Hopefully, the trainer in the class could give you some helpful hints regarding this. Have you asked him/her about it? It's hard to know why your puppy is attacking other dogs. Did they have a bad experience with another dog attacking them? Are you unwittingly rewarding this bad behavior?
When your puppy does this, make sure you don't try to calm them by petting them, this just reinforces the idea in the dogs mind that he/she is doing the right thing. Instead, your dog needs to know that this behavior is not something you want. Don't let the behavior escalate, meaning don't let the dog completely freak out. As soon as the dog starts barking, give a command, I use "quiet!". The dog will probably want to ignore you at first, so you need to have a plan. You want the dog to stop barking and redirect its attention on you. One of the best ways to do this is by making a loud noise, either with a shaker can, or clapping your hands very noisily, or having an assistant who will bang two lids together. Be willing to do this everytime your dog starts barking when you don't want him/her to. Always state the command first. When the dog stops barking, reward them by saying "good quiet". Ask them to do one of their tricks or redirect them by playing with them with one of their toys.
Hopefully this helps, but ask the trainer for some more tips! Good luck! |