Hello
Me again!!

Can anyone give any tips on how to stop my 2 bc's barking at people when they walk past us in the street. They are fine if the person doesn't say hello to me and come to close to them but if they do they pull like crazy and bark!!!

They seem to be worse on the lead than off, I know they may feel more vunrable this way.

It's very embarressing!

Other than that things are going great with both of them, Dolly has almost stopped barking at people and chasing them!!

Jo

hi i also have a bc now 4 years also a 15 week gsd.
at my ringcraft class i picked up a good tip to stop barking, fill a laundry or plant spray bottle up with water and spray the dogs face when they bark, when i saw this i was choked but it seemed to work, everytime anyone comes in our house our bc goes on and on barking, soooooo i got a spray bottle and zapped her. for me it worked.
now if we have visitors ill let her bark then tell her enough and if she continues shell get sprayed, lately though just getting the bottle is enough to stop her.
Could try this on hubby when he rants about work i suppose lol

I had exactly the same problem with my 2 dogs.  They were fine with my husband but everytime I took them out and they were on their leads they would go mad at anyone approaching me, barking and pulling etc.  Although when they were separated this never happened.

Eventually I noticed I was reacting to them when they were out on their leads with me.  When I saw people approaching I would either turn around or pull their leads tighter to me and started finding more quiet routes on which to walk them.

After about a year I decided that I really needed to take control of them (although they are otherwise perfectly well behaved dogs!)  I started walking them on 'strange' walks, ie, walks where a lot of people were and on routes that they had not been before.  I noticed an improvement almost immediately.  I noticed the busier the route was with other people the better they were. 

Now, on less busy walks with just one or two people approaching they rarely react and when they do (I know before they actually get to the barking stage) a firm word settles them and I reward them with a treat if they allow the person to pass with no incident.

Good luck.

Any advise from anyone else????

Thanks

Jo

I bet they'd be less of a problem if you took them out separately.  I'd start with one dog at a time.  Train them individually.  A good way of getting your dog to pay attention to you and not focus as much on the approaching person is for you to pass the other person a treat to give her when she is sitting/quite/whatever you're after.  I would also do the same when they are off lead.  And you can pass them her ball to throw when she isn't on lead. 

Since this Summer Goddess thingy started I have been taking my youngsters out separately so I'm doing extra walking.  The difference in their behaviour and attention to me is amazing already.  Well worth it.  :)

Sally

What a good post Maudlily. I think you've hit the nail on the head with the barking problem. One of my beagles barks at anyone coming towards us whilst walking but it has definately got worse over time. Also over time my reaction has got worse so this probably had something to do with the problem escalating. When i saw someone coming i would tense up and check the lead or tell her not to bark, in a way i think it prompts the dog to think there is something to be scared of and in turn causes the barking reaction.
I tried water sprays and everything else imaginable and the only thing that has started to work is talking to her and using a distraction, either a toy or a treat also using the command watch so i have her full attention. 
Also when you said about the familiar walks. Daisy was alot worse on her usual walk where we would only meet a couple of dogs where as we can take her somewhere completely new with lots of people and dogs and she doesn't bark at all.
I know how you feel Jo as it can be embarassing when they start barking at everyone, i even have people who cross the road now when they see me coming. Daisy is not aggressive at all she just makes alot of noise.

Thank you both for your replies, I do agree with the taking them out 1 at a time, I just worry coz they are so used to having their leads put on together and going out together. But I am going to start it tomorrow.

Thanks

Jo

I agree with getting them more focussed, working separatley and so on, although if they are not used to walking separately it may be difficult to start due to wondering about the one left behind!

What you could also do, is to think about why they bark - i would suggest they are not happy with approaching people (sounds obvious but some dogs will bark because they are frustrated or because they like people!) so on the strength of what you have written, i would suggest using some classical conditioning and giving them food rewards (do they like food treats?) every time someone appears. Not just one treat but several, and keep it up as the person approaches, passes and then stop as they leave :)

you may have to start this at a distance to the person (ie opposite sides of the road or across the park) - wherever their critical distance is, so that they barely react, and then it may be possibile over time to gradually get closer and closer so that eventually the dogs are calm and accept that the approach of humans is wonderful because it signals something nice happening :) It's all about association.

This can work well, but it will be more difficult with 2 dogs, also you would need to prevent any incidents occurring during the training period, or the dogs may go backwards again.

It can also work with toys, but in this instance i would try food treats first. Make sure the dogs are hungry and really like the treat - tiny cubes of liver for instance, and make sure they get this at no other time.

best wishes
Lindsay