AIBU to think you don’t take your barking dog for a walk at 3am?

[Bellasblankexpression]

Been woke up for the second night at 3am by a barking dog on the street - when I looked out, the dog is merrily roaming up and down barking, apparently waiting for their owner who took a while leaving the house, then eventually caught up with them and walked off down the street with them.
In the meantime, the dog was barking excitedly and skipping off into the road and back while he was waiting.

AIBU to think that one, it’s a bit odd to be taking your dog for a walk in the early hours and two, if you’re going to do that at least don’t leave them barking outside until you’re ready to go?!
It makes me think said owner is up to no good, but I do have an overactive imagination!

[adaline]

I stop mine barking with a combination of an electric collar and a dog whistle.

Luckily collars like that are being made illegal. It's cruel to use shock collars of any kind on your dog.

You might not care, but thankfully the law thinks differently.

[DancingPyjamas]

Are you getting confused with the collars that deliver an electric shock?
The ones I use don't deliver shocks, they beep and then gently vibrate.
As I say, I've tested them on myself and they don't hurt in the slightest.
But hey, I'm a bastard so......

[rottiemum88]

We have a reactive dog, so frequently walk her at 4am when it's quiet (you'd be surprised how many other people/dogs we see if we leave it until 5!). However, we wouldn't just leave her to bark and wake all the neighbours. That's plain rude...

[Glentherednosedbattleostrich]

I trained mine not to bark our front in 3 days. It takes work managing behaviour but it works. Aversives are cruel. Justify it whatever way you want but yes, if you use them you're a bastard. Dogs ears are more sensitive than ours so beeps can be painful for them.

[DancingPyjamas]

Excellent. Now try it with 16 of them.
Yes, 16.

[MsChnandlerBong]

Teach it the "Speak" command and then "Quiet"

Yup, that's how I've always trained mine to be quiet, and I have a breed that are known for being....intellectually challenged.

OPs walker is probably a shift worker but I agree the barking in the street at 3am is not on.

[MsChnandlerBong]

DancingPyjamas, I have to know why you have 16 dogs! Genuinely curious!

[DarwinianMinion]

If thé collar works, the dog finds it uncomfortable or unpleasant in some way. THATS WHY IT WORKS.

If the dog found the vibration pleasant or even neutral, the collar wouldn’t work to stop the behaviour.

[adaline]

The ones I use don't deliver shocks, they beep and then gently vibrate.

Dogs have exceptionally sensitive ears - hence why the beeping works to stop the behaviour. Would you like to have someone beep at you and send a vibration through your throat every time you spoke?

I have a very vocal breed (beagle) and I can't imagine ever thinking a collar like that would be a good idea. Aversives work because they train the dog to pair the undesirable behaviour with something unpleasant!

[DarwinianMinion]

Right.

The beep may or may not be aversive/unpleasant to the dog initially.

The beep PREDICTS the unpleasant thing ie the vibration; in time, the beep becomes unpleasant to the dog even if it wasn’t initially because it becomes associated with something unpleasant. It becomes what is known as a secondary punisher. So after a while, just the beep may be enough.

The vibration is unpleasant to the dog. If it wasn’t unpleasant the dog would not seek to avoid it which is what is happening if the dog stops barking - because when it barks it gets a shock/vibration.

You can argue all day that vibration is kinder than a shock but ultimately don’t kid yourself that using punishment is somehow ok. It isn’t. There are better ways if you truly care for your dog.

[KarmaStar]

I used to walk my dogs at 0400hrs on earlies,but I would not be letting them out barking,your neighbour is bu and needs to keep his dog under control both with the barking and out of the road.
I'd be speaking to them.

[AdoptedBumpkin]

It seems weird to me, but some people Dr o it. At our old house there was an old lady who took her dog out at 1.30am every night.