Barking at Dogs we Meet & Methods to Stop Dog Barking

by Suzanne Sullivan
(Surrey, England)

My 4 year old westy whom we have had since July 09, has started to bark at other dogs she meets on her walks. She is very friendly, and generally just wants to say hello, but as soon as she sees a dog in the distance, she immediately starts barking, most regular dog walkers are aware that she just wants to say hello, however we just cannot seem to stop her greeting dogs this way... in the house she hardly barks only when their are dogs on the telly or the postman calls.

Hi Suzanne this must be quite frustrating for you and I quite understand where you are coming from as my parents own a West Highland Terrier and they are quite prone to barking at other dogs.

I read your e-mail carefully and it seems that she has started barking at other dogs which seems strange and something that has not be happening before. It is very natural for dogs to bark at other dogs as it is there way of communicating. I would either use two methods to stop this barking.

Firstly you should spcilaize your dog with as many other dogs as you can so that she gets more used to them. Take your dog to see and smell the other dogs - keep her on the lead and when she barks - give a little 'check' on the lead and so 'no' in a sharp voice. This will startle your pooch - when she stops - give her a treat - but timing is crucial, only give the treat when she is quiet. You could also use a clap, whistle or some pebbles (shake) in a can which will startle her - to stop barking then reward. Some dog obedience trainers advocate a water spray which you use to spray and startle your dog out of barking and then reward (we don't advocate this) however, it's up to you it is certainly better than the shock collars that are doing the rounds at the moment.

Continue to practice the 'sit' command and use this after you have rewarded your dog - its a great method to divert his attention from wanting to bark too.

The best methods to stop your dog barking are under our 'problem behavior' tab on the left navigation panel. Go to 'dog barking control' as this will give you the exact details that you need to train your dog to 'speak' or 'bark' on command and then to be 'quiet' on command too!

Hope this helps and let me know how you get on.