Excessive barking

Question
Hi
I recently adopted a small adult dog who I think has a lot of terrier in her and possibly Chihuahua. Off the lead she is good with other dogs but on the lead she gets very frustrated if she can't greet them for example if they're the other side of a busy street or walking ahead of us and she barks/yaps very loudly and for quite a long time and her hackles go up. She also sometimes does this in the house particularly if she's sitting by me and she hears movements, if my boyfriend approaches me (if I'm not there she's fine with him) or if a noise wakes her when she's sleeping. I think she is a bit overprotective of me and maybe the house because we rescued her from the dog pound where she was very unhappy and skinny and as soon as we got her home she was overjoyed bouncing round like a puppy! So I'm wondering how we can discourage her from barking excessively- she really gets hysterical and we live in an apartment so I'm sure the neighbours aren't happy! It would be great to hear any ideas you may have
Thanks
Ruth

Answer
It's not unusual for dogs (especially small dogs) to get over-the-top about approaching other dogs on leash. Leash approaches can be uncomfortable for dogs because they can't greet appropriately, and they also know they can't get away if they need to. A couple of books which will give you great strategies for coping with this are "Control Unleashed" by Leslie McDevitt and "Click to Calm" by Emma Parons. Basically what you will be wanting to do is be far enough away from the other dog that your dog's hackles aren't up and she's not barking, and then reward her for being able to look at the other dog briefly and calmly. If you are too close, move your dog away until she's more comfortable. For barking in the house, I would acknowledge that she has heard something, and thank her for telling you - then change the subject. If she is barking at people for coming near you, I would immediately put her on the floor and walk away, so she has nothing to "guard". Here's a really good article on teaching "quiet" and working with a barky dog. http://www.clickertraining.com/node/1125
Be sure to look at the internal link on teaching bark/be quiet. Sandy Case BFA MEd CPDT www.positivelycanine.com