Night Time Barker

[Rhi]

Ok, maybe the jump on her remark didn't help, but if Rhi already said the pup couldn't be inside, then we need to give her some other things to try out.

.....that's my opinion....you don't have to agree with it, it's a public forum....lot's of different opinions....doesn't mean anyone is jumping on anyone smile.gif

And I gave mine too and people have disagreed, I don't hold it personally. When people come on here and are looking for support that is what we should do.

Rhi, I see you have only had him for a week, what other things have you tried? (i.e. comfort things?)

Thanks Jack for your support, I was feeling a little overwhelmed by so many 'inside creating' suggestions.

I've always grown up with an outside dog, I've never considered an inside dog. He is definately part of our pack, he doesn't suffer any seperation anxieties, he is always within ear shot of us. We adopted him and don't know his previous history but he doesn't seem to have the desire to want to come inside he is happy trotting around the backyard. I feel that I have liberated him from the cage at the shelter and my heart sinks to think of putting back in a cage (even if it is only overnight)

All that said, thankyou everyone for your suggestions. We have put up a visual barrier and have brought a silent whistle... hopefully these techniques start to help.

PS I only read this on my work computer, sorry for the lack of response over the weekend.

Thanks again for your help

[Kylie and the black Lab]

I too agree with the inside thing. Jedda only now sleeps outside at 4 months and she is comfortable with it. Even last night we brought her into the laundry at 11pm because of the big storm in Sydney. She slept right through.

What about baby gateing off a part of the kitchen if the laundry is too small???

Even still with the laundry... our laundry has only around 3m x 2m moveable space and at 12.5kgs, Jedda is happy to sleep in there during rough whether.

Please bring your lab inside... though not for good... at least give the poor pup a migration period to the great outdoors. That's what we did and it worked really well.

Cheers, Kylie

[sas]

Ok, maybe the jump on her remark didn't help, but if Rhi already said the pup couldn't be inside, then we need to give her some other things to try out.

.....that's my opinion....you don't have to agree with it, it's a public forum....lot's of different opinions....doesn't mean anyone is jumping on anyone smile.gif

And I gave mine too and people have disagreed, I don't hold it personally. When people come on here and are looking for support that is what we should do.

Rhi, I see you have only had him for a week, what other things have you tried? (i.e. comfort things?)

Thanks Jack for your support, I was feeling a little overwhelmed by so many 'inside creating' suggestions.

I've always grown up with an outside dog, I've never considered an inside dog. He is definately part of our pack, he doesn't suffer any seperation anxieties, he is always within ear shot of us. We adopted him and don't know his previous history but he doesn't seem to have the desire to want to come inside he is happy trotting around the backyard. I feel that I have liberated him from the cage at the shelter and my heart sinks to think of putting back in a cage (even if it is only overnight)

All that said, thankyou everyone for your suggestions. We have put up a visual barrier and have brought a silent whistle... hopefully these techniques start to help.

PS I only read this on my work computer, sorry for the lack of response over the weekend.

Thanks again for your help

It's really sad that you believe a crate is a bad thing, I really suggest you research the purpose of a crate....a crate is like a den to a dog....a safe place they will go into on their own accord....how is that a bad thing?

I'm not sure how a dog can be very much part of your pack if it's outside 24/7? Maybe I'm missing something?

If a dog has no issues outside then I don't personaly have an issue with it, but you are having an issue and by bringing the dog inside will fix the issue.

All my own opinion, as I have mentioned before, lot's of people have outside dogs with no problems at all.......the only difference is that you have a problem that can be fixed easily.

[Doghouse]

Both the girls come in at night. They can do what they like indoors and have access to all windows and points of entry and bark accordingly.

I would not have them out at night, god knows what could happen, particularly with some dogs going 'missing' around here lately and then there can be some nasty neighbours.

The girls are more secure within the pack environment indoors and dont bark unless there is a very, very good reason.

Bring him in.. gate or crate him.. he will love you for it...

[Dogsrules]

Crating a pup or a dog is not a bad thing, especially if you put the crate in a position where the dog can see you. I used to put the crate in my bedroom ( usually with a pup or dog that is not fully toilet trained yet ). As long as their human is around, crate will not bother your dog.

[Reddii]

Experiences of a very inexperienced dog owner:

I can feel your pain wrt the night time barking. With our two v. young puppies we went through hell for the best part of 4 months with one of the dogs that barked all night (and all day for that matter). Sady the little guy is no longer with us as along with all his beahvioural issues he had some major health problems as well. BLOODY BYB's AND PET SHOPS!! ;) . That said when we (finally) began locking them in a small area they were quiet - it was their den and they liked it and felt comfortable.

We then had our little girl only for a few months and tried tying her on the back deck for a week which also worked a treat, except she tended to get tangled up. After that she stayed on the deck all night unless something in the yard wasn't right, then three warning barks and back on the deck to wait for us to check out the problem. (happened about 1 night a fortnight so it wasn't for attention.)

Now with a new puppy and our little girl starting dog sports (agility and fly ball) we have been introduced to crates by necessity. Both dogs are crated on our back deck every night and don't make a noise all night. I often go out during the day to find Xena (girl dog) in her crate and CK is that cruisey (puppy) that he doesn't mind either way - just treat him in and all is fine. All my dogs will be crated from now on.

For those who don't like crating outside - our back deck is covered and is right outside out bedroom window - they are closer to us there than if they were inside (none of our animals come in to our bedroom). Also, don't forget, most of you on here are HARDCORE doggy people. Not everyone has the affinity with their dogs that you/we (I'm getting there) do. To put it in perspective - how many marriages do you know have been impacted by one partner or the other being SO involved with their dogs? Most people are not that committed to their dog and hence won't have them inside all the time. (Flame suit at the ready, but I've seen this happen in three sports and another pursuit that I'm involved in. I'm just lucky to have the most understanding partner in the world - only she and border collies understand obsession well enough to cope with me! ;)

Cheers.

Tony

[berly]

my 9 yo GSD has always been an outside dog.

he has the choice of sleeping in the partitioned off garage where there is a full size mattress (used when it's v cold or hot or when i send him in there for whatever reason, the command is "inside"), his crate that is set up in the shed (used only when there are thunderstorms) and his mat outside the back door (its under cover)

my method of dealing with any major barking is to stand at the back door, call him in a not very impressed voice, ie luring him away from where and what he is barking from but move inside/ignore him when he reached me. so yes i got his attention but i wasnt giving him any real attention. Nowadays a simple tap of the glass on the back door, or i yell his name from the inside of the house and i've got his attention and he is silent again. However he has never been an excessive, nor night barker. It's more often than not one of the neighbours or their pets being close to the fence and he either didn't like it or wanted to join in.

i concede that this method might not work for everyone, and like many other methods could open up a whole different can of worms. but it worked for me, and i just wanted to share my experience as an outside dog owner with the OP

Rhi: update please? are you still having an issue? has the vision barrier made a difference? are you sure it's only the issue of the lights that your dog is barking at? is it a certain time that this happens? how far away is you bedroom to him? are you sure you can hear his every bark?? Is it only a night issue or does he bark a bit in the day?

[Rhi]

Rhi: update please? are you still having an issue?

My surname is Murphy and I've been having a run of 'murphy bad luck' lately, so I tread carefully when signing his praises incase he goes back to his old habits. Since the visual barrier has gone up he hasn't barked at all! When we go off to bed he tucks himself into his kennel and sleeps through, this has been three nights now. When he does bark we give the silent whistle a blow it gets his attention, we tell him no (repeat if needed) until his quiet.

Another great technique has been playing with him until he is totally pooped!

So fingers crossed!

[snarferama]

We crate our boy and the confined space doesn't bother him at all. He has a bit of a whine at first then goes off to sleep. I know that if our boy was outside at night, he'd bark and bark! He's a real little barker so maybe it would help you? He's crated in our bedroom at night. I'm not saying you must do this, just that it's an option for you. If he has to sleep outside at night then maybe a Home Alone dog toy and a Kong will help.

Exercise before he goes to bed will definitely help, if you can wear him out I'm sure he would be a bit quieter for you. Maybe you could go over to your neighbours with your dog and introduce him to them. Explain that you've only just adopted him and he's still settling in. Apologise for the noise etc. That may bide you a bit of time while you work on this.

-Elise

[Aziah]

Rhi:

Another great technique has been playing with him until he is totally pooped!

Good to hear things are on the improve...considering he's never allowed inside with you this could be part of the problem, especially if you don't spend much time outside.

The visual barrier may not be why he's improved (what is it stopping him from seeing?) it could be that you're now taking the time to go out and spend time with him before bed...

I agree with the others, even though you don't want to use one (and probably never will) PLEASE do some research on them so you can be better informed

[StaffLab]

Can some1 please explain what crating is all about. I was initially against it but am slowly starting to budge and am open for idea and suggestions.

Who should use a crate?

What are the advantages?

Are they locked in?

How is it different from a kennel?

Our 7 month old pup sleeps inside on the coach every night and neither of us have a problem with it but am open to reasons why this could change.

Cheers and thanks in advance

[Mum 2 Bailey n Chelsea]

It sounds like things are on the improve for you now which is great!!

My dogs sleep inside but some dogs just like being outside

Have the neighbours ever done something to rile your pup up? When I lived with my parents in law for a little while their neighbour was stupid and put the hose on my pups! Now no matter what this neighbour does my pups bark. Just wondered.

Mel

[Rhi]

Have the neighbours ever done something to rile your pup up? When I lived with my parents in law for a little while their neighbour was stupid and put the hose on my pups! Now no matter what this neighbour does my pups bark. Just wondered.

They were looking over our fence at him ... so putting up the visual barrier serves two purposes, no more nosey neighbour and no more barking dog!!!

[Mum 2 Bailey n Chelsea]

Hmm........very nosey neighbour :D

Its great that you have come up with a solution

Mel

[Aziah]

So they were looking over the fence in the middle of the night too?

ETA: my above comment probably sounds rather sarcastic but at some stage the dog is going to bark during the night at something (whether it be a stray cat or whatever). So, if your neighbours are going to complain then you're going to have to think of something that doesn't involve him sleeping outdoors.

I know my guys would go off at the slightest odd noise if they were left out during the night...

Edited March 6, 2007 by AZIAH

[Kavik]

Hi StaffLab

There are lots of topics on crates but here are the basics and answers to your questions:

Who should use a crate - All of my dogs use one

Advantages:

* The dog cannot get into any mischief ie chew or destroy things

* The dog has its own space away from the hustle and bustle of the household

* The dog has a portable home if you take him with you on holiday, to a show, training or trial

* The dog is used to being confined if needed for visits to the vet, grooming, boarding or injury

* The dog can be transported in the car or plane etc safely and cannot distract the driver or chew the seats and is safe if there is an accident

* My experience is landlords don't seem to have a problem with them, so it allows the dogs to be inside in case of bad weather, tradespeople and to prevent barking issues even if you are renting

* Crates help with housetraining as dogs do not like to toilet where they sleep

Crates have a door which can be closed so they can be locked in if you wish (mine have the doors closed at night but otherwise open)

Crates are normally either wire or plastic and so do not provide protection from the elements (unlike kennels), and are light enough to take with you (well, relatively! depending on size)

[snarferama]

Just wanted to add that the crate is never used for punishment. It's the equivalent of a bedroom for them. The aim is to make it a place they want to be. You can do this by feeding them in it, giving them a kong/toys in it etc.

Your dog (if the crate is used properly) should love his crate.

I was initially against using a crate, it seemed cruel to me. Putting a dog in cage- that's not right. But I did lots of research online, talked to people who used them and they really are wonderful. We only use the crate for when our pup goes to sleep. It takes away distractions so that he will actually sleep rather than run around being naughty

We will also use a crate for when we're showing him and it really doesn't bother him. He has a bit of whine at night because he wants to do other things then go to bed but once he settles down he's happy to stay in there.

-Elise

[pnsdc]

are there any disadvantages Kavik?

[LilyW]

My girl sleeps outside - we have never had an issue with the barking thing, i have never really heard her bark, except for when she is playing with her toys. But we do spend all our time with her in the evening before putting her outside - when home from work she is walked and then inside for a few hours, i will sit on the floor with her for a play and most of the time she will fall asleep next to me. She is then put outside and goes straight to sleep.

Every situation is different, every dog is different - just try out different things to see what works best. Spend as much time with your pup before it is put outside - dogs love to be close and feel secure so maybe look at the bedding arrangements outside? But in the end if you know your dog is not barking that much - then it shouldn't be an issue - I have a dog behind us that barks for hours, non stop - sometimes still going after midnight - I have never complained, but others are different. Most dogs bark - thats life - if it is not constant and going on for hours - then don't be too concerned.

[StaffLab]

Thanks

I might try using one soon.