i'm not sure of the term and doing a search under barking is overwhelming, so sorry if this is a repeat.

our 15 month old mal barks at houseguests. we know she is territorial when it comes to our home as she barks at people that walk by the house or ring the doorbell. we can live with that and know there are methods for training to curb/stop those behaviors.

the problem is when we have had some guests over, she barks and is obviously fearful, but it freaks out the guests because they don't know it.

our approach has been to get her to sit and have the guest give her a treat for sitting and not barking. it seems to work ok, but sometimes she will resume barking afterwards.

suggestions for other/better approaches is much appreciated.

thanks,
pat

A little aside: Is your name Pat (as you signed your message)?

We use real first and last names on the forum. Please correct yours. Thanks.

What do you do when the dog barks? Is she ever getting treats or other attention when she barks (thereby rewarding the barking)?

This is more of a pack structure issue or lack there of. The dog is not clear on you being the leader. If it was it would feel comfortable in knowing that you take care of problems.

Sorry to say this but I had to block you from posting. We only use real names. I dont like doing this but the rules are clear and the reasons are sound.

Hi,
My GSD Manto was always a very laid back puppy and rather submissive. He is wonderful with people. Our other dogs scared him when he was a puppy. They may have beat him up a time or two. Now when he meets another dog he gets fear aggression. Is there anything I can do. I took him to puppy class twice and Obedience I. I want to take him out more, but for now I am taking him on walks in remote areas. Please help.
Thanks.

 Quote: Francoise Sullivan

Hi,
My GSD Manto was always a very laid back puppy and rather submissive. He is wonderful with people. Our other dogs scared him when he was a puppy. They may have beat him up a time or two. Now when he meets another dog he gets fear aggression. Is there anything I can do. I took him to puppy class twice and Obedience I. I want to take him out more, but for now I am taking him on walks in remote areas. Please help.
Thanks.

1. You want to start a new thread rather than hijacking someone else's..... for future reference.

2. What does he do when you are out with him and he sees another dog? What do you do?

Excuse Me!! I am not used to this kind of forum. Well, I usually just jerk his leash and move him into a different direction Thanks for any help you can give.

Don't sweat the hijacking. People do it - just once, tho! JK!

This is the place to come for the greatest collection of articles and podcasts you could ever hope for. And a bunch of very experienced trainers (which doesn't include me! ) Check out the list of training articles - http://www.leerburg.com/articles.htm - and especially the one on groundwork - http://www.leerburg.com/groundwork.htm

Then save yourself the expense of obedience classes and get some of Ed's DVDs, like Basic Obedience - http://www.leerburg.com/dvd.htm

There aren't a lot of details in your post. How old is the dog now? How does he get along with your other dogs after the beat up/scare incident(s)? It's hard to determine a dog's attitude from a forum post, but fear aggression might not be the problem. My GSD (a very fear aggressive rescue when we got her) and I walk almost daily where there are a lot of other dogs and some on the ones on leash that are excited and barking just want to visit and play, so are not friendly. You need to learn to read your dog and the others he comes in contact with and be prepared for different situations without waiting for them to develop.

Also, your dog may not perceive your jerk and change of direction as a correction. You're avoiding the situation rather than teaching him how you want him to act when he encounters other dogs. There's no reason he can't learn to be around most other dogs and/or pass by them without going nuts. And then there's the aspect that your dog will pick up on your own nervousness/tension when you encounter other dogs - that just gets him going, too.

Anyway, have fun reading and keep coming back with questions.

Mike

Thanks for your words. I will definitely try to read him better. We actually don't know right now how he gets along with the other two dogs. We only let the other two out when our two German Shepherds are in the house and vice versa. It's a real pain but I don't want a dog fight. I know! It's complicated. Anyway, Manto seems to do fine as long as another dog doesn't bark at him first. It's really weird. We have a lot of unsocialized dogs in the neighborhood. He loves our other GSD since she came as a pup and practically grew up with him. I will go out with him today and see what happens. And I'll probably order a video. Thanks!!