How do I stop my dog from barking at random strangers

Question

We have a 3 month old puppy who is 50% Anatolian Shepherd and 50% unknown (though we suspect some bloodhound). She is very gentle at playing, loves meeting and playing with new people, and has never had any sort of aggression problem. We had a new person over our house just the other day and she wanted nothing more than to sniff around them and get pet.

I take her out each morning before work to 'go'. However, our neighborhood can be somewhat busy. When a jogger is running by, or a neighbor is getting into their car, she begins to 'ruff' at them, and it sometimes turns into a full bark. I take her out relatively early, and am already on shaky ground with the neighbors for unrelated reasons, so I'd rather not have my dog waking them up every morning. This also sometimes causes her to forget about going potty making accidents more likely. And, of course, I want her to be happy and comfortable.

Based on her personality, I assume that she just wants to meet and play with these people. Her body language is alert, but doesn't seem scared. And this makes me sad as its working contrary to her desires (the barking makes people not want to come meet her). However, this is my first dog and I know when to admit my own ignorance.

I read one website that suggested she may be trying to warn me, and to praise her and then give her the command 'stop barking', then if she barks again yell at her to startle her and use negative association to teach the command. However, this doesn't 'feel right' to me, and yelling at her is not necessarily realistic either outside (where it will wake neighbors) or in (where the rest of the family is sleeping).

What is likely causing her barking, and how can I get her to stop?

Answer 1

First, I disagree with the training method that the website you found provided. I have barking issues with my current dog, and when talking to the trainer about it, the following was suggested (I have an article, maybe I can try and find it later). For now I'll write a little pseudo-article below.

Positively Correcting "Random Barking" in Dogs

Correcting a dog's barking tendencies is often hard. A lot of times, people try to yell, talk, or comfort their dog when he barks. Typically, all three of these are surprisingly counterproductive. Dogs feed on attention; it doesn't matter what kind. If they learn that barking gets them any kind of attention, they might as well not stop. Follow the steps below to learn how to positively correct your dog.

1. First, choose a silent command. A lot of people start off by yelling "hush" or "no bark" at their dog, and now their dog is used to this command, making it useless. Choose a different command in this case. You may choose "silence" or "attention." If neither of those resonate, go with a second language -- just don't use something you've already used over and over again.

2. Teach this command to your dog randomly throughout the day by saying the command and giving them a treat. Nothing more. Simply say the command, feed the treat. Do this numerous times in one hour, take a break, do it again, etc... When your dog gets to the point where you can say the command from one room and he perks his ears up and looks at you, waiting for the treat from the room next door, do it at least for a few more hours. This gets him really, really used to it. Then move onto the next step.

3. Begin saying the command when he barks. However, do this only in minor situations. If you're in the house and he randomly lets out one bark, immediately say the command and give him a treat when he looks at you. Repeat this over the course of a few days. Once he gets it, move onto the next step.

4. Now say the commands in more heavy situations. Try it when he sees a squirrel or if somebody is at the door. If it's working, you may begin trying to use it on a walk.

5. After a long, long, long time of doing this, he shouldn't be barking as much and all should be calm again in the neighborhood.

The most important part of this method is to always give him the treats. Never use the command if you don't have treats until after step 5. You can't expect him to listen if you don't have treats. Once he's well-rounded, knows not to bark, and knows the command, you can say it without treats. But this won't be for a while.

In the meantime, I suggest getting her acquainted with a few neighbors. On a weekend maybe, take her on a walk and introduce her to neighbors you normally see in the morning. Explain that she's extremely happy and excited to see everybody, but sometimes she replaces the excitement with barking, which is obnoxious. You can suggest that in order to help you out, since she's met the neighbors and knows that they're cool, before she begins barking at them, they do a little wave and say hi (not necessarily coming over, but greeting her from a distance, letting her know they're friends). It's important to do this before she barks, as once she starts barking, she may associate barking with getting greeted.

Anyways, tell me how this sounds and leave questions; some of it may sound confusing.

Answer 2

I agree with jeremy, However barking at random strangers probably wouldn't be such a bad idea, and I will explain why.

What your dog is saying is either "Stay away from my owner" or "This is my territory, back away". Also when in your house asleep, having that bark, can be a good warning of an intruder, so training your dog to not bark may stop you from being annoyed, but it can also get rid of an excellent security system.

With that being said, I agree with ThomasH's comment of a "Silence" command to silent your dog in case it was a car or a squirrel. You could also, if you want your dog to stay silent until another person/thing comes along, try and train your dog a "Patrol" command. It could really come in handy in the long run.

Now if you do want people to meet your dog, Then just explain to them that your dog is all bark and no bite. That will relive stress from that person and once your dog meets them enough, then they might bark once or twice but then when approached, they will just be excited and maybe jump.

I speak from experience as I have a dog that barks at just about everything.