Aggressive barking at strangers/ strangers w dogs, door bell, etc

[LakiaMoore]

my two dogs are constantly always barking at other dogs from the backyard, inside, to the front porch. anytime I am sitting on the porch and they’re unleashed, when someone walks past they will bark for no reason. also today, a girl walked past holding her dog and both of them ran towards her barking! I tried to grab one and take her into the house but she just ran right back out and my other dog was on his hind legs on her. He would not get down no matter what I said until I got help from other family members to bring them inside. it’s just embarrassing how they act. when we let them outside in the backyard they are either barking at the other dogs next door (loudly) or the neighbors across from us. same thing when there’s guest. one of my dogs in particular will growl and run towards the door barking if there is a guest at the door. Ive tried to work on the doorbell method and going out in the backyard and walking them on a leash towards what they’re usually barking at and giving them treats but idk if it’s been working. 

[Adrienne]

 

Quote

my two dogs are constantly always barking at other dogs from the backyard, inside, to the front porch. anytime I am sitting on the porch and they’re unleashed, when someone walks past they will bark for no reason. also today, a girl walked past holding her dog and both of them ran towards her barking! I tried to grab one and take her into the house but she just ran right back out and my other dog was on his hind legs on her. He would not get down no matter what I said until I got help from other family members to bring them inside. it’s just embarrassing how they act. when we let them outside in the backyard they are either barking at the other dogs next door (loudly) or the neighbors across from us. same thing when there’s guest. one of my dogs in particular will growl and run towards the door barking if there is a guest at the door. Ive tried to work on the doorbell method and going out in the backyard and walking them on a leash towards what they’re usually barking at and giving them treats but idk if it’s been working. 

It sounds like your dogs have found a favorite hobby and their watchdogs duties are giving them a sense of purpose in their lives. Here's the thing: this behavior is highly reinforcing to dogs if we see what happens from their perspective. Basically, every time they bark and the triggers move away (either due to their barking or just simply because they are walking by), they think that their barking is what is sending them away from their perceived turf.

Barking at dogs/people walking by is also highly instinctive because it's rather normal for dogs to sound the alarm when invading dogs and people are approaching. Smaller dogs such as yorkies can be particularly prone to this, but so are many other dogs. This is something dogs have been selectively bred for many years (back when barking alerting humans to dangerous animals/ invaders). Not to mention, when dogs are in the backyard they tend to get a little bored and need to find something to do. One dog may be more prone to bark and the other follows so there's also a potentiating effect when two dogs are barking together.

This behavior therefore left on its own, has a tendency to put roots and potentiate. So this means that, if we leave them out of the yard on their own, they will keep on doing that, and even if we train them to not bark when we are outside with them, they tend to revert to the behavior because it's so deeply ingrained. So what options do we have? 

I like to train dogs to respond to a smacking sound starting from looking at triggers from the window and then progressing to practicing with the dogs leashed on the porch, to then unleashed once the behavior is very fluent and if your yard is fenced. This means the dogs must always be outside with us so we can provide guidance and redirect them at a moment's notice. It also means scanning the environment readily so we can catch them before they get too worked up and less responsive.

This can sound labor-intensive, but if you have time, you can be rewarded by two dogs are better under control despite strong distractions.  Both Einstein and Petra got very good at this up to the point where we could have them watch dogs walk by our yards without any barking.  If you have a helper that can practice walking a dog back ad forth from that's a big plus.  It's important to be generous here: using high value treats always ready in your treat bag or pockets and delivered several times in a row until the trigger is gone. Here is the guide: 

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

You may have to start with one dog and then involve the other. If one is particularly prone to sounding the alarm, you can start with that dog first. Sometimes, with some dogs, you can start with both depending on how responsive they are. 

Worth mentioning is keeping a close eye on keeping both dogs under threshold. Baby steps. If any time your dogs act reactive, it means they are not ready to deal yet with the level of distraction yet and you need to work more on a previous level. 

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

You may also find these guides helpful:

For barking at neighbors:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/barking-at-neighbors/

For barking at doorbells, have you tried this method?

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/behavior-training/barking/doorbells-knocks-on-doors/

If so, let me know what is happening.

And then this is if the barking continues once the guest enters the home:

 https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/dog-barking-someone-enters-room/

Please take notice that walking two dogs at once can be quite challenging as they feed off each others' emotions. You may want to work with one dog at a time  or have a helper walk the other one.

Finally, don't forget about training and providing exercise and mental stimulation. We want to provide outlets for a dog's needs for keeping their brains busy, but in productive ways. 

Disclaimer: When dealing with barking/growling,  please consider that this often falls more under behavior modification rather than training. Behavior modification comes with risks. If your dogs act in any way aggressive, please play it safe and consult with a dog behavior professional for in-person guidance and correct implementation of behavior modification.