Barking at other dogs during walks

[Sabrina and Bentley]

I posted on this a couple of months ago, but didn't get much response.  I'm just very curious, because I'm at the point where I'll tell my fiance to take him on walks because he barks incessantly at every dog we pass up.

 

Just now we came in from our walk and there was a little puppy walking past us who you can tell wanted to play and Bentley just barked and barked and barked.  I try to redirect his attention by pulling his face toward me every time and I continue walking.  He doesn't like it because he pulls away from me.  I don't know how to begin working on this.  I'm currently traveling alot, but when I'm done next month I intend to get a trainer to try and work on him at home.

 

Any suggestions until then?  He's not aggressive.  I just don't think he knows how to greet dogs and he just started this about four months ago, he's currently 13 months.  We bring him to the dog park and he doesn't want to have anything to do with them.  Even when dogs come sniffing at them he ignores them, unless they try to mount him and then he defends himself.  so it's just when he's on his leash.

 

Is it a socialization problem?  I'd like to start sending him to daycare once a week so that he learns how to play and interact with dogs.

 

Have we spoiled him so much that he thinks he's the pack leader and he's trying to show dominance?  In the house, I'm the pack leader and he listens very well, but with Allen, Bentley is the pack leader.

 

Any help or experience that you can provide would be greatly appreciated.  I just want Bentley to enjoy his dog walks and not be so stressed out (that goes for me too!).

[Christine & Camus]

Consulting a trainer is a good start. There are several options, but it depends on what you are comfortable with.  One option you might consider is a citronella collar, I'm thinking of getting one for Camus because of his excessive barking when anyone walks by our fence. 

[Shannon and Finn]

We use a prong collar so it is simple for me to correct Finn if he ignores the no bark command when he barks at dogs when we walk. It works very well for us and he has stopped barking. Lots of discussions on here about using a prong if you're interested in that route. I don't see it as a socialization problem but a general dog behavior for some dogs and you can train him away from it. Finn now understands the no bark command even off leash and is much calmer in general after training with a prong.

[Adina P]

I think it's just a training issue.  Have you spent considerable time with him in obedience training?  If not, I'd go there before I worried about special training for THIS issue.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Exactly. Training for leash walking in general- walking calmly by your side, focusing on you, not pulling, stopping and sitting when you stop- if you work on that, the reactions when seeing another dog will stop, because a dog can't walk calmly by your side and bark at other dogs at the same time. You will learn ways to keep his focus off the other dogs and on you, and control him so that he does not pull away from you.

Dogs don't have to want to play or have anything to do with other  dogs. Mine doesn't. He ignores other dogs at the dog park, too. But they do have to learn to get along with other dogs peacefully when out in public. That's where training comes in. It isn't that he doesn't know how to greet other dogs as much as that he shouldn't be greeting other dogs while on leash.

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

Sabrina, here is a discussion that was recently posted in the Training group:  http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/trainingmindsets/forum/topics/bar...

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

I suggest the citronella collar and general leash training

[Wendy and Sully]

Sully would also bark at other dogs when we would take him on walks. I found that redirecting his attention worked to stop the barking. If we were approaching another dog, I would tell Sully to sit. I would then pull a piece of cheese from my pocket. He was so fixated on the cheese that he had no interest in the other dog. When the dog had passed I would tell him "good boy" and reward him with the cheese. I only had to do this for a couple of weeks and the barking completely stopped during walks. Now our walks are stress-free. I hope you find a method that works for you and Bentley.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

It seems to me that there are potentially two separate issues.  It sounds like you have concerns about his behavior with other dogs at the dog park.  I do think that a good daycare with the right supervision can help dogs to learn how to interact appropriately.  I send my two once a week, and I do feel that it provides them with a great socialization opportunity.  I think the barking on leash is different, and is a training opportunity.  Bentley needs to learn what you want him to do when walking by other dogs on leash.  That means training him on a solid heel or loose leash walk.  Unless you have experience with how to do this I think you'll need a trainer or a class. 

[Richard Crowe]

Holy is quite a lady but, if we feel there might be a conforntation, we bring Holly to a sit.  That calms her down.

BTW:  something that I learned in Therapy Dog Bootcamp...  Don't let two dogs stare at each other.  Break their concentration by having them look in another direction...

[Karen]

I feel your pain.  Enzo is almost 6 months and he goes beserk barking at dogs on our walks, and when we are in the car he barks like crazy at anything he sees outside - people, dogs, etc.  It makes me crazy!  It's really hard to correct him when I am driving...I wish I had space to put him in his kennel while we were in the car!  He is super friendly though, and esp. with other dogs I think he just wants to play.  I take him to the dog park and doggy daycare, and once he warms up, he loves playing with other dogs and doesn't have the same barking issues.  I am also interested to hear what other people have to say!  I was getting gas the other day (in Oregon we aren't allowed to pump it ourselves) and of course Enzo was barking like crazy at the attendant.  They guy said, "wow you are well protected!" I didn't want to tell him that Enzo would never bite - I guess it's not the worst thing to have someone think your dog might bite them!  Still - it's way too annoying and it's something I would like to train him out of.