My dog barks a lot and nips at kids. How can I stop this behavior?

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. If you are worried about a shock collar, you can try a citronella collar, which can be found online quite easily. If that does not work, I would recommend using a spray bottle filled with water and spritzing Belle in the face every time she barks. You can also use an empty can filled with coins and toss this near her every time she barks and the noise may deter her from barking. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

This type of behavior can be very concerning, especially when there are small children around. The good news is that your puppy is still very young and this is a good time to teach her good and appropriate behaviors. You are already doing a great job by exercising her regularly (a fast-paced 20-30 minute walk 2-3 times a day is best) and by redirecting her aggressive tendencies with chew toys. Another tactic you can use in training is to immediately stop play and ignore her if she starts becoming aggressive. This will teach her that that type of behavior does not get her what she wants (your attention). It is also a good idea to always use positive reinforcement when she is being well behaved. Puppies respond better and learn faster from positive reinforcement (like verbal praise and treats) than negative reinforcement (like yelling or hitting them). It would also be wise to start some initial training of basic commands as well, like sit, stay/wait, come, etc. This will help her focus and energy levels and will help establish your role the dominant one in the relationship. I hope this helps. Remember, persistence early on will help you raise a great puppy. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck!

I am so sorry that Chata is barking so much. Some dogs feel the need to communicate all the time. If she is barking excessively at kids, it could be that she is experiencing a high level of anxiety when they approach her. I would recommend to contact your veterinarian to discuss possible anti-anxiety medicines to help take the edge off. These medications are NOT suppose to sedate them, but I have seen some good success with barking and similar anxious behaviors. Also, make sure the Chata is getting enough activity as some dogs will be excessive barkers if they have pent up energy. Finally, consider working with a dog trainer or a veterinary behaviorist. You can find one in your area on www.acvb.org. Here are some additional resources for you below: peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2085&aid=153 pets.webmd.com/dogs/guide/understanding-why-dogs-bark#1 humanesociety.org/animals/dogs/tips/how_to_stop_barking.html

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. I would recommend using a spray bottle filled with water and every time Woody barks, spray him in the face and say "off!". I would also recommend using a citronella collar, which can help deter Woody from barking. Jumping on people I would use the same technique with the spray bottle and even something loud such as an empty can filled with coins that you can shake loudly at Woody to stop the behavior. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions / or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. Please take the time to mark this question as helpful or not as it helps us to improve on the quality of our answers to other pet owners. Thank you kindly!

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! Lucci's behavior is common. He is still young and you can still work on this. I would take him to a trainer to have him learn the "leave it" and "look" commands. I would purchase a gentle leader face harness and use that on walks. Do not take him off the leash around other dogs or children until he listens to you perfectly. Little breed dogs are loud and they bark. Some are more pushy with their dominance and you will need to figure out how much Lucci will exhibit these behaviors as he grows up and reaches social/behavioral maturity (up to 3 years of age). I recommend you get aggressive with training and using professionals. Good luck! https://www.petsmart.com/dog/collars-harnesses-and-leashes/training-collars-leashes-and-harnesses/petsafe-gentle-leader-training-dog-collar-8851.html

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear that Charlie is barking so much at the construction. Since it is such a new, loud noise, he is not used to hearing it yet. My best advice is for you to ignore the noise - the less you react to the noise, Charlie will realize that it is not a big deal. It may take 2-3 days for him to adjust. If after this time, he is still barking incessantly, I recommend asking your veterinarian about a calming medication he/she could prescribe for the short term. A good example is Trazodone. I hope this is helpful!

Hello, and thanks for your question. Most “aggression” issues in dogs are ultimately based on fear to some degree, so I would suspect this is at least partially fear based. Maggie knows that your family is her “pack”, and she’s nervous of outsiders. Every time she barks/growls at others and they end up walking away, she may be reinforcing to herself that “hey - this works! I should keep scaring strangers away!” If this is a behavior you want to work on (and I would recommend it, before it escalates to biting a visitor or stranger on the street) I highly recommend recruiting the expertise of a professional. Ideally a veterinary behaviorist, but your primary vet may be able to direct you to trainers they recommend. Behavior concerns require a lot of time, effort, patience, and consistency, and it’s important to give Maggie the right response at the right moment, before she’s too worked up to be receptive to you. A professional can help you learn how to read these subtle signs before Maggie is completely overstimulated. Here’s a link on aggression that may be helpful to you. https://www.petcoach.co/article/aggression-due-to-dominance/ Hope this helps!