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O Boy I feel for you. Katie barks then grumbles till petted!! I got her to stop those behaviors some what by NOT letting folks pet her till she quiet..so now she wines. LOL not sure its much better but at least now sh doesnt make people think shes goning to bite them. So Why does your dog bark? Once you no that answer just work on changing the reason or her reaction. Katie will also bark at big dogs, she does that cause she is scared. I place her beside me on sit stay in that case. I do not encourage the other dog near cause I am disabled not sure I could stop a fight. Dogs her size & smaller shes fine with.
We had her in obedience classes, actually.
I cannot afford 'a good trainer' as I am unemployed.
Are there any tips for the person who cannot pay a 'trainer?' She's walked plenty and sees dogs and cats every day.
YUP.
Plenty, plenty of how-to's out there that can lead you - step by step - through positive reinforcement/counter-conditioning exercises.
Don't forget that an obedience class will do nothing to sort out reactivity in a certain setting because one has nothing to do with sorting out the fundamental issues/causes of the other - i.e. you talking to someone else or reactivity while on a lead. Both are easy to re-train and will take no more than a) willingness to put in the time, b) patience to work at the dog's pace, c) some tasty high value treats, d) a bit of homework for you and a willingness on your part to learn. You need to be 100% committed and 100% consistent. Both, fortunately, are free.
On the "forgetting" issue: she hasn't, and it's far from selective hearing. What happens in these situations is that fear or anxiety or inappropriate guarding issues take over all her senses. She's trying very hard to communicate these things to you and she does that at the "expense" of listening.
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Thank you all.
I have worked on obedience today and she's doing better. As part lab, I think she is hard wired to bark at a lot of things so I have to deal with some of this.
She rarely barks in the house. It's more on walks if she sees kids playing or other dogs.
She's not being vicious...she's being 'friendly' and wants attention from the people. She will sit or wag her tail in a happy manner...
Thank you all.
I have worked on obedience today and she's doing better. As part lab, I think she is hard wired to bark at a lot of things so I have to deal with some of this.
you may just have to wait until she matures a little. my little one was a constant barker and she's slowly grown out of it. i also shush her and the minute she gets quiet, she gets loving. i basically think she's just like me, loves to talk, and will talk to anyone about anything! lol
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You need to be 100% committed and 100% consistent. Both, fortunately, are free. 
