How can I stop my dog from barking at people?

Question

We rescued her from a pound, and she's scared of people. We want her to stop barking at people, but we don't want spend a lot of money on her at an obedience school.

Answer 1

My dog is shy around new people, and I got some really good advice that's been helping alot. It uses positive reinforcement. If he is shy around people, what they told me to do is start taking him on walks and as soon as you see another person off in the distance that might be like 50 yards a way start treating your dog and then walk across the street to keep the distance, do this for awhile then decrease the distance between the stranger, then eventually if the dog is okay with a person being with about 10 feet, have the stranger throw him treats. it does take awhile to break his habit, but it is worth it. I've been working on it for a few months and my dog at least allows people near him now, but we're working on letting them pet him!

Answer 2

Please don't use punishment to teach this dog. Throwing a can of rocks at her head, yelling at her, and scaring her into submission will not help her at all.

You want to countercondition your dog's fear response to people positively - if she were my dog, I'd spend a lot of time rewarding her being around people. Don't worry about the barking - just reinforce her when she's hanging out with people. Get some patient friends to help and just ask them to come to your house, but to not interact with your new dog at all. Have them toss treats at her without looking at her or asking her to do anything. She will need time to decide on her own that all of these people giving her treats are OK. The barking will stop on its' own.
I wouldn't be feeding her meals in her bowl - I'd put her daily food in a portable bag and keep it with me, so that she'd learn to associate you with positive things.
As far as classes - many obedience and training schools are not expensive - PetSmart and PetCo offer classes weekly, for example, and it's worth spending the $ so that you can get feedback from the instructor. Learning how to use a clicker, how to get your timing right to reward your dog for good behaviors - most people need a little help with this from the experts, so that they can learn how to teach their dog positively.
Checking the Meetup.com groups in your area might work, though. Look for a Clicker or Obedience group - even a puppy socialization class, and join it. You may be able to hook up with others who can help you.

Answer 3

An obedience class to train her under the watchful eye of a professional is worth every penny, and it is arguably some of the best money you can spend on your dog. Check local clubs and kennels to see if there are good rates. A local trainer here offers discounts to shelter dogs, and there are very very cheap weekly classes at my local dog park. Pay as you go, go as often as you want.

A barking dog is not a hard thing to fix, but you want to fix it right.

Answer 4

It's a dog’s natural instinct to protect his family so what your dog is doing is perfectly normal. I myself encourage the behavior in my dog. However, if you do not approve then there is a simple technique called command, avoidance, escape. Hook your dog up to a leash and choke chain, when the dog barks command him to "leave it" if he does not obey give him a quick sharp correction of the leash and command a loud, firm "NO" if he still barks apply upward pressure to the choke chain until the dogs from feet are off the ground and hold until the dog stops. A basic choke chain will not hurt the dog but provides more of an annoyance. I would not recommend shock collars or pinch collars because they could create hysteria in the dog resulting in other behavioral problems.

Answer 5

Since I don't know your dog, it is possible that she is barking at people because she is afraid. My dog barks at people when they first come over because she is happy for new people to be at our house and needs them to say hello to her. So, our regular visitors know that upon coming in our home means greeting everyone who lives here. She WILL bark until the guest says "Hello Olivia!!!" and leans down to pet her for a moment. She then has been included and goes and lays down.

If someone new comes over, I tell them to please say hello to Olivia and acknowledge her briefly and she WILL shut up. Basically I 'interpret' her barking as "Hello!! Hello!! I am so happy to see you! Please notice me! Hello? Hello? I am right HERE!!!Bark bark bark bark !!!!!" I have known this incredibly clever animal for over 10 years.

Animals ARE pack animals and when we realize that most everything they do is to be apart of what is going on with their pack (you as head dog), their bizarre behavior makes more sense. And on a cynical note, seeing a dog chained up alone day after day outside is even more abusive because dogs would NEVER choose to be all alone.

So, that is just my opinion on one possible reason for the barking, but like I said, I do not know your dog and if she is afraid and that is why she is barking, I guess it may just time for her to feel safe again. Good luck! It will all be worth it and you will be so amazed once your dog relaxes into a happy dog place!!! That dog will forever be loyal!

Answer 6

Remember that she thinks you are all part of a 'pack'- so if she barks (thinking she's protecting the home) and then you make ANY sort of noise, whether yelling or saying no or shaking a can of rocks, she thinks you are "backing her up"- you are showing her that you just "bark" differently. Ignore her- don't pet her, talk to her, yell at her, or even look at her. She will stop.

Answer 7

Perfect solution. Type the words Dog Repeller into your search bar. This is an electronic device that emmets a very high pitch ultrasonic sound that is barely even detectable by the human ear. You can give him a little dose each time he barks along with a strong NO. I have one that I use in collections when someone has a dog that won't allow me to get to the door to ask for my money. It works very well at stopping an agressive dog and might be a good thing to try to train your dog to stop barking. I found mine for $11.95 plus shipping and handling. It would be well worth a try wouldn't you say.

Answer 8

Dont use a shock collar that will make her even more scared! And so will a rattle bottle. You just have to be patient, start slowly bringing people into the house keep reascuring her and give the strangers treats to give to her. She just needs to learn that people aren't going to hurt her again and that she is safe.

Answer 9

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Answer 10

water bottle.
if you rescued her, you should have researched enough to know that dogs cost money. vet bills, training, food, etc. try anything short of yelling at her, but she might just need to be around people in order to get used to them. have her go around one person at a time, and just have them sit there with her. as she gets used to people, she will become less fearful.
sometimes it just takes time. you should be ready to spend money on her at any time. i have a mini dach, and his one illness cost us $660, in one day. we've also put him through training ($100). there are a lot of expenses with any pet, and it's something that needs to be taken care of.
good luck.