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Why does our Shih Tzu bark aggressively at passing dogs outside our window?

  • We have an ASPCA rescue Shih Tzu who has a very odd behavioral problem -- he loves to spend HOURS staring out the window of our house, barking at every dog, stroller, bicycle, and squirrel that goes by. Appearances by the neighbor's dog across the street certainly dont go unnoticed. Our Shih Tzu really gets into this ... He'll jump up and down on all four paws and bark for all his worth. He gets really upset when the window blinds are closed, huffing, puffing, and pacing. His behavior is pretty similar when we take him for a walk on a leash. Small dog syndrome, right? He is pretty spoiled. Here's the puzzle: If we take him off of his leash at the dog park, or if he sees any of the known instigators when he's not on a leash (or not separated by a window), he's perfectly fine. He plays very well with dogs of all sizes at the dog park, and he gets along extremely well with dogs and humans which visit the home, including a Golden retriever and an otherwise shy Havanese. I've never seen him do anything resembling aggression off his leash. On his leash, he went after a Pit Bull and a St Bernard. The Pit Bull was so scared it peed where it was. He is never alone -- he goes to work with his owners (not me) every day, and spends most evenings on the couch with them. He goes for a half mile walk twice a day. What do you think is going on, and how can we fix it?

  • Answer:

    Not quite sure what 'small dog syndrome' is, but anyway.....plenty of dogs are aroused by seeing things going by outside. It's a very rewarding experience for dogs and unless they no longer have access to the view, or there is someone there to teach them an alternate behavior when they see something, the behavior is likely to continue.

Debbie Jacobs at Quora Visit the source

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Dogs behave badly because we allow them to. The first step to get this behavior to stop is to stop the behavior. Pretty simple! First, take away his window privileges to start. If he can't see anything exciting out the window, then he will not bark excessively. Try putting up baby gates or crating or leashing him so that he can't access the windows. Or if you wish to allow him to continue watching out the windows, try using a spray bottle (where you manually spray him each time he barks) or a citranella spray collar to punish him every time he barks. This would teach him that it's okay to look out the window, but not okay to bark. To the second part of your question - dogs behave differently on-leash than off-leash because they feel restricted and sometimes become protective or defensive. To train out of the unwanted behavior, it's very important that you don't use a retractable leash. Use a regular leash so that you can teach him when he's being good (loose leash) and when he's not (tight leash). You may try a prong collar which will mimic the "bite" of a mother dog on his neck every time he jerks the leash or lunges at another dog. These are just a few suggestions but I would definitely recommend contacting a professional trainer who can help you modify the unwanted behavior.

Stacy Kowalchuk

I have a Shitzu-Poodle who is 10 years old that I adopted from a Senior for Seniors program as his owner went into a nursing home.  He lived with her all  his life and when she came  down with alzheimers and forgot to feed him, it was time for him to move on.  He was 12 1/2 lbs when we got him, and is now  22 lbs.  He barks at everyone who walks by our home, even those who walk at the end of our driveway that is 100 yards long.  He also acts like your dog when on a leash but is an absolute love otherwise. I think they're just so happy to have a home that  they protect it and the ones attached to the leash.   I probably should worry about it, but I don't.  When I walk in the park, I try to stay away from other walkers and at home I tell him "no". I probably should do more.  I'll follow your post to see what others advise. Thanks for sharing!

Lyn Douglas Stone

He is amazed by the things he see in his surroundings. Dogs bark when they get excited. He should have enough recreational activities and have a playmate.

Maria Elena

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