dog screaming while im out-had no idea!

[Henryinthecity]

Hi everyone!

I have a 5 year old JRT who is very calm, loveable...awesome dog.
When i got him as a puppy, the second I would put my key in the door to leave, he'd bark.
bark bark bark none stop.

Eventually i moved to a new place with tons of windows and it stopped. we moved a few times since, always with windows and he's been great!

Last month we moved again, and I specifically got this place because of he long windows.

I thought all was well, until the man living down the hall approached me and said he's screaming bloody murder for half an hour to and hour at a time.

so, ive been leaving a recorder on, as he's perfect when i leave, and when i come home..no noice.

So i played it back and sure enough it sounds like someone is slowly killing him. Loud shreiking howls that go on and on.

What can I do? Ive tried leaving music on, the tv, kong toys with food, bones...

Aside from doggyday care, what are my options?

 

[AmyTK9]

Option #1-

Desensitizing him to you leaving and coming home. Practice going out, be sure to do everything as though you are leaving for work. Go out for a minute, come back in and ignore him. Do not make leaving and coming in a big thing. Repeat this, leaving for longer and longer periods of time. Try going and getting in your car, waiting then coming back in. Make sure when you come in he isn't making any noise as coming in would reward him for noise making. Be sure he's quiet! Practice starting you car, maybe driving around the block. Keep practicing until you can be gone for an hour or so with out him making any noise. Might keep your recorder there so you know if he made any noise or not. Everytime you come home, ignore him for at least the first 5-10 minutes. Wait till he relaxes and is calm, then you can give him calm praise. Doing this will help him realize you going and coming is no big deal. Make sure when you leave you are also being calm and ignoring him.

Option #2-

Work on his stays. Sounds silly, but a dog that knows how to stay and you can go out of sight and such while they stay will also help with separation anxiety.

Option #3-

As a last resort, if nothing else you've tried is working at all, a shock collar might be your only option. Try everything else first though. I'm sure others can give you even more advise.

 

[milos_mommy]

If he doesn't bark right as you're leaving, you might want to find out WHY he's barking.

Is it possible for you to set up a camera and see when and where in the apartment he's barking?

He may be looking out your floor length windows, seeing a squirrel, other dog, bus, etc. and beginning to scream, and getting himself so worked up by screaming he's unable to stop. I'd try confining him to an area away from the windows and keeping the blinds closed and see if he still does it.

Is he bored? JRTs can be extremely high energy, high anxiety dogs. Try giving him more exercise. (How much is he getting? If you're jogging him for 3 miles a day or letting him go to the beach 3 times a week to swim, then this probably isn't the problem. If he's getting 3 walks and going to the park once a week, this might be the problem). Instead of a kong, try a puzzle toy.

Depending on the exact situation, I'd be hesitant about using a shock or spray collar. If he is an anxious dog, this might make his anxiety worse, and it could manifest in other ways (like instead of barking, he'd start chewing, self-mutilating, etc.). If it is separation anxiety (which it doesn't really sound like, usually a dog with SA will begin to bark within minutes after you leaving) a shock or spray collar won't help.

 

[Athelas]

I had a JRT (Alto) for 13 years (he passed away a few years ago) and because he quickly house-trained let him have the run of the place while I was at work. Just like you, my neighbor alerted me that he was carrying on and barking all day long. I suspect that when I was home with him if ever he barked I would holler at him and he would immediately shut up (amazing, now that I think of it, for a JRT, LOL). But without me there to turn off the bark switch, he was stubborn enough that he would probably bark until he ran out of air.

My solution was to just crate him during the day. I had done this when he was younger until I was 100% sure he was house-trained, so he didn't seem to mind it too much. It did mean that I needed to play even more with him when I got home. As you know, JRTs need a ton of play/work or they drive you nuts!

Scott
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[Kat09Tails]

I'd go with the bark collar and a crate if it were me. If your neighbor is approaching you then it's time for a faster fix than slow desensitizing especially if you have a job outside your home.

I use a tritronics bark limiter with my lab. It's a great little collar and while about $30 more than the petsafe ones is far more consistent imo than noise collars or citro ones.

 

[ElizabethJP]

A Dog sreaming while you are out can be a cause of a lot of factors. This is somewhat associated to boredom but a little different. Well you can keep your Dog busy while you are away. Let it play with its favorite toy with a treat thrown in it. You must also exercise your dog frequently. As what I’ve said excessive barking might be a cause of boredom and exercising will help your dog relieve stress. And don’t ever punish your dog for misbehaving. Keep in mind that your dog is unintentionally doing this because of separation anxiety.

 

[noludoru]

I'd go with the bark collar and a crate if it were me. If your neighbor is approaching you then it's time for a faster fix than slow desensitizing especially if you have a job outside your home.

I use a tritronics bark limiter with my lab. It's a great little collar and while about $30 more than the petsafe ones is far more consistent imo than noise collars or citro ones.

THIS!

It's awful, but if your neighbors are complaining and you're renting, that could mean you get kicked out. A place to live for you and your dog are more important than a couple of shocks during the day. JMO.

However, the above opinion goes out the window if he's howling because he's bored or doesn't have enough exercise.

 

[Dekka]

I would try the spray collar first. It can work VERY well and doesn't cause pain. Getting kicked out would suck. I would up the stimulation (walks, training, fun etc) as well as the spray collar.

Another reason I wouldn't go shock type bark collar is that JRTs can escalate with pain and you could make it worse.