[FlamingLocks]

Allegreto's being a naughty boy again. Recently when I take him on walks he has starting to pull ahead and bark/growl at EVERYTHING. He has never done this before and I don't know if its because his hormones are kicking in or maybe because of my new job where I haven't been able to spend as much time and training with him as I used to. He goes to Doggie Daycare twice a week. I plan on getting him into another local Puppy kindergarden class and then on to Obedience. He has also started barking at things while in the car. I know more Socialization will help but not too many people want to come meet a dog when he is barking his head off at them. Any advice on how to correct this behavior? Thanks again.

 

[monicaei]

Define "barking at EVERYTHING"? People, dogs, cars, plastic bags, blades of grass? How old is he? What training does he have currently (can you put him in a sit, stay, pay attention to me and get him to settle down)? Is it a fear based freak out or an "oh, do you see this?" type thing? Is he reacting to stimuli the same off leash as on? (not suggesting you take him off leash, but in his home environment)?

Lots of people on here can probably help, but will need more info!

 

[FlamingLocks]

People and dogs. He is 5 months old. He can sit, and stay, sometimes pay attention and getting him to settle down when he is in that state is a little more difficult. I think it may be fear, his hackles do get raised. When he pulls ahead he also prowls when he walks like he is looking for things to bark at.

 

[Nubis'sDad]

You need to control the pulling, in his mind he is taking you got a walk. When Nubis was younger and tried that back to basics. Stop and goes, circles, sit timeout or just stopping the walk. Nubis has realized I will take all the time in the world with stop and goes and he gets to see nothing.
I've never had a dog bark on the lead because before they really learn how to walk with me, they know the quiet command and the instant they bark, they get the quiet command and a correction. The next bark is an automatic down position. My first male tried it a few times and he discovered the walk was no fun, if he barked.

 

[Beaumont67]

My first dog was a barker and runner in the back seat of my car...even broke the seat springs and her toe nails wrecked the package tray...in my 1967 Beaumont (Canadian Chevelle).

Dog #2 as a pup, was put in the front seat initially and I made her lay down beside me while I pet her...to stay calm.
Now she has perfect manners in my truck or wifes wagon...and she is allowed to jump in the front or back seat, and pick her comfy spot...to rest.

 

[Herb2relax]

How often are you walking him? The more he walks the more he is used to this stimuli. Try to get him to focus on you before he reacts to what he is about to focus on. If you are becoming frustrated and irriatable then you need to work on being calm. I am the same as NubisDad pulling will get you no where. I also used a prong for a while that I let self correct her meaning I didnt give her corrections (pull) so to say. It just tightened and she stopped. I also other times turned and walked in the other direction. If you are just taking him out once in a while and thinking doggie day care is doing the exercise and socializing you need to step it up! Dont forget about mental stimulation also. With the vehicle it will be hard to fix and drive at the same time. I would work on that by parking somewhere and see if he reacts the same way then work on it from there. I dont know you and his relationship and in no way mean that you dont b/c I dont know. But you should be the most fun & exciting thing in the world to him. I would work on playing games where he focuses on you. Chasing you, tugging, hide & seek, fetch, basic training with high rewards. Anything you can think of even rolling on the floor with him.

Control Unleashed is an awesome book and will have valuable information about some of the issues you are having. "Look at that" is an awesome exercise to work on his reactivity.

 

[Herb2relax]

My first dog was a barker and runner in the back seat of my car...even broke the seat springs and her toe nails wrecked the package tray...in my 1967 Beaumont (Canadian Chevelle).

Dog #2 as a pup, was put in the front seat initially and I made her lay down beside me while I pet her...to stay calm.
Now she has perfect manners in my truck or wifes wagon...and she is allowed to jump in the front or back seat, and pick her comfy spot...to rest.

While this might work I did the opposite with Kyrah. I have a SUV and put her in the cargo area with her blanket. I was a carpool mom and took her all the time for drop offs and pick ups. Lots of people moving around and time to let her see everything is ok. She loves it back there and had a hard time getting her to ride in the back seat when needed. When I figured that out I started switching vehicles with my daughter. She had a four door. I also started putting one seat up and one down in the suv for her to move around in different places. She is an excellent rider and waiter in the vehicle.

 

[Audrey1]

I think it will help if you can work on getting him focus on you. That way he doesn't need to feel insecure and hypervigilant when outside walking.
The time you spend with him on this is important.

The doggie daycare is mainly hanging out with other dogs. But your dog needs to learn that when he is with you, you will take care of things and he can relax and watch you and get his cues from you.

 

[KevinK]

Step one is to determine WHY your dog is barking... Is he nervous? Excited? Simply bad manners? Is he aggressive? Does he want to kill the person? Is he upset that you won't let him go meet someone?

If you can figure out WHY your dog is doing this, then half the battle is done. My girl was like this for a while, and it was simply that she got so excited, she couldn't contain herself. She "looked" mean and aggressive, but she just couldn't contain her excitement. So, I worked on patience, and problem solved. If I had tried to handler her like an aggressive dog, I would have gotten nowhere. It took me a while to figure out, and this was something we struggled with. For me, I realized that I was not rewarding calm behavior, and the second I realized this, (some may have read that post... I had a real "duh" moment lol ) it was literally a same day change, because i knew how to appropriately address the problem.

 

[FlamingLocks]

Tonight we were working on Heel on our sidewalk and the neighbor a couple houses down went to put her garbage out. Allegreto started barking and I made him sit and corrected him everytime he barked. Later on my sister and I put out our trash and when I took Greto out for a potty break he started barking at our trash so I took him to go see and he dug in his heels. I coaxed him over to see that it was just our trash then he was fine. A couple days ago we were playing fetch in our backyard. A lady came out of the house behind us and Greto went running and stopped a few feet away barking at her. Yes my fault and I felt horrible. We are were planning on getting a fence last summer but the financing fell through so we are getting one this spring. KevinK I hope I have an "aha" moment because I know its me and not him. He really is a big sweetheart and I love him to death. I really do appreciate all of your advice. Thanks again

 

[Herb2relax]

Tonight we were working on Heel on our sidewalk and the neighbor a couple houses down went to put her garbage out. Allegreto started barking and I made him sit and corrected him everytime he barked. Later on my sister and I put out our trash and when I took Greto out for a potty break he started barking at our trash so I took him to go see and he dug in his heels. I coaxed him over to see that it was just our trash then he was fine. A couple days ago we were playing fetch in our backyard. A lady came out of the house behind us and Greto went running and stopped a few feet away barking at her. Yes my fault and I felt horrible. We are were planning on getting a fence last summer but the financing fell through so we are getting one this spring. KevinK I hope I have an "aha" moment because I know its me and not him. He really is a big sweetheart and I love him to death. I really do appreciate all of your advice. Thanks again

I personally wouldnt necessarily correct his bark. He is barking for a reason whether it be fear, excitement or whatever. If it is fear you will make him learn not to warn which is what a bark is. If he is scared of something such as the garbage can coaxing and babying are not helping. I would be quiet and move forward at his speed. IMO barking at someone down the street and rushing someone then standing your ground barking is not a good thing and should be worked on asap. The more it is repeated the more it becomes a behavior. Just b/c he is a sweetheart at home with his loved ones does not mean he will be that way to others outside the home. I dont say this to mean or judgemental I am saying this b/c my girl was reactive to people starting around 15 weeks. I can assure you people didnt appreciate her backing up and barking at them. I worked long and hard with her and now no one knows until I tell them. Dont get me wrong she isnt wagging her nubbin going up to people saying pet me. But I can take her anywhere and she is well behaved.

 

[MeadowCat]

Control Unleashed is an awesome book and will have valuable information about some of the issues you are having. "Look at that" is an awesome exercise to work on his reactivity.

Second this book recommendation. Also, if you aren't working with a trainer I would find a good one to help you out. This is my first place to search for a trainer: Search for Professionals

 

[Adara]

It sounds to me like doing more basic socialization would go a long way with him. To me that means working UNDER this threshold (not to the point he is barking) if at all possible.