Puppy barking on walk

[BeHereNow31]

Our puppy is just past 6 months old. Just a little Maltese. He is doing a lot better on a walk, in terms of barking at people. We need to keep him on a short leash, and repeat “Be nice”. A lot of the time this will work, even though you can see that he really wants to bark.

If someone comes out of nowhere, he obviously gets a fright and starts barking. People have started to make comments and telling him to Shutup... 😣

He will also bark in the back garden, but if we ignore this, he stops.

Just wondering if there are any other tips to keeping him quiet while out, with passers by.

Thank you!

Use treats to distract him:

• you keep an eye out for people
• when you see someone approaching stop, have he dog sit and use treats to keep his focus on you
• when the person has passed, carry on walking

Depending on why I thought he was barking I might also be trying to intro him to as many friendly people as possible if I thought the barking was nervousness. Stand outside a supermarket and ask people to pet and treat him. In my experience, if you explain why lots of people are happy to do it.

Did he go to puppy training classes? If not, get him started in a good course of them asap. That will also help him get used to having other people and dogs about him.

Thank you. This is what we have been doing really. This morning he started barking, because someone run up behind us. I think he may have got a fright. Will continue doing this and start using treats again.

He goes for a walk with a big group of dogs, with a walker. Will continue this too.

Classes start at the end of next month. We were keen to get him started, but could never find space for him.

Thanks again!

Make sure you only treat him once he does a sit, looks at you and doesn't bark, be careful not to give him a mixed message of "if I bark I get a treat" ;)

I agree getting him used to lots of different people, including joggers, people with hats on (know a few dogs who hate people with hats on!), big people, small people, people with umbrellas, people with buggies or wheelchairs (especially motorised wheelchairs), everybody!

Whenever our ddog barked in the garden she got brought inside. Didn't take long, we have other ddogs now and they don't bark at all outside either - good habits rub off. Ask your dog walker what the behaviour of her other dogs is like. He may be copying them also.

Good tips! Thanks! It’s a learning curve for us and puppy!

I've said this before but I once met a man with my dog. He asked for her name, I told him and he said "you do t live in the White House on the corner of *** street do you" and I said "yes how do you know"

He said she barks at the fate when he walks past with his dog and each tin he hears me open the back door and yell "Doggyname - shut up"!!!

I'm going to have to start reading these messages back before I post. My typos are dreadful.