ANY IDEAS? dog people

[cwkelle]

So, my dog is buggin people around me in my apartment.....from what they say he barks from when i leave to when i come back, so today i had to put the muzzle on him, which he hates, what other options do I have

This is what I?ve tried in the past.....
bark collar, but he figured out if he only barks once then waits ten seconds he can bark again without the zap, so that was a bust...
tried caging him and putting a blanket around the cage, I?ve heard this makes them feel secure, but that didn?t work, stilled barked I guess....
and the muzzle, he hates it like all get out, he goes stiff as soon as it?s on and shakes like his mind is stuck in some weird state..........

I?m thinking about trying to build walls around his cage, some kind of sound proof stuff, so that even if he barks it?s so low the peeps around me can?t hear it.......

its weird he?s a great dog when I?m around, doesn?t bark when I leave and when I come home he?s not barking, but talk to the peeps around me it?s a different story......

What do you guys think, any ideas?

[Dave McDonald]

So, my dog is buggin people around me in my apartment.....from what they say he barks from when i leave to when i come back, so today i had to put the muzzle on him, which he hates, what other options do I have



Get another dog for company, or get a house.

[OFRD_GRL]

there is this sound bark thing... Rich's parents got it. I dunno how well it would work for your dog but it seems to work for them.

Basically when the dog barks, it emits this godawful sound to dogs (people can't hear it) and makes them not wanna bark.

Sorry I can't help more.

[wrestler034]

Excercise the snot out of him before you leave.

[Keyton]

Separation anxiety. We had a dog that was the same way. Bark collars, soundproofing walls, muzzles, etc is treating the symptom rather than the cause. Talk to a trainer about handling separation anxiety and/or talk to your vet. Getting another dog is a good idea too as they'll keep each other company. We ended up getting a prescription for "doggie valium" just to take the edge off his anxiety and all was good after that. We were concerned about long term effects and personality shifts but neither occurred.

[TwoDogs]

Get another dog for company, or get a house.


What Dave said. It's the most dufficult solution, but it's the best one for the dog.

[cwkelle]

i talked to my vet about that, but wasnt to hip on putting him on drugs, but maybe it would be for the best......are you planning on taking your dog off the drugs? or is it something the have to take forever?


another dog would be cool, but i'm not sure i can swing it

[OFRD_GRL]

Well theres always rescue dogs... you can get an adult dog so you don't have to do puppy shots every couple weeks and such... and its WAY cheaper to adopt than to buy a dog.

or theres ALWAYS free dogs listed on craigslist....
http://denver.craigslist.org/search/pet?query=free+dog
and alot of those dogs are house broke and whatnat... the people just cant keep them and dont wanna send em to a shelter where they might be put down.

[Oscar]

There is always dog daycare

[RemedyRew]

Have you tried leaving the TV or radio on? While it sounds like it could be separation anxiety, your dog may be responding to sounds he hears outside.

A friend of mine wasn't sure if her dog was barking because she was alone or if she was responding to something she heard outside. She setup a wireless camera that she was able to access from the Internet to see what her dog was doing while she was not home. She discovered that her dog was barking to sounds she heard outside. She now leaves the TV on and her neighbors are much happier.

[cheftyler]

No thoughts, but I got my downstairs neighbors evicted as they weren't supposed to have any animals (didn't pay the deposit or pet rent) and the poor thing barked from 5:00a-11:00p straight...every day.

[luvmeye22re]

My friend is using a different type of bark collar to train his hound puppy, it squirts citronella in his face every time he barks, and from what he said it seems to be really effective so far. I also agree on leaving a tv or radio on to drown out foreign sounds a little bit. I sometimes leave Animal Planet on for my dogs while I'm at work just because they love to watch it so much lol.

I do think a good place to start would be to contact a reputable trainer to see if you can stop the barking through training rather than collars, leaving tv's on etc.

[cwkelle]

thanks for the replys guys and gals, i've tried the tv and radio, together even, lol, it still didnt work.....i'm gonna look into that collar that sprays stuff and give that a go.........
trainers say to exercise him, and we run a mile in the morning and in the evening already,,,,,and between school and work sometimes that hard enough to do.....
keep'em crossed for the spray collar...


thanks

[bsaunder]

yup - separation anxiety.

a few things that helped my dogs - lots of exercise, lots of toys, radio on (slow music, kinda elevator music, not heavy or fast beats), not making a deal out of leaving or coming home (this is the hardest part and is really training you, not the dog).

One toy that helped was a treat cube - they have to push it around and get treats to drop out. the one we got would keep our dogs occupied for 3-4 hours, so they didn't even notice that we were gone.

[Mkeeper19]

I leave the tv on, but i have a house and two dogs so it helps. I don't leave on animal planet because when the animal cops came on they didn't like it. (other animals in distress i guess)

get lots of exercise, toys, don't make a big deal of coming or going

my dogs love their kongs (Sp?) filled with peanut butter

[BlueTJCO]

Talk to your/A Vet.

They have really do have medication that can help also. I know that sounds funny, but there have been many people that own Akita's that have had to use it for seperation anxiety. Many have said it works wonders.

Prescription pharmaceuticals prescribed for pets with separation anxiety include amitriptyline, Clomicalm, clomipramine, fluoxetine, diazepam, alprazolam, triazolam, cyproheptadine, and buspirone.

What over-the-counter products help pets feel less anxious?

Pheromones

Comfort Zone D.A.P. pheromone is an atomizer containing a chemical message that the dog is safe. Dogs smell this pheromone, but people cannot. The DAP pheromone sends the same signal the dog got as a puppy snuggling with its mother: All is well.


Herbs

Composure Liquid is a calming herbal liquid made with Thiamin (Vit B1), L Threanine, Lecithin, Calming Decapeptide from milk protein.

Quiet Moments is a calming herbal tablet: Chamomile flower, Passion flower, Thiamine, Ginger, and L-Tryptophan.

Homeopathics

HomeoPet Anxiety Relief is a homeopathic with Chamomile, Valeriana, Ignatia, and other ingredients.

Omega 3 Fatty Acids
Lipiderm, 3V Caps, Derm Caps, 1-800-PetMeds Brite Coat XS, and Missing Link contain Omega 3 fatty acids that promote brain nutrition, learning, good mood, and good behavior.


http://www.1800petmeds.com/solutions.asp?ID=BH2

[Swat]

Get him a girl doggie.

[jdbwrx]

Get another dog for company, or get a house.

Sometimes another dog will make things worse, basically making your existing dog jealous and potentially misbehave more. I think this is usually more the case with solitary type of breeds.

My dog has a case of seperation anxiety, but it's not too bad. Fortunately he doesn't bark, (as far as I know). He will go grab a dirty sock from the laundry everytime I leave though and set it next to him on the couch. :)

I don't suppose you work in a situation that would let you take the dog with you?

[RebelRescuer]

I'm not a fan of doping dogs unless its a one time situation (ie traumatic travel, etc).

I HAVE heard a lot of good things about the atomizer that Blue spoke of. Form what I understand its like a Glade plug in that's full of some sort of herbal calming stuff. I've heard people say it works.

I would have to recommend a trainer myself. Its obvious sep anxiety and what you need to prove to your dog is that he's OK to be home alone. Granted, if you're leaving him crated for 9 hours a day, he probably will bark because he's bored and may have to go potty.

Call a trainer, that's my best advice. I happen to adore Ted Terroux in Lakewood, if that helps any.

[JR4X]

What kind of dog is it? My brother has a lab that is incurable to seperation anxiety. KD (the dog) was rescued by kevin when she was a puppy. Now she is 10.5 years old and if he is not within sight she is barking. They lived with us for 2 years and even when my wife and I were home if Kevin is gone KD is whing at the door and barking at us. She was our family dog for 5 years untill I moved out and still she doesnt want me she wants Kevin. Medication collars toys and treats do nothing. She wont eat any treat/food or look away from the door untill He comes home. Other dogs made it worse and she becomes violent to other dogs when he leaves. Now they live out in the country where she can bark all day and no one can hear her. Good luck with the problem.

[Batgirl]

Rescue Remedy is a flower essence that you can try. You just put a few drops in their drinking water, simple, and it might help him relax a little bit.

But separation anxiety can be a tough one to get your pet through, it usually takes time to change. Ours adopted lab used to bark for hours too, now he only barks for 5 minutes or so.

There are lots of helpful books at the library that deal with separation anxiety with lots of different ideas.

Also have to agree with what someone else here said about not making a big deal about coming or going until he relaxes with the idea of your being gone. Don't say goodbye when you leave and when you come home, don't give him any attention at ALL for about 5 minutes. Like the other person said, that part is about training the OWNER. :D :D It's really hard to do, but in time it worked.

Now that he is much better about being alone, we greet him with excitement and allow him to jump up to give us a 'hug' when we get home. But he still pees once in a while out of frustration, so we're not at 100% yet!

Good luck!

[GarageWheeler]

I've had several dogs with separation anxiety. I read a method in a book years ago that's worked on every one. Go to your front door just like you would if you were leaving for the day. Go out, close the door, and come right back in. Greet the dog and praise him. Keep doing this, increasing the amount of time you're gone each time, eventually getting in the car and driving away for short periods. If he exhibits the behavior you don't want him doing, don't praise him when you come in. Just ignore him until he forgets the incident (5 minutes). Then shorten the next trip a little, and start again from there.

I've done this with a dog that howled the whole time I was gone, a puppy that destroyed something every time we left, and a dog that peed every time we left. It fixed probably 90% of the problem in a couple days.

[Claw]

Another vote for the citronella spray collar. It's not cheap, over $100 at PetSmart, but worth every penny. We do have a 2nd dog, but my hound mix's barking was bothering the neighbors when we were gone. Now all is well.

[Yota]

Cesar Milan his ass.

[bdog]

Cesar Milan his ass.

Ha, just take your dog for a walk. A walk cures all!

My lab had separation anxiety pretty bad. Somehow my lady convinced me we needed another dog so we go one. All is well now. Like someone already mentioned tho, it doesn't always work out like that.

[elliott]

I second what GarageWheeler said

I've had several dogs with separation anxiety. I read a method in a book years ago that's worked on every one. Go to your front door just like you would if you were leaving for the day. Go out, close the door, and come right back in. Greet the dog and praise him. Keep doing this, increasing the amount of time you're gone each time, eventually getting in the car and driving away for short periods. If he exhibits the behavior you don't want him doing, don't praise him when you come in. Just ignore him until he forgets the incident (5 minutes). Then shorten the next trip a little, and start again from there.

I did this and it worked.

[D-MASTER]

I second what GarageWheeler said



I did this and it worked.

I have done this one as well. I started out first by hiding outside with a can filled with pennies. Everytime he barked i would say no and rattle the can. I would then play in the front yard with him looking out the window. Drove him nuts. Again i would come yell at him rattling the can.

This took a couple of weeks to accomplish. However, you still have to walk his butt in the morning and tire him out.


On a side note, Ceasr is the bomb. I love watching his show!:)

[colojeepguy2k]

A smoke bomb in the air ducts of the neighbros will get them to move out. Just keep doing it until someone moves in that works as much as you do:D

Just throwing an idea or two out:cool:

[cheftyler]

Rescue Remedy was used a TON at the show barn I used to work at for the horses and I swear the owners thought it was the greatest shat on the planet, I never once saw it help the horses with anything...granted I Was around them more than any of the owners :shrug: