pretty much deaf now, and she'll just randomly start barking at us. She'll usually stop if we give her a treat. And we do - every time. Because she's 15 and has some senior related health issues, and this will probably be her last summer with us. I know we're reinforcing bad behavior but I think I'm grieving for her a bit all ready, and these days she gets and does pretty much whatever she wants.

I've thought about this on and off this morning and came back to post . . . only to find that Dlm has already said pretty much what I was thinking. At 10 y/o and having gone through some major health issues recently, my guess is canine dementia. A previous furkid of ours had pretty much those same symptoms. Talk to your vet about this. My guess is that the surgery, the pain from the recovery, the change of locations (your place, the vets and perhaps memories from places she was before you adopted her) , the meds she was and may still be on, may have all contributed to dementia. If it is that, it may be temporary or permanent. You vet would know more.
Lynn

Thanks so much for your insights

Ellendi - I have heard of Bark Busters. I'm going to a dog fair on Saturday to find local resources. Maybe they will have a booth. They seem very expensive.

MojoMom - We did have to give her lots of attention after surgery, and I was worried that she would continue to want it. I need to be consistent with her. I think I need to show the spray bottle, because we have a hard time just ignoring the barking. At least with the spray bottle I can do something. She didn't bark last night. So far, it's only been the one night. Maybe it really was because I didn't walk her that day.

Dlm and Lynn - If it is dementia, I only hope it doesn't get worse. She has been to the vet at least a dozen times since we got her in February, between the surgeries, routine care, bandage changes, or boarding when we went out of town. I was looking forward to not going there for a while, but I will talk to him about it sooner or later. I did ask the Vet whether the pain med (I think she was on a morphine-like drug at first) could cause hallucination in dogs like Dilaudid does in people, especially older people. He sort of shrugged yes. I only noticed the hallucination behavior once a day or two after the operation, in the dark. I am pretty sure I won't put her through another mastectomy on the other side if the cancer recurs. That's what I say now, anyway.

Technicolor - She must still have at least a little pain. I still have some pain meds, but I think she can avoid the pain by not putting her paws up on my leg, etc. She's such a darling little dog, and I don't want to make mistakes with her that undermine her sweet nature.
Rilie - I had wondered about deafness. I didn't know Pink as a younger dog, but she does seem very visual now. She doesn't respond to "Come" or her name, but if you slap your thigh she comes. At the dog park we run around the perimeter, and she always looks back to make sure I'm there. I would think she could hear my footsteps and breathing. I suppose it's possible that she does hear and just prefers to to see. She's so spritely and cute that she gives the impression of a young dog, but I'm beginning to be able to see beyond that to the really old dog she actually is.

Jamie's,
I remember your posting before you got her, having, I think,
never before had a dog? I am just so touched by your adopting an older dog, how you have learned to love her and how wonderfully you have cared for her. I'm guessing she is deaf, or partially so. Clap your hands a bit behind her back, and if there's no response continue to get louder. You'll see then. Also, a partially deaf dog can startle easily. My old pup responds well to hand motions of "come", as it seems your Pink does. I wouldn't bring in a 'no bark' trainer just yet. Give it time . She's had a rough time recently, and is likely not settled down or pain free yet.
From a great lover of rescues: Bless you!
Marti

Jamie, I can't speak more highly of our trainer from Bark Busters.
Our rescue dog,( inherited from our DD who can't have a dog in her city apartment) was very aggressive on leash. We tried a class for aggressive dogs (at the obedience club that I went with my Golden) and that really didn't work. They were all about treats as a distraction. Every time I passed a dog I was supposed to stuff treats in my dog's mouth. Supposedly a connection is made that ,"Oh, I see another dog, I get treats, therefore when I see a dog I will think it is a good thing." All I got was my dog anxiously nipping at my fingers to get the treats.

We paid a behaviorist. Basically he showed how HE could handle our dog. But really didn't give us homework and a plan.

Bark Busters comes to your home and you get homework to do. Before I committed I told the trainer what I wanted to accomplish.
Although we have always worked on heeling, there were always issues walking by other dogs. Now, I can walk by other dogs in a quiet fashion. Training is done without treats and without hurting your dog. If you follow the plan, you become the authority and your dog does not have the stress of feeling he has to be in charge. And, it is encouraged to give your dog lots of affection.

It is a work in progress, but I see results. It cost over $800 but you have lifetime support. We have had two visits and will be having our third at the end of the month. The most difficult is keeping my husband and daughter on board and with the program. For example, you are supposed to ignore your dog when he comes to be petted. Again, a control issue. You are supposed to call your dog and give him affection and encouragement, but you are in charge.

You get a special collar that fits loosely and has a small chain attached. That is for sound only. It is not a choker collar.

After having a beautiful Golden for 15 years, that was so well trained she became a therapy dog in a psychiatric hospital, to a dog that is totally different was very over whelming. I never knew there were so many approaches to training a dog!

Pink hasn't done the bedroom or stair barking since I posted but you'll never believe what happened today. While walking her on a quiet street toward a public golf course DH got hit by a car. Neighbors heard pink yelping and came out thinking a dog had gotten hit. DH can't remember exactly how it went down (he "wasn't there" for a while -- can't remember phoning me either ) but figures the leash must have gotten yanked real hard. She is fine. DH will be, too, but concussion, some stitches, staple, fractured cheekbone. The doctor says he's gonna feel like he got run over by a car.

I was lucky that it happened in front of a retired docs house. He explained everything he noticed and told me what would happen in ER. He phoned the emergency room to see if all was well. Although no bleed in brain, the retired doc told me that if DH was his family member he'd awaken him throughout the night, regardless that the ER doc says all is well. I'm going to do that; better safe than sorry and I'm glad to have the advice.

Ellen: "The most difficult is keeping my husband and daughter on board and with the program." Totally. I could have been the only master for Pink, but I wanted to share. And DH doesn't value/understand the consistency that I think is necessary.

So sorry to hear about your DH. Sending healing thoughts.

Oh! How terrible!! I am so glad your dh and pink are going to be ok but what an ordeal for all. Will be praying for him. I hope you have/will call a lawyer.

OMG, crazy! Wishing a speedy recovery.

Oh my, I was reading along through all the posts thinking, wow, isn't this the person who never owned a dog before? And how well you have cared for this poor pup since getting it. Then I got to martinca's post and was nodding my head in agreement, planning to post here echoing her sentiments about what a wonderful owner you have been, only to see your update!!! Thankfully your husband wasn't more seriously injured and hope he isn't too sore today. And to think that Pink's barking is what alerted that retired doctor the accident. Glad he was there to help!

Holy smokes! That's awful! And wonderful that he and Pink are ok! I do hope they recuperate quickly.

I have a similar problem, but in quite a different! Please help if you can. My MalShih (Half Maltese half Shih Tsu is 5 months old & barks and snaps at me to take her outside to pee ever hour & a half to every hour & forty-five minutes. I read on a previous forum that everyone else's Shih Tsu's don't have to go that often (4-5 hours minimum). I'm exhausted by the end of the day. At night she's not crated. We have an insulated garage which we've set up with an air conditioner & astro turf, bedding and her toys. She goes to bed about 8pm & gets up at 8 am & that's when she starts on me. I hate to hold back water. She has a fenced in back yard and sometimes she goes out, pees and she's ready to come back in. Other times she likes to run around and play. She's thirsty after that. The crazy thing is that because I needed to watch her to make certain she went when I first brought her home now she expects me to stay out with her the entire time she's outside. I'm disabled and got her as an emotional support dog. Right now she's wearing me out by making me take her outside at least 10 times a day between 8 am & 8 pm. I stuck a little cup under her yesterday to see how much she goes. It's such a small amount that I can hardly believe she's not able to even feel the need to go with only this amount of urine inside her. At 4 months she had a UTI & went every 10 minutes. When she had 48 hours of antibiotic she was going every 3 hours. Now she's starting to go more often again. I'm at my wits end. I love Ginger so much, but she's killing me! Somebody help! Diabetes has even crossed my mind! By the way, at 5 months she rarely has accidents. But if I ignore her barking and snapping she will find the nearest pee pad and urinate on it!

Denise - I recommend you start a new post since this one is old. Some might not respond.

Denise,
Post on the Pet Forum for more feedback: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/pets
Your pup needs to see the vet again. Going out that often just for a little tinkle makes me think the UTI has returned or she may be dealing with stones or crystals in her bladder. (Be thankful you have a dog that insists on going out vs going all over your house. )
Did she receive only 2 days worth of antibiotics? If so, that could be why the UTI has returned. Usually a dog needs 7-10 days of treatment and then a followup test to make sure there is no lingering bacteria.

Jamie: any updates? I just read this old thread and your dogs behavior is often seen with pain or confusion. Licking is sign of pain and my dog does it when he has a bout of pancreatitis or his gerd is bothering him. So......... owners should never think licking is just a bad habit.
Also, as Sylvia mentioned, you should visit your own doctor for a checkup. Many a dog has noticed illness in their owners well before the owner finds out.

Oh, yes! Get her back to the vet. It is very possible/highly likely that she has a UTI still. Also, are you sure you want to stick with the pee pads? Sometimes they confuse dogs, though it doesn't sound like an issue now. Once her UTI is cleared up (with such a short course of abx, I am pretty sure she still has one!) then you might consider hanging up a bell by the door so that she can ring it to signal to go out instead of barking at you. However-- I give her a lot of credit for being a young, small puppy associated with a breed that is notorious for housebreaking issues-- she sounds like she is very smart and doing well. 12 hours without being crated? I applaud the both of you for that!