Young dog barking at others

[Gail]

Hi all,
I have 4 Shih tzus, mum, dad and two 7 month old pups (dog and bitch) The young bitch has just started barking quite aggressively at other dogs when out, both on and off the lead. At first she seemed frightened and was using it as a sort of defence, but she now starts chasing the other dog - no matter what its size is! I have tried reassuring her and also telling her off, but she still continues to do it, and I'm at a loss of what to do. There isn't a problem with any dog that she is familiar with i.e. dogs she sees regularly on walks -any advice please ?

[melody]

A lonely, bored, frustrated or frightened dog is a very noisy dog. Does your dog get enough exercise? Also, dogs usually bark becaue they are trying to tell you something. In your dogs case I'm guessing that she's just barking to annoy you

When your dog does that, tell her to "stop barking". You might probably want to use that phrase as your obedience command. If she keeps quiet, give her a treat but scold her again as soon as she starts barking. Repeating this will help your dog learn the command.

You might also want to check out the suggestions presented in another thread. Please check the link below:

Won't stop barking

[Gail]

I don't think she's trying to annoy me, as its a definate issue she has with the dogs she meets, and she doesn't bark at any other time.. She could be frightened though, and thats why I don't want to tell her off, but also trying to reassure her, may make her think she's ok to do it.
Thanks for your reply.

[melody]

Hi I'm sorry if I said she's trying to annoy you. I don't know why I said it too.

Anyway, yes I think your dog is probably just frightened and that is why she's chasing bigger dogs too. And you're right too -- maybe the reason why she's continuing the said behavior is because you're not putting her off.

Try to tell your dog to stop barking and be firm about it. That will teach her that what she's doing is not ok. It takes a lot of patience I know but in the end I'm sure it will pay.