Tips to Stop a Dog From Barking at Other Dogs on Walks

For this LA dog training session we shared tips to stop a dog from barking at other dogs to help 7 month-old Malinois mix Cinder behave better on walks.

We started the session by going over a numbr of fundamentals; how to use marker words, hand targeting, ensuring a dog is physically and mentally satisfied, how to teach a dog to ask for pets politely and the importance of rewarding desired behaviors. These fundamentals may seem small, but little things done consistently add up to big things when you are engaging in dog behavior modification.

How to stop a dog from barking at other dogs

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Stopping a dog from barking at other dogs on walks is all about creating a posiitve associaiton around other dogs. Many people think that correcting or punishing a dog when it bark at other dogs will teach the dog to stop barking. But since that is only reacting to a symptom (barking) and not addressing the root cause (fear, anxiety, territorality, aggression, etc), all that punishing a dog will do is suppress the behavior. As a Dog Behaviro Consultant, my goal is always to get to the root cause of the behavior. In Cinder’s case today, she was barking and whimpering because she wanted to engage with the other dog. Her whining was more frustrating and anxiety based than anything else.

We headed outside so I could show the guardians a few secrets to stopping a dog from barking at other dogs on walks. It wasnt the ideal environment as there wasnt as much space as I would have liked, but because we went at Cinder’s pace, we were successful at stopping her barking behavior.

If your dog barks at other dogs on the leash, check out this free positive dog training video for some tips.

By distracting Cinder with the find it game before she got a chance to look up at the neighbor’s barking dog, we were able to get her to pass without barking back. Normally I wouldnt practice this close to another dog, especially since the other dog was barking. But due to my experience as one of LA’s Dog Behavior Consultants, I was able to achieve non barking behavior, then coach the guardian through the exercise so he could achieve the same result. But in the future, Id like to see the guardians go to a park or area with a lot of open space so they can move closer or futher away from another dog who is out walking nearby.

A few other pro tips; if you have a reactive dog who has a dog barking problem, you want to set your dog up for success by first exercising the dog, then picking the right environment. Being able to have ample space to allow Cinder to move away will be super important when her guardians work on stopping her from barking at other dogs. Picking the appropriate helper dog, or distance to them, is also super important. You want to make sure to follow calm dogs at first and work up to dogs who are barking back so Cinder is able to practice the desired behavior first.

After we wrapped up the video on how to stop dogs from barking at other dogs, we worked on a little loose leash walking for a few minutes. She did great for me, but when I tried to coach her guardian through the process, it became clear that the long session had taken its toll on Cinder, so we pulled the plug and headed back inside. Short successful sessions are much more productive than a long session that takes a turn for the worse at the end.

I did recommend the guardians set up an appointment at one of my favorite dog day cares in LA, Wags to Whiskers, as Cinder would love the opportunity to play with some other dogs. Since Carolina and the crew at W2W do such a great job of curating greetings and play time, I think even a few playdates there will help Cinder scratch her play itch.

To help the guardians remember all the positive dog behavior tips we covered in this in home LA dog training session, we recoreded a roadmap to success summary video that you can check out below.