What to Do When Your Dog Barks at Other Dogs

If your pup barks every time she meets a four-legged companion, it can become exhausting. By understanding why their behavior persists and understanding its cause(s), you can help wean him/her off this habit slowly with patience, calmness, and aplomb.

Constant barking in dogs may indicate they are suffering in some way; fear quickly escalates into aggression, while physical discomfort often induces tension, leading to constant barking at every little sound and sight that they encounter – creating an environment in which your pet cannot relax and is constantly stressed-out by his surroundings.

Why does my dog bark when meeting new companions?

Barking isn’t typically how dogs communicate. When one dog barks at another, however, he often sees no other means to express himself. Much more effective than voice communication between canines is body language – especially when walking on leashes where four-legged friends can’t move freely and sniff each other as freely as they would like – leading them down an uncertain and fearful path with only one way out: bark at you! Your furry companion simply doesn’t know what else he can do but that’s when your furry pal starts barking: nothing else!

Training tip: Give your dog security.

Practice socializing your dog with other species by conducting appropriate, safe exercises. Not only can such exercises help with an existing barking issue, but it may help prevent future incidents altogether if an animal becomes confident enough in dealing with conspecifics on leash. When this is accomplished, barking incidents decrease significantly.

If your furry companion still feels the need to express his discomfort during your next walk loudly, remain calm at all times. Scolding is no way out; your pet might interpret your actions as agreeing with this behavior and even more upset than ever; furthermore, scolding does not provide guidance for action – meaning Bello knows what not to do while having no idea of how he should act instead; instead try modeling different behavior by walking past other dogs calmly as an example of what would work.

Training tip: Reward positive behavior to reinforce learning.

Short term, you may avoid encounters between dogs, but for lasting change to occur you need a solution that changes their behavior in a more permanent way. Positive reinforcement is more helpful than punishment in this instance and should always occur during desired behaviors instead of after. One possibility would be feeding nicely which means giving treats during any interactions between canines.

By feeding, barking can be curtailed in an enjoyable manner. Encounters with other dogs take on an enjoyable component and your pup gradually associates good feelings with these encounters. Food tubes or chewing sticks may work especially well because chewing and sucking have relaxing properties. Timing of rewards is crucial; otherwise they could reinforce behaviors you wish to combat.