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How to Stop My Dog’s Barking When Out on a Walk

May 31, 2021 by Mary Telesz

Dog Barking Near the FenceThe best way to manage a dog that barks when you take it for a walk is to understand what is causing the dog’s behavior.

In most cases, your dog will not respond well to you if you punish it by yelling, or worse. Read on to find out the best way to correct your dog’s behavior.

Why Dogs Bark When Out on a Walk

There are several reasons your dog barks when you take it for a walk. The problem could be a single issue, or chances are good that your dog is dealing with a combination of issues.

Whatever is causing the barking, punishment is not going to work. Your dog will not understand why it is being punished, and if your dog is anxious or fearful, punishing your dog is likely to make your dog afraid of you.

Below are some of the most common reasons a dog barks while leash walking and what you can do to correct it.

Inadequate Socialization

One of the most common reasons for dog barking while leash walking is the dog has not been adequately socialized. The way to help your dog is to take it for more walks.

Take your dog on a leash walk at least twice each day. If you are pressed on time, take shorter walks, or hire a professional dog walker to make sure your dog is getting the walking it needs. You may be surprised how quickly the barking becomes less frequent.

While you are getting your dog accustomed to being out on a leash walk, you can manage the barking by distracting it with activities.

Walk the dog around mailboxes or light poles, changing speeds and direction quickly. Stop and start and have the dog sit, giving it lots of treats when it ignores the trigger source and focuses on you. In time, your dog will enjoy the walks as an opportunity to explore the environment with you.

Inadequate Exercise or Play Time

When a dog is not getting enough exercise, whether through regular walks or play time with you or other dogs, the dog will have too much pent-up energy.

Small Dog Barking While Playing

Such a dog will be excitable and more likely to bark at just about anything.

Dogs that do not get enough exercise often have other obedience issues and can become unruly. Sadly, those dogs end up in shelters because their owners did not give it enough exercise.

The obvious way to remedy this problem is to make sure your dog gets lots of exercise every day. Take time to take your dog for walks and play games off-leash and outside whenever possible.

If you must remain indoors, play fetch or tug of war. If your schedule prohibits you from doing those things, take your dog to a dog day care several times each week or hire a professional dog walker. Your dog’s barking issues along with other behavior problems will probably disappear.

Anxiety or Fear

Some dogs and some dog breeds are anxious and fearful of strangers and unfamiliar dogs. If your dog’s barking is due to fear, you need to stay calm when it starts barking.

Do not yell at your dog. By all means, do not get physical with your dog to try to silence it, like grabbing his nose or jerking on the leash or something more aggressive.

In this case, you can manage the barking by turning quickly away from the person or thing that is causing your dog’s fear. Your dog will be distracted by your turn and pay attention to you instead of the scary object.

You can also try using a head collar, or gentle leader halter. Oddly, some dogs that feel confined or are particularly sensitive to a training or pinch collar accept a head collar easily. Using the head collar gives you control over the dog without him feeling pain when he pulls against the leash.

Leash Sensitivity

Some dogs react negatively to being on a leash. They can become fearful or aggressive when they are on the leash because they feel confined.

The leash causes them to feel their flight option is cut off, and if they feel threatened, such a dog is more likely to fight, perceiving that it has no other option to defend itself.

You may want to consider getting the help of a professional trainer if you think that may be your dog’s problem.

Dog Barking on the People Outside

You can also try using a head collar, or gentle leader halter. Oddly, some dogs that feel confined by the leash or that are particularly leash or collar sensitive will accept a head collar easily.

The head collar can give your dog a sense of security while giving you better control over the dog.

It allows you to “steer” your dog’s head where you want it to go without causing pain to the dog. Also, the head collar helps prevent the dog from pulling on the leash.

Get Help from the Professional Dog Walkers at Paw Pals

The key to correcting most behavior issues in dogs, including excessive barking on the leash, is making sure they get regular exercise. Contact the professionals at Paw Pals to learn about their dog walking and dog sitting services and how they can help you with your dog.

Filed Under: Pet Care

Contact Paw Pals for More Information

Paw Pals specializes in professional dog walking, dog sitting, and pet sitting services. One of our reliable, adult staff members will keep your pet safe, while providing your pet the love and care they need when you are away. Contact us to learn more!

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Paw Pals Pet Sitting, LLC
14001-C Saint Germain Drive #213
Centreville, VA 20121
(703) 345-1695

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Centreville – 20120, 20121
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Paw Pals Pet Sitting
Paw Pals Pet Sitting
4.9
Julie Shildt
Julie Shildt
17:45 14 Nov 21
It has been a pleasure doing business with paw pals. We have used this company for several trips we have taken over the past 6 months. They have been wonderful caretakers for our 2 cats. Anytime there is ever a question they don't hesitate to give us a call and they leave the best notes and pictures in the emailed report of each visit. We are so glad have found such a great company.
laceyrt
laceyrt
18:03 08 Mar 23
The folks at Paw Pals pet sitting are fantastic to work with. This review includes a bit of a long story but goes to show how dedicated they are to their job and the care they have for the animals they watch over. I reached out to Paw Pals, even though I live outside their service area, in a bit of a panic because our scheduled dog sitter for our family vacation suddenly wasn't available. The local sitters we've used in the past seemed like they wouldn't be able to accommodate us on such late notice and so we were scouring the internet for other options.When I submitted a request to Paw Pals, I expected to get a polite no thank you - you're out of our service area. Instead I got a call from Jen, who was so kind, helpful and accommodating and essentially bent over backwards to help set up a sitter for us. We met the sitter at her home and it was more of the same. So friendly and welcoming to our dog and fully prepared to watch her for two weeks.We ultimately didn't end up booking with Paw Pals, only because our local sitter had an opening that allowed someone to stay in home with our dog (who is a very anxious senior shepherd-collie mix). But just based on the limited experience I had with them, I would highly recommend Paw Pals. These folks are fantastic and I only wish we lived closer so we could utilize their other services on a regular basis. Five stars all the way!
Michæl Silva
Michæl Silva
21:38 01 Jul 22
Mary at Paw Pals Pet Sitting is the greatest! She has helped me train my pooch Chico how play nice with other dogs and for that I am extremely grateful! A+A+A+A+A+A
Kwi Kim
Kwi Kim
22:37 17 Jun 22
I hired Paw Pals based on my sister’s referral. Meet & greet was very thorough and detailed. I was surprised that my finicky cat came to check the sitter out. Subsequently, a sitter watched my cat over several separate visits, and it was clear through the visit reports that my cat loved the sitter. All the visits were completed having followed my directions & with professionalism.I would highly recommend Paw Pals to anyone who’s looking for a dependable, personable, & professional sitter.
Joseph Walter
Joseph Walter
19:55 13 Jun 22
Paw Pals provided a large number of photos of our pets along with a personalized message on how our pets were doing with every single visit. I would highly recommend using Paw Pals, we'll be continuing to use them whenever we go on vacation.
Ashley Manning
Ashley Manning
09:50 11 Jun 22
Highly recommend as pet sitters!Initially, a sitter from the company will visit the house to meet the pets and learn where everything is. Tatiana took careful notes and we got her some spare keys.While we are away, Paw Pals sends sitters to come and look after our boys. They feed them, scoop litter, bring in mail and packages, and they will even manage trash, recycling, blinds and lights so that everything is comfortable for our kitties. Each time they check in, we receive an email message with updates and pictures, which is so comforting when we are on the road.Also, if you don’t let Paw Pals know when you are home, they assume something has happened and will continue to care for your babies. If something were to happen, I know they would be okay.Five stars for Paw Pals!
Brian Wood
Brian Wood
04:08 22 May 22
We have used Paw Pals for a number of years now and would highly recommend to anyone looking for help with their pets. Great communication from owner Mary and flexibility to make adjustments in schedule as life changes over time. Have had a consistent set of walkers who have gotten to know our pup and the various walking routes around our neighborhood quite well.
Lesley Bush
Lesley Bush
13:58 18 Mar 22
We can't rave enough about Paw Pals. They took care of our 18 year old Cat and 20 year old Chinchilla while we were away and when our flight got cancelled, they were so accommodating and available last minute for an extra day. We worked with Jen to coordinate visits from Miko and Danny. I loved the pictures and updates on how our Lil geriatric guys were doing. Thanks a million, Paw Pals!! Our special pets were so well cared for.
Sebastian Barnes
Sebastian Barnes
01:06 17 Jan 22
I have used Paw Pals for several trips over the last few months, and they have been phenomenal every time! Mary is extremely kind and responsive, and she makes sure that my cat and dog have the care that they need every time I am out of town. All of the pet sitters that I've had have been incredibly sweet to my pets, and they treat them like their own! Will gladly continue using Paw Pals every time I need a sitter.
Andrea Hall
Andrea Hall
22:45 03 Oct 20
I wasn't sure about hiring a new doggie walker service... after all they are our kiddos... my babies were in great hands and I felt relaxed having them in their care. Thank you for everything!
Taylor Smith
Taylor Smith
21:22 03 Oct 21
I never worry when Mary and team take care of my dog!
Katie McCune
Katie McCune
19:19 15 Jul 21
I honestly cannot recommend Mary and her whole crew enough! We started using Mary originally about 7 years ago to stop by occasionally when our Aussie Lana was younger. Over the next couple years Lana stayed with Mary and her family for a couple weekends when we went on vacation. When we moved to our new house in Manassas, Lana stayed with Sam, who lives in Manassas, overnight for moving day, and did great. Right before the pandemic, we adopted our second Aussie, Goose, and Mary recommended a fantastic trainer for him.We now have weekly walks for the dogs, and they love all of their walkers! Trevor, Paul, Hazel, Sofie, and probably a couple others have helped Goose get used to more people, and have helped my husband and me when our schedules are crazy.Paw Pals is our go-to for any help with our dogs, so I highly recommend them!
Alexandra Hill
Alexandra Hill
22:43 23 May 21
I was a nervous mommy to leave my cats with a sitter service for the first time. Paw Pals went above and beyond to care for my cats and ease a nervous mommy. I already made a reservation to use them again!
Cindy Welgoss
Cindy Welgoss
13:12 27 Nov 20
We have been using Paw Pals for several years, and through a variety of pets that we have loved. Mary and her team have always been *exceptional* in every way. They are professional, courteous, and truly love our fur family! Mary herself is an organized and stellar administrator of her pet care business, keeping detailed records of our pet’s needs, scheduled pet visits, payments, and balance due easy to keep track of as the pet owner. The pet caretaking team is reliable and trustworthy. When our dogs see any of their Paw Pal friends, they get SO excited to see them! Follow up comments are left via text to keep the pet owner informed of the visit and how the pets are faring. Paw Pals has allowed our family the peace of mind to leave our pets at home, for work, weekend getaways and longer times away when necessary, where they are the most comfortable and familiar. We are grateful to Mary and her team for giving us the ability to enjoy pet ownership without feeling tied down. The responsibility of having pets comes with the need to keep them safe and comfortable at all times, and Mary and her team affords us this when our family has to be away.
Dr Tammy Cashion
Dr Tammy Cashion
21:11 12 Mar 19
We have used Paw pals pet sitting on multiple occasions for our bunnies while we are away. Many pet sitters are not interested in small pets however; Mary and her team, are amazing and we trust her implicitly! We are very happy with the outstanding service we have received from her team including texts and photos of our pets when we are out of town. They always go the extra mile and we highly recommend them!
Kristin Conrad
Kristin Conrad
16:00 16 Nov 19
We are so grateful we found Mary and her team at Paw Pals. They are exceptionally responsive, amazingly organized and detail-oriented.We have such peace of mind when we travel knowing our home and pets are so well cared for. Paw Pals is the best pet sitting service we’ve used, and we’re so happy we found them.
Katie Russell
Katie Russell
15:01 17 May 20
Paw Pals is fantastic! I have had a great experience with Mary! Compassionate, professional, responsive, and prompt! Thank you!
Phillip Evans
Phillip Evans
14:38 11 Jul 20
When we adopted our new dog in January, Paw Pals agreed to walk her and give her some outside time so she wasn't in the crate all day. She loved her dog walker and you could see her excitement every time the walker showed up. We moved out of the area but would recommend Paw Pals to anyone needing someone to care for their pets.
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