Question:
My dog barks at everyone (especially other dogs) walking or riding past my car. While I don’t mind it, I am expecting my first child in 13 weeks time and want to still be able to take my dog everywhere with me. But he won’t be able to come if he keeps up this barking. Please help.
Berenice Lawrence
Answer:
This is very common indeed — it is territorial behaviour. The car is his territory! I wonder if he is also like this when people come to the house? Depending on how old he is and how long he has been doing this, it will take some time to deal with and may not be sorted out by the time bub comes along. But you will have your hands full then for a while anyway!
You need to re-train him out of this behaviour and firstly understand why he is doing it. Is he desexed? If he isn’t and is young, it’s maybe a male territorial behaviour that is responsive to castration. It might, however, be aggression due to anxiety and feeling unnecessarily threatened, in which case you need to manage this anxiety. If he has an anxiety disorder, you may find he becomes very clingy when bub comes home, as he will inevitably not get as much attention from you. Talk to your vet about these possibilities.
Basically, you need to reward him with treats and praise when he behaves quietly and calmly in the car and ignore the barking (he gets no attention or reward for this). Teach him that he gets a reward when he is quiet in the car and that there is no reason to be afraid. Now, this all sounds easy in theory, I know. It will take time and patience.
Only take him out for small trips and not to busy places, which are going to make him worse. Keep him restrained in a harness or in a caged area at the back, as reducing his vision of passers-by may help. Do this often while you can. An assessment by your vet would be good now in case things get worse.
To avoid further behaviour problems down the track, make sure you include time for him to go for a walk every day (get someone else to do this if you can’t) and some quality time and attention. Gaining independence from you is a good thing as the reality is you won’t have as much time for him as you used to. (I know — I have three pets and a seven-month-old!)
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