Phoenix is in big trouble big trouble :(

[sasvermont]

Many years ago, I dated a guy who had a sheepdog. Jim, the guy, went on a ski vacation and asked me to watch his dog. Jim warned me that Beau, the dog, barked continuously while riding in the car.

I had watched a program on Public TV some years back, about trying to change a dog's aggressive behavior. Basically, what they did was to expose the dog to a child (big aggressive favorite for this dog) and when they leashed the dog, but allowed it to go toward a very brave child, they warned the dog with a NO and the dog looked at them. They rewarded the dog with a treat each time the dog was NOT aggressive around the child. They did this until the dog finally GOT IT.

Back to Beau. I bought a huge box of Petridge Farm gold fish. I took Beau to the car and as soon as he got in, he barked. I said NO in a very very firm voice and said NO BARKS....as soon as he stopped, I gave him a gold fish. I kept this up all the way home and each time I went out in the car with him. Eventually, we were down to one gold fish per ride. He got it.

So, my advice would be to correct his behavior with positive reinforcement, not negative.

Good luck!