My puppy barks at people

Hi, I was wondering if anyone here could help me please.

I have a 15 week old puppy that barks at anyone she sees. When we're out of the house i'm constantly praising her when she's quiet but the moment she spots another person she starts growling and barking. It's even worse if she sees another dog.

I would like to take her to training classes but i'm too afraid/embarrassed about her barking at everyone. I can't tell whether its defensive or aggressive barking.

I've tried destracting with toys/ treats and also tried just sitting her calmly while people pass but nothing has worked.

Does anyone know how to stop her mad barking, i'd be so greatful for advise. She also has a problem where if I try to take anything from her she becomes aggressive and barks and growls at me with all her might.

Welcome Nina!

To me, looks like she is scared. Do take her to classes, even if she barks, so she will socialize well and she will stop.
When she barks at someone, try to calm her, telling that nothing is wrong.
My parson russelll was the same.

As for growling. When she does that, tell her NO! and try to take an object from her again. She will learn quickly that you can take whatever you want anytime you want.
Train this with taking her toys when she is playing, chews when she is chewing and food whilie she is eating.
it wont take you more that 2-3 days to teach her.

good luck!

Thankyou for the warm welcome!

I'm so glad my puppy may be able to overcome this. My partner keeps telling me it's because she is so young and she'll grow out of it, but i've been so worried as everytime we take her out (everyday) she always acts like this. I try to calm her as much as I can but she doesn't stop until people are out of her sight, which is what made me think it was aggressive barking. The thing is she barks at children and cats too. It's upsetting when she barks at kids.

Hi and welcome

What sort of dog or mix is your puppy? I wondered if he had any guarding breed in her at all.

The very best way to get a puppy to not bark at people is to ensure there is a lot of socialisation done early - and this really means a good puppy socialisation class and ongoing, proactive socialisation with good experiences.

In the class, the pup would meet different people and maybe even be handled by them; the instructor is there to give support and so on. It makes so much difference and each week that goes by is crucial as pups can learn so fast.

There are phases a pup will go through as he/she develops which are fear stages, when a pup will be afraid of something it's not been scared of before (for my dog, it was fishermen sitting with their big brollies on the riverbank we'd walked along for weeks... ).

However this stage usually occurs when the pup is a few weeks older than yours.

I'd not advise waiting to see if she will grow out of it - sometimes this can happen, waiting to see if a behaviour will change is not the best idea as the weeks go by and you can end up with a dog who is an adult who is barking at people.

I'd imagine your pup is afraid and therefore barking. Try
http://www.apdt.co.uk/ or http://www.puppyschool.co.uk/
for some nearby help

In the meantime, use a favourite toy to distract her or perhaps very smelly food like liver cake - the idea is to prevent her practising the behaviour and also to give you some control. Don't force her to meet people too close up as she may be frightened esp. if they loom over her. Use a jolly voice rather than a calming one which could be interpreted as telling her she's right to be concerned.

Wys
x

Out of interest, why are you taking things from her, has this been suggested to you? Or is it that she is taking things as in wanting a chase game or wanting to chew things that aren't hers?

Generally I'd advise management - childgates are wonderful and I use them now for organising where the dog is without making her feel totally shut out behind a closed door :smt002

Ensure she has chew toys and stuffed kongs to chew, a well stuffed kong can take some time to get through and there are some recipes for doing it that you can find on the net!

For teaching a pup to Give or Drop, start by using "swopsies" and set up training situations whereby your dog has something of low value (to her, that is) and you have something of high value. You can then swop and she will drop hers, as she does you can start a good habit and also add the word "drop" in a cheerful voice

Later you may want to start teaching her to Retrieve things to you, like a ball - very useful and can be used also for articles the pup may take ...

I'd not advise telling a pup off and taking things out her mouth because, although this can work, most often it's those dogs that end up at a behaviourist's because a confrontation has gone on between dog and owner.It's always best to train for what you want

You may like to read The Perfect Puppy by GwenBailey, lots of good common sense tips in there and it takes you through to adolescence too ...

Wys
x

I would definitely go to puppy classes. All the classes we have been to have dogs that bark a lot. It is better to nip it in the bud early. Re the guarding they say don't take anything off a dog unless it is dangerous to them, but teaching them to leave things by telling them leave it and offering a tasty treat gets them used to giving things up. Also adding treats to the food bowl when they are eating makes them associate you approaching with good things not things being taken away. Good luck.

definately puppy classes - so important!!!!

even just for socilisation - i hated it - so boring - but it was for my puppy (whos now 5 months) and its made a world of difference - shes learnt to be noce around dogs - not jumping up at other dogs etc

so important to introduce them to everything at a young age - i dont walk my pup on a lead round the streets - i take her down the yard with me (i have a horse) so down there - evern new situation - motorbikes, tractors etc - shes introduced to them - people think im mad wanting to walk my dog past it but it helps.

just go to dog classes - dont be embarrased - everyone has to start somewhere

good luck