Need urgent advice

jeepster

We have a 10 month old springer/llewelyn setter cross who over the past couple of months will not stay in his run at night even though this is where he always sleeps along with our other dog a cocker spaniel. When I say he won't stay I mean he will continuously bark hour after hour untill we bring him inside the house and let him sleep in the utility room. You will tell me to ignore him which we have tried but we live in a semi detached house and our next door neighbour and our neighbour next to them have newborn babies in their house so a yelping dog at 11 o'clock at night is not acceptable. He is walked every morning for an hour and walked in the evening (7 days a week) so it can't be boredom. My husband and I are dog lovers and don't want to get rid of him we have him since he was 6 weeks old but are going out of our minds. He is basically acting like a spoilt child but after about 3 hours of constant barking you have to give in. Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated.

jameshayes

It's always hard in this situation.

What time is he being walked in the evening? I would recommend that you walk him silly just before he is going to be. Make him as tired as possible. You could also try feed him a little earlier too, this will help lower his energy levels later in the day.

mikehn

There are bark control collars available which will cure your problem.
Check your local vet shop or do an Ebay search.
They are basically a collar that delivers a mild shock when the dog barks, I understand that there may be an ultrasonic version available but the shocking version should be more reliable.
A friend of mine used one to great effect he was so concerned about hurting the dog that he tried it on himself first, it was like getting a quick jab with a pin he said.

jameshayes

mikehn wrote: »

There are bark control collars available which will cure your problem.
Check your local vet shop or do an Ebay search.
They are basically a collar that delivers a mild shock when the dog barks, I understand that there may be an ultrasonic version available but the shocking version should be more reliable.
A friend of mine used one to great effect he was so concerned about hurting the dog that he tried it on himself first, it was like getting a quick jab with a pin he said.

These are not recommended by almost every animal welfare organisation.

SuzyS1972

try to find the source of the barking rather than abuse the dog by shocking him.
Why can't you just let him sleep in anyway ?

missloulou

you can also get devices that spray water in their faces when they bark, saw it on some pet training tv show, have a look on google. It seemed to do the trick for the dog they had on the show.

Good luck

luckat

Well, you could just go out every now and again and tell him to be quiet, that everything's ok. It'll take a couple of nights of little sleep, but it will work.

But if he knows that *if he barks for long enough* he'll get in, there's no point even trying this; you've lost the battle.

lurchin along

He's NOT being bold when he barks!He's telling you that something about being out there is distressing him.Sadly his vocabulary is too limited to tell you what.Why can't he sleep indoors?He's done it a few times,I assume your house is still standing,let him stay in!
'Using an Anti bark collar' is punishing him for trying to tell you something.
He's not a hysterical barker I'm assuming,it's just at night when you leave him out,and he hasn't always done this.
Something has happened overnight that has scared him perhaps.How is the spaniel behaving?Obviously it's not barking but is it showing reluctance to go to bed?
Not that it matters,something could have upset the young dog that the older one would just yawn at,but it would indicate further that something's been going on in your garden.

kerrysgold

Why can't you just let him sleep indoors? I don't see the point in having a pet dog if it's left out in the garden, it should be treated as part of the family.

hel_hev

when my dog barks hes either hungry or wants attention ... maybe try to give the last meal a little later in the evening then you do already ..

walk him or play with him for about 45min - 1hour when it coming close to bed time ... then when finished playing , pet him & let him sit with you for a while before bringing him to where he sleeps ..

the exercise should make him tired that he sleeps , make sure there is bowl of water & maybe even toys/ a snack around in case in wakes up, he l have something to do in the middle of the night instead of barking !!

jeepster

kerrysgold wrote: »

Why can't you just let him sleep indoors? I don't see the point in having a pet dog if it's left out in the garden, it should be treated as part of the family.

He's not been left out in the garden he has a purposely built run with two dog houses in it which are insulated. Also its not healthy for dogs to be kept indoors all the time even if they are family pets which both of my dogs are. Nothing has gone on in the garden either the older dog which is the cocker spaniel has brought the younger dog up they sleep together in the same dog box even though there are two dog houses.

jeepster

jameshayes wrote: »

It's always hard in this situation.

What time is he being walked in the evening? I would recommend that you walk him silly just before he is going to be. Make him as tired as possible. You could also try feed him a little earlier too, this will help lower his energy levels later in the day.

In the morning he's walked off leash near a river and loads of fields so he gets a really good run as he is naturally a hunting dog he runs through the fields which he loves and they get their main feed after this walk. In the evening they are walked between 7.30 or 8.15 so he has a run around the garden before hand and then they get a small feed after this walk we also play games with him for about 1/2 hour and sit with them for a while before they go back in for the night which is either between 9.15 and 9.45.

peasant

jeepster wrote: »

Also its not healthy for dogs to be kept indoors all the time even if they are family pets which both of my dogs are.

Care to elaborate?

Ruby Soho

I'm going to disregard that last comment about indoor dogs being unhealthy, my two are indoors all the time and are perfectly healthy. Why don't you try the citronella spray collars? They don't harm the dog in any way but deliver a spray of citronella when activated, enough to distract the dog, and eventually stop problem. I'm not sure where you can get them, but I think a french company called aboistop makes them. This has to be sorted, your neighbors have a right to complain against noise pollution if they want.

kerrysgold

I agree, my dogs are kept indoors pretty much all the time in the winter except for about 2 hours, and they are never sick *touch wood* I just don't see the point in having a dog as a ''pet'' if it's left outside, fine if it's a temporary situation (i.e. a rescue or foster) but not for the dog's whole life. It's obvious that the dog prefers being indoors if it's making such a fuss to get inside. Is there a reason why you decided to keep your dog's outside in the first place?

jeepster

Ruby Soho wrote: »

I'm going to disregard that last comment about indoor dogs being unhealthy, my two are indoors all the time and are perfectly healthy. Why don't you try the citronella spray collars? They don't harm the dog in any way but deliver a spray of citronella when activated, enough to distract the dog, and eventually stop problem. I'm not sure where you can get them, but I think a french company called aboistop makes them. This has to be sorted, your neighbors have a right to complain against noise pollution if they want.

Nobody said the neighbours have no right to complain, he is brought inside when he barks so as not to upset the neighbours and I know it has to be sorted which is why I looked for advice in the first place. The citronella spray collars are supplied by canicom and are only a temporary solution they loose their effectiveness once the dog gets used to it.

kerrysgold

Well the dog is learning that if he barks he gets brought inside, so he will continue to bark and get brought inside etc.

Ruby Soho

jeepster wrote: »

Nobody said the neighbours have no right to complain, he is brought inside when he barks so as not to upset the neighbours and I know it has to be sorted which is why I looked for advice in the first place. The citronella spray collars are supplied by canicom and are only a temporary solution they loose their effectiveness once the dog gets used to it.

They are not designed to be a temporary solution, they work by breaking the cycle, so the dog gets used to NOT barking. Actually, aboistop also make these collars. Do you think its better to electrocute the dog then?? And of course he's going to continue barking if you just bring him inside.

AckwelFoley

The reason the dog is barking is that you bring him inside when he does bark, hes not stupid, id do the same if i were the dog.


The anti bark collar is somthing new that i was not aware of. But of course its not somthing he will get used to straight away so, you still have to consider your unfortunate neighbors that have to listen to him while hes been trained.

Another option would be to keep him inside, is is less likely to bark if hes kept inside, of course thats not always desirealbe.

I hope that you find a solution, they are a lovely type of dog you have, but a word of advice, try solving this asap, you dont need to fall out with your neighbors over this issue, and you need to consider them in this, which of course you clearly are

pinklady2

My Dog used to do this aswell Bark non-stop to get in to the house ,a trick we found on the internet worked.
When your dog barks go down to him or her and say dogs name and quiet my dog is called Molly so we wud say Mollly quiet then have some water ready and either squirt it or thow the water at your dog face. It takes time but it works then eventually you can take the water away and just say quiet the dog will stop because they will be expecting the water to cum.:)

Bottle_of_Smoke

pinklady2 wrote: »

My Dog used to do this aswell Bark non-stop to get in to the house ,a trick we found on the internet worked.
When your dog barks go down to him or her and say dogs name and quiet my dog is called Molly so we wud say Mollly quiet then have some water ready and either squirt it or thow the water at your dog face. It takes time but it works then eventually you can take the water away and just say quiet the dog will stop because they will be expecting the water to cum.:)

Not very practical given they'd have to go out in the drk of night - aim @ the dog etc.

Though thanks for the tip - my dog's a barker when people come to the door, water spray silences em & so does just seeing me hold they sprayer so might try telling him to be quiet too.

pinklady2

Our dog barked at night aswell we used the kitchen light to see her and the kennel is at the Kitchen door so that made it handy, not sure if they have light in back garden or how big garden is.
Yeah the water trick is a good one all right.

Our man in Havana

Can not offer any advice as my 10 are house dogs unlike my neighbours dogs who are tied up in the yard.

What I would like to know is why the OP thinks its unhealthy for dogs to stay in the house????

SuzyS1972

pinklady2 wrote: »

My Dog used to do this aswell Bark non-stop to get in to the house ,a trick we found on the internet worked.
When your dog barks go down to him or her and say dogs name and quiet my dog is called Molly so we wud say Mollly quiet then have some water ready and either squirt it or thow the water at your dog face. It takes time but it works then eventually you can take the water away and just say quiet the dog will stop because they will be expecting the water to cum.:)

Thats just plain nasty and again all you are doing is making the dog scared of you - I cannot imagine throwing water in a dogs face is anything other than a quick fix tactic , ok it might work but at what cost -

Heres an example - you say " molly " then feck water in her face and shock the living daylights out of her. THEN you go down the beach and Molly is off having a wee run - you shout " Molly " is she going to come to you - not on your nelly - if someone called your name a few times and did something nasty to you would you come running.

I wonder about people sometimes

kerrysgold

I think a lot of people are just seriously lacking in common sense/don't think about these things. ridiculous! I can just imaging throwing water at my dogs, they would despise me! and quite rightly so! animals should be respected.

lurchin along

I was suggesting that something had happened in the garden to frighten the young dog - NOT suggesting YOU'D done something to it- because it had been getting along perfectly happily WITHOUT the barking until recently.
Understanding what STARTS a problem is a big step towards resolving it.

pinklady2

SuzyS1972 wrote: »

Thats just plain nasty and again all you are doing is making the dog scared of you - I cannot imagine throwing water in a dogs face is anything other than a quick fix tactic , ok it might work but at what cost -

Heres an example - you say " molly " then feck water in her face and shock the living daylights out of her. THEN you go down the beach and Molly is off having a wee run - you shout " Molly " is she going to come to you - not on your nelly - if someone called your name a few times and did something nasty to you would you come running.

I wonder about people sometimes

Thanks for your concern, but my dog is very happy and healthy and not scared of me at all as she is well cared for and when I do bring her on her walk to the beach and let her off the lead she comes straight back to me with her tail wagging as all happy dogs do.
So the water trick is not all that bad and it does work very well ,we do not even use the water anymore saying Molly quiet works fine on its own. It is only a squirt of water at the dog not a bucket or a hose.

Bottle_of_Smoke

SuzyS1972 wrote: »

Thats just plain nasty and again all you are doing is making the dog scared of you - I cannot imagine throwing water in a dogs face is anything other than a quick fix tactic , ok it might work but at what cost -

Heres an example - you say " molly " then feck water in her face and shock the living daylights out of her. THEN you go down the beach and Molly is off having a wee run - you shout " Molly " is she going to come to you - not on your nelly - if someone called your name a few times and did something nasty to you would you come running.

I wonder about people sometimes

No, it isn't scaring the dog. Annoying it yes.