Need advice for dog who barks at people and other dogs?

Question

Hi,
I recently (6 weeks ago) adopted a rescued australian shepherd mix (father possibly some type of terrier.). He is now 9 months old and is a wonderful dog. He is submissive at home and shows no signs of dominance. He is great with my five year old twins. He has never shown his teeth for any reason.
When we go outside for walks or to the park to walk he will bark when he sees peolple and he will bark and get very excited to see other dogs. He does not want to attack anyone but the barking is loud and I am having trouble stoping it. I have been trying a squrit of water in the face with mixed resulta and also being stern, etc. He will not show teeth or growl angerly but he seems to really want to meet the other dogs..if we do get up to another dog the barking stops and he exhibits very appropriate socializing such as smelling parts, etc. and all barking stops.
I truly believe he would not harm anyone. We have started basic obedience.Appreciate any advice to correct barking

Answer 1

Continue with the obedience training. Have the trainer observe your dog's interactions with the other dogs. They don't always have to be growling or showing teeth to signal aggression. Often times what happens is people misinterpret these initial signs of aggression as the dog being "excited" or wanting to play with the other dogs, or humans, when in reality the dog is frightened. When these signals are ignored and the dog is forced to be in the situation that is causing the anxiety, you will see the behavior escalate to teeth baring, growling and possibly biting. A trained animal handler will be able to evaluate your dog and suggest a proper course of action.

Answer 2

To be honest, he sounds like a great dog. Many dogs just are more vocal than others, and he is one of them, unfortunately for you! He's just trying to express his great excitement at seeing a possible play buddy.
If you must, try a bark collar. I have used them on my dogs and they do work. It is a very mild zap, just a tingle really--yes I did feel it myself before I ever put it on my dog's neck! It does increase in frequency if the dog keeps barking, check different bark collars as they have different features. As mentioned above, there is the citronella bark collar which gives the dog a small spray of citronella scent when it barks that is unpleasant but painless to the dog.
These collars are best used, however, for a dog that barks inappropriately, like at nothing, or constantly when you're gone, etc. Mine would bark at the crack of dawn at the cows in the field behind us. Even though we're in a rural area, we still have neighbors and nobody likes getting woken up at five am! So on went the bark collars and after just a few nights they learned and don't need the collars any more.
Good for you on the obedience training. Always a good idea, and actually I think that is your best bet to correct the overbarking. Once the dog learns a few things and understands that he needs to listen to your commands, you may have better luck teaching him to be quiet on command.
Very best of luck to you and congrats on being a responsible dog owner!

Answer 3

Basic obedience is a good place to start. One thing you can try with the barking that I've had good luck with is to "name it" and then turn it off and on.

For example, you can ask your dog to "speak" when you know that behavior is likely to occur, then offer sincere praise when he barks. You can then say "don't speak" and if you get even 2 seconds of silence, praise that, as well.

If the problem is more severe than what this can handle, you can firmly grasp the dog's muzzle and use your command (don't speak) -even lightly shaking the dog's muzzle. If you get stunned silence for a few seconds, praise warmly. If not, repeat the action and command. It is important to be consistent - choose your command and use it consistently. Don't use "don't speak", "hush", "quiet", "SHUT UP!" and expect your dog to catch on. Select one (I actually use hush) and use it consistently. Ans don't give up! I had a Scottie that took over 500 "hush" with the muzzle grasp and a slight shake of the muzzle to get the message that I was serious about this. He went from a bark to a whine to ... well, it was quiet but it was noise. He just wanted to know where the limit was. And he tested it and tested it. Once he got it, and got the rewards (praise) that went with it, he never challenged it again!

Good luck with your little guy!

Answer 4

Dogs bark for all kinds of reasons. He appears to be doing this because he is excited , particularly if he is wagging his tail --- dog talk for "I'm here, pay attention to me, who are you?". If he is socializing and not attacking, when given the opportunity to meet other dogs, it is just his nature. Some are easier to stop from barking than others. You can get an antibark collar -- they work quite well. See Drssmithandfoster.com, or any other place that sells them.

Answer 5

You have a very vocal dog. Nothing to worry over, it's his way of communicating his excitement. From what you describe he is also very social and welcomes the opportunity to greet other dogs and people with enthusiasm.

You have taken the right step with obedience, continue doing what you're doing and you will see a difference.

Answer 6

he could just be vocalizing his excitement at all these new encounters. it may resolve on its own as he becomes more socialized. or it could just be his personality :)
if it really bothers you i suppose you could use a citronella bark collar.
dont get a bark collar, thats sad to think every time he gets excited and happy about something he will get "zapped". before long you may have a dog with a broken spirit

Answer 7

OK my tea cup poodle barks at people and unless he is biting them or anything hurtful i see no problem with my dog barking think if every time you speak to somebody that is what the dog is doing it is his way of communication

Answer 8

Keep a flashlight handy. When he starts barking, shine the light in his eyes to temporarily blind him and then administer a forceful whack with the flashlight. Explain to him why you are doing that. Believe me, he will shape up pronto!

Answer 9

Put some lemon juice in the squirt bottle. When he starts barking, squirt him in the face (aim for the mouth). The different taste will surprise him and he will stop barking to think about it.

Answer 10

I think basic training is going to help you. Your puppy sounds like he just wants attention, my dog did this when she was younger.