Porky Pie here:
We had us a stwessful weekend. Momma needs some 'vice. I was weally naughty while momma and daddy went on a shopping twip on saturday night. Dey put my in my kennel wike usual and left. Well, dats when I started.... I Barked and barked and ....well you get it.... Da landlady happened to be cweaning da yard and heard me yipping my fool head off!! So...she left a message on da door for my hooparents.
It said: While cleaning the courtyard, I heard your dog repeatedly barking. I looked through your window and saw that he appeared to be confined to his crate and no one was home. I do appreciate him being confined while you are away, however in the future I would appreciate it if you used some type of bark control on your dog. This is to ensure that the environment is quiet for your neighbors. I have never heard barking from your home before and I don't wish to in the future. May I suggest a shock collar for your dog? Please do not let this become a problem!
Momma read da note wif a open mind, but da shock collar fing mad her cwazy!!! :crazyeyes: What do you fink she should do to keep me fwom barking while she's at work or when she and daddy are gone? We know dat wescue wemedy works to make me sweepy but we don't want to use it ebery day. Momma went next door and asked Joe and his wife if my barking had boddered dem. Dey said. Well it was kinda annoying but he calmed down after a bit. We think it may have been our fault because we were watching a movie loudly.
Momma's gonna talk now...
What do you think I should do? I do not want Porky barking and disturbing our neighbors when we are gone. But, I also don't really want to use a shock collar on him either. Any suggestions??? Our landlady is really quite nasty about some things and has kicked people out for stupid things before. We love living her and would hate to get evicted because of noise. She has threatened other neighbors with eviction unless they quiet down. We have seen it happen. That woman is evil sometimes!! What should we do???
Hi Nebraska neighbor! Well first off you can start by leaving the tv or radio on for some noise that will help distract outside noises. That should cut down some with him barking. It sounds like he barks because he misses you and doesn't like being alone. Does he have a favorite stuffed animal to put in his kennel? Then I would look up the city laws and point out to your land landy that you are not breaking the sound law. She sounds like a real bitty. But she is also lucky. If she hasn't been sued by past tenants it is amazing. She may have rules for her property but she can not go over board. You have your rights too. Especially if your neighbors are not really that bothered by the barking. They know that he will settlle down soon. So if they are ok with it then you can have them sign something or tallk to the land lady directly and let her know that they are. It makes me so made that she thinks she can bully you. She may own the property but she doesn't own you. Please let me know how things work out and I hope that I was able to help some. A shock collar? How would she like to wear one?
A TV or radio and a light for nighttime might help. A filled kong also seems to help.
We have the same problem with Schatzi. She will hear things outside (especially the UPS truck-something about the sound of the motor) and bark. Also, she barks everytime she hears our neighbor come home. He has complained before, but not recently. Depends on his mood, I think. I've been thinking about getting one of the tabletop ultrasonic bark deterrents. They are available at Foster and Smith and have gotten more reasonable. It may be worth trying. I think it would work on doxies, simply because their hearing is more sensitive. Of course, they are more stubborn, too! Could balance it all out!
Here is the link:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=10817&N=2001+114145
I just went back and read the reviews. They were great and one person has 4 dachshunds. If it worked for her, it'll work for anyone!! I think I'll be ordering one next week myself! It could be so fun to watch Schatzi's face when she starts to bark and then suddenly stops. Nothing else we have tried has worked, so this would be great if it did.
I once read in Dog Fancy magazine that the SPCA was recomending the collar the sprays the citronella stuff when they bark you night call the SPCA in your area and ask them of anything that might work. Also a Kong filled with peanut butter & treats would give him something to do last longer if you put it in the freezer over night. Then the have those calming spray things that you plug in to a wall outlet like the room deodorizers. Last but not least put barking dog on your search you can find a million things that way.
Good Luck
Papbouv
Those are all great ideas. I would also include a command such as "nap time" or "go to bed" to enforce that this is Porky's time to lay down and chill out. I use "go to bed" on The Herd and they all jump in their beds (Guinness tunnels UNDER his bed) and settle down for a nap. I keep the radio going, so every little noise doesn't set them off!
Karen :heart:
Oh, and I don't think the neighbors should have to put up with shock collars. They seemed o.k. They probably wouldn't want to wear one! :2funny:
Thanks for all the great advice!! Our landlady came to our door last night and apologized to us for suggessting the shock collar. She said she felt really bad and tld m sh didn't realize they hurt so much. Makes me wonder....did she actually try it on herself?? :scratch:
Porky's barking has quieted down quite a bit. Karen, your idea about the "bedtime" command is very helpful!! Porky already knows what "time out" means so I think I'll use that command. He knows that means quietly get in your kennel and stay there until you get let out. Thanks again everyone!
AFter posting about the tabletop ultrasonic unit, I decided to give it a try. Schatzi doesn't bark continuously, but she does love to bark when she hears our neighbor come in, the UPS truck arrive or sometimes just go up the street, or on some days, the wind blow through the tree. So the main thing is, she does lots and lots of little barking spells, usually in the early morning when Randy has returned from the fire department and gone back to sleep for a few hours.
So far, it is working pretty well. We have been amused by it, that's for sure. When I first put the battery in it, I pressed the manual button to see if she would react, since I can't hear it. She suddenly looks up and moves sideways away from the counter it was on with this really puzzled look. I tried not to laugh too hard since she looked so confused. Of course, Molly didn't react at all, but she isn't much of a barker.
Meghan and Randy couldn't stand to wait and see if it worked when she barked so we put it in the hall, on the way to the front door where she always runs and Meghan went in her room and knocked on the door or wall. Schatzi takes off barking, gets to the hall and turns around and comes back to the room! Meg was watching and said you could tell when it when off because she just stopped and then turned around. The idea is that the noise will startle them and cause them to stop. Some dogs will be stubborn enough to ignore it, I'm sure. Once or twice, she has gone past it and then barked a little softer, or grumbled. That is when I laughed the hardest. Being a doxie, she will definitely find a way to outsmart. But, quieter is definitely better. Now we are trying to find the best place to put it for it to be most effective.
:2funny: That is so funny! Porky does the grumble every time the landlord comes. :dontknow: