How can I stop my dog barking when he is alone ?

Question

I have to be with my dog 24 hours a day at the moment and its doing my head in !! If I pop out in the evening he barks & annoys my neighbours. I take him to work & walk him a couple of miles on the way to meetings and as soon as I leave him with food & watter in the car for a half hour meeting he barks & dosn't stop. I walk him miles to tire him feed & water him etc etc - should I muzzle him, beat him !! leave him bark & eventually he'll get bored !!! help - it's ruling my life !!!!!

Answer 1

Get him a companion dog. He is lonely.

Answer 2

Dear Jim
He sounds like a young dog.
Take him to the vets and ask their advice.
They will probably suggest you sign up for obedience classes.
Also try and watch "Dog Borstal " on TV. They put some gravel in a water bottle and when dog misbehaves they give it a sharp shake:in a short time the dog stops the behaviour.
I have heard of a deterrent collar, when the dog barks it emits a whistle/mild discomfort/shock to the dog( same principle but hi-tech and would work when you're out)
This won't last forever.......
Good luck to you both
M
PS you need to be his pack leader( dominant) and then he will do as you command-but not through hitting etc do obedience classes
or use a plant spray like they do on Scooby Doo!

Answer 3

1. Surgically remove his vocal cords.
2. Slice the auditory nerves of your neighbours
3 Buy a soundproof car.
4 Change to a cat.
5 Convince him he's a stone.
6 Stop caring what anyone thinks.
7 Anytime he threatens to bark, just say the word 'Vet'.
8 Move to Mongolia.
9 Buy a bigger dog (that doesn't bark) to dominate your dog.
10 Stop feeding your dog meat. This is the real problem: too much meat. Buy 50,000 stick insects: Every time the dog barks, feed him stick insects for a week. Pretty quickly: quiet dog.

Answer 4

You don't have to get a muzzle, and you don't need to give him to another family who's home all the time (how many of you would give up your child to "another family that's home all the time"??!!)

There are bark therapy collars that emit a small burst of citronella (yuck!) in the vicinity of the dogs nose when his barks reach a certain decibal or number of barks (you determine). While some stubborn, hard to train dogs end up wearing the collars for quite a while, some only need to wear it for a few weeks before they get the message. Barks = smelly stuff!

If you adopted your dog from a humane society/shelter, they may be able to offer you a discount on a citronella collar (or they might even rent or lend you one) or, at the very least, their behaviorist should be able to assist you with the training. It's in their best interests: they don't want to see the dog relinquished at the shelter for a problem that is wholly fixable -- and they certainly don't want to have to investigate charges that you've beaten your dog out of sheer frustration. Even if you didn't adopt him from a shelter...talk to them...

Good luck to you both!

Answer 5

I feel for you in your situation. I guess you know he is suffering from separation anxiety.
What I do with my dogs when it was only one is turn on the TV (he/she may like animal planet) or the radio with soft music.
It is the sound of human voices that seems to help.
Another option is get another dog for a companion. Dogs are social/pack animals (like people-smile). I have 4 dogs comprised of three breeds and never had the problem. Even when barking or growling at each other they stop when I tell them.
Another extreme, radical option is having it debarked. It is an operation done on its vocal chords.

Good Luck.

Answer 6

I had a dog like this...They call it 'seperation anxiety' he loves you so much that he just wants to be with you ALLL the time and protests when u leave him... You could try an Anti shock collar that another answerer mentioned but personally i don't think they work too well... You could try a muzzle too, make sure it';s the right fit though...I tried a muzzle on my jack russel dog but it managed to get it off and half strangle itself in the process. My dog not only protested by barking but tearing up the house too..Once i took him out in the car and nipped in the shop for five minutes and came back to find he'd tried tearing up the ar seats too...The neighbours sent the Environmental health depo around and we eventiually had no choice but to rehome him...(he came from a rescue centre so we didn't bring him up to abide by our own rules)...Hope you have better luck!..

Answer 7

Its a common problem, he is stressed about being left. Barking is a request for your company. Seeing you walk away from the car is the last straw for his nerves.
http://www.apbc.org.uk/
http://www.apbc.org.uk/booklets.htm
Please see a behavioural trainer. You can teach your dog how to behave when he is left alone, starting at home (not in the stressful car), and working your way up to getting out of the car and getting back in. Often!
Then you'd gradually move one step away, and so on.

You start at home by settling him in his bed with a chew and ignoring him, while at the same time you put a symbol on display. You put the symbol away, then notice him. But don;t make a big deal out of it.
I use brass ornaments from car boot sales, because they're not something I have around. Keep it hidden at all other times.
Gradually the symbol comes to mean 'you're not getting any attention form me, but everything's ok'.
You ignore him frequently and for varying lengths of time.

When he is relaxed and settled at home, with the symbol on the coffee table and you pretending he doesn't exist; then start to use it in the car. Get it out of a bag, ignore him, put it away again.

I know it sounds nuts but just keep at it, make an effort over time and he can learn to stay calm when you;re not there.
The problem with cars is idiots tap on the window to make the dog bark. Plus the dog is surrounded by glass, moving people and traffic, and can see you walk away.
So leave him with a security blanket and try recording a tape of you reading a book. Leave that playing.
Good luck and don;t give up!

Answer 8

I used to pay a friend to have my dog when I was at work, it was only £5.00 but my mate enjoyed looking after my dog as he was not allowed 1 where he lived. If my friend could not have my dog, I used to leave the tv on as company for him.
Leaving a dog in the car is not a great idea.
He is barking cause he is also bored. And you have left him, advertise in the local shop for a family to have him while you are at work, dog sharing is great, they will also have him when you go on holiday and this cuts out kennel costs, all you need to provided is his/her bedding, bowls, food and toys.

Answer 9

You can get these electronic devices from pet shops. You attach it to their collar and when they bark it lets off some sort of noise that dogs hate and eventually they learn to stop barking. Takes a couple of days. Or take him to the vets for the snip - that's calms them down as it makes them less aggressive.

Answer 10

We tend to think of dog training as a series of steps for teaching particular behaviors. To teach a dog to stay in a particular position, you reward her as she remains in place for gradually longer times, at gradually greater distances, with gradually increasing degrees of distraction. Read more https://tr.im/nycqQ

Now, this is fine, training does involve teaching dogs specific behaviors with a step-by-step approach. This week, though, I’m going to discuss three mental habits that will not only enable you train more effectively but also make life pleasant for both you and your dog.

Answer 11

Try putting the TV on or the radio on. As if you were still at home.
You know that shrinks for dogs exists? Try to see if there is a internet site on this, to get a better answer of why he keep sdoing this.