New Barking

Question:
 Can anyone give me suggestions? My wondrous dog Kona is a 3 year old 1/2 boxer 1/2 Malenois. Problem: just in the past few months and only at the dog park, he's developed an "attention getting" bark at other dogs. Whenever he runs with the pack or starts to play with any of them - he barks frantically in their faces. (This is not necessarily the case away from the park in a one-on-one with dogs he knows). It's annoying both to the dogs & owners (yes - me too :? ) Otherwise - he's a very quiet and mellow guy except for typical guard mode in the house, or out camping - wherever. He identifies the problem, let's me know it's a problem by a few barks, I tell him it's okay & it's over. He's about as socialized as a dog can be. I travel a lot with my job & he's been going with me since he was a pup. He's extremely responsive to all his commands. As far as barking goes, he knows "quiet" and "enough". My dilemma is that he's always been extraordinarily sensitive to ANY censure in tone of voice (when he was a pup, I had to pull out every confidence-building game I could find). When I say "quiet" at the park, he completely stops playing and sits at my feet. How do I let him know that the play is good but the incessant barking is not? Just in the past year he's matured a lot and gained some "big dog" confidence that he needs and I definitely don't want to squash that! Help Please!
Answer:
 he is finally mature and sound like he needs to learn a bit about playing manners. Some dogs do not come fully into their own until between 2 - 3 years of age. I would stop the dog parks for now or go only when there are a couple dogs there. Why? Well for many dogs, parks are VERY stressing as there is a constant turn over of dogs and constant reorganization of the pack. For dogs who like a lot of order and structure in their pack (and I have one of those who can no longer go to dog parks safely), this can cause the barking you are describing. The dogs get anxious (and we may not always pick up on the body language until it is too late) and then may react by becoming total pests and some dogs may retaliate back and start a scuff which could turn into a full blown fight. Now, think of this as a threashold to a door. You need to intercepot the dog before he crosses the threshold and begins the barking. Once he does that, you will be fighting against a behavior in the process that you do not like as opposed to teaching him a better behavior before he acts up. Now, think of the threshold in a wall with wheels so it can move closer and closer to the other dogs. Your job is to watch for body language showing that your dog is getting ready to cross the threshold and act out. When you see the language stating and he is NOT acting out yet, go to him, call him away and redirect his anxiety to something fun and get him to ignore the dog (but if you are not fun, you will build up even more stress in him and make the issue worse - and note, stressed dogs do not always exhibity the cowering and pinned ears most are taught, stress can show up in MANY various behaviors). When he is focused more on you and enjoying being with you than the other dogs, allow him to go back and play. Watch and when you see that body language start but he has not crossed the threshold, redirect him in a FUN way back to you. You are going to teach him not only to tolerate other dogs but a better behavior when he is stressed. If he acts out you should NOT do anything to increase the stress he is already feeling - it could actually make him more likely to act out as he is if he starts thinking you are acting out against the dogs or that the dogs are associated with a negative response from you. Best to just go up and CALMLY lead him out and away from the park for a bit and let him relax. Set up play dates with one or two dogs for now - a far easier to manage munber than the hordes that can visit dog parks. The average dog at parks is really not suited for being at a park. It takes a very confident dog to be able to manage the constant turnover and reording and stress that is associated with a park. yes dogs are pack creatures but that family unit does not change daily or even minute to minute as at a dog park. Hope this makes sense and sheds some light on what your dog is probably feeling. Take the undesired behavior and teach him a better substitute for it.
Answer:
 This is the difference between a general trainer who will teach how to work something out and it may or may not work and a behavioral consultant or a good behaviorist who looks for the root cause(s) of an issue knowing that those need to be addressed for training to be most effective with an owner dedicated to helping the dog.