"Loud" behavior at the dog park?

Question

We have two lovely dogs, an 8.4-pound Poodle/Schnauzer mix (Browser) and a 22-pound Westie/Schnauzer mix (Wall-E), both adopted from local shelters. They are the best of buddies and both very well behaved. The Westie is actually going through therapy dog training and is excelling...when he's wearing his vest and his sister isn't around.

We regularly go to the dog park and Wall-E regularly chases dogs away from Browser. She's not a huge fan of getting her rear sniffed by large dogs (but I've decided she needs to suck it up and take her to the park anyway) and she shows her teeth or squeals at them to get them away from her. Wall-E then comes rushing in and chases the dog(s) away from Browser and is completely relentless. He never puts his teeth on the dogs, but he's just so LOUD! He seems completely ferocious, even though the dogs don't even come away with his slobber on them.

He's a naturally "talkative" dog at home, regularly growling or grumbling at us when we get him worked up. I really don't want to resort to an anti-bark collar, but this behavior is really starting to annoy me. I'm tired of having to follow him around, verbally correct him, and then apologize to about a dozen dog owners.

Other than this small issue, our pups are great, so I don't really know what to do about this particular problem. Wall-E will come when called, sit, stay, walks off-leash when on my college campus (well away from roads, of course), and does everything else I could possibly ask of him.

Is there anyway to control his "voice" without using a collar?

ak2000 · Accepted Answer

I understand how you feel as I also have a loud, protective schnauzer. He is like a playground monitor, trying to stop any play that seems too rough, protecting his buddies from any perceived threat and giving telling off to any dog that breaks the rules in any way. I wish I could tell you there was a way to change that but I haven't found it yet. The best way to deal with it (at least for me) is to try not to put him in situations where he'd feel the need to protect. For us it meant stopping going to dog parks and spending more time doing obedience training, going on hikes and walks in new places and having off-leash play sessions with dogs he knows and likes. We still stop by at our local dog park once every couple months or so but it's during the least busy hours when there are max 2-3 dogs in the park. And if he shows any signs of being insecure or confrontational or if he gets too excited we leave.

FidosCityGuide · Answer

not really he is just loud, i would work on Bowser's confidence, and follow him around, let Wall-e know you are protecting Bowsers, so he doesn't feel he has too. Teach Bowser to turn around a growl when sniffed, this will back most dogs down.

My Yorkie that also insists on nose sniff first, can back down a great dane with a growl.

My   Yorkie  that   also   insists   on   nose    sniff   first,   can    back   down a     great   dane   with  a   growl.

"Loud" behavior at the dog park?

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