My dog barks too much when he hears other dogs. What can I do?

Hello, Dogs tend to vocalize more when they are in their own territory. I would recommend working with distraction exercises with Maggie to help break the cycle of barking. Here are two links that discuss canine behavior and training: https://drsophiayin.com/resources/dog_behavior/#barking|whining https://www.youtube.com/user/kikopup/videos I hope this is helpful!

Many dogs have this problem - it's called leash reactivity :) It happens because Laika is so excited to see another dog, and frustrated because she can't immediately run over to them - which leads to barking and lots of crazy, uncontrollable behavior. Fortunately, this behavior is usually very treatable with a good training plan. Normally, a training plan for these dogs involves using very tasty treats to reward calm behavior at a distance from another dog - it's critical that you're far enough away that she can be calm and take treats, which means that you may need a lot of distance at first! Once she understands the game and is doing well, you can gradually move closer. It can be hard to do this on your own at first, so I would really recommend getting in touch with a good reward-based trainer who can help you in person. He/she can help by setting up controlled training situations at first with a calm "helper dog" to help both of you get the idea of how to work on the problem, until you're ready to transition to real life scenarios like passing another dog on a walk.

It sounds like Siri is trying to train you. The best way to get him to stop without significant intervention is positive reinforcement. In this case, you will be reinforcing the absence of a behavior. I don't know where he stands in reference to you while he is barking, but hopefully it is within a reasonable voice's reach. You need to start rewarding Siri for periods of quiet (I would say if he is in a barking fit, any period of silence greater than 10-15 seconds should be rewarded). You should also start to come up with a word you phrase you use to ask Siri to quiet down. It doesn't matter what you choose as long as you are consistent. If this fails, there are bark collars out there of all different types. On small dogs I essentially never, ever recommended any collar that produces an electric shock. However, there are citronella collars that spray an unpleasant liquid (not bothersome to humans) at the dog any time it barks above a certain volume. It is extremely effective on some dogs and completely harmless. Hope this helps.

Hello, sorry to hear about Murphy. He may be experiencing fear or anxiety or he has learned that barking gets him attention. Here is a couple of tips from a handout explaining why dogs may bark and how to manage them. Hope this helps. Barking is a normal behavior for dogs but can become a serious problem for owners, potentially leading to eviction, legal action or relinquishment of the dog. There are many different normal motivations that will cause dogs to bark, including territorial defense, fear, play, social facilitation and learned barking. Be aware that your dog may have different reasons for barking at different times. Genetics plays a role in barking as well, and some breeds are more predisposed to excessive barking than others. There are some very rare and complex disorders that can lead to barking, including compulsive disorders, vocalization stereotypies and barking secondary to separation anxiety. Why your dog barks - Fear or anxiety o Watch your dog when it is barking to determine if fearful body language is shown. This may include some or all of the following: tail tucked or low and wagging, ears down and back, eyes diverted away from feared object with the white of the eye showing, lips retracted horizontally, lip licking, panting, leaning back and away from the stimulus - Territorial defense o Your dog barks at people or dogs approaching its territory (including your house and possibly your car or the area around your dog when on leash) - Learned barking (“attention-seeking”) o Many dogs bark to get a desired reaction from their owner (attention, food, to get inside or outside the house, etc.); barking will increase if the dog successfully elicits the desired reaction - Social Facilitation o Dogs bark in response to stimulation from other barking dogs o Play barking occurs when your dog is playing (with another dog, person, a toy, etc.) What you can do to stop your dog from barking - Make sure your dog has plenty of physical activity and mental stimulation! - Avoid situations that cause your dog to bark as much as you are able - Teach your dog some attention games so that you can easily interrupt undesired behavior o ”Come”: This helps you get your dog’s attention even in a high-arousal situation o “Target”: Teaching your dog to touch its nose to your hand or an object on command will also allow interruption of undesired behavior and focus your dog’s attention on you - Positively reinforce desired behavior o Praise your dog and give treats when your dog is quiet! o Teach a “Quiet” command Stage situations where your dog will bark; when barking stops reward the quiet behavior and begin to associate it with a “quiet” command If you have difficulty interrupting the barking, use a head halter to close your dog’s mouth and stop the barking - Desensitization and counter-conditioning to the triggers o These techniques allow you to address the underlying stimulus that causes your dog to bark and are especially useful if your dog is fearful o Desensitization: in this technique the inciting stimulus is very slowly introduced in such a way that the dog never reacts; the intensity of the stimulus is increased over time, but never rapidly enough to elicit barking o Counter-conditioning: the goal of this technique is to replace a negative response to a stimulus with a positive response by pairing rewards with the aversive stimulus - Bark collars o The use of bark collars is controversial and can cause stress o Bark collars should never be used in a dog that is anxious or fearful Some things NOT to do - Do not reward your dog for barking o The reward your dog is seeking may be your attention (even if you get mad!), a treat, getting in or out of the house, etc. o Terminate play when your dog barks in order to teach your dog that barking during play is inappropriate - Do not yell – loud noises may likely encourage more barking DO NOT PUNISH YOUR DOG

Figure out what he gets out of barking and remove it. Don't give your dog the opportunity to continue the barking behavior. But don't ever shout at your dog to stop barking, because they see that as you 'barking' with them and it does little to discourage them. Ignore your dog's barking for as long as it takes him to stop. That means don't give him attention at all while he's barking. Your attention only rewards him for being noisy. Don't talk to, don't touch, or even look at him. When he finally quiets, even to take a breath, reward him with a treat. To be successful with this method, you must wait as long as it takes for him to stop barking. Yelling at him is the equivalent of barking with him. Teach your dog the ‘quiet’ command. Oddly, the first step is to teach your dog to bark on command. Give your dog the command to "speak," wait for him to bark two or three times, and then stick a tasty treat in front of his nose. When he stops barking to sniff the treat, praise him and give him the treat. Repeat until he starts barking as soon as you say "speak." Once your dog can reliably bark on command, teach him the "quiet" command. In a calm environment with no distractions, tell him to "speak." When he starts barking, say "quiet" and stick a treat in front of his nose. Praise him for being quiet and give him the treat. Make sure your dog is getting sufficient physical and mental exercise every day. A tired dog is a good dog and one who is less likely to bark from boredom or frustration. Depending on his breed, age, and health, your dog may require several long walks as well as a good game of chasing the ball and playing with some interactive toys.

Patience is key. Continue to reinforce the "No bark" command. Try to determine the cause for barking (boredom, hunger, stress, anxiety,etc) and decrease or eliminate the stimuli. Follow the link below to the PetCoach library for an article with more tips. https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-tips-to-stop-excessive-barking-in-dogs/

Dog aggression is relatively common and while there are training techniques to reduce dog aggression it can be difficult. If you can identify certain triggers: i.e. if she is only aggressive when she is at home, or when she is on a leash, it can be easier to work on training her to 'ignore' other dogs or desensitization. I would recommend seeing a behaviorist - your veterinarian would likely be able to recommend someone in your area. Until you are able to work on some training I would recommend avoiding contact with other dogs so that there are no injuries.