My dog barks and lunges at others on walks. How to reduce anxiety?

Poor Panda! Some dogs do become very fearful of other dogs after an incident like this, which can lead to barking and lunging on the leash. It sounds like you're on the right track by trying to use treats to help make her more comfortable - but if she is still barking and lunging, this means you need to be further away. Start at a distance where she is comfortable and able to take treats calmly, then gradually work on moving closer as long as she is doing well. It can be very difficult to do this on your own, especially if her anxiety is severe. I would really recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist or a good reward-based trainer who can help you in person for the best chance of success. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here (www.dacvb.org) or a qualified trainer here (www.ccpdt.org)

Poor Vito! In general, we tend to treat this problem by teaching the dog to associate good things with people entering a room - often, very tasty treats :) My first thought is that you may need to use higher value treats if he isn't interested in eating them when you try this - things like chicken, roast beef, or string cheese are often good choices for this type of training. If he still will not take treats in this situation, then this means that he's too worried or anxious to eat - in that case, you will need to find a way to make the situation easier for him (possibly by removing him from the room until the person sits down and gets settled, then bringing him back in), or he may need anti-anxiety medication in the beginning to help. Since it can be difficult to do this on your own, it would be best to make an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist or a good reward-based trainer who can help you in person. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here (dacvb.org) or a qualified trainer here (ccpdt.org).

Poor pup! Lots of dogs have this problem, and it's definitely something that can be improved. The basic treatment plan for this issue involves teaching your dog to associate good things (usually treats!) with seeing people and other dogs. You need to start at a distance where he is able to notice them without immediately reacting - so depending on how severe his problem is, you may need a lot of distance at first! Every time he looks at a person or another dog, praise and reward with a treat. If he's barking or not interested in the treats, this means you're too close - back up a bit to where he's comfortable, and try again. It can be hard to do this on your own at first, so I would strongly recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist or a good reward-based trainer to work with you in person. He/she can help you set up controlled training situations at first to practice, until you and your dog are both comfortable with how things are going. Punishment of any kind is not recommended for this behavior, as it only makes the dog more anxious and worsens the problem over time - steer clear of any trainer who recommends corrections for this behavior. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here (www.dacvb.org) or a qualified trainer here (www.ccpdt.org).

Many dogs bark at sounds or unfamiliar objects or people, especially when they are first getting used to a new environment. If she is barking all the time, I suspect that she is somewhat anxious and "on-edge" about lots of different things - she may have been poorly socialized as a puppy, which often leads to excessive anxiety about new things and lots of barking as a result. If you think this might be the case, there are a few things you can do to help. A DAP pheromone collar along with a natural calming supplement like Zylkene or Composure can help to relieve some of her anxiety - these can be purchased online with out a prescription, and are helpful for many dogs with this issue. Inside the house, you can also use a white noise machine or some other type of background noise to help block out sounds from outside that may trigger the barking. Outside, I would carry treats with you when you take Mitsu for walks. Anytime she sees something and starts to bark, call her back to you and give her a treat. Over time, she will learn to look at you for her treat when she sees something that startles her, rather than barking and lunging. If you need help with this, I would suggest getting in touch with a good reward-based trainer who can work with you in person. You can search for a qualified trainer in your area here: www.ccpdt.org

Poor Ruger! It sounds like he's extremely anxious - barking at things like this is how dogs communicate that they are scared and uncomfortable. Especially in a 5-month-old puppy, this is very concerning because this behavior is likely to get worse as he gets older without proper treatment. There is also a significant risk that this may progress to lunging and biting when he is an adult, which is extremely serious in a large-breed dog like a GSD. Because of this, I would strongly recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate Ruger in person and put together a detailed, step-by-step treatment plan to address this problem - success rates for treating behavior problems like this are highest when treatment starts while the dog is still a puppy, so I would do this now. Don't wait until he's older, or it will be much harder to make progress. The general approach to treatment for anxiety and barking like this involves teaching Ruger to be comfortable seeing strange people by associating them with treats and other good things - but for anxiety this severe, it will be extremely difficult to do this successfully on your own, which is why I really recommend seeing the behaviorist as soon as possible for some hands-on guidance. Medication may also be helpful, and the behaviorist can talk to you about this option as well. You can search for a veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org

Poor Marley! This is a fairly common problem for many dogs - you're correct that the barking is generally caused by fear. Treatment for this issue normally involves teaching the dog to associate good things (like treats!) with seeing large dogs and men so that over time, she begins be happy about seeing them rather than getting scared and barking. To do this successfully, you need to start at a distance away from the dogs (or men) where she is comfortable and able to notice them without barking - for some dogs, this may mean that you need a lot of distance at first! As soon as she sees another dog or a man, praise her and reward with a treat. Once she understands the game, you can gradually move closer as long as she's doing well. This can be difficult to do on your own at first, so I would strongly recommend getting in touch with a good reward-based trainer who can help you in person - he/she can help to set up controlled training sessions with a helper dog or some strange men until you get the hang of things and are ready for "real life" situations. You can search for a qualified trainer in your area here: www.ccpdt.org

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. There are many behavioural things you can try to help with anxiety. The best recommendation is increased exercise and training so that when people come over Ruka has other commands to distract her. You can also try DAP (Dog appeasing pheramone) diffusers and sprays around the house. Thunder shirts are also helpful for anxiety. If these strategies fail, talk to your vet about other behavioural changes you can try, and if none of these work you can discuss anti-anxiety medications with your vet. Anti-anxiety medications typically only work well if they are used in conjunction with behavioural modification. Best of luck with Ruka!