Dog barks at other dogs: why it happens and how to teach calm passing

Why does my dog bark at other dogs?

Because he feels something he can't handle well. The UK dog charity Dogs Trust names four feelings: worried, frustrated, excited or overwhelmed. The barking is a loud way of showing it. The more often it happens, the more it becomes a habit. The good news: habits and feelings can be changed.

Which emotion it is decides what helps. A fearful dog learns that barking works: the other dog walks on or crosses the road, and the threat is gone. A frustrated dog wants to reach the other dog, but the lead holds him back. And some dogs are torn: they want to go over, but find it a bit scary too.

Past experience counts too. A dog that was allowed to run up to every dog to play as a puppy can come to expect to greet every dog. When the lead makes that impossible, frustration follows. If your dog also pulls hard on the lead when there are no other dogs around, read dog pulls on the leash.

What warning signs come before the barking?

You can nearly always see it coming. First come small signals, such as lip-licking, yawning, ears pulled back and turning the head away. Then your dog stiffens, freezes or stares. Once he stops taking treats or stops responding to you, the barking is close, and it is time to move away.

• Small stress signals: lip-licking, yawning, ears back, turning the head away.
• Wanting out: hiding, moving away or trying to create space.
• Tension: stiffening, freezing or staring.
• Just before the barking: he stops taking treats, stops responding to you, or starts panting.

That treat is your best measuring stick. Woodgreen describes how a dog in such an emotional state may not be able to listen to you or take treats. Our rule of thumb: if your dog won't take the treat, you are too close to practise. Move further away first.

What do you do when your dog starts barking?

Calmly put more distance between you and the other dog. Turn around, cross over or step behind a parked car or a fence. Keep the lead secure but relaxed, and keep moving calmly if that helps your dog. Reward him as soon as he relaxes. Don't tell him off: that raises his stress and makes things worse.

1. 1If you see a dog coming, don't wait. Calmly turn around or change direction before your dog reacts.
2. 2Find something to stand behind. A parked car, a tree or a fence takes the other dog out of view.
3. 3Keep the lead loose. Don't wrap it around your hand. A tight lead can make your dog feel trapped.
4. 4Keep walking calmly if that helps your dog. Stopping can sometimes make it worse.
5. 5Reward as soon as he relaxes: praise him, give a treat or his favourite toy. That way, moving away pays off for him.

A tight lead does more than you'd think. Dogs Trust points out that your dog feels the collar or harness tighten just as another dog approaches, and may link that pressure to the other dog. The next encounter then feels even worse. So let the lead go slack, especially when you get a fright yourself. It is the hardest part, and the most important.

When you can't get away

On a narrow dune path or on the beach you can't always turn around or step behind something. If a dog comes towards you then, this is our approach:

• Call out early and clearly and ask the owner to call their dog back. That's fine, even if it feels awkward.
• Step between your dog and the other dog yourself, so your dog sees less of it. Keep the lead short enough to keep him with you, but don't yank it.
• Scatter a handful of treats in front of his nose if he is still eating, with the word you practise at home (see below). Sniffing also shows the other dog that yours is busy.
• Stay steady and gentle, not tense, sudden or loud.
• Walk away as soon as there is room, with a loose lead, and reward him when he comes along.

How do you teach your dog to walk calmly past other dogs?

By teaching him that another dog means something good, at a distance where he is still relaxed. Reward him when he sees a dog and stays calm, or when he looks at you. Only move closer once that works reliably at that distance. Start without any dogs, somewhere quiet.

Dogs Trust advises doing this distance work with the guidance of a qualified professional. You can make a start with the exercise Woodgreen gives, though. You need a marker word: a short word like 'good' or 'yes' that tells your dog he's doing the right thing.

Step 1: without dogs

1. 1Take your dog on a lead to a quiet spot with few distractions.
2. 2Gently throw a treat on the ground in front of him and let him eat it.
3. 3Wait for him to look up at you. That can take a while.
4. 4Say your marker word at that moment and throw the next treat.
5. 5Repeat this ten times, two or three times a day.

Once that goes smoothly, add distractions. Woodgreen starts with people without dogs, at a distance where your dog can notice them and then look back at you. Then those people can become more distracting, for example with a toy or a rustling treat bag.

Step 2: with dogs in the distance

Only when that goes well do you practise the same thing around dogs. This is how we would set it up:

1. 1Pick a spot with a wide view where dogs pass at a distance, such as the edge of a field or a car park. Not a narrow path.
2. 2Find the distance at which your dog sees the other dog, still takes treats and can look away from it again. That is your working distance.
3. 3Does he look at the dog and then at you? Marker word and reward.
4. 4Keep it short and stop while it is still going well.
5. 5Only move a little closer after a few calm sessions in a row. If he stops taking treats, move further away and call it a day.

Two tools for the walk

• 'Find it'. Scatter a handful of treats at home and say 'find it' as you do. Then practise in the garden and on quiet walks. When a dog approaches later, your dog is busy with his nose on the ground, and you have time to choose which way to go. Play it when no dogs are around too, or 'find it' may come to mean a dog is coming.
• 'This way'. Teach a cheerful turn at home: you turn around, your dog follows and gets a treat. Woodgreen names it, alongside 'sit' and 'find it', as something your dog can do when an encounter gets too much. Practise it without distractions first.

Why is he worse for days after one bad encounter?

Because the stress doesn't vanish straight away. According to Dogs Trust, it can take 48 to 72 hours for the stress hormone levels in your dog's body to drop. During that time he is more sensitive and reacts sooner, even to dogs he can normally cope with.

Dogs Trust warns of 'trigger stacking' in that period: stresses pile up. Picture this: your dog got a fright from an off-lead dog on Monday. On Tuesday he may lunge at a dog he would normally have let pass. His stress from the day before hasn't drained away yet, so it takes very little to tip him over.

• Dogs Trust suggests planning a day or two with more play, sniffing games and naps after a hard day.
• On a day like that, short walks in quiet places are better than one long walk past lots of dogs.
• Our advice: don't practise closer to other dogs during those two to three days. Start again once he has recovered.

Where and when can you practise in Wassenaar with a dog that barks?

In places where dogs must be on a lead and you can see far ahead. Where dogs are not allowed off lead, there is less risk of a dog suddenly running up to you. Choose wide paths with good visibility and plenty of exits, and avoid narrow paths where you can't step aside, like many dune paths.

In the built-up area, a dog in a public place must be on a lead, except in the places the municipality has designated for it. A quiet street or square in the village is therefore a good place for the first steps with dogs in the distance.

Landgoed Backershagen is an off-lead area, except on the cycle paths, with at most four off-lead dogs per walker. Only during the breeding season, from 1 March to 1 August, must all dogs be on a lead there. In those months it is a good place to practise. From August to March you will meet plenty of off-lead dogs there; pick somewhere else then.

Off-lead dogs in particular make it hard. Researchers asked 37 owners of a reactive dog in the UK about their experiences. A guest author summarised the study on the website of the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB). First author Carla Hart found it most striking how problematic off-lead dogs are for reactive dogs and their owners. Even when the dog wore a yellow lead or a sign saying he was nervous, other people didn't seem to understand. It was a small study with open questions, so it gives no figures on how common anything is.

• Feel free to ask people to call their dog back, even when it feels awkward.
• Don't let people stroke your dog if you know he doesn't like it.
• More quiet places and times in Wassenaar, with the seasonal rules for each area, are in our guide to walking an anxious or reactive dog. Where dogs may run free, and where you'll therefore meet more off-lead dogs, is in off-leash dog areas in Wassenaar.

When should you get help?

If the barking is new, start with your vet. Woodgreen calls a full vet check the first step, to rule out pain or discomfort. To resolve reactivity, Dogs Trust recommends your vet and a behaviour professional. Ask your vet about a behaviourist who uses reward-based methods.

• Pain: does your dog suddenly react in situations that never bothered him, play less, or fall behind on walks where he used to lead? Dogs Trust lists these as signs that pain or illness may play a part.
• Safety: if your dog lunges and might snap, teach him to wear a basket muzzle using rewards. In one he can pant, drink and take treats. A muzzle doesn't change how he feels, so keep avoiding difficult situations.
• No punishment: according to Woodgreen, punishment has no place in this training and could make the behaviour worse or more dangerous.

A walking service can help keep the number of encounters down while you train. A busy group is often too much for a dog like this. On a private walk we choose a quiet route and a quiet time together with you, and we stick to your trainer's plan.

Frequently asked questions about a dog that barks at other dogs