[Dailydrool] Basset barking at other dogs

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It sounds to me as if your Snoopy is engaging in such behavior because he is nervous--he may feel that since he has come into a good home, he needs to protect you. Whenever you have a nervous dog, you need to deal with such problems very gently--harsh punishment will just make the whole thing worse. It's also a good thing you are taking care of this issue right away, since it could escalate into a worse problem if left to continue.

When our Abner started barking at other I dogs, I tried telling him to "hush." We had some sucess, but it was far from perfect. Then I saw Victoria Stillwell's method. On her show, she uses a "watch me" command to distract a dog from another dog. She gives the command while holding a treat up near her eyes. When the dog's really focused on a human with a treat, he will not pay attention to another dog (this takes some practice). When I began diverting Abner's attention with a treat, training became much more successful. When he remained quiet, I rewarded him with the treat.

Snoopy probably has a distance at which he gets nervous--perhaps it's sight range or maybe it's just when a dog gets within a specific distance. Once a dog gets within that range, the barking begins. You need to start your command when you see the other dog but your dog has yet to start barking. Since you are taller than a basset, it's likely that you will see an upcoming dog and be able to give the command before he gets too close. Once a dog starts barking, it it much harder, if not impossible, to make him stop. So make sure you catch this behavior before it starts.

It would also be good, once you have done this training for a while,  to get Snoopy to walk near another, unfamiliar dog. Start at a comfortable distance at which Snoopy will not bark and slowly move closer. If he begins to bark, you move the two dogs farther from each other until he his not nervous. Slowly let him get used to having a dog at a distance that will not bother him, then bring it closer, until they are near each other and calm. Eventually you will want them to be able to greet each other without a reaction.

When two dogs greet each other, it is impolite, in dog etiquette, for one dog to go immediately towards the head of the other. A good greeting usually begins at the back end. So encourage Snoopy to greet and be greeted in this manner. I have seen some foster puppies, try to run up to the nose end and get disciplined by our Jane, who meets them first. As our pack matron, she's telling them they are being impolite young pups. But once they approach her from the side and go to the proper place, she immedately calms down. (Thanks to Patricia McConnell for this insight on dog behavior.)

Abner is not always perfect--I probably need to do a refresher course with him--but he's much better. Since he's not in great health, we don't go on long walks, so he doesn't see too many dogs now and it's not a big problem.

Oddly, Abner has done very well with our past couple of overnight-foster basset pups who have been on their way to new homes. Since we have had a few here, he's finally begun to understand that they are not staying, so they are not a threat to his happy home. He pretty much ignores them. I think it's a combination of security and their being bassets. Our Belvedere will sometimes bark at nonbassets at basset social events, but he has never barked at a basset. I think bassets recognize their own breed and are more comfortable with them. 

Hope this helps.
Pam, food slave to the Dashing Bassets