How to Teach Any Dog Not to Bark at Other Dogs and People on a Walk

While it’s cool and rewarding to have a dog, the fun stops when they exhibit irritating behaviors. And almost all dogs will test your patience—at least, for the time being.

One of these annoyances is barking or reacting to anything that moves. Be it a neighbor mowing his lawn, a passing car, children playing outside, or the sound of rain tapping on the window.

It’s common for your dog to be reactive while on a leash. It’s mostly because they want to go check on something or run towards another dog, and the leash is restricting him.

So, their reactions were brought by their frustration to be free from their restraints, but we often think of it as a sign of aggression.

Although it’s typical for dogs to react that way, this is not ideal, and they should learn how to behave in certain situations.

The way dogs react will depend on how you train them in these situations. You should be able to create an understanding between you and your dog so that they can learn how to relax and stay calm when put in unique situations.

You should be able to foster good communication between you and your dog, especially when they’re in a heightened state of mind, like being on a leash.

Good communication with your dog should be maintained all throughout your relationship. Dogs need to understand that not all situations require aggressive behavior. You as a dog parent, should learn how to keep them calm and make them feel safe.

Dogs don’t appreciate being restricted, and it’s pretty common with younger dogs, or those who just moved to a new family or household. They feel vulnerable or scared—that’s why they act a bit defensive.

Make your dog feel safe, do not make them feel that they are doing something bad. This in turn will make them rebel against you and may lead to more negative behavior.

Communicate with your dog and make them feel that you are teaching them proper behavior so that they can be safe. And they can also make people (or animals) around them safe as well.

Do you want to put an end to your dog’s annoying barking problems? CLICK HERE to watch this FREE Step-by-Step Video from Doggy Dan’s Program!

Understand why your dog is behaving that way

Since you know your dog more than others do, you’re the best person to recognize why your dog is acting in such a way.

Observe what triggers the reaction by testing them with different stimulus. Do not listen to other people who will advise you to use shock collars or choke chains. Those practices are unethical and barbaric and it will most likely lead to failure.

Dogs are very smart, they learn with proper and consistent training. Patience is needed in training like this, and if you are not ready to give your 100% commitment and patience then it is best to seek professional help.

Using shock collars or choke chains are shortcuts that can lead to a rebellious and dangerous dog. Or a dog who becomes traumatized by these devices that provide torture to dogs.

As dog parents, we need to feel what our dogs feel, no one will be happy if their parents decide to shock them when they do something that is wrong.

It is best to avoid using these devices and instead create a consistent and well-planned training. This is to make sure that your dog will be well-behaved during walks.

Getting to know your dog is not even a difficult task, this is a very engaging bonding moment for you and your dog.

Observe your dog and investigate why it keeps barking at certain objects. It can be because of what that object represents or trauma from their past. It can be various reasons, it is like a puzzle that you need to solve, in order to understand why your dog feels this way.

Once a deeper understanding of your dog’s behavior is reached, then you can now design a training plan that will help your dog learn how to get past this incorrect behavior.

Distract their attention from what makes them highly reactive

Initially, you can use any form of dog treats, but this should not be done for the long term. It’s only a means to get the dog’s attention, so he can focus on the training. However, don’t expect it to work on all dogs.

Since not all dogs are the same, this is another way to get to know your dog more. Find out how to distract them in order to help them relax and avoid too much barking.

When a piece of turkey meat fails to get their attention, you can think of other ways until it works. It could mean picking them up to calm them down or giving them chew toys.

Create a distance between the dog and the source of distraction

Go as far away as possible from whatever it is that distracts them. Do not stop to pacify them while you’re close to the source of distraction. The goal is to distract the dog before they become reactive, rather than reprimanding them when they are already overstimulated.

When you know what makes your dog react excessively, immediately call their attention when they are about to bark at someone. Give them a treat every time they listen. This will teach them that not barking or not reacting excessively to a stimulus gets them a reward.

This training should be given in small doses until you don’t need to give them treats when they behave. Replace treats with encouraging words in a pleasant tone of voice, such as “good job” or “good boy”.

It takes practice, focus, and patience to succeed in this process. Remember not to overwhelm your dog by training for hours; always keep it short and fun.

Conclusion

Our dogs will not be perfect, but we love them anyway. Training them to correct their behaviors is not meant to mold them to a perfect dog but instead it is a way of protecting them from being harmed.

Barking may seem harmless, but this can lead to dog fights that can injure one or more dogs and may even cause harm to other people.

Training dogs to be calm and not bark at all the things they see will be a way for them to be able to go out more. If your dog keeps barking at strangers and fire hydrants then walking becomes an unhappy experience instead of a fun activity.

Let us help our dogs become better by teaching them correct behavior in public places to foster a better environment for other people and other dogs too!

Do you want to put an end to your dog’s annoying barking problems? CLICK HERE to watch this FREE Step-by-Step Video from Doggy Dan’s Program!