Fear and anxiety outside

Question
We have a mini schnauzer 20 weeks old who in the last 3 weeks has started to bark at everyone and everything that moves when we walk him. Bikes joggers, children etc and lunges and snaps when people pass by.  It is now virtually impossible to walk him with our other dog or take him to the park - it is miserable for everyone including himself - will he grow out of it or will it get worse?

Answer
I would assume this will remain the same or get worse if something isn't done to change the behavior. Whatever you do, NEVER baby him and tell him, "It's okay, everything is fine..." as that tells him that his behavior is acceptable and what you want to see.

Dogs have two fear periods. The first is around 7-8 weeks of age, and it can be a fairly traumatic one if something should frighten the puppy during that time. Mine usually seem to get that one around 7 weeks, as that is when I first notice them starting to bark at different things, and I never place a puppy in another home during this time. The second fear period, usually not as serious, is around 18 months in most dogs. I did have one litter from which I kept two males, and I observed that they went through a secondary fear period around teething time, as I was taking them to conformation classes at the time, and they got really spooky, especially around strangers. Yours seems to be doing the same thing as my two. I continued with the training classes and got strangers to feed them treats, and eventually they got over it and went on to ultimately finish their championships. One of the brothers did quite well and was #20 mini in the country the year I showed him.

I think you should do more one-on-one training with your puppy. Get him into some obedience classes for a few months ASAP, work with him every single day, and practice "Nothing in Life is Free" with him (both dogs, actually). http://k9deb.com/nilif.htm

I would have strangers feed him, and I would correct him for bad behavior. You might try using a spray bottle and shoot a stream of water in his face when he barks. Most schnauzers HATE water. If yours happens to be one who likes it, mix a bit of Bitter Apple into that water and shoot it into his mouth (avoid getting it into his eyes). I also do scruff shakes with my dogs. They learn early on the command "QUIET!" is a serious command here, particularly in public. Good places for "meet and greets" are the local pet supply stores as they are usually full of dog-lovers. I would avoid dog interactions unless you KNOW the other dog is friendly, as not all dogs are nice, and you don't need him getting frightened or challenged by another dog at this point.