 Barks at strangers
Ruger is generally quiet, but on walks, when he sees a stranger, he goes into a vicious barking mode. "Enough" doesn't work, although it does work inside the house or when he's playing with "his friends."
He'll stop if I pull out a treat, or if I give the treat to the stranger to give to him, but isn't that reinforcing the barking? I can pick him up, but to me that's also reinforcing the barking.
He's never bit, and I do keep a tight grip on his leash. If I can get people to just reach down and pet him he will lick and stop barking, but that's difficult to do when it looks like Ruger is going to rip your head off, so maybe he just wants attention.
He also has a bark collar we use when he "has" to be quiet, and once on he does not bark at all. If I forget, and leave the collar on when I take him outside, he will not bark at all and is very friendly to strangers, or at least acts friendly.
I do not interfere with his barking when he is playing or it looks like he is warning me about something. He stops as soon as I acknowlege whatever he is barking at.
Any ideas? |