How to stop my dog from barking at other male dogs?

Question

I have two dogs, a 2 years old unneutered male mastiff mix and a 10 years old neutered female fox terrier mix.

When I walk them in my neighborhood and we see another male dog, the male dog starts barking like crazy until he stops seeing the other dog. His hair bristles and he tries to reach the other dog. This happens only with male dogs, he is very playful with female dogs.

Recently I visited my parents' town and brought the male dog, and, while he did bark to some extent, it was not close to how he barks when walking around my own house.

Also, when he is in the park, without a leash, he never barks at other dogs.

My guess is he thinks my neighborhood as his domain and just barks other males to drive them out of his territory.

Is there any way I can stop my dog doing this? He is big and strong, and scares people when he barks like this.

Answer 1

It just sounds like your dog is territorial. Having him neutered, like what was said by jalynn2 in the comment above will hopefully help with this. Other that that, you can reprimand him and let him know that you do not like when he does this. You can do this vocally or with a clicker or sound emitter. Good luck!

Answer 2

Yes, neutering a dog should really be a given.

I personally wouldn't go down the "reprimanding" route as you might be reinforcing negativity.

I'd use treats as a distracting measure and back up with praise when there's no barking. Over time, reduce the treats, but keep up the praise and reassurance.

Also, try changing the positions when approaching other dogs on walks, positioning yourself between your dog and the other. This means that you're in the protective role instead of your dog (you protect him, as opposed to him protecting you). I admit though, that this doesn't always work in an excited dog, hence the proactive distract/treat/reward process..