[Vinnie]

Sounds like adolescence stage. It's very common for females to become rather bold and pushy - ie. barking & aggressive. Yes, socialization is important but probably more important is training. Have you enrolled in any obedience training? I personally wouldn't recommend Petsmart classes but you might want a class with a group of other same aged dogs.

For socialization, I agree. Bring your dog where you go. Over to a family or friends house. Go for car rides. Take walks. Try to find new places and new sounds.

 

[Vinnie]

My 4 month old does the same thing, if I give the person a treat to give her (I always carry a pocket full for just that reason) she will come close enough just to get the treat but them backs away and will not let anyone pet her. On top of the barking, the hair on her back stands up like a porcupine! I am basically doing what everyone else has suggested to you and if it makes you feel better, it is slowly but surely working! I also just found a small high end dog food boutique near me that has free puppy socialization/ playtime on the weekends...we plan on trying that this week, maybe you could look for something like that by you.

At 4 months I think you're dealing with a different issue. Your dog probably hasn't reached adolescence just yet. It sounds more like fear, backing away, barking and hair raised which could still be very puppy.

However, I want to add. *I* personally would never encourage a stranger to give my dog treats or for my puppy to take treats from a stranger for any reason. I really want to caution people from doing this. But that's another topic.

 

[Vinnie]

May I ask why with the treat thing?

Some people agree with me and some disagree with me on this topic. This is why I said it is a different topic. Lets not get way off topic. The OP is looking for an answer to their question and you can start a new topic for your question. Thanks.