Barking

[bark]

Hi All,

From what I read, this looks like the right place to get some advice on how to manage a barking problem

Background:

I have a puppy who is now 6 months old. My partner and I work during the day and both leave home early when our pup is put outside. He's kept busy with toys, treat ball and a bone. Midweek when I return home from work he has a 1 hour walk or a visit to the local dog park and remains in the house during the evening, until the following morning.

Our house overlooks the house of our neighbour and regardless of whether the neighbour is in his own house or in his backyard, our pup has started to bark at him. I have tried to introduce the dog to this neighbour but the wife doesn't seem to be interested ... it may have something to do with being a cat owner. ... no their cat and our pup have not had any interaction. When we hear our pup barking we always investigate then either tell him to be quiet or take him inside the house.

Our pup was starved for 24hrs on our Vet's advice because of an upset stomach and diahrhoea. Our neighbour told us our pup was barking non stop for 30 mins during the morning and their cat had not been outside. This is the first we have heard of our dog barking like this.

What do we do?

[BrunoBella]

Hi Bark

I have a similar problem with my 2 yo dog and one neighbour. Most embarrasing that she barks only at him and sometimes his kids. Went and spoke to them and we all agreed to ignore the barking (they were feeding my dog bones to stop her). She has now stopped barking at them. Any response to the barking is encouragament and not responding has worked. This does require some negotiation with the neighbour as the barking would initially get worse.

I have also discovered the joys of water sprayer. Bella does not bark a lot, but I want her to stop after I have investigated the "Burglars". I now spray Bella with a little bit of water if she doesn't stop barking on my cue and that works a treat. Spraying water also means you are not joining in the barking .

What sort of dog do you have?

[ShesaLikeableBiBear]

You need to establish why your puppy is barking, it would appear that if you are leaving home early and not returning for some-time that it is probably boredom. Here are some reasons why dogs bark. You dont want to get into the situation where a neighbour complains to the Council. If your house overlooks theirs then you may have to look at leaving him in an area where he cannot see into their property.

Kennel position, size and condition

Boredom, anxiety

Neighbouring children teasing the dog through the fence

A change in family, environment or lifestyle of owners

Hunger, discomfort

Attention seeking

Lack of exercise

Fleas or troublesome flies

Loneliness

Are you able to get up a little earlier in the mornings and excercise your pup.

Try and nip this in the bud before it gets to be a problem.

One way of trying to stop the barking is the use of an aboistop collar. This is a collar which has citronella oil in it and when they bark it gives them a whiff of oil. Some vet. clinics have them avail. for trial.

[bark]

Hi BellasPerson,

What a great idea I'll have to get myself a spray bottle and try it out.

We have a Manchester Terrier, which judging by the number of questions I get isn't a very common dog.

[BrunoBella]

Excellent. I have never heard of Manchester Terriers either but I'm sure they won't like being sprayed with water. Some people have to use a bucket of the stuff my dogs respond to a few mils.

[bark]

Hi Hesapandabear,

Thanks for the list of reasons. I spoke to the Vet this morning and she puts it down to a combination of his recent operation, the change in routine and no food - which you mentioned. I had considered early morning walks but 4am is a little too early ... I start work early and leave early to spend the rest of the arvo and evening with my pup.

You're right I do need to nip it in the bud before it turns into a regular thing and you've certainly given me a few things to think about.

[Dogsfevr]

You may also find the dog is cold once placed outside & getting hungry.Do you feed before going to work ?

[bark]

Hi Showdog

He wears a coat with the recent cool weather and yes he gets breakfast before we go to work. As he's recovering from a bout of diahrhoea, he gets a small portion at his normal breakfast time and another small portion just before we leave for work. Usually we give him a brisket bone and a filled treat toy along with some other toys to keep him occupied in our absence.

[Rogue]

Welcome to the forums bark! I'm a big Manchester fan, so congratulations on your puppy. Any pics :D

Manchester's are very attached to their owners so I can imagine that he is not really happy with being left alone. They also don't like water very much so maybe the spray bottle would work. Have you considered getting a doggy door so he could move from inside to outside. Manchesters feel the cold so maybe he doesn't like being outside. They are also very territorial so he might be protecting his territory.

Just a few thoughts.

Have you seen the British Manchester Terrier website? It's full of good information http://www.british-manchester-terrier-club.co.uk/

Good luck with the barking. BTW which state are you in?

Edited June 1, 2006 by Rogue

[bark]

Hi Rogue,

Cool, finally somone else with a mannie. I have attached a pic when he's about 3mths old. We have recently installed a dog door but my partner want's the house alarm on which prevents our pup from coming inside, when we're not at home. I have seen the UK site and will check it again for any advice.

We're in NSW, Sydney.... couldn't you tell by the house alarm

[Rusky]

I love these dogs, they remind me of my childhood

I copied this from another site about manchesters

(Barking. Terriers are often too quick to sound the alarm at every new sight and sound. You have to be equally quick to stop them. If you work all day and have close neighbors, terriers are not the best choice for you. For the same reason, terriers should NEVER be left outside in your yard, unsupervised. To make matters worse, some terriers have high-pitched barks that can set your teeth on edge.)

Mum kept our terriers inside, barking is/was their job. I am afraid you will have to keep your dog inside or do a lot of work with the dog. Water spray will make him a bit cross but he will forgive you and set off barking with gusto again to let everyone know he might be able to see some movement which might be a rat

[Rogue]

Ah, bark, I don't have a Mannie, unfortunately, but have long wanted one and I've read up quite a lot about the breed.

Unfortunately, I think Rusky's advice is probably pretty accurate. Maybe if he was inside you wouldn't need to have the alarm on: they are pretty determined defenders of their territory!

Hope it all works out, he looks like a lovely dog. Are you going to breed from him? There seem to be quite a few Mannies in NSW but I've never seen one in Melbourne although there is a breeder here. Can I ask which breeder you got him from?

[bark]

Hi Rusky,

When I was researching into the breed I didn't come across the info you've just told me ... but now he's become part of our family and will be with us for life.

How did your mum keep the carpet clean? We have light coloured wool carpet and a mat made from the same carpet, placed outside the door which has become very dirty from his paws.

[bark]

Hi Rogue,

He's a real cutey most of the time but we do have to be firm with him as he does try to push the limits. When we got our pup we never intended to breed or show him because we wanted him to be a companion first and foremost, besides he' just had the snip so it's too late to change our minds!

Just after we received our pup, the Secretary of the NSW Manchester Club informed me there was a M and F available from Melbourne, which must be the breeder you refer to. We got ours from:

KAZKEI

Keith & Karen Irwin

Goulburn 2580

Ph/Fax:02- 4821 0544

Email:[email protected]

From what I understand Kazkei are active breeders where as some of the other advertised breeders in NSW no longer breed mannies.

[Griffo]

sorry i have no advice to offer..but i just want to say how GORGEOUS your pup is!!

Good luck with the barking problem...just so you know, there are lots of us in the same boat lol

[Rogue]

Thanks for the info about the pups, bark. Dangerous

I do a little fostering for rescue groups to get my dog fix as I'm in a flat.

To make you feel better, I have heard that Mannies are very easy to train they just decide whether or not to do what they have learned!

Hope it all works out.

Edited June 4, 2006 by Rogue

[bark]

sorry i have no advice to offer..but i just want to say how GORGEOUS your pup is!!

Good luck with the barking problem...just so you know, there are lots of us in the same boat lol

Thanks Rachelle

[bark]

Thanks Rogue,

Tempting hey.

Pity you're not in Sydney otherwise he could have a few sleep-overs with you He is easy to train but what impresses me is his ability to stand up for himself (no fighting involved) in the dog park when surrounded by 3 big dogs who have rumbled him a few times.

[Rusky]

How did your mum keep the carpet clean? We have light coloured wool carpet and a mat made from the same carpet, placed outside the door which has become very dirty from his paws.

sorry bark just came back to see how you are doing and hadn't seen this question.

ummm we didn't and we never do have light colored carpet. I am old my Mum is dead and gone and we had axmister carpets with the patterns that I am sure hid a multitude of sins

I have slate or wooden floors wherever I live. I would NEVER have a light carpet but then my life revolves around dogs so that is an interesting question and one which probably should be addressed along with all the other new dog owner new puppy info.

I think the best solution for flooring is slate followed by that click clack imitation wood flooring which is very scratch resisitant and cleans easily, then have a coloured rug for the dog My girlfriend who has obsessive compulsive disorder had a bowl of water at the door and towels, she washes the dogs paws before they enter the house, she changes the water daily, it contains a drop of baby shampoo.

I hope this has helped you.

[walker]

Rusky

I appreciate your interest. When we bought our house we never contemplated on getting a dog so floor coverings didn't bother us until now. Thanks for your tip.