How to respond when your dog barks at other dogs?
Colten Stroman
2025-08-09 09:10:38
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If you’re the owner of a sensitive or reactive dog, you’re likely familiar with the challenges that come with navigating these situations. Understanding Reactivity Dogs that bark and lunge at other dogs are often experiencing some level of fear, anxiety, or frustration. When we’re out for a walk and Kip spots those off-leash dogs, she pauses. I pause with her! This is crucial—if I kept moving forward, she would follow me, and I might inadvertently push her into a situation she’s not ready for. Think about what the dog *actually* wants! We can teach our dogs to look to us for guidance, instead of taking matters into their own hands. I consider what she would like in that situation: distance from the “threat”. So, I encourage her to give the dogs a wide berth. When Kip engages in appropriate and desirable behaviours (looking at me instead of shouting at the other dog), I can facilitate what she was after in the first place (space from the dog).
Charles McKenzie
2025-07-31 01:03:16
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If you have a dog with a barking problem, you need to first identify why the dog is barking in the first place. But knowing the why is crucially important when you want to change a dog’s behavior. An easy to stop dog barking is to create a positive association with whatever it is that they are barking at. By creating a situation where Cooper was comfortable being around the other dog by managing the distance, we were able to give him treats while looking at the other dog. Basically we were rewarding him for looking at and not barking at the other dog. This is a great way to stop dog barking if you make sure that you are monitoring the situation properly. The goal is for the dog to practice being around the other dog without barking because the human is managing the situation. While the engage disengage game rewards the dog for looking at another dog without barking, I also mentioned how to use counter conditioning. This involves giving the dog treats over and over again while they are around whatever it was that made them fearful, but far enough away so the dog doesn’t feel the need to respond or bark.
Skylar Bergnaum
2025-07-19 19:29:27
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: 11
When your dog barks at other dogs, it could be due to various motivators, from being fearful to being territorial or even just being frustrated that they can’t meet the other dog. First, bring extra yummy treats when you walk with your dog, these should be treats that they ONLY get when they see other dogs. As soon as you see the dog, start praising your dog lavishly and give them a treat. This will help them learn that dog equals treat. If dog equals treat, then there is no reason to bark and lunge. Keep treating your dog as long as they are calm and try to create enough distance between you and the other dog so they don’t react. If your dog does react, calmly say nope, block them for a moment with your body, then turn and walk away from the other dog. Try to stay as relaxed as possible when you see a dog or if and when your dog lunges. Practice having them walk next to you on a loose leash, have them sit multiple times on a walk just because you asked them to, and you can also change your walking speed or normal route, all of these things will help your dog learn that you are in control on a walk.
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