Re: [pyrnet] Barking on walks

I had a similar problem with my Gypsy when she was younger. It helped a lot to get her signed up for an obedience class. One factor was the routine exposure to other dogs that were (mostly) behaving. Seeing other dogs walking with their people became common place and she no longer felt she had to carry on every time she saw one. Another thing that helped was one of the exercises we worked on as a group called "meeting and greeting". We would be walking nicely in a big circle, and at random the instructors would ask pairs of us to meet and greet one another. The select pairs of dogs and owners would meet in the center of the circle. The dogs were expected to sit quietly while the people shook hands and chatted. It took a few tries, but eventually even the most stubborn of the class pretty much got it. I do still have a bit of a problem if we come across an aggressive dog, but for the most part if I just have her sit until the other dog passes she's pretty good.

Another thing that we did when we weren't in class - if we were out walking and she started carrying on about another dog, I would simply turn and walk a different direction. She might glance over her shoulder to see where the dog was, but she was too busy paying attention to me and worrying about where I was going to continue her barking. Every one of them is different, though. Experiment with a few different methods until you find the one that works the best for you.