Hello extroverted bestie! Oh.. when did we become besties you ask? I assumed if you’re a human, you ought to say Hi to me and be best friends with me since I’m also of the same species as you. Am I wrong? Oh! Then why is it okay for you to assume that your dog should be friendly with another dog just because they happen to be dogs? Before we get to the part of How to get a dog to stop barking at other dogs, you must first understand why your dog is doing what he’s doing.
Also read about how dog arousal and stressors are a major contributing factor in your dog’s behaviour.
3 reasons why your dog is barking at other dogs and How to deal with it–
1. He’s scared and is warning you –
Your dog could be scared or anxious about another dog’s presence due to multiple reasons like a prior bad experience with another dog, under socialization as a puppy, intimidating personality of the other dog, etc. Whatever be the reason, to keep the “threat” away, your dog will use one of the responses out of Flight or Fight.
When your dog realizes that Flight (shying away, running away, turning away) does not work, he will move on to using other Fight responses like Barking, snapping etc. It’s because, in his head, that seems to work better at keeping a dog away as compared to a flight response.
FURTHER READS : HOW TO DEAL WITH AN AGGRESSIVE PUPPY?
How to deal with a nervous, vocal dog?
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Do not punish the dog for barking.
Barking is his way to communicate with you and the other dog to maintain distance. It’s the best way to communicate when Flight doesn’t work. If you punish the bark, he WILL bite
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Give your dog what he wants before he barks for it.
When your dog is barking, he is begging for distance. Try giving it to him before he starts reacting. Make sure you take your dog at a distance he is comfortable with and where he’s not reacting to the other dog.
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Every dog has a threshold.
For some dogs it’s 50 feet, for some it could be 30 feet and for some it could be 100. Respect that and start at a distance where he’s okay looking at another dog and is indifferent about it. Before trying to get your dog to be friendly with other dogs, get your dog to ignore them first.
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Dogs learn best through association.
As of now, your dog is associating the other dog with fear. Once you reach your dog’s threshold distance, start by giving your dog treats for managing to stay calm at the sight of another dog. Gradually, at your dog’s pace, keep reducing the distance day by day.
It can take months before your dog learns to be indifferent about another dog. However, do not start with an expectation that your dog will magically start liking other dogs. You will be setting both of you up for failure.
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Avoid comforting a scared dog.
Comforting our nervous pups come naturally to most of us. But trust me, you will be doing more harm than good. Comforting is a huge behaviour reinforcement. By doing so, you’re only encouraging him to be more scared and telling him that it’s okay to be so. Instead, when your dog starts being nervous, create distance and wait for him to calm down and then go ahead and pet him
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Desensitize. NOT Socialize.
Desensitizing is essentially getting a dog comfortable with other dogs with regular and controlled exposure to other dogs. Do not mistake this with socialization. Desensitizing does not mean getting another dog in the face of your dog. It must be done at your dog’s pace and at a distance your dog is comfortable with. Rushing into it will only cause the behaviour to worsen. Consult a professional trainer to desensitize your nervous dog.
Remember, your dog barking at other dogs is not the problem. It’s his attempt to avoid a problem.
2. Barrier Frustration
This usually happens when a dog is habituated to barking at another dog only on leash or behind fences or yards. It starts with your dog being curious about the other dogs passing by and wanting to reach out to them to explore. However, because of the barrier, your dog isn’t able to reach the other dog.
Over time, every passing dog becomes an association of frustration in your dog’s head as he cannot reach them. This results in your dog barking uncontrollably at the sight of other dogs. This usually moves on to other humans as well.
How to deal with barrier frustration?
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Do not let your dog hang out alone in the barking zone.
Your pup is not very good at making decisions about how to react to a threat (clearly)! Do not let him feel that he’s on his own while “warding off” unknown entities. If you catch your dog barking at other dogs on the leash or in the backyard, do not let him continue the behaviour.
No, it won’t stop on it’s on own eventually. No, he won’t get used to seeing other dogs and stop barking. The behaviour will get worse if not controlled. The 1st step would be to create as much distance as possible to calm the dog down
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As discussed in point one, dogs learn best through association.
Your dog’s association with another dog right now is frustration. Till the time that doesn’t change, your dog will keep barking irrespective of whatever you do.
However, if the association changes to something else, like getting his favourite treat only every time he sees another dog, your dog will possibly start perceiving other dogs differently. Do not give him a treat as soon as another dog appears. Wait for your dog to calm down and then treat him as a reward.
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Do not let your dog meet another dog in that state of mind.
If your dog is just wanting to meet other dogs out of curiosity and is not aggressive, do not let him meet anyone as long he’s barking. Allowing your dog to meet the other dog after he barks uncontrollably is like rewarding him for it.
3. Excitement barking
“My dog barks and lunges at other dogs, but he just wants to play.” If you find yourself constantly saying this, welcome to the bandwagon! This is usually the result of your dog not having learned the appropriate way to react to and interact with another dog.
This also happens when pet parents allow their dogs to go ahead and say Hi after the dog barks uncontrollably. The reason why this is a bad idea is that the dog learns that barking gets him what he wants and thereby becomes increasingly vocal.
How to deal with excitement barking?
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Do not reward the excitement by letting him meet the other dog.
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Train your dog to change the reaction if he wants to go say Hi.
Let him meet the other dog only if he can stay calm beforehand. If not, wait it out. Start at a distance and lower the distance once your dog starts giving you the behaviour you desire.
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Teach your dog that he cannot say Hi to every dog that passes by.
On walks, with every dog that passes by, teach your dog the Stay and focus command to redirect his barking behaviour. If he manages to do so, reward him with his favourite treats.
FURTHER READS: HOW TO RAISE A CALM PUPPY?
3 Commands to help you teach your dog to ignore other dogs –
Recall
Your dog must have a solid reason to come back to you when you call him. Teach your dog to come back to you and reward heavily every time he does so. His association of seeing another dog and his reaction of barking his lungs out will change only when he gets an alternate behaviour to perform.
Watch me
Your dog is barking at the other dog only because he doesn’t know any other way to react. Teach him to focus on you instead of barking and reward him his favorite treats in return for the behavior. Consistency and repetition are your best friends while teaching this to your dog.
Stay
Your dog’s mind is in complete chaos when he reacts the way he does at the sight of another dog. An impulse control command like Stay will help stabilize his behaviour instantly as it will give him something to focus on instead of going bat crap crazy.
USE THE APPROPRIATE TOOL
Last but not the least, make sure you’re using the right equipment to deal with leash reactivity on walks. A front clipping harness, as opposed to a back clipping one can help in controlling the pulling to a great extent.
One of the most widely used tools to train a dog to walk nicely on the leash is the dog Halti, also known as a gentle leader, head halter, or head collar. You can read about the pros and cons of it here
Walking a reactive dog on the leash can be immensely stressful for the handler as well as the dog. However, time and money invested in training a dog is never wasted.