My pup of 16 weeks is starting to show "stranger anxiety." Should I do something now while she is still young?

Hi Cindy,

First off, thanks for all the great information on your web site and videos. I bought both Basic Obedience and Your Puppy 8 weeks to 8 Months and found them very helpful.

Looking for some advice about by Doberman puppy. She's 16 weeks old and starting to show "stranger anxiety." If she is in our fenced-in yard off leash, and someone walks by the house, or she spots one of our neighbors, her hair stands up and she barks like mad. Even though she is a puppy, she has a "big girl" bark. It doesn't matter if I'm out there with her - she'll still do it. I've started going up to people on the sidewalk to show that they are not something to be feared, but she acts very wary. Scolding her doesn't seem to do anything either.

She otherwise is fine with strangers when we are out on walks and she is leashed; she also does fine meeting new people when she is at the office with my husband. In general, she is quite friendly. It really only happens when she is in our yard, off leash. I feel like she is too young to be territorial of our yard; I feel like the barking is more out of fear, or to alert us that someone is nearby. The problem is, I don't really need to know that my neighbor is washing his car or that the elderly couple next door is collecting their mail.

So my question is, should I do something now to try to squash this nuisance barking while she is still young? I feel like if she were older, I could try an electric collar and give her a correction when she starts to bark. But at this age, what do you think I should do?

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Sincerely,
Liz
Manchester, NH