My akita has taken to barking at anyone who walks in the neighbours gardens. Sometimes she will come to me when she is called and comes running with her tail wagging as if to say I told you there was someone there - I always thank her and make a fuss. However sometimes she wil totally ignore me and if I go to get her and move her she will sometimes run away and start barking at them again.

Any suggestions as it has got so bad that the neighbours have started to call her "The Hound of the Baskerville"!

Thanks

Tim

I think the trick is to teach her to come running to you to tell you. You don't want to stop her barking at strangers, because that's one of the things a dog is "for", but you also want her to stop when you want. When my dogs started to bark at the neighbours I called them indoors and gave them a treat...now they will give one bark and then come running in (unless it's someone new!). It took a long time to teach them that, mainly because I was trying to teach more than one and they wind each other up, but it's definitely worth it.