In my opinion, offering only 3 or 4 barks & then 'losing interest' is a very good reaction to such a "distraction". The sniffing that happened afterwards could have been her offering a displacement or calming behavior (sniffing the ground can be a dog's way of saying "Hey, I'm not a threat, why don't you just chill out a bit.") I would have encouraged her to continue in this manner by tossing kibble/treats in the grass/area & played a bit of "find it!", and then moved inside. But, seriously, if a neighbor came rushing out of their house & started yelling, wouldn't YOU stop, look & wonder what their problem was? Completely ignoring a dog who comes out barking & lunging is a pretty high standard to set, particularly with a 4 month old puppy. If you just turn such unexpected encounters into upbeat/happy & treat-filled experiences, followed by distancing from the stressor, she'll be less inclined to react in a seriously negative way.

 

Thank you, I really appreciate your perspective! I am really impressed with my pup's temperament thus far, she has great instincts on how to handle certain situations for how young she is. I do tend to overthink and have high expectations for myself as a trainer, because so many people see Chows as "mean", a few friends included.

 

I agree with @BKayHol2. Your neighbor's dog ran at your puppy in a manner that many dogs would consider threatening and then threw a conniption when halted by the tie out. I think your pup did very well to only bark a few times and then turn away.

I'm curious to know how your friend would have chosen to "nip" the problem. For the most part dogs which are reactive and aggressive are actually fearful. The last thing you want to do with a nervous dog is punish them for being scared of something. The dog will still be scared of the trigger after you get done punishing them, and now they have reason to be scared of you too.

In the heat of the moment I like the idea of offering some treats, moving away from the scary thing, and then starting a game. Dogs don't play when they are scared. You can reassure a dog by making a show of being unworried and playful. Look over at the scary thing as though you are evaluating it. Then calmly turn away to show you have dismissed it as a concern. The thing is both boring and annoying, so let's just move away from it and go do something fun elsewhere instead.

In your situation I would also consider putting up a solid fence to block the two dogs from seeing each other. Your pup is good now, and you don't want your neighbor's dog to train her into being a barker.

 

I agree with @BKayHol2. Your neighbor's dog ran at your puppy in a manner that many dogs would consider threatening and then threw a conniption when halted by the tie out. I think your pup did very well to only bark a few times and then turn away.

I'm curious to know how your friend would have chosen to "nip" the problem. For the most part dogs which are reactive and aggressive are actually fearful. The last thing you want to do with a nervous dog is punish them for being scared of something. The dog will still be scared of the trigger after you get done punishing them, and now they have reason to be scared of you too.

In the heat of the moment I like the idea of offering some treats, moving away from the scary thing, and then starting a game. Dogs don't play when they are scared. You can reassure a dog by making a show of being unworried and playful. Look over at the scary thing as though you are evaluating it. Then calmly turn away to show you have dismissed it as a concern. The thing is both boring and annoying, so let's just move away from it and go do something fun elsewhere instead.

In your situation I would also consider putting up a solid fence to block the two dogs from seeing each other. Your pup is good now, and you don't want your neighbor's dog to train her into being a barker.

Thank you for commenting! I honestly thought I was alone in my thinking for a second until you guys commented. My friend thinks that anytime a puppy barks at something else it will eventually turn into reactivity and aggression. I explained to my friend that I feel like it’s okay for my pup to notice things going on around her, especially when it's unexpected like in this situation. Plus she is a Chow, a natural guard breed - for her to bark a max of 4 times and then go "eh, whatever" and start sniffing the ground is better than I could have asked for in the moment.

 

she told me that this is cause for alarm

friend thinks that anytime a puppy barks at something else it will eventually turn into reactivity and aggression

This is perhaps not a friend to take dog behaviour advice from.

 

Yep that's for sure 😂 it was one of those moments where the more she talked, she sounded so sure she was right, it made me wonder if she really was.

 

I agree completely with the above posts, especially the one from @JoanneF that you don't need to listen to what this friend of yours says about your dog. In fact, I would strongly advise you not to listen to what this person says in the future about anything concerning your dog. "any time a puppy barks it will turn into reactivity and aggression" is completely false and indicates that the speaker knows very little about dogs!

If my 4 month old puppy-- or adult dog --of any breed were to have the reaction that you describe in your first post, I would be very proud, and would be positively reinforcing that behavior. You are correct that your puppy's reaction is the best you could ask for.

 

Thank you for reassuring me! I feel much better, not as crazy 😂 it was just that my friend sounded so confident about what she was saying, she was so sure she was right, that I had to wonder if maybe she was right, because I have never owned a reactive dog before.