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Originally Posted by T Doll  I wish you were in Canada! Mocha is a great dog, but his barking really scares people/strangers sometimes. He'll often do a bark/growl at strangers. This usually happens when I have him on the ground. If I'm holding him in my arms, he'll be calm and quiet. But when I put on him the ground, he'll start barking and growling at people passing by. He's only 3lbs but he has the bark of a 100lbs verocious dog 
Do you have any quick tips that could possibly help with this? I took him to obedience school when he was 6 months old, but I didn't find it to be all that great. I actually think that's where he learned to start barking! He used to be quiet as a mouse, but all the dogs in the class would bark non-stop and he started picking it up very quickly. I would like to get him a trainer, but I don't really know what to look for in a good trainer. How do I know if they'll be successful with my dog? |
From B&L Dog training
One of the first tips and direction that we give to dog owners is to make sure they are walking their dog correctly A dog should be right by your side- not dragging you . To make corrections if your dog is not just by your side "in the zone" so to speak, we ask people to place a choker or even just a regular leash wrapped through itself around the dog's neck, very high up by its ears. As the dog walks and begins to pull you or bark at things, use your arm to pull up on the leash, quickly , then releasing it, until the dog is walking at your pace by your side. This changes how the dog is thinking and begins to establish you as the pack leader. If the short quick correction, then releasing and relaxing your arm does not work, you can do a quick tap to the dog's flank with your heel, from behind. Your dog does not even know where it came from- its not punishment but a way to change the dog's thinking and attention. We also teach using a verbal cue- a loud shhhhhhhh sound at the same time as the correction. It is never a punishment or in any way hurts the dog, it is a re direction of the dog's energy and attention. You will find your dog looking to you for the next direction. Walking your dog a half hour a day, like this, begins the transition. During this working time, do not let the dog smell anything or relieve itself or have any other distraction. Its job is to walk by your side, without pulling or running in front ( which shows they are dominant) You will often be amazed at how tired they are because they are working, using their brains, moving forward from bad habits. As you finish with the training session on the walk, you can tell them 'at ease' and then let them smell around and relieve themselves before ending the walk. Rule in and out of the house, human is always first. Establishing yourself as the pack leader by walking your dog as the pack leader is the first step to rehabilitation.