How to get a dog to stop barking at cars?

To get a dog to stop barking at cars, we first need to understand why our furry companion is barking to begin with. The three main reasons dogs bark in the car are: anxiety, barrier aggression, and excitement. Maybe you’ve noticed that your dog barks at certain stimuli that pass by the car, such as other dogs or people. A dog that barks at certain objects in the car or on a leash is either excited or frustrated that they can’t go say hello or fearful or aggressive toward this object. To change the behavior you’ll need to create a more positive association with the “problem stimulus,” along with teaching the dog what to do when he sees it. Here's an exercise that can help solve this type of barking issue: Step 1: Find an environment where you can expect to see the stimuli, Step 2: Stop the car and get in the back seat with your dog, Step 3: Every time your dog sees the stimuli, feed her a favorite treat. During this exercise, you’re helping your dog create a more positive association with the stimuli. If your dog has a favorite location, such as a local park, take a few trips just to the park and home. The main goal is to get your dog looking forward to riding in the car, instead of fearing it. You will then work up to being able to do this while being in the front seat of the car, and then while driving. Use one of Kurgo’s car restraints, such as a crash-tested car safety harness, to keep your furry friend tethered to the seat. Distract them with an interactive toy, this will give your dog something else to focus on, which will help her calm down. It’s also important to ignore your dog’s barking while in the car, as you don’t want to reinforce the behavior by touching or talking to her.

First you need to restore control for your own safety, and I recommend getting a harness that has the lead attachment on the chest. Walk your dog from a lead on her collar, but have a second lead on the harness. It's a lot easier than it sounds to work with two leads, and the beauty of this arrangement is that when your dog lunges, the chest fastening means that as the harness lead comes into play, it turns her towards you. Every dog has a reaction distance, so find places where you can both observe the traffic while being far enough away that your dog doesn't feel the need to react. Sit together watching the traffic going by, while rewarding calm behaviour with a few treats, a toy or a game. If your dog reacts, you are still too close. Go to places where large vehicles are parked, and walk by at a sufficient distance that your dog doesn't react, and reward as before. Using these methods together, you will gradually desensitise her to traffic, but it will take time and you must go at her pace. Your aim is to stop the lesson before she reacts rather than pushing her to the point when she does.

Your goal will be for your dog to ignore and be calm and quiet around cars. A few alert barks to a car approaching your home may be acceptable, but barking should not be uncontrollable. To achieve this, you can use the Positive Association Method, where you set up a controlled setting and have an assistant with a car drive by your yard while you wait with your dog on a leash. As soon as the car starts to approach, and before your dog starts barking, provide your dog with a high value treat like chicken or hot dogs. Keep providing the treats while the car drives by, but not after or if the dog starts barking, as this reinforces barking and not the car. If your dog is not distracted by the treats and barks, have the car drive by farther away, or start giving treats sooner, when your dog is quiet around the car. Repeat this process, having your assistant with the car drive by closer and slower to increase exposure, as your dog learns to focus on the treats and not bark. When your dog starts looking for treats instead of barking at the approach of the car, gradually reduce the number of treats and the value of the treats, until your dog learns that it is not necessary to bark in the presence of the car and to look for a reward.