Training a Little Dog to Stop Barking on Walks Using BAT

Maize, a nine-year old, Miniature Schnauzer needed help to stop barking at dogs when going for walks and stop her leash reactivity.

After I arrived I sat down with Maize’s guardians to discuss their main dog behavior concerns and I learned that Maize liked to bark at dogs when going for walks. This is a very common issue that can be fixed with some time and patience. I wanted to show her guardians how to help Maize overcome her barking issue so I showed them how to use BAT or Behavior Adjustment Training.

As you can see in the video above, Maize did an excellent job using this training method! The great thing about this type of training is that we put Maize in control where she learns that if she barks she has to walk away from the dogs and if she is calm and relaxed she gets to move forward. The other major benefit is that Maize is also not getting repeatedly stressed out when going for walks, which is better for her health and overall well-being.

By the end of this dog training session Maize was learning how to walk calmly past other dogs in their yard. As a Miniature Schnauzer trainer I suggest that her guardians practice for 30 minutes or less every day to help Maize make quick progress; more time each day won’t equal making faster progress. We wrapped up this dog behavior session with Maize’s Roadmap to Success video, which you can watch below.