My 2-year-old dog barks at everything outside. How can I stop it?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I have two comments for you. One is, he could be doing this for attention or because he is not getting enough exercise. Perhaps try extra time with practicing tricks or playing. An extra walk or run can also help keep boredom and pent up energy under control. 90% of the time, this is the issue. If you feel you are already doing a great job in these departments, consider crate training him so that he has “quiet time” while you’re working etc. The other comment is redirection. When he runs off with your shoe (or whatever) tell him no firmly and immediately offer something he CAN chew/play with. Then praise him and maybe play with that toy with him for a minute or two. If those are not working, it’s timw to involve a trainer. Best wishes to you and Stitch!

Poor Rascal! It sounds like he's very fearful of many things outside, which is why he barks at them. This problem is usually very treatable, but you really need to work with a professional who can give you some hands-on guidance in how to help him with his fear - it sounds like he may also be a good candidate for anti-anxiety medication, at least in the short-term. Your best option would be to make an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate Rascal in person and help you put together a detailed plan to help him. This plan would normally include recommendations on how to help manage him so that he isn't put in situations that are scary and overwhelming for him, training techniques to help with his fear by teaching him to associate good things with the things he's currently afraid of, and possibly medication as discussed above. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org

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!

There are many different training methods for helping dogs to stop barking. Repetitions, consistency, and positive reinforcement are the three mainstays of training for almost all aspects of canine behavioral modification. Since she is stopping immediately sometimes, she is either recognizing your desire for her to stop or there is something that is occurring that both you and her are unaware of that is making her stop. You will have to think hard about the times that she stops and the times that she doesn't, and consider what may be different. If you are able to figure that out, training her will become much easier. Since I am assuming the majority of the barking occurs while you are walking Snowball, the best thing you can do is reward any positive behavior you see while you are partaking in this activity. Carry a small pouch of dog treats with you at all times. If Snowball starts barking and going towards whatever the stimulus might be, stop movement, have her her heel, and then the moment she stops barking reward her and continue the walk. Another method you might consider is training Snowball with a separate command that breaks her concentration in order to divert her attention elsewhere. If you are able to teach her the touch command, she might stop her barking in order to come to you in hopes of receiving a treat. The touch command is very simple. You basically are teaching your dog that every time you say touch, she is to come to your hand and touch her nose to it. While in the beginning this will likely only work from a few inches away, eventually with practice you should be able to divert her attention from quite far. If training does not seem to be effective, there are collars available that are meant to discourage barking. They range from ones that make annoying noises, ones that spray out something that smells unpleasant, and ones that shock the wearer. The shock collars should only be used in extreme circumstances when all other collars and training methods have failed. Hope this helps.

Barking is a complex issue, and without knowing the cause of Tuck's barking, it'd be hard to recommend how to fix the issue. Finding the cause of it (IE is he stressed out when you leave, barking at seeing a neighbor, other dogs, etc) can help you narrow down ways to treat the issue. Often times, distraction and redirecting the behavior are what is needed to stop the barking. These articles below may help with general barking issues, however, speaking with a trainer in person that can observe the behavior and provide a more tailored response may also be beneficial: https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-tips-to-stop-excessive-barking-in-dogs/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/why-does-my-dog-bark-so-much/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/excessive-barking-a-common-behavior-problem/

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

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