Dog Health Questions: How do I train my dog not to bark at strangers?

Hi, my name is Susy. I am 14 and I train dogs for agility and obedience. I understand them and why they do the things they do. The only exception is BARKING. I have a gorgeous Golden Retriever puppy who is about 8 months old. She is the sweetest little girl I have ever owned and I love her to death! She is very smart and obedient. I just don't understand why I can't recall her when she takes off to bark at people walking down my street. I call her and call her and people are starting to get very annoyed. I am thinking about building a fence around the property but my parents are reluctant about the cost of it.

I will most certainly NOT use a shock collar or an underground shocking fence. I consider this physical harm to try to train the dogs to do what you want them to. It's just like hitting a dog to get them to sit. It is VERY cruel. Victoria Stilwell said so herself that shock collars are disgusting and inhumane.
I DO NOT WANT YOUR INPUT ON MY OPINION OF SHOCK COLLARS AND UNDERGROUND COLLARS. KEEP IT TO YOURSELF. NOTHING WILL EVER CONVINCE ME TO SHOCK MY DOG INTO DOING SOMETHING I WANT HER TO!

I follow all of Victoria Stilwell's dog training advice. She is my idol. I don't want anyone to chastise my opinion on her training. If you do I will close the topic and re post. I will not put up wqith any chastism on my ideas.

Agaim, I absolutely will not put a shock collar on my dog. So don't even dare to suggest it please!

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Recommended Answer:
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Career in Dog Training

• Well I don't know if it would work in every case, but when my dog was a puppy I taught him "Look at me" Basically pointing at my face, making him stare at me for 5 seconds or so, then treating him. This has proved handy as a way to distract him from things. He used to have a thing about barking out the window at people and "look at me" worked. You could try going into the yard with her on a long leash , and having people walk by while you practice either recall, "quiet" or whichever command you use.


• You seem to be a very opinionated young lady for 14! You train dogs for agility and obedience, really at 14? No one can change your mind or voice an opinion about their ideas, why did you ask the question then?
  
  Since you wont like most of the answers on here, I suggest you struggle on with your barking dog and as you know SO much, you won't really need our help.
  
  Only thing to say about prong or pinch collars and shock collars, if you havent' found a dog that needs it, you haven't been around many dogs yet.
  
  One thing to learn with dogs, some people have ideas that you may not have thought of, open up and try some new ideas, Victoria is great (I am English too) but there are always other options.
  
  Tried a spray bottle with water in it? Works wonders...


• Well...I would normally suggest a shock collar LOL but since you don't agree with it we'll move on.
  
  What I would suggest is getting some friends together and have them walk past your house. Have them start at a distance that your dog can see them but doesn't bark. When this happens, reward your dog. Then have them come closer, try it in 5 step intervals and reward each time the dog doesn't bark. If as the person gets closer the dog starts barking give a verbal correction, withhold the reward and break the dogs attention on the person, have the person move back to the previous spot where the dog was not barking and begin again. Repeat until you get the desired response and vary the reward schedule. Then remove yourself from the scenerio to a spot where you cant be seen and start the trials over, try a bird launcher or something like that to reward the dog so you wont be seen. Then slowly remove that. It will take some time.