06/01/2026
**Manners Monday: Is "Alarm Barking" Making Your Competition Dog Weaker?**
Before we dive in too deep, let's define "alarm barking." In this context, alarm barking is barking that stems from startle, defensiveness, suspicion, or an abundance of caution.
When I first got into raising sheep and began spending time around lots of LGDs, the thing that always surprised me was how many of these dogs wouldn't come near a human and would alarm bark at darn near everything.
Many of them couldn't stay focused on eating their food because of their constant environmental arousal.
The barking almost acts as a displacement behavior, often paired with low growls, lip licking, yawning, flight responses, and other stress signals. Most are simply trying to bark the perceived danger away. They are far from confident animals, and the few I've seen do performance sports haven't changed my mind on that fact (though I do love a good challenge).
The longer I work with dogs centered around competition obedience, the more I see one thing from daily pet life hindering a dog's confidence: handlers allowing their dogs to alarm bark.
We see it at shows—dogs walking into a building, barking in their crates, barking in their cars, barking from the couch while looking out the window, or running around the backyard barking at unseen noises.
And it escalates.
It can turn into resource guarding, leash reactivity, and even redirected aggression.
Many folks rarely notice anything beyond the annoyance of it, but the longer it goes on, the more it can leak into your competition performance. The dog that suddenly stops running agility to bark at a cameraman taking photos. The obedience dog who can't focus during heeling because of strange dogs nearby. The dog who barks at a judge during scent work. The dog who loses its mind over a statue on a walk.
Because alarm barking is fear-based, I find the best solution is to stop it using pressure. You can only fight perceived pressure with pressure, so I'll give you a few solutions below:
**Do not leave the source of the barking until the dog can move its mind off the source of fear itself.**
* Stay close to the source until the dog stops acknowledging it and relaxes (flooding).
* Give a verbal correction at the start of the barking and move away from the source once the dog has relaxed.
* Use a collar hold until the dog relaxes and makes eye contact.
* Canned air or stronger aversives, such as vibration or an e-collar, should be a last resort after the options above have been given a fair chance. Use them with caution and away from other dogs.
Alarm barking should be addressed as soon as you see it. It doesn't take many of these episodes to become a habit and teach the dog that barking is its chosen way to relieve fear-based stress.
If you're struggling with your dog's ring performance, ask yourself whether you're noticing alarm barking. If the answer is yes, it's time to address it.
Picture of adorable LGD for context!
