I would greatly appreciate some advice here.
Abby and Grace have finally come to live with me. I have set up an enclosure outside that is attached to the back patio so they have access to some of the yard and lots of sheltered area.
The idea is that they will stay out there whilst I'm at work (I come home for lunch) which is about 7 hours per day. They will have access to the whole fenced yard when I am there to supervise and they are allowed inside. They usually just follow me around and sleep at my feet/on my lap etc.
Grace is no problem at all and has adapted well. Abby is barking constantly when I leave. I have been doing trial runs where I leave for 10 minutes and return. Multiple times per day. Sometimes I'm actually running an errand and other times it's for the sole purpose of hearing how Abby is going.
Abby is what I call a yappy dog. She has always had a tendency to use her voice. We have managed to limit it by keeping her inside while we are away and they had access to the back patio and the house. And we were always getting our neighbours to help us out by letting us know how she was going. In the end she was fine at my old place.
Would you leave a dog inside for 4 and then 3 hour stints?
I tried that for an hour before because I simply had to go and get some groceries and there was no barking - well, that I could hear anyway.
I've also upped her exercise and sessions of training to get her brain working, but honestly - she is a dog that will bark under certain circumstances, no matter how worn out she is.
I really do care about neighbourly relations - how would I feel if my neighbours dog barked constantly?
How would you approach this situation? I really wanted them to have access to the yard and I'm not 100% comfortable with them being locked inside - simply because of the risk of fire. I could absolutely minimise that by turning everything off at the wall/unplugging etc. I feel that they would be happier lounging in the house (and it seemed that way to me when I returned from the shops).
Opinions?
I've currently got them outside now and Abby isn't barking constantly because I am here. But she is barking at the neighbours if they try and do something in their yard. I'm fairly sure that the reactivity to next door will improve in time, but I'm worried about the constant carry on when I leave.
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Abby and Grace have finally come to live with me. I have set up an enclosure outside that is attached to the back patio so they have access to some of the yard and lots of sheltered area.
The idea is that they will stay out there whilst I'm at work (I come home for lunch) which is about 7 hours per day. They will have access to the whole fenced yard when I am there to supervise and they are allowed inside. They usually just follow me around and sleep at my feet/on my lap etc.
Grace is no problem at all and has adapted well. Abby is barking constantly when I leave. I have been doing trial runs where I leave for 10 minutes and return. Multiple times per day. Sometimes I'm actually running an errand and other times it's for the sole purpose of hearing how Abby is going.
Abby is what I call a yappy dog. She has always had a tendency to use her voice. We have managed to limit it by keeping her inside while we are away and they had access to the back patio and the house. And we were always getting our neighbours to help us out by letting us know how she was going. In the end she was fine at my old place.
Would you leave a dog inside for 4 and then 3 hour stints?
I tried that for an hour before because I simply had to go and get some groceries and there was no barking - well, that I could hear anyway.
I've also upped her exercise and sessions of training to get her brain working, but honestly - she is a dog that will bark under certain circumstances, no matter how worn out she is.
I really do care about neighbourly relations - how would I feel if my neighbours dog barked constantly?
How would you approach this situation? I really wanted them to have access to the yard and I'm not 100% comfortable with them being locked inside - simply because of the risk of fire. I could absolutely minimise that by turning everything off at the wall/unplugging etc. I feel that they would be happier lounging in the house (and it seemed that way to me when I returned from the shops).
Opinions?
I've currently got them outside now and Abby isn't barking constantly because I am here. But she is barking at the neighbours if they try and do something in their yard. I'm fairly sure that the reactivity to next door will improve in time, but I'm worried about the constant carry on when I leave.
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.