How to Train Your American Eskimo Dog to Stop Barking

Hello Nicole, First, that depends on why he is barking. If it's due to a lack of socialization and feeling uncertain or suspicious about other dogs, then work on calm interactions with other dogs that involve things like going on walks together where both dogs heel, joining an obedience class where he works on obedience with other dogs around (you may need to start with a private session with just one other dog if the barking is disruptive in class), and doing three-second greetings with other calm, well behaved dogs. Whether the barking is from a lack of socialization or excitement, work on teaching the "Quiet" command from the Quiet method from the article linked below. https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bark Also, work on desensitizing him to other dogs - where you work on making the presence of other dogs boring and increase focus on you. Check the article linked above and follow the "Desensitization" method also found in that article, to work on that part. Also, check out the video linked below. Desensitization: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JY7JrteQBOQ Finally, work on teaching a focused, structured heel, where Cody walks behind or beside you, with his head behind your leg. Starting a walk that way and working on focus can help set the tone before you encounter another dog, so that your dog is calmer and more focused to begin with when you encounter another dog. Heel article - The turns method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-poodle-to-heel Heel Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTiKVc4ZZWo Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

May 1, 2019

Hello Mary, Because forward movement is it's own reward for a dog, you have to teach a dog where to walk, which is beside you and you have to only reward her with movement forward when she is in the right position. To teach this check out this Wag! artilce: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-poodle-to-heel From the article that I have linked above, I recommend using both "The Turns Method" and "The Stop and Go Method" together, or if it is less confusing for you, use just "The Turns Method". Expect walks to take place close to home while you are training this. I often tell people to walk in an X pattern. Go east for a while and then return home, then go west for a while and then return home, then go north for a while and then return home, then go south for a while and then return home. Walking this way while training will keep the walk more boring for her, which will decrease the pulling, keep her attention on you better, and help her to follow you more. It will also give you more opportunities to practice heeling and reward her for being in the correct position, opposed to walking in a straight line for a long period of time, where she is more tempted to pull. Depending on how bad the pulling is she might need for you to walk her in a series of turns in a large open area, like your yard, or a field, or a park, until she learns how to follow you instead of pull. By walking in an open area you can practice making lots of turns which will teach her to pay attention to you, and then you can work up to longer straight stretches as she improves. Teaching a dog how to heel or walk without pulling, like other commands, requires training with less distractions at first and working up to harder distractions as your dog improves. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

April 9, 2018