Barking

gettingready

Sarabe - thanks but it is not "energy"....

Zara KNOWS when I go to work and she is fine then (i know from neighbours).

If I try to go anywhere else than work - that is when the problem starts.

Today would have been a work day but I took a day off as me and my friend were taking Bruno to his new home.

I left at about 9 am and called my neighbour aboyt midday - she said Zara did not stop barking ever since I left.

Now, if this was a separation anxiety - she would be barking when I go to work too, wouldn't she?

This is REALLY getting to me as I live in a council flat and if the mad woman few blocks away "gangs up" with me neighbour opposite (the only one immediate neighbour that forever complains about Zara, all other neighbours love her, bought her Xmas pressies etc....) they can get me into trouble and I may find myself in a situation that the council will order me to give up the dog or to move out.

This is getting quite serious as now she barks like mad even if I pop out to the take the rubbish bag out - just downstairs.

She wants to be with me 100% of the time and I start feeling like I am completely house bound...

Love my dogs to pieces, I am the first one to admit that I have spoilt her rotten and I am open to any practical suggestions - even if this involves people telling me I have made mistakes with her (I know I did) but offer some practical advice.

The trying to go out for few minutes etc etc - tried that with her and it just does not work. She barks and howls her head off till I get back.

I am leaving a radio on, a kong stuffed with nice things, pigs ears, cat is here - as soon as she is left alone - barking/howling (she is not destructive, just noisy).

What is weird too is that if I leave, my daughter stays and then my daughter leaves and Zara is alone - she seems to be fine.

It is me leaving the flat and nobody here that is a problem.....

:wall:

Fire_Fox

Doesn't your dog walking friend also offer dog training? What does she think since she knows the dog and you?

gettingready

Hi FF - my friend offers basic dog obiedience for puppies.

As far as Zara is concerned, everyone we know knows this is attention seeking/separtion anxiety of some weird form.

Makes me feel like I am such a bad dog "owner" as this is something that is very difficult for me to deal with - people who do not know Zara and me assume she is not getting enough exercise or that she is neglected in one way or another.

She gets at least 3 hour off lead exercise per day, weekends much more - we have great places around where I live to let the dog lose and as she is no problem with other dogs while off the lead (on a lead it is another story.. sigh...) - she happily runs lose with her dog friends (she has a lot of them) or with a ball (ball mad GS) for hours on weekends.

She loves the cat and I find them often cuddled up together.

She loves all the people and is happy when anyone visist (again - she barks like mad to the intercom and to "greet" anyone that comes, very "happy" bark).

She is very well socialised with people and dogs, she is brilliant with kids.

Some people have recall issues with their dogs - Zara is the opposite, she is always within a short distance from me or my dog walker and never any problem with her coming back. She seems to be attached to me by some invisible thread.... But she is NOT "guarding" me as such normally - that she does ONLY when we are out in the dark and someone she does not know comes too close from me or smells of alcohol, only then she will bark at people in that "angry" type of bark.. with that "back off from my mum" kind of way.

When I am in - she is no bother at all, she never plays in the flat - she just... lounges about. We can be in separate places in the flat and she has no problem with that BUT when I go to sleep - she comes into my room for a cuddle and then goes to sleep on the floor next to my bed. Or when I am "too long" in the bath - she puts her nose through the door to check on me - in her away.

I am seriously looking into buying an anti barking collar but do nto like the one that gives "shocks" to the dog or the one with lemon spray - I was looking at one that makes some sort of noise only heard to the dog when the dog barks - but I wonder how bad the noise is? If I can not hear it myself, how can I judge?

Ohhhhh

Ruby_Moon

She sounds fed up and bored to me.
If you try to see things from the dogs point of view she is pretty much alone all day. Even if she gets a walk from the dog walker, thats only a short amount of time before she has to go back to the place she sees as a lonely place.
It would be better for her to have a walk with a dog walker to coincide with when you return home so that she doesn't have to 'dread' the 2nd shift, if you see what I mean.
Isn't there any way you can spend more time with her or have some with her more often?

gettingready

Ruby Moon - thanks for posting.

Zara is not alone for long very often, my daughter is normally at home as she is a student and the way her lectures are scheduled is quite... interesting.

But Zara seems to want to be with me 24/7 which is simply not possible. No dog is able to stay with someone 24/7.

Someoene has just advised me to "detach" myself from her while I am in - by closing the doors when I leave the room, not letting her sleep in my room etc. Last night I have closed my bedroom door (never do that) and Zara was not very happy, tried to push the door open and come inside but after a few minutes she settled down and wend to sleep by my door - on the other side.

Right now she is on a setee behind me - we are going for a good walkie in about an hour with several of her "mates", she loves those big dog walks but still stays close to me regardless.

Oh....

Merry Christmas everyone

gettingready

Ok- in total desperation I have just ordered this:

PetSafe Ultrasonic Bark Control Pet Training System

Stops your dog's constant barking almost like magicBarking activates unit, emitting a two-second ultrasonic sound only be heard by your dogStartled, your dog will soon associate this unpleasant sound with his behavior and curb unwanted barkingNo collar unit required

Does anyone have any experince of this at all? I did nto want an anti barking collar as such as her barking OUTSIDE is not an issue - I want her to stop barking while inside.....

Sigh.....

Thanks

gettingready

Waiting for delivery... wondering if this is going to work on Zara..

Read somewhere this will also affect cats (silly me did nto think about that one) so hoping Zara will learn fast (yeah riteeeeeeeeee) and the "noise" won't affect my poor old boy Tiger?

(scratching head now)

Has anyone got any experience of this particular "gadget"?
Not collars but this particular stand alone thing?

Thanks

sarabe

I believe it causes discomfort and pain to any animals in the vicinity, hence why it works.

However someone whose garden backs on to the common where I walk has something similar on her gate presumably to keep cats away and my dogs are always setting it off and don't bat an eyelid.

gettingready

Sarabe - thanks for that.

I will watch both Zara and Tiger for a day and see - if id seems to be causing them pain, will send it back as this is not what I want it for. Slight discomfort to discourage Zara from barking the place down every time I leave "not for work" even for 30 sec - yes, pain - no.

Thanks again.

gettingready

sarabe wrote: »

I believe it causes discomfort and pain to any animals in the vicinity, hence why it works.

However someone whose garden backs on to the common where I walk has something similar on her gate presumably to keep cats away and my dogs are always setting it off and don't bat an eyelid.

I do nto thing this is the same way of working of the gadget - how could this one keep cats away when it only produces a sound when a dog is barking?

This one does produce sound that is not possible to hear by humans (or cats - to keep them away) so ... how would you know your dogs are setting it off?

I know the outdoor ones are different to the indoor ones.

Thanks