What you say reinforces what I said on another thread where it was said that the onus should be on the owners of the 'barky' dogs to 'train them not to bark'.

Absolutely not possible in some cases. You would first have to be able to train the dog in question not to be AFRAID. Which is often the reason it is barking in the first place.

If it was that easy to train dogs not to bark or even not to react to dogs who do bark. We wouldn't read all the posts on here on this subject that we do.

A barking dog does not equate to an aggressive dog IMHO.

Human beings have 'phobias' and unreasonable or morbid fears of things. And it's not an easy task to 'train them' out of it. In some cases impossible. No good just telling them there's nothing to worry about.

my two are aggressive if dogs run in to there space and so there kept on leads and if a over exuberent dog approaches i try to stand between them as both of mine far to big to pick up both wear nervous harnesses as there reactions are due to being attacked as youngsters dog on leads that dont react they walk by calmly and i know the reactive dogs round my area so give them a wide berth as my two will react to another dog reacting. what annoys me most is that i correct my dogs when they react a guy round my area with the most reactive dog just ignores its behaviour so we avoid him best we can . when i walk i also carry pet corrector and dog stop so i can protect my dogs from unwanted situations

I think you're absolutely right, Tang, especially this:

"A barking dog does not equate to an aggressive dog".

I have a barker. She has many triggers: men wearing hats, anyone carrying any type of shoulder bag, most other dogs, etc, etc, etc. She will also charge another dog if she's off-lead and I can't nab her in time. I try to prevent her from doing this, as I don't always know how the other dog will react, but I do know how she will. She'll charge up barking, but she'll stop within comfortable sniffing distance and engage in polite sniffing, maybe a bit of barking after, but she never has bitten anyone in all the years we have had her and has never been in a fight (good thing too: I suspect she might be seriously nails).

She is of a rather nervous disposition naturally, and she came to us after having been abandoned in a park. She was very traumatised and took a while to come around. I think she is establishing distance with her barking. I have never heard her growl at another dog, and all her body language says is 'TAKE NOTICE OF ME!!!' She stands tall, she has none of the ears back, hackles up, eyes concentrated you expect from one about to snap. She isn't in the slightest aggressive, and usually if let to be with another dog-- even if she showed every indication of hating them by a human observer's perspective-- will settle down once they've gotten to know each other. She has made some fast friends with dogs whose owners understand.

I am trying to get her to be easier around her triggers, but I think 'training her not to bark' would be a mistake, as it would remove a natural behaviour that helps set her at ease and communicate with other dogs-- so long as their owners don't flip out. Most people around us know her and we know the other dogs who might make or trigger a scene, so we manage.

It's all about reading the dogs, and, it must be said, other owners. They may see a monster in your timid barker.

Hi Kat--

A really useful command you might like to use is 'go behind'. This is just telling your dogs to get behind you and stay there, moving or not I'd advocate reinforcing it with a hand gesture as you may be using it in stressful situations where they're not able to listen. That puts you at the front so you can plow right through stuff if you need to.

Thanks for the advise i do try to do this but its def something i need to reinforce when theres no threat around. Both my dogs are reasonably obiedient untill i go in to a flap or they feel threatened

To be honest, it's a command I rarely use, and I'm not even sure how I taught it. I used it generally to get me *out* of any situation that would threaten the dogs or send me into a state before it happened. It's always given very calmly, with assertive body language. You want to convey that you've got this, no worries. Then steam on.

It is perfectly okay to protect your dog, and yourself, from situations that are going to be negative for you. Don't think you have to stand up to everything! Walking away is a very good tactic. Peace to you!