Running up to people, barking

[faitaccompli]

I have a standard poodle x australian shepherd (they are a bit like a border collie). She is 18 months old and a lovely dog.

She is incredibly playful, loves playing football with my son, and will go out on walks for 4 or 5 hours a day (and more if she gets the opportunity).

She is quite shy with people despite being well socialised as a puppy. She goes up to people, and if they try to touch her, she will shrink away from them. This is fine - I would rather that than her jumping up at people (she would not do this as she is generally a very polite dog and does not jump up at the family either).

My partner and I split up 3 weeks ago - he had done the bulk of the walking with her as he worked early mornings and late evenings, so mainly had day time free. I now do all her walking, often with my son. She is fine and gets two long walks a day (early morning and evening) and I go home at lunch time for her to have a mid day wee. My son takes her for a wee when he gets home from school and then we walk her properly when I get back from work.

The problem I am having is that she has started barking at people. She runs up to them in the park and barks. She does not go close to them, and her tail is wagging and she is not at all distressed. She just barks. I have no idea whether she did this with the ex - generally when I walked her she was on a lead and she doesn't do it on the lead.

I wondered whether she is looking for the ex?

Anyway. How can I stop her from barking at people. She is labrador size, and I don't want people to feel intimidated by her. The fact that I know that she would not hurt anyone, does not mean that they know that!

If I tell her to stop, she does, but I don't always know when she is going to do it. Usually, if I say "leave it" she will stop whatever behaviour is causing the problem. But sometimes she goes before I notice. And when my son is walking her, he worries that people think he is not in control of her (he is a small 13 year old) when she runs and barks at people.

Any help appreciated!

[Buttholelane]

I actually think the barking is likely fear.

Tail wagging means arousal - that can be good or bad.
Lots of dogs wag their tails shortly before biting you!

You state that she is shy, shirks away if people try and touch her and does not go close but just barks at them.

i would assume that barking at people would be either excitement or fear and based on the above, she certainly doesn't sound happy and excited around strangers which leaves anxiety and fear as the cause...

Don't assume she wouldn't hurt anyone, quite a lot of bites are fear based and quite a lot of those dogs 'never did that before' or 'just barked' 'just growled etc'

I would get a good behaviourist in to ascertain for certain exactly what the cause is then help over it.

[WeAllHaveWings]

Everything Butt said and also you need to keep her on a lead in public until you resolve this problem, for her own safety as well as others in case it does escalate to biting.

Do you have somewhere remote/people free for walks in the meantime?

[faitaccompli]

I have perhaps over emphasised the issues, although will take on board your comments which are much appreciated.

If we are in an open environment, she will see someone walking, she may run over to them and bark at them. Maximum of two barks. I then tell her to stop and she runs happily back to me.

If I notice someone before she does, I tell her to "leave it" and she then ignores them. But if she sees them first she may bark.

Her body language is no different when she approaches people than when she is prancing around having fun. It is only if they try to touch her she will draw back a little. Once she knows they want to touch her, she will then come back in for a fuss and is quite happy. But she is not a dog who will generally approach people without being introduced.

Yesterday, she met lots of people (about 20-30) and barked at only one of them. Just one bark, and then trotted off and left them alone. I told her to "leave it" three times (which resulted in no barking, but she may not have wanted to bark anyway).

It is often tall men she barks at, and this is why I wondered whether it were based on her missing ex partner, as he was a tall man. She does not bark (generally) at women, children or short men.

I reward her for "leaving it".