Hello,
My 16 week old puppy barks when she sees other dogs, it is not from fear nor is it aggression. She is more than happy to meet them but other owners think that she is being aggressive and generally pull their dogs away.
As I also own this puppies mother and I can say that she also did the same as a puppy and always remained a barker and I don't want this puppy to be the same on the other hand I do not wish to treat this puppy too harshly at this stage I prefer to use gentle methods of training but she becomes so hyped up she refuses any redirection of her favorite tugs or toys.
It is only dogs that she barks at, she is fine near horses, cattle or sheep.
Now that she is 16 weeks old we can attend our local dog training group but I would like to get on top of this problem first.
Any help would be appreciated.
Reg: 12-23-2008
Posts: 252
Loc: Toronto, ON, Canada
Offline
I would work on keeping the dog focused on me while i backed up calling the dog and being very excited and marked/reward engagement with you. Do this at first not around dogs and then after some practice and you see the puppy is engaging you. go to a controlled situation with another dog that is calm, and both are leashed. Start at a distance that the dog can concentrate and stay engaged, SLOWLY decrease the distance. If the dog becomes distracted by the other dog you maybe too close. back up really excited and and call your dog to you marking and reward the moment the dog comes toward you. If you can't get re-engagement, gather your dog crate him up, and try again later and don't get as close as you did the time before. This kind of training is covered and really well explained in Micheal Ellis Power of Training dogs with food, and i can't do it justice so if you haven't already i would buy that dvd.
This is what worked for me, I'm sure some of the more experienced people will give you a better answer.
Thanks Robert. Once we share a problem with others solutions all sound so simple. I have had people tell me just to scruff and shake or push her into the ground but I feel that is just a little too rough and not a very positive treatment for a baby.
When you introduce the other dog, watch your dog's ears, the second they alert to the other dog, make sure that that is when you engage your dog and keep her moving toward you, use the leash and rewards. By watching the ears you can anticipate. You don't want your dog to lose the focus and it starts with the ears! She will learn that she the other dog is nothing to be noticed in the first place. Really has worked for me. Once the barking started, it was hard to stop and pull the focus away from the other dog.
This puppy can't handle that level of distraction, as you know. Train in a distraction free environment and work on the engagement as described above. Remember, the more the dog does someting either negatively of positively the more he/she will continue the same behavior. Control your pups environment until you have full engagement.
Reg: 12-23-2008
Posts: 252
Loc: Toronto, ON, Canada
Offline
Quote: Joan Thomson
Thanks Robert. Once we share a problem with others solutions all sound so simple. I have had people tell me just to scruff and shake or push her into the ground but I feel that is just a little too rough and not a very positive treatment for a baby.
Your right to think that's too rough for a pup. 16 weeks is not lots of time to figure out what and what not to do.
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Puppy barking at other dogs
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