My fearful dog barks at large dogs & men. How can I calm her?

Question

My dog is fearful and barks aggressively at large dogs and men. How can I help to keep her calm? Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Female | spayed

Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA · Accepted Answer

Poor Marley! This is a fairly common problem for many dogs - you're correct that the barking is generally caused by fear. Treatment for this issue normally involves teaching the dog to associate good things (like treats!) with seeing large dogs and men so that over time, she begins be happy about seeing them rather than getting scared and barking. To do this successfully, you need to start at a distance away from the dogs (or men) where she is comfortable and able to notice them without barking - for some dogs, this may mean that you need a lot of distance at first! As soon as she sees another dog or a man, praise her and reward with a treat. Once she understands the game, you can gradually move closer as long as she's doing well. This can be difficult to do on your own at first, so I would strongly recommend getting in touch with a good reward-based trainer who can help you in person - he/she can help to set up controlled training sessions with a helper dog or some strange men until you get the hang of things and are ready for "real life" situations. You can search for a qualified trainer in your area here: www.ccpdt.org

My fearful dog barks at large dogs & men. How can I calm her?

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