BARKING DOG. PLEASE HELP!

[morganelyse92]

I have a 7 month old Aussie who barks at everyone. Not in a playful way though. Its like a vicious bark.
I don't know how to get him to stop. I really need some help.
If he sees anyone while hes outside he goes crazy barking and trying to get to them, luckily the fence is blocking him though.
It's really hard taking him on walks because of this, too.

[jacksdad]

This is actually a fairly common problem. I have a variation going on with my dog.

Since it is so common I strongly suggest using the search feature of the forum, there are lots of variations of this problem discussed and lots of good tips.

here is a recent thread dealing with "aggression" in general terms. viewtopic.php?f=4&t=5442

I put "" around aggression because not all aggression behavior comes from a "I just want to hurt things" or "I am alpha hear me bark" place. Often is is fear or impulse control.

I wish there was more I personally could offer you, but I am still learning about this issue my self. I am sure the experts will be along soon to offer some tips.

[morganelyse92]

Thanks for the help
Its not much but this will definitely get me on the right track!!!
I appreciate you responding!

[emmabeth]

Your dog is entering or in the second fear stage where suddenly the world becomes scary - its a pretty sensible mechanism for survival as hes also now exiting the 'puppy' stage where other dogs will give him a lot of leeway or 'licence' to behave in a way that they wouldnt tolerate from adults. Being more wary of stuff means hes less likely (theoretically) to get himself into trouble.

You need to limit his access to the things he is scared of, specifically, those you have no control over. This may well mean walking in different places, or at different times of day, and limiting his access outdoors to perhaps just a back yard where fewer or no people walk past.

Management is not just 'glossing over' the problem, the less practice he gets at yelling at whatever he finds scary, the less perfect he will be at it!

Instead try to only introduce him to other people/dogs you have pre-warned and have agreed on how they will behave, ie how close they will get, what they will and will not do.

Dont allow people to speak to him or even look at him, if they get too close turn around and walk away. If you can find a safe distance where he sees but doesnt react then you can desensitize him to those things by pairing the sight of them with high value rewards, but you MUST limit his exposure to these things to outside his safe zone for this to work.

If you have visitors to your house, its better to put him in another room and find one or two guests who will help you work on him learning people are nice by again, desensitizing and pairing seeing them with great treats. This process will take as long as it takes, he will dictate how fast it goes so make sure you are not pushing him too far.

If you struggle to walk him try to replace that exercise with stuff you can do at home, clicker training, feeding from a food dispensing toy, etc to keep his mind occupied.

If you can, block his view of people through the fence and dont leave him out there alone, have him out there on a long leash so the second he starts barking you can take him back inside.

[morganelyse92]

Thank you SO much! I am so excited to start doing this.
Ive talked to a lot of people but none of the things seem to work but this is definitely something I can do that I think will work