My dog barks at loud noises and excitement. How can I stop it?

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.

Covering the crate or relocating it to another room may help. Teaching the "no bark" command can help but will take patience and consistency in training. If you know visitors are expected, wear him out with an extended session of play or exercise before their arrival. Praise and reward him when he is quiet and when he stops barking. Ignore any barking and wait it out. You can read more at this link: http://m.humanesociety.org/animals/dogs/tips/how_to_stop_barking.html

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

Hi there. I'm so sorry to read about Scarlet's troubles. There are a lot of reasons dogs can bark. They can be nervous or scared, protective of their families, excited in general, curious, etc. Lack of structure and exercise can make them more nervous as well. Some dogs respond to you teaching them a "bark" or "speak" command in a very quiet setting when there isn't anything making them bark. This shows them that you will tell them when it's time to be vocal. You can also try crating her in a kennel when people come over. Once everyone arrives you can let her out to socialize. The kennel isn't for punishment, but just her private, comfortable area where he can feel secure when the stressful situation occurs. Placing her in the kennel in a separate room can also help break her of the barking if you just let him "bark it out" without yelling or responding to her until she is quiet. Desensitizing to the stimulus can be helpful too. I am including a link that I think has some good information about how to help with the barking behavior. However, please keep in mind that any aggression like growling, snarling, biting, or lunging at other dogs or people, should be taken seriously, and I would not continue to try training without a professional. And that being said, the best way to get this behavior under control is to contact a reputable trainer in your area who can work with you. I hope you find this answer helpful! Best of luck!

Poor Draco! He probably is barking more now because it worked to scare away the burglar and so he feels the need to protect you and the house. Barking can be hard to stop because often times the "reward" of someone going away easily reinforces the barking outside of your control, especially if it's a delivery or postman stopping by. You can work on it a few ways, by either having him greet people at the door by sitting nicely and accepting a treat (basically refocusing his behavior on sitting and waiting instead of barking), or by distracting him with something such as a Kong or chew toy when people come by to divert his attention. Working on commands such as quiet or even speak can help him associate barking with those as well instead of what's at the door. If the barking continues, talking with a local trainer is also a good idea as they will better be able to observe the behavior in person and provide a more tailored response.

This is called redirected aggression. Kobe cannot reach his intended target when excited, frustrated, aroused, etc so he redirects that energy to the closest being. That would be Sydney. The key to managing this is to prevent Kobe from reaching that heightened state of excitement/aggression/frustration. Acclimate Kobe gradually to the stimuli that set him off. You may need the help of a certified veterinary behaviorist and/or trainer. Pheromone products such as the Adaptil collar or DAP plug in diffuser may decrease any anxiety or aggression. Exercise and rigorous activity during the day may tire Kobe out and burn off excess energy making him less likely to respond to sounds at night.

She sounds like she's a high energy, probably very intelligent dog and she needs a job. Make sure to get her out for lots of exercise, take her with you wherever you can, get her into obedience training, agility, take her to the dog park, go for long walks, runs, play fetch, anything and everything you can do to wear down her energy levels. A tired dog is a happy dog. Try using a puzzle feeder or slow feeder to make her meals more challenging and mentally stimulating. Also consider getting her a Kong toy to chew during times you'd like her to be calmer and quiet. They are durable, heavy rubber and can be stuffed with peanut butter to occupy a dog for longer periods of time. If these suggestions don't have enough of an effect to make her more settled, consider hiring a trainer that specializes in behavioral issues. Make sure to ask them what methods they use and only hire someone that uses only positive reinforcement in their training.