I have an 11 month old puppy. He barks all the time at our neighbors. He also barks at other dogs (sometimes), cats, squirrels, and kids yelling outside. Barking at our neighbors is definitely the worst though. I am at my wits end with him.
Any one have any advice or tips on how to get him to quit?
We have tried bark collars but that is about it. We tried vibration and shock. The shock collar worked for a few days and then didn't even phase him.
Right now we make him come inside but he has to stay in a crate inside. We got a noise complaint warning for him and if we get another one we have to go to court so we can't leave him outside at all when he is barking.
Quoting marshsmom:
What do you do when he barks?
Well, if he is outside doing the barking it makes it hard to correct him. Why does he have to stay crated when inside? I'm asking these questions because this behavior is often related to other things, like boredom, lack of training in other areas, and sometimes our own reactions to the barking dog can actually promote more barking instead of making it stop. How many hours a day is he outside alone? How much exercise does he get (not just running a yard alone, but leashed walk or games of fetch where he is interacting with you)? It is possible that if he is outside and lonely he has learned that barking gets your attention, and even though it may be negative attention in our mind, in his mind he is rewarded because he barking brought him indoors where you are. Does he bark in his crate? I'm logging off for a while but I'll be back on later and will post again.
He is outside with our other dog pretty much all day. We thought about the barking being so he could come in and part of it is. That barking we have got under control. It is the barking at the neighbors that we can't seem to get a handle on. He only barks if they are outside (for the most part). He doesn't HAVE to be crated in the house but we got big dogs because we didn't want inside dogs. He doesn't get walked very often and we are trying to work on that. I don't really think it is for attention though.
Quoting marshsmom:
Well, if he is outside doing the barking it makes it hard to correct him. Why does he have to stay crated when inside? I'm asking these questions because this behavior is often related to other things, like boredom, lack of training in other areas, and sometimes our own reactions to the barking dog can actually promote more barking instead of making it stop. How many hours a day is he outside alone? How much exercise does he get (not just running a yard alone, but leashed walk or games of fetch where he is interacting with you)? It is possible that if he is outside and lonely he has learned that barking gets your attention, and even though it may be negative attention in our mind, in his mind he is rewarded because he barking brought him indoors where you are. Does he bark in his crate? I'm logging off for a while but I'll be back on later and will post again.
The only way to fix it is to be there to correct the behavior, and reward the behavior you want. Is your neighbor cooperative? Can you let the dog meet the neighbor?
He is likely bored. More exercise and mental stimulation would definately help.
Quoting som610:He is outside with our other dog pretty much all day. We thought about the barking being so he could come in and part of it is. That barking we have got under control. It is the barking at the neighbors that we can't seem to get a handle on. He only barks if they are outside (for the most part). He doesn't HAVE to be crated in the house but we got big dogs because we didn't want inside dogs. He doesn't get walked very often and we are trying to work on that. I don't really think it is for attention though.
Quoting marshsmom:
Well, if he is outside doing the barking it makes it hard to correct him. Why does he have to stay crated when inside? I'm asking these questions because this behavior is often related to other things, like boredom, lack of training in other areas, and sometimes our own reactions to the barking dog can actually promote more barking instead of making it stop. How many hours a day is he outside alone? How much exercise does he get (not just running a yard alone, but leashed walk or games of fetch where he is interacting with you)? It is possible that if he is outside and lonely he has learned that barking gets your attention, and even though it may be negative attention in our mind, in his mind he is rewarded because he barking brought him indoors where you are. Does he bark in his crate? I'm logging off for a while but I'll be back on later and will post again.
Our neighbors are rude people and I don't blame my dogs for barking at them.. They are afraid of my dogs for some reason also..
He doesn't do it if we are outside usually. Every once in a while he will. We tell him when he is being good and when we disapprove of his behavior. He knows that the barking is bad, he just doesn't care.
Quoting marshsmom:
The only way to fix it is to be there to correct the behavior, and reward the behavior you want. Is your neighbor cooperative? Can you let the dog meet the neighbor?
I found my dog a New Home
- som610
on Jan. 8, 2013 at 3:09 PM