# Barking on the street



## SJ1998 (Feb 4, 2013)

Hi! Looking for advice please on the best way to correct my hav puppy when he barks at other people and dogs on the street. He doesn't always do it, but here's a common scenario:
- We leave house for first morning walk. We exit the side door and walk down our driveway to sidewalk. Sometimes we run into our neighbor and his dog. As soon as my puppy sees them he starts barking. 

What is the best way to handle this? Thanks in advance!


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

SJ1998 said:


> Hi! Looking for advice please on the best way to correct my hav puppy when he barks at other people and dogs on the street. He doesn't always do it, but here's a common scenario:
> - We leave house for first morning walk. We exit the side door and walk down our driveway to sidewalk. Sometimes we run into our neighbor and his dog. As soon as my puppy sees them he starts barking.
> 
> What is the best way to handle this? Thanks in advance!


The best way to deal with it is to get his attention BEFOREhe sees the other dog. Put him in a sit or down, if possible, and feed him LOTS of yummy cookies, while telling him what a great puppy he is until the other dog has passed. Eventually, he'll get the idea that other dogs mean good things are going to happen. This is not a quick fix, but it does work if you are consistent.

It also sounds like he needs LOTS more opportunities to socialize with other safe, friendly dogs so he learns that they are not a threat.


----------



## JacksonsMom (Nov 23, 2012)

I have to find way for Jackson to stop barking when someone knocks on the. door. I live an a apartment and we are not suppose to have pets... He never barked this much before, I have to find a way to quiet him down..

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

JacksonsMom said:


> I have to find way for Jackson to stop barking when someone knocks on the. door. I live an a apartment and we are not suppose to have pets... He never barked this much before, I have to find a way to quiet him down..
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


ummmmmm, you aren't suppose to HAVE a dog????


----------



## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

krandall said:


> The best way to deal with it is to get his attention BEFOREhe sees the other dog. Put him in a sit or down, if possible, and feed him LOTS of yummy cookies, while telling him what a great puppy he is until the other dog has passed. Eventually, he'll get the idea that other dogs mean good things are going to happen. This is not a quick fix, but it does work if you are consistent.
> 
> It also sounds like he needs LOTS more opportunities to socialize with other safe, friendly dogs so he learns that they are not a threat.


yup! Karen took the words right out of my mouth! Tillie was attacked (but not hurt) by a siberian husky on a walk when she was about 5-6 months old and has had 'big dog issues' ever since. I started working with her right away and would get her attention (with a "watch me" and a treat) long before SHE saw the other dog and would have her in a sit stay, focused on me as the other dog walked by... we did that for several months, it seemed like everytime she was ALMOST ready to 'graduate' to walking by the other dogs a stupid big dog owner would bring thier dog RIGHT into her sit/stay space, she would PANIC and start fear barking and set us back months of training. I had to learn to be PROACTIVE and IF I saw someone approaching us with a big dog I would shout to them to "stay away she is scared of big dogs" in order to protect her and our training. It was a long process.
Eventually she got to the point where she could walk within 8- 10 ft of another dog without reacting... but it took years.


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

TilliesMom said:


> I had to learn to be PROACTIVE and IF I saw someone approaching us with a big dog I would shout to them to "stay away she is scared of big dogs" in order to protect her and our training. It was a long process.
> Eventually she got to the point where she could walk within 8- 10 ft of another dog without reacting... but it took years.


Yes, this part is REALLY important!!! We do need to learn to be advocates for our dogs, especially since they are a small breed that tends to bring out the prey drive in many larger breeds. We have to be always scanning the environment and setting our guys up for success, ESPECIALLY if they are reactive toward other dogs. Stupid owners often THINK their dogs are being friendly, and let the dog drag them over, when often the big dog is thinking "BUNNY!!!!". *OUR* dogs can tell the difference! (and, incidentally, my Great Dane friend has had this exact problem in reverse. Her male Dane is very "soft" and sensitive, and he gets very nervous about little dogs running up to him. He has had our exact same problem in reverse, MANY times. So don't let your little "friendly" dog do this to others either!)

Kodi is very well socialized, and he is not worried about big FRIENDLY dogs. Even so, I am very cautious around people with dogs I don't know. I err on the side of picking him up and making SURE he doesn't get scared if I am unsure of a situation. Same thing, at trials, where most dogs are well mannered, but the space is very crowded, I just carry Kodi through. I don't want him to have to navigate between a bunch of Tervs, Rotties and GSD's. It's not fair to him, and honestly, it's not fair to them to put that kind of distraction in front of their noses.

The very best option is if you can find someone (or better, a FEW people) with a big, STABLE dog who is willing to practice with you in an open area. That way, you can direct the person to come close enough, but not come inside your dog's comfort area.


----------



## SJ1998 (Feb 4, 2013)

Thanks for the advice all. I realize now that I need to follow the same practice for the first AM "walk" that I do on regular walks...just in case I do run into the neighborhood dogs. Kind of obvious! I guess because I was not really viewing it as a walk, but more of a "let me run you outside first thing in AM" I wasnt prepared with treats etc. to divert any barking should a dog approach. 

I live in an urban area with that includes a strip of outdoor cafes etc. that allow dogs to dine outside. We try to walk this strip regularly. Our usual practice is to treat our pup before he sees dogs etc. We also have another dog (labrador) and we attend dog training class (currently crate games) at our local dog training club. Not to brag but he is the star of the crate games class! 

But I share the same concerns - balancing the social with keeping my small puppy away from loons with dogs on retractable leashes. I also wish people would train their dogs to not bark from the car. There's a lady in our neighborhood that has three goldens and she drives around with the windows down and the dogs bark at everyone.

The other thing is that many people freak out when they see the two dogs, so we're always getting the "so cute." My lab is the biggest flirt ever and he's always been a challenge to control. The hav is a super cute puppy if I do say so myself and has a fantastic walk so he gets a ton of attention.


----------



## SJ1998 (Feb 4, 2013)

TilliesMom said:


> yup! Karen took the words right out of my mouth! Tillie was attacked (but not hurt) by a siberian husky on a walk when she was about 5-6 months old and has had 'big dog issues' ever since. I started working with her right away and would get her attention (with a "watch me" and a treat) long before SHE saw the other dog and would have her in a sit stay, focused on me as the other dog walked by... we did that for several months, it seemed like everytime she was ALMOST ready to 'graduate' to walking by the other dogs a stupid big dog owner would bring thier dog RIGHT into her sit/stay space, she would PANIC and start fear barking and set us back months of training. I had to learn to be PROACTIVE and IF I saw someone approaching us with a big dog I would shout to them to "stay away she is scared of big dogs" in order to protect her and our training. It was a long process.
> Eventually she got to the point where she could walk within 8- 10 ft of another dog without reacting... but it took years.


That's horrible! Poor Tillie! She is lucky you were so determined to help her work through it. I had to pepper spray a dog once. I was out walking with my first lab and a loose dog came out of nowhere and started biting and snapping. I got out the pepper spray - always wondered if I would ever use it - sprayed it on the dog. He let go of my dog and at the same time, a car was driving by and the man and woman stopped, opened the back door and yelled "get in" and without hesitation, my dog and I jumped into a total strangers car! They were very nice people. I dont walk my dogs without pepper spray.


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

SJ1998 said:


> The other thing is that many people freak out when they see the two dogs, so we're always getting the "so cute." My lab is the biggest flirt ever and he's always been a challenge to control. The hav is a super cute puppy if I do say so myself and has a fantastic walk so he gets a ton of attention.


I think MOST of us with Havs have the "so cute!" problem. It is really hard to keep your dog from being reinforced for behavior you don't want. This is another place where you just have to be tough (this time with other people!) and do what is best for your dog. Think to yourself, "If he was a Rottie would I let him act this way?" If the answer is no, do something about it. Don't let people get into the "Oh, it's OK, I don't mind, he's SO CUTE!!!" thing. In the long run, it will make things much more pleasant for you, and much easier to understand for your dog. Dogs LIKE clear cut expectations!


----------



## Zarika (Dec 16, 2012)

krandall said:


> I think MOST of us with Havs have the "so cute!" problem. It is really hard to keep your dog from being reinforced for behavior you don't want. This is another place where you just have to be tough (this time with other people!) and do what is best for your dog. Think to yourself, "If he was a Rottie would I let him act this way?" If the answer is no, do something about it. Don't let people get into the "Oh, it's OK, I don't mind, he's SO CUTE!!!" thing. In the long run, it will make things much more pleasant for you, and much easier to understand for your dog. Dogs LIKE clear cut expectations!


Even I got caught up in this at first. My last dog was smallish for her breed, but still a 70 pound dog. She was never allowed to jump up. Hobbes was jumping up on me when I first got home and I didn't even really notice because he's so small. Then one day I realized, what happens when I'm dressed in professional clothes next month instead of scrubs this month. Long story short, we now do the "sit to get petted" thing when I come home. Worked like a charm within a matter of days.


----------



## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

TilliesMom said:


> yup! Karen took the words right out of my mouth! Tillie was attacked (but not hurt) by a siberian husky on a walk when she was about 5-6 months old and has had 'big dog issues' ever since. I started working with her right away and would get her attention (with a "watch me" and a treat) long before SHE saw the other dog and would have her in a sit stay, focused on me as the other dog walked by... we did that for several months, it seemed like everytime she was ALMOST ready to 'graduate' to walking by the other dogs a stupid big dog owner would bring thier dog RIGHT into her sit/stay space, she would PANIC and start fear barking and set us back months of training. I had to learn to be PROACTIVE and IF I saw someone approaching us with a big dog I would shout to them to "stay away she is scared of big dogs" in order to protect her and our training. It was a long process.
> Eventually she got to the point where she could walk within 8- 10 ft of another dog without reacting... but it took years.


 I wouldn't put a dog in a sit. I would feed upon the dog alerting to the presence of another dog and then move away. If the dog is already reacting just get out of there! In desensitisation the order of the presentation of stimuli is very important. So the trigger should be there first, the reactive dog becomes aware and then the food arrives. So the pattern is that the trigger makes the food appear.

I don't really like the idea of putting a dog in a sit in the face of a trigger . This may push the dog waaaay over threshold, resort to flooding and cause a worsening of the response in the future. I would use distance to keep thresholds manageable and to reward non-reaction.


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

I guess I left out too much or assumed too much. I assumed this was happening at a distance. I would NEVER ask a frightened dog to sit as a scary (to him) dog got close to him. I don't think overwhelming the dog is ever a good idea. I guess I was picturing this with the dog on the other side of the street or across the playground.

With a small dog, you have the option of picking the dog up if someone lets their dog come too close for comfort. Kodi is actually quite friendly with other dogs in general, on or off leash, but he is small, and therefore vulnerable. So in a case where *I* don't feel comfortable about the other dog, I pick him up and get him out of harm's way.


----------



## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

oh ya, the sit/stay/treats were always done at a very good distance!!


----------

