Has anybody ever had a problem with their dog barking at traffic when you walk down the road.

I've had advice from 2 sources one being a behaviourist and the other being a dog trainer, both have different approaches on how to deal with the problem. The behaviourist says don't say anything to the dog and carry on walking. The dog trainer says tell the dog NO. We have tried both and nothing is working. It's a complete nightmare walking down the road, my dog lunges and barks at the traffic.

Can anybody suggest anything!!!

Sharon

This might sound like an odd type of question, I hope you don't mind my asking it. What type of collar and leash are you using?

Hi we have a half check chain and we use a Gencon collar very similar to a halti or a gentle leader. We are considering trying a body harness, by the way Tara is a GSD 4 years old.

Sharon

Well that thought's down the drain :rolleyes: I thought that you might have a regular buckle collar with the infamous extend-lead that have no control over a dog in immediate range. Sorry :rolleyes:

My idea would be to treat it as if she's lunging towards another dog.
Tell her "no", (snap the collar--if you have her on a training collar), Gently steer her if she's on a halti-type and put her into a "sit" until she calms down..... every single time she reacts to a car going by. While she's sitting, aim her head towards looking at you, not traffic. You are to become her focus, not anything else around.

Yes, some sharp treatment might be necessary, but this is dangerous behavior for her to have. It's in her best interest that she stops it.
Obviously do this on a day that you have nowhere to go and no 'anger' towards her about it. Work about 20-25 minutes, leave on a positive note, and then return in the afternoon.
It's my idea for the day :)
good luck with whatever you decide to do.
toodles

btw, I wouldn't advise a body harness for her... it would not help at all in this situation except to be able to pull you around easier. :(

Thanks so much for your advice, I shall have to give it a go and see how we get on and thanks for the advice about the harness

Sharon

Sharon this may not work for you, I had the same problem with my GSD when he was younger, tried everything and it didn't work, Eventually I took him for a longish walk then sat down on a bench next to the road and read a book for a while, ignoring him, with the traffic going past (he was tied to the bench), it took a week or so but he stopped taking any notice or traffic. Ingrid

Thanks Ingrid, that's another good idea. I shall have to bear that in mind as well.

Sharon

You could try distraction...walking close to you, rewarded by titbits, he may concentrate more on the food than the traffic.:)

Hi Pinklillies

Well we've tried that suggestion before, she isn't interested in the tastest titbit or her toy.

Shazie30

Think the sitting on the bench is your best bet, the GSD is probably irritated or worried by the traffic and getting it used to it may well be the answer. Ja:)kie

Jackie

I think you might be right sometimes she will sit and watch the traffic and she's no problem at all but we shall have to carry on with that idea and see what happens, thanks for your advice.

Shazie

If you feel your GSD is worried by the traffic, it mayhelp to learn by association - depending on what your traffic is like, give her a reward just as a vehicle goes by, either a little game or a tasty treat. It might be best to start this in a fairly quiet road, and then build it up slowly over the weeks or months to busier roads.

Dont worry that this will reward her for bad behaviour, as long as you are quick with the reward, ie as soon as the vehicle approaches, treat her, she will start to work out that the very presence of a vehicle means a good time for her.

If however she is very stressed and OTT this will not work, as she then will be getting wound up way befor the vehicle approaches, and will then indeed be rewarded for her exciteable attitude.

The other way is to reward her for good behavour, so every time she is calm, even slighlty, near traffic, praise, game or treat. This may mean waiting her out until she has stopped barking and will relax a bit.

The other option is training discs, but they must be "conditioned" and in troduced properly as a behavioural signal of non-reward, preferably by someone experienced in their use.

I do hope you will get this problem sorted - good luck

LIndsay

Agree, but I think we have been told that this particular dog in not interested in tit bits or toys. Mind you, may be the tit bits are not exciting enough, I know a bit of kibble would not stop me worring but a piece of chicken or liver might. :)

Well, personally, I'd throw over that piece of liver and go straight for the chocolate, if it was me being enticed :D :D :)

Eh, Sara, not being a bitch, you would not be poisoned. ;)

LOL, Jackie ---
Well, I was thinking of "me" like you said ;) :D

The original poster did say her dog did not respond to treats, my GSD is exactly the same, doesn't matter what's on offer he won't take anything when we are out. Luckily I have never trained using treats so it's not a problem, he'll do most things to get a bit of praise.
The traffic problem was a nightmare, he would also lunge and bark at passing cars, I was given loads of advice but nothing worked so I decided, as a last resort, the best thing to try was to desensitise him.
It took a while, just as he was settling a motor bike would come past and start him off again, but gradually things got better and he ignored everything. Ingrid

Whoops, sorry I missed the bit about the dog not responding to toys or titbits. Apologies! :o

Jackie I do agree with what you say about the quality of titbit, very few dog respond to biscuits, winalot chews etc when exciteable, but will be well distracted and rewarded for good behaviour by liver or sausage, chicken, etc. Mine will "allow" herself to be rewarded with titbits but all the titbits in the world are overshadowed by her kOng on a rope - her very fav. toy. And she will ignore other dogs, all sorts of stuff for that KOng!

Ingird I suspect you are right, simply de-sensitising the dog may well be the best bet :) Glad you had success with yours :)

LIndsay

Hello Everyone.

Well, thanks so much for your input, as you say my GSD isn't interested with titbits when out, she will train OK inside with them though. We have tried Liver, turkey, frankfurters and chocolates (doggie ones by the way) but nothing will distract her. She loves her ball but even trying with that she doesn't want to know. We have filled a small can with pebbles and dropped it behind her and she's not even bothered to look at it and say "what was that". I think the only thing maybe as you have posted is to slowly try to get her used to the traffic by trying to calm her down. We find it even worse now the dark nights have arrived because she sees the traffic much sooner. We had problems walking past a particular garden that had a dog in that my dog had never seen and she would go beserk, our dog trainer suggested to get her to sit when she started as we walked past this perticular house, we eventually got her to sit and since we did that she's had this problem with Traffic.

Sharon

Hi Shazie,
I've been thinking. Your dog could be having a physical response in her body creating a behavioral problem... Panic? Anxiety? Fear? Stress?
The lights/motion of the cars going by or even the noise could be causing problems. I've known many dogs over the years who have just hated motorcycles. Their engines are unshielded and the noise frequency hurts the dogs ears.

If altering her behavior by training just isn't working, perhaps you might consider consulting a vet. He could check her out physically and mentally. If he gives her some sort of mild sedative to take the edge off of her sharpness, your behavioral desensitization techniques eventually might have more of effect on her than just training alone.
hth and good luck,
toodles

I used to have a terrier who would get worked up about traffic only on rainy days. I eventually twigged that it was the noise the tyres made on the wet road surface that bothered him.

I think the bench sitting is definitely worth a try - hopefully this will help your dog to realise that there's nothing to fear from the passing cars, Sharon.

Good luck :)

Joyce

You could be right that she's having a physical respone. I must admit we have been trying to avoid the situation by not going near the road.

We did take her to the vet in September but the vet just said that we would have to make her walk along the road as much as possible and hopefully she would stop doing it, but that is easier said than done as she is so strong she's nearly had both myself and my husband in the road even with a head collar on!! We had be recommend giving her skullcap and valerium herbal tablets which we did but she didn't get any better. The vet said that there was no physical reason for her doing it!!! We first thought it was because we'd changed her food 2 months before she started with the problem so we changed her on burns and she's now been on that for 3 months but she's still no better.

Sharon

Well, they are giving dogs anti-depressants such as prozac for certain 'compulsive' behaviors in the US....they're especially successful in non-typical habitual/rote behaviors such as excessive chewing on paws or pacing. Even what they use for travel anxiety might help.
I'm not saying that this is THE solution, but if you have tried everything that you possibly could think of in 'regular' training tactics, a second opinion from another vet certainly couldn't hurt.
good luck :)
toodles

Hiya
you can all laugh if you want to but........
have you ever taken her to a car park, supermarket etc and just sit in the car with the back open .then she's in a safe place -lots of cars backwards and forwards and just sit and read ,chatter to the dog and then maybe take a short stroll around the carpark and build up from there
just a suggestion :)
Liz

HI again

Tara had even started barking at traffic when she's sat in the house looking out of the window!!!...she can't really hear the traffic!!!....so I don't think it's the noise they make ......the suggestion about sitting in the car at a supermarket is a good idea....I think it's going to be a long process but we'll have to give some of them a go. Tara isn't bad when she's in the car only when we first go out she might just make a couple of barks at the traffic and then she's OK.

Sharon

Liz,
Why would anyone laugh I think it sounds a good idea
Anne

Same here --good idea :) :D :)
lol, though trying to explain it to a nondoggy person :rolleyes: Yep, we're just around the corner from a loony bin ;) :D