Dog barking when I'm out and angry neighbours

Great !

Hi there. You should start your own thread and provide all the relevant details (breed or crossbreed, what made you choose this dog, how long you've had her, her history, how often and what kind of walks she gets, which room you leave her in, etc. etc.).

Hi there, I’m a canine behaviourist and I deal with these sorts of issues all the time.

First and foremost, you need to meet a dog's basic needs: physical exercise, mental stimulation, and chewing, to ensure they are in the right frame of mind.

Next, you should desensitise the dog to you leaving. Try setting up scenarios where you pretend to head out and then reward them. Gradually increase the amount of time you spend outside the flat (starting with just a few seconds), while your dog is busy tucking into their favourite treats.

Now, you also need to work on noise desensitisation. I’d start with the doorbell; every time they hear it, give them a reward. I’d even get some friends to help out by walking around the block of flats and making a bit of noise on purpose while you reward the dog. This way, the dog becomes classically conditioned to enjoy these sounds, which were originally causing a lot of stress.

Finally, I always advise my clients not to give their dogs access to large windows where they can watch everything going on outside, as this just gives them a chance to practise their barking.

http://www.hmcdogtraining.com/blogue

Hi there,

I had the exact same issue with my Malinois, plus he had a real knack for destroying things...

Anyway, after seeing a behaviourist (who I’d highly recommend to anyone having trouble with their pet), we put a few measures in place:

- Position his bed so it’s completely tucked away from the main living areas.

- Have a pet sitter or dog walker look after him once a week.

- Plenty of high-energy exercise combined with good play sessions (personally, I do about 4 hours a day).

- Create a "signal" for indoor play or cuddle sessions using a colourful scarf (which I take off and hide as soon as I’m finished).

- Stop responding to any demands from the dog (for play, cuddles, food, etc.).

- One Zylkene capsule every day for a month and a half (Zylkene is a milk protein supplement).

So, those are just a few examples – not necessarily in the right order – but with a lot of patience, they finally helped settle my boy down during the day.

I also set up a camera to see what was triggering the howling and barking.

Strangely enough, Ielo always started barking when he was near or on the sofa... At first, we banned him from trying to get on it at all. Then, we gradually started giving him cuddles, first at the foot of the sofa and then on it, just to help him understand that the sofa is a place for calm and rest. (Obviously, we can’t stop him from jumping up when we’re out, so we might as well teach him the right way to behave on it!)

Anyway, I hope sharing my experience helps you out...

Just so you know, my neighbours had to put up with my dog’s howling for nearly a year... Ielo is 17 months old now and behaves like a perfect city dog! :)

Hello everyone and thanks, I hadn't realised there were so many replies!

The problem is my dog's hyper-attachment to me, unfortunately. I've followed my vet's advice, which was to ignore her when I get home and before I leave, not to let her sleep with me (though I wasn't doing that anyway), and to buy her enrichment toys, but nothing seems to work... My neighbour came to see me to say that the building management is going to be in touch...

My dog howls for hours on end without stopping... it’s not even just a bark here and there.

My vet, who is also a behaviourist, told me that if all these methods don’t work, I’d have to use an anti-bark collar, otherwise I’m at risk of a formal complaint (which is already the case).

When she barks while I'm at home, she comes out of nowhere, howling and lunging at the door like a rabid dog... I grab her by the scruff (like a mother dog would) and shut her in the bathroom until she calms down. Telling her off doesn't work anymore and I’m exhausted (it’s been like this for 5 years) from shouting and being stressed.

I don’t know if a "gentle" solution would work... to me, the only fix is for her not to be alone and to have human company, as I suspect that if I got her a doggy friend, she’d just be jealous...