Barking!

[Stack]

I was hoping someone could give me some training tips on some issues im having with our 5 month old Curly-Coated Retriever puppy. She is fine during the day, I take my kids to go outside and we play, she has had basic obedienc training which we've been continuing with. I take her for a 40 minute walk of an evening and then she comes inside until my husband and I go to bed which is when we put her outside - this is when the barking starts! I know she wants to come and sleep inside but my husband really doesn't want to let her sleep indoors. Anyway, its been going on for 2-3 months now and our neighbours are getting really pissed off (understandably so!) and of course its really quite frustrating for us too! I don't like the idea of anti-barking collars and muzzles so I was hoping there would be other options for us!

Thanks in advance!

[aussielover]

Would your husband compromise and let her sleep in a crate inside?

Apart from that I can only think of a few options:

- ignore her (obviously not good for neighbourly relations)

- put an anti bark collar on overnight

Does she bark at passing wildlife eg possums or is she just barking to come inside?

If she is barking at wildlife/ other animals/ noises then you could try crating her outside so maybe she won't be as stimulated to bark?

[Stack]

Would your husband compromise and let her sleep in a crate inside?

Apart from that I can only think of a few options:

- ignore her (obviously not good for neighbourly relations)

- put an anti bark collar on overnight

Does she bark at passing wildlife eg possums or is she just barking to come inside?

If she is barking at wildlife/ other animals/ noises then you could try crating her outside so maybe she won't be as stimulated to bark?

She is barking to come inside, my husband has already said that he would much prefer she not sleep inside at al, otherwise i'd just let her sleep in the bathroom - (this is what we do on nights where the weather is particularly horrendous). If we were to use an anti-bark collar overnight what sort would be most appropriate? i've seen muzzles, spray ones and shock ones.

[persephone]

She will be quiet when sleeping indoors . Simple

crate training!! then she can be indoors to sleep - but have her own space and not disturb anyone/thing.

some links on crate training ...

link

link

Dogs left outside alone can be fine... but they can also learn a LOT of bad habits - like barking, chasing cats/possums/digging , etc..and living next to a chronic barker is definitely undesirable.

[persephone]

I am not in favour of leaving no bark collars on an unattended dog like that .. what if she gets frightened/hurt? She will bark/cry, and then get an aversive

[Stack]

I am not in favour of leaving no bark collars on an unattended dog like that .. what if she gets frightened/hurt? She will bark/cry, and then get an aversive

this is part of my reason of not wanting to use a no bark collar. Given that the issue is when she is unattended and I can't watch her it concerns me that something might happen to her and she wouldn't be able to alert us. Maybe I need to try and convince my husband crate training is the way to go. lol

[Sandra777]

How long does she bark for?

If it's only a couple of minutes then she settles down and sleeps (or is quiet anyway ) through the night, then it's a totally different situation to her barking non-stop all night.

[Stack]

How long does she bark for?

If it's only a couple of minutes then she settles down and sleeps (or is quiet anyway ) through the night, then it's a totally different situation to her barking non-stop all night.

well, the other night it was from about midnight till 3am. lol if it was only a couple of minutes i'm sure my neighbours wouldn't have an issue they're very reasonable people.

[atua]

I have a barker as well. I have tried the crate inside at night and it worked for a little while for her to then start barking at 5am and then it got to the point of whenever she felt like it.

I am currently using a shock collar on her. Sometimes she doesnt bark but sometimes she does still bark even with the collar on.

Have you tried leaving a big meaty bone outside at night for your dog? Maybe that might help keep him/her occupied. Maybe even a kong? My dog is now kenneled about 40 metres away from the house and I give her a frozen waterbottle with beefstock,cheese, steak chunks and whatever else I find in the cupboard to put into the bottle and freeze and give this to her at night. I cant have my girl in the house yard anymore because she destroys anything and everything.

[raineth]

Would your husband compromise and let her sleep in a crate inside?

Apart from that I can only think of a few options:

- ignore her (obviously not good for neighbourly relations)

- put an anti bark collar on overnight

Does she bark at passing wildlife eg possums or is she just barking to come inside?

If she is barking at wildlife/ other animals/ noises then you could try crating her outside so maybe she won't be as stimulated to bark?

She is barking to come inside, my husband has already said that he would much prefer she not sleep inside at al, otherwise i'd just let her sleep in the bathroom - (this is what we do on nights where the weather is particularly horrendous). If we were to use an anti-bark collar overnight what sort would be most appropriate? i've seen muzzles, spray ones and shock ones.

this is probably partly why its so bad... she knows that sometimes she has been allowed to sleep inside.

Why doesn't he want her sleeping inside? What is it that worries him about this idea? I'd find out exactly what that is and come to a compromise.

Currently for me, next door's puppy has been barking non-stop for over an hour and I'm beginning to find it very irritating!

Don't wear out the good-will of your reasonable neighbours I say!

Edited November 15, 2011 by raineth

[Sandra777]

How long does she bark for?

If it's only a couple of minutes then she settles down and sleeps (or is quiet anyway ) through the night, then it's a totally different situation to her barking non-stop all night.

well, the other night it was from about midnight till 3am. lol if it was only a couple of minutes i'm sure my neighbours wouldn't have an issue they're very reasonable people.

What is she barking at? If she's barking at wildlife even a bark collar is unlikely to help. If she's barking for that long just because she wants to come inside I think you have way more issues to deal with than just barking.

Crating her (inside or out) or at least confining her before using a bark collar would be the order of things IMO.

Edited November 15, 2011 by Sandra777

[Nekhbet]

you have undone yourself letting her sleep inside some times. She doesnt understand why sometimes she's allowed with her pack and then totally separated. I never understand why the dog is allowed inside at all if you're going to confuse it and then put it away where it can have no comfort from its family.

Get a crate, put the dog inside. Your husbands theory really has little logic to it to not allow the dog inside to sleep yet at other times is.

[Guest lavendergirl]

Your neighbours are saints for putting up with it for this long. Personal preferences need to be balanced with some community responsibility and some sort of compromise worked out.

[Guest english.ivy]

My Pointer learnt to sleep outdoors, when he was raised to sleep inside.

He has a crate outside, with comfy bedding, where he feels secure. Also a raised bed to keep him off the ground.

I say BED and he's in his crate and very rarely hear a peep out of him. The door of his crate is never closed, he has access to it 24/7.

Does your pup have a kennel or crate outside to sleep in, where she can feel secure? Dogs love the feel of a closed in, warm den.

When I get up in the morning, Badger is still curled up in his crate

[LizT]

I am not in favour of leaving no bark collars on an unattended dog like that .. what if she gets frightened/hurt? She will bark/cry, and then get an aversive

The bark Collar I had used on our G Shepherd when he was younger (neighbours wrote me a letter of complaint and as I work night shift and OH could sleep through atomic bomb I had to try the collar) has what they call an "Alert Override" where by if the dog is barking loudly and alot, as in the case of an intruder, it would shut down rather than continually 'swack' him. It wasn't an electric shock but a muscle stimulation that became stronger to 6 levels before swiching off.

[Red Fox]

you have undone yourself letting her sleep inside some times. She doesnt understand why sometimes she's allowed with her pack and then totally separated. I never understand why the dog is allowed inside at all if you're going to confuse it and then put it away where it can have no comfort from its family.

Get a crate, put the dog inside. Your husbands theory really has little logic to it to not allow the dog inside to sleep yet at other times is.

This..

I'm presuming the pup was bought as a companion..?

Your neighbours are saints for putting up with it for this long. Personal preferences need to be balanced with some community responsibility and some sort of compromise worked out.

And no wonder they are complaining! My idiot neighbours leave their dogs home whenever they go away and the bloody things bark all night . Unfortunately there's not much I can do apart from complain to council, but you can bet your arse if they were home I'd be bashing on their door demanding they put a stop to it.

This is the reason why so many dogs are baited.

It's your responsibility to fix the problem. Bring the dog inside.

[Dame Aussie]

I never understand why people get a dog and then seperate it from themselves....what's the point. Dogs are pack aniamls, it is natural for them to sleep and be with their companions.

We have a dog next door that barks every night for hours on end and I tell you what, it drives me mental, that's not fair on the dog or your neighbours.

Maybe your husband needs to think about the reason you got the dog in the first place. I can't imagine it could do that much damage in a crate or a small room??

[Nekhbet]

And no wonder they are complaining! My idiot neighbours leave their dogs home whenever they go away and the bloody things bark all night . Unfortunately there's not much I can do apart from complain to council, but you can bet your arse if they were home I'd be bashing on their door demanding they put a stop to it.

our neighbours in Anakie used to leave for the whole weekend and leave their old blind dog alone outside with the garage roller door up a little. He was confused some nights and I had to go give him some big bones and show him where the garage was, if they took the little dog with them he couldnt find his way inside to his bed. Makes you wonder.

[lovemyrottie]

my puppy use to do the same, he'd bark to come in when i'd leave him outside for bed time every night but not once have i allowed him to sleep inside because i know that'd make it even worse!

i still live at home with my family and they're the strict ones but once i move out my boy will be sleeping inside right beside my bed and i can't wait :D

so anyway, i took someone's advise to just ignore him when he barks (do not attend to them or they'll do it all the time to get that attention again) and he'll eventually settle down but it was pretty frustrating for me and probably for the neighbours even though we have great neighbours!

it took me a while to figure out what to do but so far i find this to be working most of the time - i tire him out with lots of running around then eventually he'll just flop down inside and start falling asleep so then i get a treat and lure him outside to his kennel where he gets his treat eats it and because he's still tired he'll just fall back asleep without a sound all night!

only rarely does he wake back up and bark, even if he starts barking it's usually not for very long (thank god) because he knows nobody's going to come to that door and open it for him!

maybe try something like that but you got to make sure she doesn't hear or see people inside (even lights turned on) cause it'll probably make her bark knowing you're inside and still awake, goodluck :D

[Stitch]

I HATE barking dogs of a night time so I think your neighbours have been very understanding. I agree however that I would like to see you let it sleep inside. It won't wander around if you crate it.

Anyway, you have two choices - 1. Crate the dog inside or 2. Get a Barking Collar.

You have three choices when it comes to barking collars. 1. Some dogs, especially male dogs I have found actually respond to Citronella Collars. 2. Get a remote control collar so you can Zap it yourself when it barks if that concerns you or 3. Get a good quality e-collar that has a 3 second delay on it so it won't go off repeatedly if the dog continues to bark through it.

99% of dogs are smart enough to work out what causes them to get zapped if they bark with the collar on.

Then, blissful quiet and also the dog learns to relax more.