My 12 week old pitbull is now barking at people.....?

I have an 12 week old pitbull. i received him at 4 weeks (emergency situation) He is very sweet and a little clown. He loves playing with people and even though he tends to play rough he NEVER bites anybody. Usually when people come over he is so excited he wags his tail and goes over and plays with them and he doesnt bark (if he does its out of excitement). BUT, a couple days ago my fiance and i ordered chinese food. The delivery guy needed to use the phone because his cc machine wasnt working. As soon as the delivery guy came in his whole mood changed (its hard to explain but i know him) he got very stiff and upright and gave one bark and stared at the delivery guy. I called him over but he didnt come so i picked him up and he went to normal. playing and licking me. That was my first concern. Today on my lunch i picked him up from my fiances mom house and took him home with me. We live in an apartment complex. Somebody else was coming out of their apartment and he started barking at them like crazy but it wasnt an excited bark. Ive been working with him and reading up lots on how to train him but it seems like hes very inconsistent because sometimes he wuill be so good with it and it seems like hes getting it but then other times he does this. what am i doing wrong? I dont baby him anymore. Im very firm with himMy 12 week old pitbull is now barking at people.....?
You're smart to notice this right away and want to intervene. A little more information would help us to help you though.



Can you find any pattern to this? Does he only do it when someone approaches you, or also when they are walking away? Does he only do it when he's with you (or does he also do this if your boyfriend is handling him)? Are the people always carrying something? Is it only men, or only women?



If you can find a pattern, you may be able to anticipate the times it is about to happen and then intervene before he barks by stopping at a safe distance (safe as in where he's still calm) and then rewarding for calm behavior and trying to move a little bit closer, reward again if calm, etc.



What are you doing when he barks?



ETA: OK, You're not really doing anything wrong.



I think two things are going on here:



One, he may be showing some protectiveness of you. He may just be protective of you in general, or he may be picking up on some tension that you may feel around strange men. Could be either.



Two, he's not all that comfortable with strange men, and that's not uncommon. Many dogs are much more wary of men than they are of women (mine was like this too when she was younger.)



To try to get him more comfortable with new men, you can try either recruiting some men you or your fiance know who haven't met the puppy yet to help you, or ask men on walks to help you if you're in a safe neighborhood or park.



You want them to slowly approach the dog without even making eye contact at first, stopping a few feet away, and then toss a treat over to him. He won't know how to catch it-it will just bounce off his head if they try-so have them toss it so it lands near him rather than right at him. This may help him to associate new men with good things-yummy treats in this case. (If he is nervous about the treat tossing, you give him a treat for being calm while these men come a little closer.)



Or, you can try putting the pup on a long lead, having a male friend come over and just sit quietly a few feet away. You can let the puppy take his time to explore and sniff the new person. If he's doing that without barking, they can pet him or give him a treat. Try to get them to pet the pup on his chest, as this is less threatening to him than putting a hand over his head or back(that can be misinterpreted as a dominance display).



When he barks, I'd just turn around--take him away from the situation when he's not behaving well. take him a few steps away and see if he stops barking there. Reward if he's calm and then try moving a little closer.
Whenever he barks or stiffens and looks as though he's about to bark, say no (not his name or come) in a growl-like tone- not too loud though. Also take him to meet people and other dogs to socialize.My 12 week old pitbull is now barking at people.....?
you should sign up for obedience classes so you are taught on how to train him. I would also recommend speaking with a behaviorist.
id say get him proffessionaly trained because one day his barking and the next day he could be savageing a child or person to death ! those are pretty dangerous dogs . hope i helped !My 12 week old pitbull is now barking at people.....?
It sounds like you are already doing the right things. At 12 wks he's probably still a little weary of his surroundings. Keep up the training and most importantly be patient. don't be afraid to enlist the help of pro too. Training bullies can be frustrating because they can be very stubborn. In the end though you will have a great friend.



Keep up the good work.