Mr. Barkey

A week ago Atlas seemed pretty bummed. Pretty sure he realized that Tom is not golfing or at some Army training thing. He was pouty all week and rarely barked at noises outside. He spent the week pouting on the couch and was only lively when my wife came home.
This week he seemed to pop out of it and turned into Barkey McBarkerson. All week he was barking at everything and anything he heard. There were a lot of things that I never figured out what he was barking at. I would tell him hush and he would come and lay beside me but he would still keep growling and barking even though he put himself in timeout. Usually when I told him to go wait at the door he would go and sit by the door and wait for our company or my wife to get home. Last week he was growling and barking at everybody including my wife.
Today, Saturday, will he was laying on the couch and my wife was asleep on the couch. Next-door they're having a baby shower and a bunch of people were walking past our house, parking in front of our house and even some kids were playing and ran into our driveway to get their Frisbee. At first he started growling at them and my wife told him be quiet. Then she would tell him to get down off the couch but he kept growling and barking. Eventually he was on the couch and woke her up with this growling and barking and all she did was give them a little tap on the nose and tell them to be quiet. Not another peep out of him even though people were going by in our yard. I was astounded. He used to mind me when I could drive my chair over to him and lean over and scold him right by him. Now I can't drive it and he just ignores me. He still gets off the couch when he barks and puts himself in timeout but then keep barking. Usually he's a good dog for my wife but he kind of ignores me anymore. He still knows I'm good for a treat or two during the day but still likes to bark at stuff. It's pretty hard to make a dog not be a dog. Other than his barking is a perfect dog almost all the time.
One day he got into my garbage can by my PC table and chewed on a paper plate. When my wife was calling him he would just close his eyes as if "if I can see her she can't see me" it was hilarious. First scolding worked and he never got in my garbage again. I'm pretty sure he's grandma's puppy! That is when Tom's not around.