My rescue dog barks constantly at people and dogs. How can I stop it?

Question

In december we got a 2 year old rat terrier rescue. She's a sweet girl but we have an ongoing problem with incessant barking when she sees a person or other dog. We have a bark collar and the trainer said to squirt water every time she barks. Nothing seems to help. Any advice? Pet's info: Dog | Rat Terrier | Female | spayed | 2 years and 9 months old

Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA · Accepted Answer

This is a very common problem :) If this is happening on walks, I would recommend carrying very tasty treats with you. Each time she sees another person or dog in the distance, praise and reward her with a treat. It won't take long for her to start looking expectantly at you whenever she sees a dog or a person, since she knows this means she gets a reward. If she has trouble with this at first, you may need to work at a greater distance from dogs or people so that she can be successful - then gradually work up to being closer over time. In that case, I would recommend working with a good reward-based trainer who can help you set up training sessions in a controlled environment until she's ready for "real life" situations. Punishment-based training methods like squirt bottles, shock collars, etc will only make her more anxious and/or frustrated, and carry a high risk of making the problem worse over time - so I would stop doing these things. Focus on setting her up for success and rewarding calm behavior instead. You can search for a qualified trainer in your area here, if needed: www.ccpdt.org

My rescue dog barks constantly at people and dogs. How can I stop it?

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