Dog barking at people through the window

[DonnieAndJess]

I've recently moved to a new apartment and my Golden Retriever has started acting out everytime someone walks past the window.

You see, the apartment is on the ground floor, with the front window going straight out onto the sidewalk, so everytime someone walks past she starts to get aggressive, barking, growling and even biting me. The thing is, although her aggression doesn't last long, she is lashing out at me, not just barking at the person walking by.

We have moved house fairly regularly and she doesn't normally show any sign of being unsettled or unhappy.

The sidewalk is fairly busy, so I don't see the problem going away anytime soon unless she can come to terms with having people walk past, has anyone else ever had a situation like this? She's normally a very calm and collected dog.

[kuritsa18]

I had a similar situation. My dog is usually very calm and quiet but she just one day started barking at people outside who she either saw out the window or when she was on the balcony.

To stop her I got a water bottle and put some small stones inside and when she would bark I would shake the bottle and this would distract her and make her stop. This helped a lot. Another thing I would do if she started barking is say in a firm loud voice NO and then I would shut the blinds or bring her back inside if she was on the balcony. If she would become really aggressive or wouldn't listen to me I would put her in her kennel for a time out. You just have to be consistant and every time your dog does this he gets the same consiquence. My dog learned quickly and she doesn't bark at people anymore.

Your dog getting aggressive to the point where she bites you is serious. I recommend that as soon as you see her becoming aggresive to get her under control and calm her down as soon as possible before it escalates and put her in a kennel. If you don't have one I recommend it; they are benficial in many ways. You can teach her the command kennel so you don't have to go near her if she becomes aggressive and could bite you so she will go in by herself. I tought my dog this command and when I tell her kennel she goes in by herself. It might also help to socialize you dog more and get her used to people.

I hope that helps! Good Luck!

Laura

[Angie]

If your dog's biting you, that's a really serious problem. I'd advocate getting professional help IMMEDIATELY before the behavior worsens - sounds like a mixture of dominance and aggression to me, which is a complex issue and must be dealt with straight away.
The barking and biting are actually two separate issues - your dog's getting worked up about people walking past, but to actually bite YOU is a completely different issue. Even though the biting is sparked off by the territorial reaction, it still means that your dog's asserting dominance over you - and with a large dog like a Golden Retriever, this is potentially VERY dangerous behavior.
Ask your vet to refer you to a dog trainer who's had experience dealing with aggressive dogs as soon as you can, and in the meantime you'll probably want to invest in a muzzle to prevent this behavior from injuring you or anyone else.