It’s embarrassing. Every time you take your puppy on a walk, he inevitably will bark at random strangers. It seems like there is nothing you can do to shut him up. It’s not impossible, but like anything good, it takes time.
You will have to rely upon positive reinforcement, redirection and densitization, of course, not all at one time.
There are several commands that your pup will have to get solid at: 1) “Quiet”, 2) “Leave It”, and 3) “Look”. The instructions are listed in other blogs on this site – to access them, simply search the command to find the right blog.
Beginning with “Quiet”, it seems simple enough – your puppy barks and you issue the “Quiet!” command and the pup stops barking. This will happen but only after extensive, repetitive training of the command in non-distracted settings, then more distracted settings, and finally most distracted settings. Plan on it taking a couple of months of daily training for 5 to 10 minutes a day before successfully implementing the “Quiet” command to your pup in a real setting
The command “Leave It” is different than “Quiet” in that “Leave It” commands the dog to resist a temptation and further ignore what is setting him off, while “Quiet” commands him cease barking. Both can be used concurrently when your pup begins barking at strangers, but the training for them is different. To teach “Leave It”, you begin with holding high value treats, or cheese, or even hot dog in your closed hand and put your hand right up to your pup’s nose. Your pup will begin trying to get at the goodies in the closed hand, either by licking, biting or pawing. That’s when you say in a commanding voice “Leave It!” over and over until your pup finally takes his eyes off your hand . At that exact moment, say “Yes!” “Leave It!” and give your pup a high value treat from your other hand that was positioned behind your back. This is one of several ways to teach “Leave It”. For more, just search the term on our website and read the entire blog. Again, it will take a couple of months to solidify this command such that it begins to work with the barking at strangers.
“Look” is the third command that proves useful in some situations. Often, you can tell when your pup is going to react with barking before it actually happens – he starts staring or stops walking and focuses intently on a stranger. At that point, you can issue the “Look!” command to get your pup to take his focus off the stranger and onto you, where he will be rewarded with a high value treat. That is usually enough for the stranger to pass by without any reaction on your pup’s part. If not, you can revert back to “Quiet!” and “Leave It!”. Again, search “Look” on our search bar to find the relevant blog.
Your pup most likely does not bark at every stranger that walks by. When he walks by someone and remains calm, that is a great opportunity to reward him with a “Yes!” “Quiet!” and a high value treat. This is called “capturing” a good behavior.
Desensitization – means exposing your pup to a trigger from a distance in which your pup does not react as he normally does – distance is your friend. You can scope out a point at a park where the strangers pass by at such a distance that while your pup notices them, he is not concerned – by rewarding him for his calmness at this distance, you are in essence desensitizing him to his trigger. Over time, the idea is that you will be able to move closer and closer to his triggers while maintaining the calmness he had at the greater initial distance. In time, your pup will simply carry on without getting reactive to the stranger, even at close range.
Exposure – The more your pup is exposed to his triggers, the less reactive he will become. Socialization is key – playing with other dogs and people will help him have healthy attitudes toward both.
Lastly, your pup should get plenty of exercise as exercise cures 60% of all behavioral issues. We’re not saying that exercise alone will cure your pup, but a tired dog is a good dog, and a calmer dog.
