hi, I am new here. We just adopted a dog from the pound the other day. I have done everything the books say to do- be loving but firm, act like the "alpha', give her structure, etc. My problem is we live in aparmtment, and although she did not bark once in the 2 days I met her at the pound, I discovered she barks when I leave our home to go out. She appears to have alot of sheltie in her, although she may be a mix, she looks about 80-90% SHELTIE. tHEY LISTED HER AS A TERRIER MIX AT THE POUND. tHANKS FOR ANY INPUT!! I HAVE TO GO BACK TO WORK NEXT WEEK, AND ALTHOUGH WILL SPEND TIME WITH HER, i CANNOT SIT HOME WITH HER ALL DAY. sHE IS A DEAR, VERY LOVING AND VERY VERY BRIGHT!!
barking help for new rescue dog
- Thread starter DeeDee
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I will get her one asap. The pound told us she was a 'terrier', and not until later after really observing her, I am not a dog expert, but I realized she looks and acts very collie like. One thing that will be a challenge is we wanted a dog who would be laid back and okay when we leave. So..will have tto see how it goes. She isas I said veyr sweet and already in less than 2 tries learned 2 new tricks. She is a 'girl on the go'!!
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Shelties certainly can be barkers but so can any dog who is unaccustomed to being left alone. Being alone is something that dogs are really not genetically cut out for. Also certain breeds are really good alert barkers and will bark at every sound-- both terriers and shelties are good at that. Hopefully this will lessen as the dog settles in and feels more comfortable, gets used to the usual sounds etc
Some things you can try are finding her things to do while you're gone. I really like the tricky treat ball. It's orange and looks kind of like a planet. You can put all the dogs kibble in there and they have to roll it around to get it out. Stuffed kongs are great. You can freeze them to make them last longer. Kong company even makes a kong dispensing machine that you can set to spit out a stuffed kong at whatever interval you like while you're away. They are a biit of an expense at first, but for dogs regularly left alone, I think they are a fantastic idea. (check them out on the kong website)
The other most effective thing you can do is walk/run/tire out the dog before you leave. Exercise will make it easier for the dog to rest while you're gone and it also is very helpful in helping the dog dog deal with stress and boredom. Believe me I know how much it sucks to get up and extra half hour early in the morning, but it's the kindest and most effective thing we can do for dogs left alone in the day.
The other helpful thing would be if someone can come home during lunch hour or have a dog walker come in at lunch.That might be helpful even just in the interim as the dog gets settled in.
I would caution you about whatever books or sources are telling you that you need to be "alpha" etc Most of that wolf pack mumbo jumbo is based on myth and out of date methods and isn't particularly helpful at teaching a dog how to be successful living as pets.
I would suggest anything by Ian Dunbar. "How to teach new dog old tricks" is a good one. So is "Before and after you get your puppy" Both are available through amazon.com
Some things you can try are finding her things to do while you're gone. I really like the tricky treat ball. It's orange and looks kind of like a planet. You can put all the dogs kibble in there and they have to roll it around to get it out. Stuffed kongs are great. You can freeze them to make them last longer. Kong company even makes a kong dispensing machine that you can set to spit out a stuffed kong at whatever interval you like while you're away. They are a biit of an expense at first, but for dogs regularly left alone, I think they are a fantastic idea. (check them out on the kong website)
The other most effective thing you can do is walk/run/tire out the dog before you leave. Exercise will make it easier for the dog to rest while you're gone and it also is very helpful in helping the dog dog deal with stress and boredom. Believe me I know how much it sucks to get up and extra half hour early in the morning, but it's the kindest and most effective thing we can do for dogs left alone in the day.
The other helpful thing would be if someone can come home during lunch hour or have a dog walker come in at lunch.That might be helpful even just in the interim as the dog gets settled in.
I would caution you about whatever books or sources are telling you that you need to be "alpha" etc Most of that wolf pack mumbo jumbo is based on myth and out of date methods and isn't particularly helpful at teaching a dog how to be successful living as pets.
I would suggest anything by Ian Dunbar. "How to teach new dog old tricks" is a good one. So is "Before and after you get your puppy" Both are available through amazon.com
thanks for all the advice- kongs will be top priority and hope they work! I guess different trainers have their own idea, the stuff I read said you have to act loving but in charge, not bossy or rude to the dog but let it know you are top in the hierarchy. It makes sense to me, but someone said that's outdated...oh well will keep trying whatever works I suppose. I was just curious why acting in charge would not be considered a good thing? LAst time I had a dog I knew nothing about training and didnt need to- he was a wonderful beagle mix who was very easy and low maintenance, just a 'dog's dog', would come and sit by me, glad to see me, took him on walks etc. but he was not high need dog like this one is- (as loving and loyal as she is, she is that much high maintenance so far....)
I posted this in another columm also about something that just happened. After I posted about her barking, which isnt' the end of the world and hopefully can be trained on, we stopped at tyhe gas station.
Is this tottally bizarre? A nice man there came and pumped our gas, and she had an absolute fit, barking, snarling viciously at him, I was telling her stop it and patted her to get her attention but she was having a tizzy fit, acting more like a guard dog in a car lot than a cute little collie.
As i said she's a rescue, and never know their background that much in that case. After she 'defended' us against the evil gas attendant, and we were both thoroughly embarrased, she calmed down, looked at us with that collie smile as if to say I did good, huh? I protected you guys. I dont have much money at all for a trainer, and realize rescues need more time and work, but is this totally bizarre or can someone speak to this? I dont want to have to hide from the world, but dont want to go thru her acting like miss guard dog everytime she sees an 'outside' person. help...and thank you! I would really like to keep her if at all possible, and am willing to put time and effort into training, but if this is totally bizarre and a big red flag, on the other hand it's better to know it right away. Thanks again
Is this tottally bizarre? A nice man there came and pumped our gas, and she had an absolute fit, barking, snarling viciously at him, I was telling her stop it and patted her to get her attention but she was having a tizzy fit, acting more like a guard dog in a car lot than a cute little collie.
As i said she's a rescue, and never know their background that much in that case. After she 'defended' us against the evil gas attendant, and we were both thoroughly embarrased, she calmed down, looked at us with that collie smile as if to say I did good, huh? I protected you guys. I dont have much money at all for a trainer, and realize rescues need more time and work, but is this totally bizarre or can someone speak to this? I dont want to have to hide from the world, but dont want to go thru her acting like miss guard dog everytime she sees an 'outside' person. help...and thank you! I would really like to keep her if at all possible, and am willing to put time and effort into training, but if this is totally bizarre and a big red flag, on the other hand it's better to know it right away. Thanks again