Problem Barker

[Poodle wrangler]

How much exercise does he get each day?

If the move to your parents is recent, could this have unsettled him?

I'd strongly suggest upping the exercise, chew toys (Kong stuffed with something tasty) and a crate so that he can be brought inside at night.

You'll need to crate train him, however.

He may not like it at first, but how much worse can it be than what's currently going on?

Invest in earplugs for all the family.

If you no longer need the crate later on, they're not hard to sell.

You should act now before the neighbours make a complaint.

Wouldn't hurt to drop a note in their letterboxes saying you're trying to address the barking problem.

Electronic antibark collars shouldn't be used on anxious dogs (going beserk over a cat meowing sounds a bit "hyped" to me). They're more expensive than a crate and banned in some states. Start at $120 and require special batteries (not cheap).

Debarking is a minor surgical procedure and can cost ~ $300+. Many vets will not do it. If the dog attempts to bark often during recovery, then they get scar tissue and can still make a fair bit of noise ( a raspy bark). You'll sometimes hear some dogs at dog shows that are debarked- sound like old smokers ;).

[kateykateykatey]

How much exercise does he get each day?

If the move to your parents is recent, could this have unsettled him?

I'd strongly suggest upping the exercise, chew toys (Kong stuffed with something tasty) and a crate so that he can be brought inside at night.

You'll need to crate train him, however.

He may not like it at first, but how much worse can it be than what's currently going on?

Invest in earplugs for all the family.

If you no longer need the crate later on, they're not hard to sell.

You should act now before the neighbours make a complaint.

Wouldn't hurt to drop a note in their letterboxes saying you're trying to address the barking problem.

Electronic antibark collars shouldn't be used on anxious dogs (going beserk over a cat meowing sounds a bit "hyped" to me). They're more expensive than a crate and banned in some states. Start at $120 and require special batteries (not cheap).

Debarking is a minor surgical procedure and can cost ~ $300+. Many vets will not do it. If the dog attempts to bark often during recovery, then they get scar tissue and can still make a fair bit of noise ( a raspy bark). You'll sometimes hear some dogs at dog shows that are debarked- sound like old smokers .

Agree with all of the above. It's not a quick process, but it's worthwhile, because it's only going to get worse.

I tend to disagree with the "let him in to stop the barking" logic, because it (IMO) teaches him that that type of barking and behaviour will get that kind of (in his opinion) positive result.

But...persisting will take some courage, and as PW says, some earplugs.

Definitely increase exercise and training to as much as you can, we aim for 2-3 walks a day and some training at home, just simple stuff like practicing sitting, staying, dropping, rolling over etc. It's all very positive, rewarding and fun.

Our dog has a kennel outside, so I give him the command "go to bed" and give him his kong in his kennel, once he's dropped. I try to never go outside to do this while he's barking, I wait till he's quiet, and then go out. If you're looking at crate training I imagine this is all different, but the point here is reinforcing that he has his place to go and sleep, with something that he licks (and in doing so, self soothes).

It's a bit soft, and terrible environmentally, but I also leave the outside light on. I *think* this reduces the random barking a little, but it's also so he can't see us inside (our back door and windows are glass) if the lights are off. Less of an issue now, though. (touch wood)

As for the barking collars, as PW said-- our vet advised against them for our dog. I can't remember the logic exactly, but I think she said something along the lines of how the dog might think that we were inflicting the shock on him, because he was barking at us. I don't remember exactly, and I hope someone else explains, because I could be wrong... but she definitely advised against them!

[Poodle wrangler]

......As for the barking collars, as PW said-- our vet advised against them for our dog. I can't remember the logic exactly, but I think she said something along the lines of how the dog might think that we were inflicting the shock on him, because he was barking at us. I don't remember exactly, and I hope someone else explains, because I could be wrong... but she definitely advised against them!

My understanding is they're not suitable for dogs who are barking with anxiety and/ or boredom. These dogs may resort to other detrimental behaviour e.g. chewing themselves to the point of self-mutilation etc.

[kateykateykatey]

Oh wow, ok, that's much more serious than I'd thought! I remember the vet being against them, but for the life of me, I'm not certain why (except for my vague reasoning above).