Dog Community

Only Barks when alone (goofed, posted this in wrong place already)

Posted : 3/22/2011 5:05:27 PM

Hi, I adopted a dog abouth 3 weeks ago and have never heard a peep out of him. Never heard a bark, growl, anything and it just came to my attention from a note from the neighbors that he barks when he is alone the entire time. Now he is only alone for one or two hours at a time during the day, but of course there are the occasional longer periods. I can't have a dog that barks all the time because I live in apartments. I know they can take time to have effect but I bought one of those comfort zone plug ins to see if that can help. Other things I have tried is giving him a kong that has been frozen with wet dog food inside. When he is alone he ignores it, I come home and its completely full but then he starts to chew on it and it will keep him busy for hours, just not when he is alone. We block him off in the living room when we are gone. Crating does not work, he tries to escape to the point where he will hurt himself, broke a few crates. I have also tried putting a blanket of mine in the living room for him to lay on and then giving him a tasty natural bone, the one with marrow and stuff inside to chew on, he goes crazy for them, but again I don't think he touches it while we are gone. He is a really low energy dog, part bulldog and sleeps all day normally. He also gets let out plenty. We go to the dog park 3 sometimes 4 times a day. Any help would be sooo much appreciated. If things don't improve in the next month I may tried one of the citronella bark collars. Also wondering about the citronella or collars that make a sound when barking. Do you need to be around to train them with it? Like I said I have never heard my dog bark before. Never ever. Its so weird. So I don't know how to train him or tackle that problem. I don't even know how to get him to bark. I also never catch him barking because he must be able to hear really well because he is quite as I am walking up to the apartment. But I talked to the next door neighbors and upstairs neighbors and they say he does bark the entire time he is alone. Even if its just a short period of time.

nataly

Posted : 3/23/2011 5:54:10 AM

Hey there. I think your dog has a psychological problem - probably he was left alone long time before he came to you and missed love and attention. So know he his afraid that you'll never come back when you leave the door, probably he cannot stand being alone at all. And if you are at home he is so content and pleased that he does not bother at all.

The first time after my neighbours moved into their home their dog used to bark all the time when they were away, too. But as sudden as it came, it stopped when the dog adjusted to the new environment. So I guess there is a chance for your dog to get out if this behaviour - an the other way it can be that he'll never get over his past-experiences, what ever they may have been.

You know that it's really weird that your dog won't bark when you're coming home? I never met a dog actually who wouldn't bark to greet someone. Does he not even bark when he encounters other dogs he doesn't like?

Bark collars with citronella may work. But you should be careful to buy a very good one, because the cheap ones may be activated not only from your dog's bark but also from other noises, and that can make your dog crazy. Really good ones use vibration and sound for activation. So it will work when you're not at home - but maybe you should be around when your dog has it on the first time. Problem may be that he never barks with you around, so maybe you'll have to stay near home, leave him for a quarter or something and then go back to see if he is alright. Can be quite irritating for a dog to wear such a collar for the first time.

Other than that I don't have another idea, because you already tried a lot to make him feel comfortable when you're out of home. I would do what you already suggested - wait a little while longer if he gets comfortable with you out of home and then start training with a collar.

Keep us up-to-date, how things work out for you and your dog.

JackieG

Posted : 3/23/2011 6:15:44 AM

This article may offer some tips for you. http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/11_7/features/Canine-Separation-Anxiety_16044-1.html

emilyythestrange

Posted : 3/23/2011 4:24:10 PM

No he does not bark at dogs either. He actually has never met a dog he does not like yet, and we meet tons of dogs at the dog park. He is really submissive. Its getting better since I had him. He used to never play with me, anytime I would try to initiate play he would immediately cower and submit. It made me feel terrible, but that is improving. He will start playing with and not back off right away if I return the playfullness. I am starting obedience classes with him in the next couple of weeks, and I am hoping they will build his confidence more and maybe help with the barking. Also am thinking of starting to take him to doggy daycare a couple of times a week. he loves other dogs so much, and maybe that will help his confidence too. See my biggest problem is I work at night, I have a 2-10 job. And there are no daycares that offer anything at night, otherwise I could take him there at nights, though that wouldn't fix the problem.

tiffy

Posted : 3/23/2011 9:15:06 PM

You say that hes really submissive? Maybe hes just pretending to like other dogs. I don't know though. Smile