Car Aggression

Have you ever walked by a car with a barking dog inside?  What did you do?  Stop and stare? Ignore it? You most likely kept walking as you were going somewhere.  You may have thought "someone should correct that yappy dog!"

This pup has no worries:0)  If he barks it is only so you
come give him affection.

The dog however is rewarded when you move away, especially if you stopped and confronted him with a look, then turned and walked away.  How many times can a dog get a reward from barking at people that walk past his car in just a short shopping trip?  Each one is reinforcing his behavior, he has no reason to stop, he made you move away!  This environment is encouraging him to practice an unwanted behavior.

 If your dog does not bark in the car, then he is most likely a happy dog that is not worried about being confined.  However if your dog barks in the car, he may also bark in a crate, the house or a fenced in yard.  This type of dog has issues with confinement which need to be addressed.  Sure you can "correct" the behavior, which only stops it when you are there, but it does nothing to change the emotional state of the dog, so his behavior will most likely become more intense over time as he seeks out the reward more often.

Helping the dog learn to associate confinement as a positive rather than something that is frustrating or scary is the key to helping the dog curb his barking behavior whether you are there or not.  Consider a dog that is aggressive in a crate when you approach, showing his teeth and barking wildly.  Try to approach, toss a treat and retreat away, do this 10 or so times until the dog is happy with your approach.

How about a dog that is growling and barking in a car?  I bet if you have a friend approach, toss a yummy treat in the window and retreat several times, the dog will stop barking and look forward to his approach. With repetition of this conditioning "people approaching my car = something yummy"  The dogs association is changed so the behavior is also changed.  Does this training take time, yes, but is well worth the effort if you want your dog to mature with less stress and frustration.  The fact that the dog stops barking is a bonus reward for you!