to ask a question on here about dogs? And when they stop barking when left alone?

[emeraldgirl1]

Upstairs neighbours have a young labrador, about a year old.
She is gorgeous (I love labradors) and totally quiet when they are in the flat with her BUT when the woman goes out to work 2-3 days a week, the dog goes berserk. Hours and hours and hours of almost non-stop barking, whining and sometimes quite alarming scratching (assume they have shut her up in one room and she wants to get out).
I can cope with it even though I work from home and it does drive me a bit mad sometimes.
But we are planning to put our flat on the market in the next few months and I am seriously worried this barking would put off buyers if they came on one of the days that the neighbour is out all day.
Do dogs eventually learn to live with it when their owners go out or do they do this (constantly bark/whine when alone) their entire lives? They have only lived up there for about 6 weeks (were in the countryside before) so obviously the dog may not have got used to being left yet.
Will this go on forever, is what I am asking, or do dogs eventually learn that when nobody comes for hours, they may as well stop barking?
It's a bit hard as the poor thing sounds quite distressed, the owners are nice but I think they have no idea that it hates being left alone.

I'd think they would get used to it...but I'm not a dog expert [helpful] sounds hard though there is a section called the dog house where people might know more

Some do, some don't.

I am sure it hates been left alone. Dogs are pack animals. However not many people can be with their dog constantly. Its the reason we don't have one.

yabu, there is a whole section on MN about dogs. Ask there.

You need to tell them as they probably don't realise it's barking. Whether they do anything about it is another matter , some people are of the 'its not bothering me so so what ' attitude. Hopefully they will deal with it . IME , dogs that have separation problems need lots of work and aren't really suited to people who work all day .perhaps where they lived before the dog didn't bother anyone during the day.

Tell them.

I didn't know one of mine barked when we were out until the neighbours said, turned out she was sitting on the bed and barking at people/dogs etc, I closed the curtains and problem solved.

I was glad my neighbour told me (they were very polite) as I'd hate to think of my dog being a nuisance.

It sounds like separation anxiety, not fair on the dog or you. It can be trained but the owner would need to put in the effort.

How long is she left alone for? It's really not fair for dogs to be left for more than four hours, not least because they are social animals who crave company but also because it is not fair to expect them to go longer than that without needing the loo.

Talk to your neighbour and ask what she plans to do about it. If she is not helpful or apologetic report it to the council as noise disturbance.

please note if you report to council you have to tell any buyers of your flat you have done so and why

so best go round and knock 1st and see if they can do anything.

The dog's needs are not being met,

Will you be able to get the owner to face up to the reality that they are unable to meet the dogs needs?

Doubtful, as they clearly got the dog to meet their own needs, without considering what the dog required, they have not manage to provide the necessary training, socialisation,stimulation and exercise, if the dog's needs had been met, their would be no problem,

Will they admit that to themselves and address the problem, it's a lot of effort, which is why they have the problem.

you live below someone who puts their own needs before an animal they have taken on responsibility for, so you have to make sure that you get them to prioritise the issue,

Explain that it has to stop, either meet the dogs needs, or find somewhere else to keep the dog when they are out, or you will have to go down the legal route, you are dealing with people in denial, so good luck

I feel very sorry for the dog.

That's what some dogs do and most do grow out of it! I don't think its fair at all to critisize the owner, just because you have a dog that doesn't mean you can't also have a job.

OP said that the owner only works 2-3 days a week and you are pretty much saying she's neglecting the dog quoteunquote ,it isn't realistic to be with your dog 24/7 and you don't even know if she takes the dogs for walks, plays with the dog etc. You're making assumptions and ridiculous ones at that

quoteunquote by 'meet the dogs needs' do you mean quit her job? Even a dog that gets walked for hours and hours a day could still bark for hours when the owner is gone and also the dog is young and has only lived there for 6 WEEKS!

Happy, well balanced dogs do not bark, whine and scratch at doors for hours on end. Distressed dogs do.

If you work long hours don't get a dog. Owning a dog is a privilege not a right.

OPs neighbour needs to find a dog walker or doggy day care for while she works, otherwise one of the dog's basic needs (i.e. it's need for social interaction) is being neglected.

Our dogs rely on us for their entertainment and comfort. They can't just stick the telly on on ring a mate if they get lonely.

bellabreeze -as I said, the owners are very nice (and otherwise good neighbours) They do indeed take the dog for walks and spend a lot of time with it. However I am not sure it is exactly what they wanted to be keeping a large dog in a (tiny) 1st floor apartment however, with no access to outdoor space. They were living in the countryside and not expecting to have to move back into London so I do't think the situation is exactly as they would want it either. The net result is that the dog sounds very distressed for hours at a time, regardless of whether they walk it and play with it or not, and in addition to this it is a huge disturbance. I don't enjoy sitting at my desk listening to a distressed animal whining and barking for hours on end.

I think I need ot say something, was really just asking on here to see if any dog experts thought it was something the dog might perhaps grow out of. Sounds like it might - or it might not!

The owner has been home now for an hour and has just popped out again (I think to the corner shop) and within 30 seconds of her walking out of the door the dog has begun to bark and whine - it really sounds very distressed and (not an expert on dog psychology!!) I guess maybe it thinks she's going again for hours?? Either way it really is doing my head in today, just had a blissful hour or respite from it and here we go again...

it is wrong to leave a dog alone all day - she is distressed

The dog won't know whether she's going to be out for 30 mins or 3 hours. FWIW my neighbours dog hasn't grown out of it and he's about 6 now , and yes I have mentioned it to them . We're lucky as we are detached and he only affects me if I'm in the garden but it is not fair on the dog!

The dog is in distress. You need to tell your neighbours. They probably have no idea how much the dog is barkin, etc.

Please tell them - what a nightmare. They may have to make a hard choice regarding the dog. Dooinmecleanin is absolutely right. Young lab in a flat? I don't think so.

this may well stuff up your sale. I ruled out several houses when I was buying due to an incessantly barking dog nearby, can't imagine how horrendous it would be in a flat.

Separation anxiety. It is unlikely to just stop, it takes training. First time I left my dog (for 15 minutes) he chewed the door frames. Dogs should not really be left for more than 4 hours. The RSPCA wouldn't let us adopt our dog unless we could undertake not to leave him alone for more than 4 hours.

Tel the neighbours they may do something about it, Mine barks for about 10 minutes when we go out and then he is fine, My neighbour did tell me it was 20 once but she said the window cleaner came, some dogs never stop barking or getting used to it, I would explain nicely to them what she is like,

I bet a fruit shoot and a cheese string(which I don't have, but will mug a toddler to make good the payment if needed), that the owner comes in each time and immediately makes a huge fuss of the dog.

Not all dogs do it, but I've never had to deal with this myself, so I don't know what the remedies are.

Still, you say you love labs and the noise is annoying you. Could you come to an arrangement whereby you look after the lab for part of the day so that it isn't left alone for so long at a stretch and doesn't struggle with the separation anxiety so much, as part of a more comprehensive training programme?

Tell them now My neighbour has a dog and I put up with it barking all day every day for over a year. I finally snapped when she rolled in pissed at 3 in the morning. She's not really done much about it. I wish I had told her when it started.