Newborn baby and 20mth old labrador behaviour

[mrshadders]

Hi guys, looking for some advice if possible!
I'm expecting my first baby in 3 weeks and am slightly concerned about my labradors behaviour. Firstly, he doesn't bark all day or anything like that (we have internal cameras and get notifications when he barks) but when he hears a car door close, a knock on the door (even on tv) or thinks he spots a squirrel he barks.
He has also recently become quite 'mouthy' and uses his teeth on his. Gently of course but teeth nonetheless.
Can anyone advise how we can settle these behaviours? We've tried saying 'No' and 'Quiet' but obviously he doesn't understand us. We stop playing with him when he uses teeth but it doesn't stop him.
Any guidance would be appreciated and if I need to get a behaviourist in then I'm happy to do so!
Thanks in advance

I have 2 dogs and one of them is EXTRMELY barky. It's never bothered DD once, from her very first day of being home, babies get used to outside sounds in the womb. The barking never wakes her up (we had a delivery at 8pm last night and both dogs went wild, DD didn't make a stir).

As for the mouthing, I can't really help but my dogs have been great, the tough part is now that she's toddling - she's obsessed with them so I have to have eyes in the back of my head. One of them just removes themselves from whatever room she's in but the other is a glutton for punishment it seems.

Mouthing - give the dog something to hold. Many labs love to hold a stuffed sock full of other socks. If he is holding something he cannot mouth you. (be prepared to put baby toys out of his reach!).

Barking - I would chuck treats at him everytime he hears a noise that makes him bark eg ring the doorbell ignore his barking put treats on the floor. You are not rewarding him for barking. You are working on the theory that the dog hears the noise and then expects a treat and usually will stop the barking.

Hi OP - we have a 10 week old and a similar aged cocker spaniel. As another poster says babies are used to a lot of noises they hear from inside the womb. Our dog barked right in the babies face when she was only a few days old because she made a squeak and he was scared but she didn't even flinch!! I would say to keep things normal especially during the day, it helps baby know the difference between day and night

Reward lots of good behaviour heavily - show your dog what you want, not just what you don't. Especially in the early days of welcoming a new baby. Practice quiet cues and reward, use an interrupter if needed (e.g. when the door bell goes).
Mouthing - redirect towards chew toys and remove yourself from the situation when they mouth your hand, if they don't stop. They are looking for play and attention. Encourage the type of play you want, and disengage from the kind you don't. Don't accidentally reward with more attention by saying no etc.

I agree with other PP’s, I have 8 week old twins and a very barky springerdoodle. I was worried just as you were but the girls have never once flinched at his barking. They must have been so used to the noise in the womb that it has never bothered them at all.

I can’t comment on the mouthing unfortunately

Does he only mouth you when you are playing with him ? so when he is in a heightened state/bit excited ? I use to make a high pitched sound like a puppy does when its litter mate has hurt it in play fighting and turned away from him, my old dog stopped mouthing after about a week of consistently doing this. He was a gun dog breed like yours though, not sure it would work with a terrier, they would probably take it as a sign of weakness and go for the jugular Some behaviourists dismiss it , but it worked well for us, he was just a big giddy lump who didn't realise that it was ok to play bitey with other dogs, but not humans