[Maximo]

I do stand in front of Max to block his view of the other dog. He pulls around my legs, or in between. So I have tried crouching or kneeling to block him and same thing, he pulls. Physically holding him in place intensifies his anxiety and has even caused him to bite me, which means he is completely in the red zone, because he is not a biter. I have even tried ducking behind cars or other large objects before the barking begins, but he knows the dog is there.

We have practiced "watch me" for months now, but it doesn't work when he spots one of his barking triggers. I have even tried bringing a Texas Toothpick, his all-time favorite treat. He isn't interested. I resorted to the ultimate no-no for awhile and picked him up and held him to my chest while doing yoga like breathing. This worked, but then stopped.

I believe part of our problem is that during the colder months, everyone disappears and we have the streets to ourselves. Now that it is warming up, everyone is coming out and everything is new again to Max.

We just returned from our walk and we had a few triggers, including a jogger and workmen carrying strange tools. I threw treats on the ground in front of Max. He passed the jogger twice with no problem, but he did break a little for the workmen. No frenzied barking because I continued to throw treats. I'm hoping that he starts to associate his usual triggers with treats instead of danger. Instead of throwing the treat right under his nose, I'll toss it a little farther to make him chase it a bit as you suggested.

Max is very difficult to distract outdoors when he focuses in something. Spotting the triggers before he does is also a challenge.