barking at night

 I'd like to think Anne was being sarcastic/fecicious.

spiritdogs

I'm always surprised that people are surprised when dogs act like dogs. 

My thoughts exactly.

The solution to this one is simple:

- contain the dog
- train the dog
- exercise and play with the dog so it's not making its own fun running around barking
- give the dog chews

Cita

Brad, if you are going to have any success with getting the dog to stop barking, you're going to have to learn about dog training and dog behavior. As much as we'd like them to, dogs don't actually speak English, so you will have to learn how to communicate with your dog in a way that he will understand.

 

I believe you care about this dog at least a little bit, or else you wouldn't be here, right? So you're going to need to work a little bit and put yourself in the dog's place to better understand why he's doing the things he's doing. (He is a dog, with thoughts and even feelings, even though they might be very simple. If you want to get through to him to get him to stop barking, you'll need to use a little bit of dog psychology. A good first step is not calling him "it" - he's an animal, not an inanimate object. :))

So, first step: put yourself in this dog's position. You can't read, write, or listen to music. No internet, no video games. You sit around all day, being bored, and hoping someone will hang out with you. At night, instead of having a bedroom to sleep in, you are left outside. What do you do? Your day was boring, so you're not tired. There are lots of sounds that are distracting, and you can't sleep. So you go investigate, and maybe you hunt, and maybe you call around (bark) to see if anyone else wants to come hang out with you. When you find something cool, you bark to let everyone else know about it. When you hear something weird, you bark to scare it off. And barking is pretty fun, and you have nothing to do and are bored and lonely, so you bark. And bark. And bark. And bark.

Honestly, if you want this dog to stop barking, you're going to have to give him something in his life that is more enjoyable than barking. For many (most?) dogs, that's just a soft bed inside the house, near the people. Make sure he has plenty of exercise and activity during the day, so that by nighttime he's actually tired and wants to sleep. Then give him a quiet, comfortable place to spend the night. A crate might be a good idea, or you could even set him up with some blankets in a bathroom or spare room.

Your dog's barking is telling you something. It's basically a request. Your job is to find out what that "something" is, so you can fulfill your dog's needs and he won't need to bark anymore.

Cita, this was great.

I think you have gotten a lot of good advice.  The dog needs companionship, training, and love.  It takes time.  So give him attention and love and time and he will come around.  Not so sure why your dogs are living outside.  Bring them inside.  They are pack animals and need to be with their people.   

tiffy

 I'd like to think Anne was being sarcastic/fecicious.

Thanks for noticing;-)  Now, if this person would just buy a REAL chew toy, like a stuffed Kong, and take the dog into the house, house train it, clicker train it (why do I have a feeling this would be a leash jerk household - um, maybe because grandma thinks devocalizing a dog is the first thing to think of instead of the last - btw, it's illegal in my state).  When I first read this OP's question, I thought he/she was trolling.  If not, certainly a woefully undereducated pet owner.  I did send a PM asking the person to stick around and learn, but never got a reply...sigh. 

 Anne, you and I are like peas and carrots!

“IT” doesn’t have a name because “IT” is my stepdads dog. My stepdad is about 1 more argument away from not being part of this family anymore so we prettymuch let him do his own thing if he ever names it we’ll call it whatever, till then “it” is referred to as it, my stepdad is one of those people who could argue about anything so if we named it he would start some crap “ who said to call it that” blah blah… I think hes just waiting till my brother hits 18 in a few months, then I have a feeling hes gonna leave. No way on earth is the dog coming inside, it is an animal, it is outside where they belong. It has a doghouse we keep the bedding changed out(straw) tried a blanket it ended up being carried off every day and eventually was chewed into ten trillion pieces.  And it has several chew toys from pull ropes, squeak toys, tennis balls, those giant bones….. doesn’t mess with them anymore, just prefers dead animals. Before we started chaining it up this summer there were 6 dead armadillos in our back and front yard combined all at once. Unchained it will bring something dead up whether it be a opossum/ armadillo every night. Don’t have a kennel, had a chainlink area for our 2 labs to go through their chewing phase in but my stepdad decided it was in the way and took it down. And as for the “leash jerk household” comments, you can keep those comments and any other opinions like that to yourself comments like that make me think of a few comments i could say about you but i'll take the high road here. And as for not “sticking around” I went into the hospital for surgery my last post was on 12/2 my surgery 12/2 hospital release date 12/5 sorry I couldn’t send you a reply from the hospital bed.  And Spiritdogs as for my grandmother what makes you ASSume that devocalization was the first option that she mentioned, I certainly didn’t say that. This has been an ongoing situation for awhile and we’ve had dogs before this one just is not developing like the others. I don’t like having to chain the dog up but I cant watch it 24/7 and its only on the chain between 8-9PMish till 6am when my stepdad leaves. Its just that from sunrise till sunset it lays on the front steps doing NOTHING it doesn’t even get up when people come to the house, don’t bark(mailman, UPS, strangers, etc…) then around 6pm every day it goes nuts, it just needs its behaviors reversed during the day and night. I wouldn’t care if it barked all day, not trying to sleep then.

So, brad1821, it seems you wanted some magic wand that could be waved over "It's" head so you and/or your mom wouldn't have to actually do anything to solve the barking problem.  My original thought about you was that replying and offering you advice would be a waste of time.  Turns out I was right.  I've run across hundreds of people with your attitude about dogs and I don't waste my time or knowledge, once I realize I'm dealing with somone who chooses to remain ignorant. 

“IT” doesn’t have a name because “IT” is my stepdads dog.  My stepdad is about 1 more argument away from not being part of this family anymore so we prettymuch let him do his own thing if he ever names it we’ll call it whatever, till then “it” is referred to as it, my stepdad is one of those people who could argue about anything so if we named it he would start some crap “ who said to call it that” blah blah…  So, all that is an excuse to be detached and uncaring about a living thing that has nothing to do with how poor an excuse for a human being you think your stepdad is?

think hes just waiting till my brother hits 18 in a few months, then I have a feeling hes gonna leave. If everyone else in your family is as compassionate as you are about dogs, maybe he's the smart one.

No way on earth is the dog coming inside, it is an animal, it is outside where they belong. Wrong, wrong, wrong, and wrong.  How sad that you are missing out on the companionship a dog can offer, and I'm so sad that this dog has to live in isolation, boredom, and sadness.

It has a doghouse we keep the bedding changed out(straw) tried a blanket it ended up being carried off every day and eventually was chewed into ten trillion pieces.  And it has several chew toys from pull ropes, squeak toys, tennis balls, those giant bones….. doesn’t mess with them anymore, just prefers dead animals.  Dogs are predators, didn't you know that?  If you don't manage and train them, they do what instinct tells them to do.  Most dogs don't play with inanimate objects that just lie on the ground - that's why most of us here play with our dogs and don't leave them outside with a bunch of "dead" toys. 

Before we started chaining it up this summer there were 6 dead armadillos in our back and front yard combined all at once. Unchained it will bring something dead up whether it be a opossum/ armadillo every night.  Dogs that are kept indoors where they belong don't chase prey at night.  And, if you really can't bear to let him in, ever hear of a trolley run?  At least the poor thing would get some more exercise than just sitting on a chain.  Don’t have a kennel, had a chainlink area for our 2 labs to go through their chewing phase in but my stepdad decided it was in the way and took it down.  Maybe you could suggest he put it up again so that his dog would not bring home armadillos.  And as for the “leash jerk household” comments, you can keep those comments and any other opinions like that to yourself comments like that make me think of a few comments i could say about you but i'll take the high road here.  The way you treat dogs in your family already puts you on a very low road here, and makes people think you are just trolling.  Say whatever you want about me, I don't care - I will always defend the highest standards of animal husbandry, and you are not providing that for this dog.  And as for not “sticking around” I went into the hospital for surgery my last post was on 12/2 my surgery 12/2 hospital release date 12/5 sorry I couldn’t send you a reply from the hospital bed.  At least you weren't bothered by a dog barking for those three days, eh?  And Spiritdogs as for my grandmother what makes you ASSume that devocalization was the first option that she mentioned, I certainly didn’t say that. This has been an ongoing situation for awhile and we’ve had dogs before this one just is not developing like the others.  That's life - ever think that maybe a trainer in your area could help you?  What? Spend money on a dog that is only an animal and should live outside?  I don’t like having to chain the dog up but I cant watch it 24/7 and its only on the chain between 8-9PMish till 6am when my stepdad leaves.  Its just that from sunrise till sunset it lays on the front steps doing NOTHING it doesn’t even get up when people come to the house, don’t bark(mailman, UPS, strangers, etc…) then around 6pm every day it goes nuts, it just needs its behaviors reversed during the day and night. I wouldn’t care if it barked all day, not trying to sleep then.  If you knew anything about dogs, you would realize that they mostly just lay around if no one pays any attention to them, and that their active periods are at dusk and dawn which is when they would naturally go hunting if they were wild.   Ever hear of a citronella collar?  Nope, because you don't want to train the dog, or manage it, or let it inside.   Why would you want to spend even a nickel trying to solve the problem?  No, you just want to complain about it, and drive dog LOVERS nuts.  You are a troll in my opinion, and while I would like to say what I really think, I think I'll take the high road.   Jackie made a good point, and I think I'm done with you now, too.  Don't let the door hit you....

tiffy

 Anne, you and I are like peas and carrots!

LOL, sometimes, it appears that we are:-)  Maybe that's why we like herding dogs.

I actually think the best solution for this dog is to go to a shelter or rescue where it will find a new home, and the respect that it deserves. I think everyone will be happier that way.

"If everyone else in your family is as compassionate as you are about dogs, maybe he's the smart one" well whenever he leaves I’ll send him your way sounds like you two will get along nicely. "ever hear of a trolley run?" yeah dogs this big rip them right out of the trees, then drag the cable around and get tangled up where they can hurt themselves. "At least the poor thing would get some more exercise than just sitting on a chain." It has about 15hrs a day off the chain to get exercise and the cable for it is long enough it can run anyway. "Maybe you could suggest he put it up again so that his dog would not bring home armadillos." (referring to kennel) Minimal effort Rob as we’ve began to call him is not going to do that he dropped the dog on us and expects us to take care of it. And Dr ordered don’t lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk brad cant put up the kennel it’s a 50x50 chain link square that has to be post hole dug into the ground. Mom works and goes to school, no time. "animal husbandry." I didn’t ask for this dog or the problems associated with it, my stepdad brought home a stray that not due to any effort on his part other than dropping it in our laps now has food and water, vaccinations, gets regular meds, frontline, toys whether it plays with them or not, so think what you want about how I treat animals the dog is a lot better off now than it was as a stray. "At least you weren't bothered by a dog barking for those three days, eh?" And it was so nice to not have to deal with it. "trainer in your area" only trainers within 20 miles are for teaching them to hunt like coon dogs/bird dogs. "Don't let the door hit you.... "what door this is the internet there are no doors but I suppose you mean the door hit me in my rear on the way out, I believe you were the one saying you were leaving the conversation so follow your own advice. And regardless of what you think dogs do not BELONG indoors they were domesticated and brought indoors by humans, tiny yappy dogs may make good indoor pets but they are animals. Animals are naturally outdoors. Plus bringing animals indoors can cause a whole host of health problems for humans even if cared for properly. Watch the show Monsters Inside Me on discovery countless times the dog is the culprit for human infections.

I was simply looking for an easy solution to keep the dog from barking at night which apparently there is no cookie cutter easy solution for. Somewhere along the way to the answer people turned it into seeing how many cheap comments they can get in unrelated in any way to barking. Thank you people for the book advice.

How about using "he"?  "It" just sounds so...wrong.  He is a living creature, something humans have domesticated.  I think he deserves a little, if not a lot, better than "it" and being tied up outside.

You must think we are all so wrong and strange with all of our dogs living in the house.  I honestly couldn't imagine leaving my dogs outside.  I have them as companions and I want them near me. 

georgie4682

How about using "he"?  "It" just sounds so...wrong.  He is a living creature, something humans have domesticated.  I think he deserves a little, if not a lot, better than "it" and being tied up outside.

You must think we are all so wrong and strange with all of our dogs living in the house.  I honestly couldn't imagine leaving my dogs outside.  I have them as companions and I want them near me. 

Georgie, don't waste your time.  This person wants easy, and is transferring his resentment of his step dad to a poor unfortunate stray dog.  There's no "easy" when it comes to love, companionship, family, and responsibility.  I feel sorry for the dog, but this person, I think, will remain in the dark as far as ever having the kind of relationship we have with our dogs.  Pity.

I thought you were done contributing? you just cant stop can you. nice psychoanalysis there on that you think im channeling resentment for my stepdad to the dog**removed by moderator**

 and what the **removed by moderator** are you even talking about "resentment being transferred" your a **removed by moderator** you make it sound like im abusing the dog or something I wish you really would stick to your word and quit posting. because all of your emotional love companionship relationship **removed by moderator** doesnt even matter this isnt my dog I wouldnt even have to acknowledge its existince if I didnt choose to so ANYTHING i do for the dog is above and beyond my call of duty for it. **removed by moderator**

You are abusing the dog and are too uneducated to realize it.  It's clear to me too that your feelings for your stepdad have leached over to this dog.  Do us all a favor and go ask your questions elsewhere.