Insane barking... Update: Problem solved..NOW disscussing feedings/crating/etc on pg4

[borzoimom]

Honey- you have the right to keep your dogs.. Complexes are hard, and I know it can get serious real fast. It is a option..
Now remember- this doesnt SOLVE the inward problem. The dog is still anxious when you leave but it does solve the problems with the neighbors. YOu will still need to work with things so the dog learns to relax when you are gone- but it does allow you to keep the relationship.
I know you love your dogs-..

[king2005]

Honey- you have the right to keep your dogs.. Complexes are hard, and I know it can get serious real fast. It is a option..
Now remember- this doesnt SOLVE the inward problem. The dog is still anxious when you leave but it does solve the problems with the neighbors. YOu will still need to work with things so the dog learns to relax when you are gone- but it does allow you to keep the relationship.
I know you love your dogs-..

I know its not going to solve Mr. Biggles problem, but it'll give us time to work on that (only if things get that bad, I hope they don't) in a proper manor... I still vote no to the procedure, as we like when they bark at the door, as we live in a not so nice Getto (6 murders last year, 5 were gang member shoot outs), so they'll keep creeps away from our home (even though the dogs are harmless, creeps don't know that).

At lunch time I'm going to petsmart to buy some of that rescue remedy.. Both dogs will get it, so Bear will be relaxed too, as when Mr. Biggles gets worked up, she gets stressed & poops on the floor (but not nearly as bad as Mr. Biggles, she'll try to hold it & will only poop a little at a time).

I just need to call a vet to see if the rescue remedy can be mixed with Bears Hypothyroid medication.. Can never be too safe, I don't want there to be a toxic mix or something.

[cyber-sibes]

There will probably be people here who will get on me for it, but I DID use a shock collar with my rottie/aussie, Rosie. She barked a lot, especially at night. She was fine as a puppy, but started barking as an adult. We worked really hard at trying to train her out of it, but still found myself getting up at 1 am or 2 am and spending an hour quieting her down. This went on for months. So we did resort to a shock collar. I used it on me first, and it did surprise you with a shock, but it didn't "hurt". You have to train them with the collar. Ours came with a video on how to train. Using it solved the barking problem quickly. The one we used had a progressive shock, so it started out very mild. if the dog kept barking, it got stronger. The most I ever heard her bark in a row was twice. After a while, all I had to do was strap it on her (which I did every night) without turning it on, and she knew to be quiet. She also got to know that "Quiet, no bark" meant no barking. I always rewarded her being quiet with lavish attention & treats.

I would certainly invest in a shock collar (ours was about $75.00) before I'd consider de-barking a dog- that seems "shocking" to me.

[borzoimom]

King- get those plug ins used for a dog that is nervous.. I know the procedure is the last resort- ...

[king2005]

King- get those plug ins used for a dog that is nervous.. I know the procedure is the last resort- ...

Plug-ins??

[Freedom]

I had another thought, and I'm glad I got back on the PC after reading all this!

If the cookies and neighborly chat don't work, maybe contact a behaviourist. Then, if things escalate and the police get involved, being able to show you got someone official involved and he / she estimates it will take "this long" to fix, may help. The place where you adopted may be able to recommend someone.

Once upon a time, a new young mother had a baby with colic. The baby cried and screamed and basically drove everyone crazy around her. The neighbors complained to the police, worried that maybe the baby was being hurt. Fortunately, the mom and dad had already taken the baby in to the doctor, had the diagnosis of colic, and were in the process of switching foods. They could say it would take XXX amount of time - just a few days. The police DID contact the pediatrician, just to make sure this was all true.

I was that baby.

Good luck!
Sandra

[king2005]

I had another thought, and I'm glad I got back on the PC after reading all this!

If the cookies and neighborly chat don't work, maybe contact a behaviourist. Then, if things escalate and the police get involved, being able to show you got someone official involved and he / she estimates it will take "this long" to fix, may help. The place where you adopted may be able to recommend someone.

Once upon a time, a new young mother had a baby with colic. The baby cried and screamed and basically drove everyone crazy around her. The neighbors complained to the police, worried that maybe the baby was being hurt. Fortunately, the mom and dad had already taken the baby in to the doctor, had the diagnosis of colic, and were in the process of switching foods. They could say it would take XXX amount of time - just a few days. The police DID contact the pediatrician, just to make sure this was all true.

I was that baby.

Good luck!
Sandra

Thats a wonderful idea!!!!
I'll be doing some phone calls for sure

[luvofallhorses]

please do NOT use a shock collar! they are very inhumane! what about giving him a kong or some kind of indestructable toy?? my hound, Buster barks A LOT.. but I would NEVER use a shock collar on him! He's a hound and that's what they do is bark. that's how dogs express themselves..

[king2005]

There will probably be people here who will get on me for it, but I DID use a shock collar with my rottie/aussie, Rosie. She barked a lot, especially at night. She was fine as a puppy, but started barking as an adult. We worked really hard at trying to train her out of it, but still found myself getting up at 1 am or 2 am and spending an hour quieting her down. This went on for months. So we did resort to a shock collar. I used it on me first, and it did surprise you with a shock, but it didn't "hurt". You have to train them with the collar. Ours came with a video on how to train. Using it solved the barking problem quickly. The one we used had a progressive shock, so it started out very mild. if the dog kept barking, it got stronger. The most I ever heard her bark in a row was twice. After a while, all I had to do was strap it on her (which I did every night) without turning it on, and she knew to be quiet. She also got to know that "Quiet, no bark" meant no barking. I always rewarded her being quiet with lavish attention & treats.

I would certainly invest in a shock collar (ours was about $75.00) before I'd consider de-barking a dog- that seems "shocking" to me.

This will be tried before we go the de-barking rout by far!!! The debarking was only a last resort idea...

Please don't get me wrong, I want to try to solve this properly first.. But having a plan B & a plan C never hurts incase Plan A doesn't work in time. I don't want to be panicking on what options I have last min, so planning a head is a smart route.

[Kfamr]

I personally would rehome my dog before mutilating them, I can't imagine anyone even suggesting that. That totally shocked me.

Other than the debarking, you have gotten some excellent advice. Yes, the shock collar is as bad as it sounds. He has seperation anxiety and a shock collar would only make it worse.

[borzoimom]

If you loved the dog- and a medical fix would work- I would.. They love the dog- and rehoming is NOT an option... " just get rid of the dog"- is that the mentality you are endorsing?????

[Kfamr]

If you loved the dog- and a medical fix would work- I would.. They love the dog- and rehoming is NOT an option... " just get rid of the dog"- is that the mentality you are endorsing?????

EXCUSE ME? You are not putting those words in my mouth lady.

Mutilating the dog is NOT loving the dog. I have never and will never endorse getting rid of an animal without a valid reason. If my "last option" were to mutilate my dog, I would rather find someone who would be able to train and care for him/her properly - or someone out in the country where barking would not be a problem.

However, Jess's problem with Mr. Biggles sounds like a minute one and should easily be fixed with time. No inhumane mutilating or rehoming should be needed.

[Karen]

If you loved the dog- and a medical fix would work- I would.. They love the dog- and rehoming is NOT an option... " just get rid of the dog"- is that the mentality you are endorsing?????

Nobody said they were endorsing that.

And Jess has gotten a lot of information here, which was her intent - to find out what the options and solutions might be.

I hope her neighbors accept the apology and allow a little time to work on the separation anxiety. Poor pup is 8 years old, and a recent pound rescue - anyone might have "separation anxiety" too if they were him!

[CathyBogart]

I'm having the same problem right now, my neighbors have complained to the landlord twice about Jasper's barking. He will pee and poop all over when left alone out of his crate, and frankly I am tired of cleaning the carpet all the time.

I've gotten several good suggestions, but what seems to have helped the most the fastest is working with him on obedience. His confidence is slowly improving, and as his confidence improves, I can leave him for longer amounts of time.

I've been pretending to leave, and standing out side of the door for a short period of time, then coming back in before he starts to bark. I've been able to bring that time up to about ten minutes from about thirty seconds in just a few days.

I've also made a point of ignoring him for parts of the day while I'm home, shutting him in the bedroom while I hang out in the living room, and ignoring him for the ten minutes leading up to me leaving and ten minutes after I get home. The result is that he's not quite so out of control happy about me getting home.

I know you said treats weren't an option, but I thought I'd throw this in there too. I got Jasper an Everlasting Treat Ball, which is a rubber ball which has custom treats that you jam into either end. It takes him about a week to go through one set of treats, and he's a pretty strong chewer.

Since you need a solution NOW, you could talk to your vet about getting him a mild sedative or anti-anxiety medication. These are meant to be temporary measures that you take so the neighbors don't kill your dog while you are working on solving the root of the problem. It sounds like these may be the quickest most effective option while you work on helping him feel more confident while you're not with him. (Star takes one called Clomepramine to help with her panic attacks...she once ate her way through a $2,000 solid oak door during a panic attack!)

I have more thoughts, but for fear of being ripped to shreds for my opinion, I'll PM them to you.

[luvofallhorses]

I agree with Kay on this one. I would NEVER consider de-barking my dogs in a million years. like I said, it's how they express themselves.