[Quiet Man Cometh]

OMG so many stories...I wouldn't know where to start. Or who to start with.

Well, my brother brought his dog downstairs to sit with us a bit as he was barking at the repair man. He's a pom-chihuahua mix so barking is what he does. Like seriously. You can pinch his little mouth together and tell him to shoosh and he will still find some means of barking through his lips.

Naturally he barks every times someone comes to the door, and we tall him not to bark, but he does anyway. It's his imperative. I've noticed something though. We're often in the kitchen when people arrive which is through a doorway from the main entry. When someone arrives at the house, knocks or rings the bell, or walks in, he starts barking and runs towards the door. However, tell him not to bark and he stops at the threshold between the door and the front room, but still barks. Watching him, he doesn't appear at all concerned about his barking, but he does seem concerned about entering the front room.

I have come to the conclusion that through accident and circumstance of the house layout, the dog has decided that "no barking" means "stay in the kitchen." After all, he's usually running to the front door (simultaneously barking) when we show disapproval with his behavior. It just so happens he interpreted his running to the door as the problem, not the barking. I guess he's being a good boy?