# Barking At Other Dogs



## JuliePgh (Aug 29, 2010)

My puppy is 13 weeks old. We just got her last week. She's great with people and babies, but every time she sees another dog on a leash, she barks like crazy and wants to charge at them. She has no problem with dogs in houses we pass, or dogs behind fences, just those on a leash, on the other or same side of the street. We're enrolled in puppy training, but that's not for another 2 weeks, after she's had her last round of shots and is "allowed" to socialize with other dogs. 

I've tried to keep walking past the dogs, but she doesn't want to budge. I bend down, put my arm around her and reassure her, but she continues barking at the other dogs.

I'm afraid we won't be able to learn/accomplish much in puppy classes if she can't stop barking/charging at other dogs. Any suggestions on what I should do to calm her or stop the barking, keeping in mind she's not supposed to be with other dogs until she has her shots in 2 weeks?


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

it sounds like your pup needs some socializing.
my pup was in puppy class at 10 weeks old. he was
allowed in class one week after his 2nd round of shots.

your pup probably wants to play with the other dogs.
i would use the barking moments as a training and socializing time.


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## JuliePgh (Aug 29, 2010)

Agreed, she needs to socialize, but my vet says not to before she gets her next set of shoots which is in two weeks. What do I do until then, and when she is allowed to socialize, how do I let her near another dog and control the barking at the same time?

Thanks.


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## shilorio (Mar 21, 2010)

my dog is full grown and loves dogs but shill barks at them haha how qould you stop that?


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

JuliePgh said:


> I've tried to keep walking past the dogs, but she doesn't want to budge. I bend down, _put my arm around her and reassure her,_ but she continues barking at the other dogs.


When you do that you are telling her it is ok to bark at the dogs. Do not reassure her and baby her. That is a human response. Funny how differently dogs view things. 

I agree that she probably wants to go see the dog. This is NOT aggression at this age. However, you can't take her to go meet the other dogs while she is carrying on. Then she will learn that when she barks she gets to play.

I would go get a clicker. Teach her "Leave It" When you see a dog, distract her. When she is not barking, then take her to go meet the dog.

She still very much a baby so this is going to take awhile. You may have to turn and walk the other way. When she's calm, turn back towards the dog. The important thing is that she does NOT get what she wants until she is calm.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

JuliePgh said:


> _I'm afraid we won't be able to learn/accomplish much in puppy classes _if she can't stop barking/charging at other dogs.


This is all part of puppy class. It's socialization.


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## rcase (Jul 7, 2010)

Rider (4 months) does the same thing, exactly. Here's what worked for me. I have a friend who has a two year old pit bull that is very well socialized. It's calm and well trained. Once or twice a week I get together with my friend and we walk our dogs through the park together. When we see another dog approaching, I make sure that Rider is walking right next to my friend's dog. The other dog passes and most of the time Rider barely pays attention. The older dog, who doesn't bark at anything, acts as kind of role model for him. The whole thing is very "Dog Whisperer" with the calm energy of my friend's pit bull.

Anyway, Rider still barks at little yappy dogs that bark at him. Whatever. If I were a GSD, I would bark at the yappy dogs, too. Also, when my friend's dog is not around, it's back to the barking.  Still, I think that things will improve as he matures and if I keep up with the walking and socializing with other dogs. Hope this helps.


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## VChurch (Jun 14, 2010)

Minna's doing the exact same thing with barking at other dogs. She settles down after a minute -- I've been getting her to sit, and then trying to distract her and once her focus is on me and she's not barking I praise this response.
However in puppy class the trainer grabbed Minnas collar and sorta forced her into a sit position, so Minna was still barking and trying to pull away from the trainer because she doesn't like be grabbed by a stranger like that (I don't blame her) -- little did the trainer know, she could have told Minna to 'sit' and she would have sat down. I did not really appreciate how it was handled at all.
The trainer said that moving away from the dogs just reinforces the 'fear' that my dog was feeling -- which I don't agree with. I wasn't really walking away, but I pulled her leash a different direction to get her focus off the other dogs and on to me -- since she was now at the end of her leash.

My whole problem with this was that I know my dog -- it was sort of a fear reaction, but it is more of an 'i don't know you' reaction. She loves other dogs and loves playing with other dogs, and typically she just wants to go meet them and play with them.


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## JuliePgh (Aug 29, 2010)

You sound like you're handling it better than the trainer did. My puppy hasn't had the chance to socialize yet, as we're waiting for her final set of shots. She's so determined in her barking that I can't distract her at all, with command, with treats, nothing... I'm hoping once we're "allowed" near other dogs she'll start cutting down on the barking. Sometimes she barks at people to, but the second we go over to the person, the barking stops. I'm not sure if it's her way of saying, "I want to see you." I hope it is!


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