Puppy barks when home alone...

[GeAnnMarie]

We are having a barking problem with our 7 month old puppy. He doesn't bark when we are home (very rarely), but everytime he is left home alone he will bark anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours straight. We live in an apartment so our next door neighbors have been letting us know if he barks and how long.

Obviously we need to stop this behavior but we have yet to figure out how? As of now we are simply leaving an extra set of keys next door so they can come tell the dog to quiet down if he gets too bad. He is potty trained so he is has the run of the apartment while we are gone, although it is pretty small anyways.

We are going to try kenneling him again whenever we leave and see if that causes him to stop barking. Although eventually we hope that he will be quiet without having to be kenneled. Does anyone have any suggestions for how to train him to not bark when he is home alone?

 

[caseyolee]

There's not a whole lot you can do, as you aren't home when he does it. I'd say crate him and give him a bone he likes.

 

[caseyolee]

There's also a little device that can be set on different tones. It's a little box about as big as a cigarette pack. When the dog barks, it makes a high pitched tone that makes the dog uncomfortable. We used to have one, but I don't remember what it was called, it was a LONG time ago. Search online on some pet stores.

 

[Saje]

I think you need to figure out why he is barking. And then address it. I'm not the best person to ask but I'm sure CreatureTeacher or Renee or someone will be on to give you more ideas.

 

[GeAnnMarie]

I just found this ultrasonic barking trainer at petsmart online. It looks like it would work well, has anyone used something like this before?

http://www.petsmart.com/global/prod...<>ast_id=2534374302023689&bmUID=1109190256291

I think he barks because he doesn't like to be alone.

 

[Saje]

Personally, I think it's better to address the problem first and use those as a last resort if you have to.

I posted this link in the website forum.

http://www.idahohumanesociety.com/caretrain/barking.htm

 

[GeAnnMarie]

I read the link you provided Saje, and I think he suffers from some seperation anxiety. Unfortunately I don't think there is a lot we can do to ease this.

Riley is walked and excercised an hour every day, especially if we will be gone for more than an hour. He has been left home alone for short periods of time since he was a baby to get him used to being alone but at the same time he is not left home alone an excessive amount. We try to not make a big deal out of leaving or coming home. When I will only be gone a few minutes I say "be right back" so he knows I won't be gone long.

The problem is that sometimes we can be gone for an hour and he won't bark at all and other times he barks the whole time. I think it just depends on his mood. Sometimes he can entertain himself and be alone and other times he wants us around. If we need to leave during one of those times he wants us around there isn't much else we can do. We leave toys for him, kongs, pig's ears. He has everything a little puppy could want in his owners absence.

I think in our situation something like caseyolee suggested might help. I have looked at the different options available and the product link I posted might work well for us. I was wondering if anyone had any experience with these now that I have discovered them.

 

[MoparStar]

I had a German Shepherd that used to behave erraticly when left alone. Barking, howling, looking out the windows.....but only sometimes. I discovered quite by accident that if I left the television on, she was as quiet as could be. (I lived in an apt. complex, too) Also, many dogs wont bark if they are lying down, which is one reason why it is important to choose the appropriate size crate for your dog if you choose to try that method. The ultrasonic training aid is just that, an aid. It will not take the place of hands on training. Some dogs actually bark worse with these as they hear the "unpleasant" sound then bark at it. It works them into a frenzy, and some dogs become physically destructive. This is an item that you need to test a few times while you are home before relying on it. Shock collars should NEVER be used. Anyone training any dog and relying on shock collars to do so should NOT be training puppies. At 7 months, your dog is still a puppy and is still learning his people house manners. I don't believe that dogs should be punished for being dogs. Take away the ease of barking (crating) or eliminate the cause (boredom) and soon your puppy will leave off with the barking.

 

[Gustav]

You could try leaving the radio on! Or the Television like MoparStar suggested! But I find that there is generally more chatting on the radio!

 

[GeAnnMarie]

We wouldn't consider a shock collar No worries there... Our crate is the perfect size for him and I think he will not bark while in it. We are going to test that out first for short periods of time to see how that goes. I am hoping to find a more permanent solution in the long run as I don't like the idea of always crating him when we are away. I will definetely try the TV or radio also, that sounds like a good idea.

If those fail I think we will try the ultrasonic bark deterrent machine. But I could see Riley freaking out more with one of those to try to make it stop. They also have a citronella training collar but I don't think that would work well because the main things Riley barks at (other than when home alone) are smells.

Thanks everyone for the advice...I will appreciate anymore anyone has to offer and keep you updated if things improve.