guidance on stopping barking/growling at people/dogs

[ShelleyFerguson]

Hello!

 

Hope you are safe and healthy amidst these crazy times! I love your braintraining program!!-THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING YOUR GIFT!

 

I need some help/guidance with our 6mo old with barking /growling. A couple of important points...

 

*shepherd/feist/lab/patterdale mix 

*not socialized with dogs or many other people since we got him at 4mo in early March due to Covid plus he had kennel cough when we got him from the humane society I volunteer at.

 

 

I realize it's his breed of why he's starting to show protectiveness and such with bark/growl but we want to teach him people going by or in his line of sight outside (lately when they are even 200+ feet away walking!), especially when they say hi to us, don't need to be growled and barked at as well as other dogs. I get if we are inside and he hears someone who pulled up in the driveway one of us coming home, to bark but I want him to like and not be afraid of people and dogs/wildlife.  Last few days he's getting better as I treat when he sees them and doesn't bark/growl yet. 

 

Thank you for any help..I also checked out some YouTube videos by kikkopup to see if there are any suggestions and she had a recent one that was great. 

**ALSO-don't know if you have heard about "PetGentle" for helping with this...good reviews but can't help but wonder ( or if not used appropriately) if it's a negative reinforcement? petgentle.com

 

Hope you stay healthy,

Shelley and "Roesti" (Roosh-tee)like the swiss style hashbrowns. I have Swiss heritage and we also live in a town considered "Little Switzerland" 🤪

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hi there!

Welcome to the forums! I love the name of your dog, tasted Roesti once and it was a tasty dish. 

It sounds like your dog may benefit from a  desensitization and counterconditioning program. 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/desensitization/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/counterconditioning/

For cases as such I like to start on simply looking at other people and dogs from a window, as detailed here using high-value treats with the goal of creating a positive conditioned emotional response. Here is how to get started:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/look-at-that/

Remember: if at any time your dog gets upset and starts barking, this is often a sign that he is over theshold, here is an important read on how to recognize threshold levels. 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/

Once your dog does better watching people other dogs walk by the window, you can then move to the outdoors but always keeping distance and ensuring your dog doesn't go over threshold. Again, the aim is to create a positive emotional response (dog looking forward to spotting people and dogs because they predict yummy treats). 

Now, a disclaimer is warranted here, behavior modification comes with risks. When dogs are over threshold or in a highly aroused state,  dog owners are at risk for a re-directed bite (sometimes just from being touched!) and other people around can be at risk too if not enough distance is taken or should people come too close or should the dog lunge forward or escape. For safety and correct implementation of behavior modification, it is therefore best to enlist the help of a dog behavior professional for in-person coaching and to ensure the dog is kept under threshold and not exposed to stimuli/situations that may be too overwhelming.  

About Pet Gentle, I looked at it and it appears to emit ultrasonic sound to stop barking. Now,  it all depends on how aversive this sound is. If it's meant to stop the dog barking in its tracks as this product advertises, that signals it's used at a level for the dog to perceive it as punishment. It therefore fails to get at the root of the problem and risks paving the path for more problems down the road (e.g. dog associating now people and other dogs with an aversive sound, the onset of noise sensitivities, anxiety due to an unpredictable startle effect, reduced sense of safety and trust). 

I hope this helps,

Let me know if you have any questions or need elucidations,

Best,

Adrienne