Oh good idea to give the command to relax before they actually alert...I'll be trying that...thanks! Sometimes Tank and Gunnar sense a person before I even know they are nearby (I have to take them out at night sometimes alone when Mike is working) but I will definitely try to interrupt the response and redirect them if I'd rather they didn't bark at that particular person.

We actually had a problem with loose dogs on our walk earlier. Our neighbours have (how to say this nicely) two of the littlest, ugliest, yappiest dogs on god's green earth. Some sort of crossbred little things that are sadly not terribly well cared for and have no clue about listening to their owners. Mike and I had Gunnar and Tank out on a walk on leads and of course the yappers come across the road (one almost got hit by a car), yapping and dashing at our much bigger dogs. Both our dogs were okay as we grabbed them by their collars, told them to settle down and no they couldn't eat the irritating things. I think Tank was a bit confused about whether they were actually dogs or some sort of mutant rats (he found out quick he can't eat rats in our house LOL). Gunnar knows these two dogs and hates them on principle. They are always loose and try to start fights with bigger dogs walking on leashes.

Not to say I don't like tiny breeds folks but I swear these two dogs are, well there's no kind way to say it...butt ugly and have personalities to match.