Barking Dogs

eightyfish

I know there's another thread on here about barking dogs, but the OP has a specific issue and I don't want to sound like I'm accusing them of anything or hijacking the thread. So - I have lived in houses with barking-dog-neighbors in the past twice, though I've never had a dog myself.

What I want to know from any dog owners is if it is true that if a dog barks continuously, (or just at every person/car/sound all day/night) that the dog is constantly agitated/lonely/scared/not properly cared for/not properly trained etc.

I have dog-owner friends who's dog is quiet and they say this is the case. So - basically - if a dog is barking all the time and annoying the neighbors is it always the owner's fault?

Shammy

eightyfish wrote: »

I have dog-owner friends who's dog is quiet and they say this is the case. So - basically - if a dog is barking all the time and annoying the neighbors is it always the owner's fault?

95% of the time yes it is the owners fault

kildara

Shammy wrote: »

95% of the time yes it is the owners fault

So why do they bark the other 5% of the time?
Where do you get this figure from anyway?

Shammy

the other 5 % is that the dog is nervous , fearful or just plain mad . This is not really the owners fault as some of these dogs are just badly bred and are born with these traits.

As for where i got the number , its down to experience .

kildara

I don't doubt the reasons but just find it hard to believe that 95% of dogs that bark excessively are down to the owners. I think its shocking. Quite sad really.

Little Miss Cutie

I have a bichon who barks a fair bit, generally when excited or sees a cat etc. I was told this is common in the breed. Are you saying the reason he barks is cause I dont care for him enough'

Blueprint

I wouldn't take it personally, Shammy has obviously never owned a very vocal breed of dog!

Shammy

Cutie_pc wrote: »

I have a bichon who barks a fair bit, generally when excited or sees a cat etc. I was told this is common in the breed. Are you saying the reason he barks is cause I dont care for him enough'

ha ha no not at all , i'm talking about excessive barking , if your dog hasnt been brought up with cats its natural for them to bark at them.

Shammy

Blueprint wrote: »

I wouldn't take it personally, Shammy has obviously never owned a very vocal breed of dog!

your probably right i tend to stay away from smaller breeds i think they bark more than bigger breeds for no reason .
Ive had loads of german shepherds , 2 rotties , old english sheepdog , rough collie, 2 labs, an akita, i have a gs pup at the moment and i'm trying to get her to bark but she doesnt, my neighbour has a small breed , its not socalisied , not excercised and barks all day.

Shammy

kildara wrote: »

I don't doubt the reasons but just find it hard to believe that 95% of dogs that bark excessively are down to the owners. I think its shocking. Quite sad really.

i understand your surprise , but if you think about it, if you have a dog that is barking excessively, you have to ask yourself why ?
is it being excerised enough , socialised enough etc etc

Blueprint

Shammy wrote: »

your probably right i tend to stay away from smaller breeds i think they bark more than bigger breeds for no reason .
Ive had loads of german shepherds , 2 rotties , old english sheepdog , rough collie, 2 labs, an akita, i have a gs pup at the moment and i'm trying to get her to bark but she doesnt, my neighbour has a small breed , its not socalisied , not excercised and barks all day.

A lot for Terriers were bred to bark, as they were designed for going down burrows after rabbits etc. and they had to be able to find them to dig them out when the got stuck or had the animal cornered, so you can train them not to bark too much, but you will never manage to not get them to bark at all!

I know with my guy, if he's outside he will bark at things like kids invading the drive, other people's cats (and sometimes his feline family members if he doesn't recognise them in time), the rubbish vans etc.
I've trained him to shut up on command, he gets brought in if he barks too much and he knows he shouldn't bark for too long, but he still barks at stuff.

He's definitely not bored or under stimulated or under exercised, he's just a Terrier!

I agree though that with dogs who bark non-stop it is the owner's fault - we have two in our estate and I've only ever seen one of them walked around half a dozen times in 3 years and I've never seen the second one walked at all...

Shammy

Blueprint wrote: »

A lot for Terriers were bred to bark, as they were designed for going down burrows after rabbits etc. and they had to be able to find them to dig them out when the got stuck or had the animal cornered, so you can train them not to bark too much, but you will never manage to not get them to bark at all!

I know with my guy, if he's outside he will bark at things like kids invading the drive, other people's cats (and sometimes his feline family members if he doesn't recognise them in time), the rubbish vans etc.
I've trained him to shut up on command, he gets brought in if he barks too much and he knows he shouldn't bark for too long, but he still barks at stuff.

He's definitely not bored or under stimulated or under exercised, he's just a Terrier!

I agree though that with dogs who bark non-stop it is the owner's fault - we have two in our estate and I've only ever seen one of them walked around half a dozen times in 3 years and I've never seen the second one walked at all...

Of course its not the owners fault if the dog barks at cats , kids invading the drive , to be honest you would want to have one hell of a calm dog not to.
My only point was with the excessive barking at nothing really , which you agreed with me comes mainly down to lack of excerise and/or unsocializeation.

eightyfish

Blueprint wrote: »

I know with my guy, if he's outside he will bark at things like kids invading the drive, other people's cats (and sometimes his feline family members if he doesn't recognise them in time), the rubbish vans etc.

Ah yeah, all that's fine. I'm talking about continuous barking. One place I liven in had a neighbouring dog who would bark for about three hours each night. Impossible to sleep. Stressful to listen to.

Fairdues

That's simply not fair on the neighbours.