Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Pets

Join our community on the Pet forum to discuss anything related to pets.

Flip

1 2 3

Original poster

Someone just came to complain about the barking.

65 replies

SirBoobAlot · 29/07/2010 22:46

Our dog barks. I know he barks, because I live with it, and it drives me round the bloody bend. He has been especially bad recently; there is a yappy dog moved in nearby that is irritating him, and I suspect there are rats again (they use our line of gardens as a through way from the Downs).

We all do everything we can to stop him; if he barks excessively outside, he is brought in. If inside, he is sent to his bed. Either way, he is "threatened" with a water spray bottle (on the advice of the RSPCA).

A lady round the corner has just come to complain about him being outside all night, and that her daughter has to wake up very early each morning and the dog is disturbing her sleep. I apologised, but said he wasn't outside, he was barking from inside, and that if he was bothering her, and waking her up, she must understand how much he is irritating us, and disturbing my baby. She said she wasn't trying to cause trouble but wanted to make me aware he was barking. I told her that the RSPCA had (unintentionally, I'm sure) misled us about him; they told us he didn't bark, was good with cats and didn't play with toys. Wrong on all three counts.

I'm doing everything I can (as are my family when they are here, they've been away this week) to control his barking, as I'm sure it must be bothering the neighbours, as its bothering me. Has anyone got any suggestions?

Thanks (and sorry for the rant but having someone knock on my door at 10pm is not my favourite thing).

OP posts:

zazen · 30/07/2010 21:53

I'd rehome him TBH

Annoying as it is for you, and I can see you've invested time and effort into training him to no avail, it's not on to inflict this dog on people who didn't choose to have a great big barking mutt waking them up every night. I think your neighbour was remarkably civil about the disturbance TBH.

Your dog is a nuisance, and it seems silly to think that you can keep him.

Sorry if that's sounds harsh, but your dog is an noise polluter and is a problem despite your already extensive efforts. Rehome seems a humane option and one that might actually suit the dog also.

IMoveTheStars · 30/07/2010 21:53

Tell them he pulls (tbh, I'd expect it of a big dog like that really) and pay them a little extra
IME it will really help... he;s probably bored

My parents have a collie/lurcher cross. He's an absolute bastard if he hasn't been walked, so my parents literally walk him til he crashes out for hours (obv they're retired and have the time to do this).

lal123 · 30/07/2010 21:55

Can I just ask why you got a dog if you are not able to walk it?

Original poster

SirBoobAlot · 30/07/2010 21:57

I didn't get the dog - my parents did.

OP posts:

poppincandy · 30/07/2010 22:11

Just looked up Elkhounds as wasn't sure what this was, but having seen it I know a friend had one of these years ago and their's was always 'talking' they lived out in the country so noone to disturb, but it was always making a noise, even if just murmuring away.

On Wiki regards walking one this is written

A minimum of 20?30 minute walk twice a day is absolutely necessary and recommended by many breeders. But for an Elkhound to feel really satisfied and healthy, daily walks up to two or three hours would be ideal.

Therefore I feel that this dog has had a 2 hour walk a week ago, has a lot to do with your problems.

booyhoo · 30/07/2010 22:12

the pulling can be stopped aswell with a bit of effort but it really sounds like he is too much for you. how long have your family been away? a week? a two hour walk is good to tire him out for an evening but it needs to be daily. it isn't surprising that he is playing up now after a week of no walks.

midori1999 · 30/07/2010 22:29

A halti would probably help the pulling temporarily and make it easier to train him to walk to heel, as the more he pulls the more he will be inclined to.

What methods were the puppy class suggesting to get him to sit etc? What reasons did the 'trainer' give for your dog not doing as asked? I would be wary of any puppy class that asks you to leave, tbh, let alone without suggesting a suitable alternative.

I think you do need to consider whether you can provide what this dog (or any dog) needs, although I wouldn't be rash about rehoming him. Generally a tired dog is a well behaved dog and I think if the dog gets the walking it needs it will be much easier to train and to stop the barking. I am a bit suprised that the RSPCA homed the dog to you considering your circumstances make things difficult, tbh. Not that responsible of them.

Original poster

SirBoobAlot · 30/07/2010 22:30

They went Tuesday morning first thing and came back late last night. Partially because of the dog.

Thank you for the information from Wiki, he has been being walked on what the RSPCA advised us was suitable, am shocked and a bit upset that he should have been having double that. I will definitely pass that on.

OP posts:

booyhoo · 30/07/2010 22:44

ok so it wasn't a week it was 3 days? if you do a bit of googling on his breed you should be able to get a good idea of what excercise and care he needs. It will be a case of 2/3 walks a day, maybe up to an hour a time. can you or your family provide that everyday? also agree that the trainer should have been able to suggest an alternative for him. he definitely needs help with his barking and his pulling and they both need to be priorities.

(oh mid, i could tell you some stories about my last wee dog and his halti. he hated the thing with a vengeance. don't want to put Op off using it though so wont say too much)

IMoveTheStars · 30/07/2010 22:49

SirBoob - IMO Halti's are rubbish, dogs that pull will pull anyway.

Bit sad that the rescue centre gave you such crappy info

def hire a dog walker

hth

Original poster

SirBoobAlot · 30/07/2010 23:07

Have never heard of Haltis so please be honest about them!

Have just spoken to my dad about what has been said here, and he too was really shocked about the amount of exercise he should be getting in comparison to what we have been told. He said he will definitely be taking him out tomorrow for a very long walk.

He is currently curled up next to my mum on the sofa. He's obviously missed them, bless.

OP posts:

midori1999 · 30/07/2010 23:10

booyhoo, lots of dogs absolutely hate them at first, some have quite a tantrum. It is easy to train them to accept wearing them though, I have done it with a range of dogs.

jareththegoblinking, haltis, when used correctly, work for most dogs. However, that doesn't change the fact that they are a training aid, not a substitute for training. If people just stick them on and expect the pulling to stop, obviously they won't work.

booyhoo · 30/07/2010 23:11

it is a harness type thing that goes round the dog's mouth and nose. as they pull it tightens and when they relax it loosens. my dog hated it and leapt about all over the place and always without fail had it off within 30 seconds. he was good with his paws though, and i mean good. (he scaled a 40ft quarry face many times, we renamed him mountain goat)

Original poster

SirBoobAlot · 30/07/2010 23:15

That sounds really cruel, actually Your dog sounds very cool, booyhoo

OP posts:

nickschick · 30/07/2010 23:19

I couldnt be without my halti (obviously its not me that wears it) it works a treat with my staffy/pitbull and means me and him can enjoy long walks without the pulling.

Barking dogs are awful - im sorry,i live in front of a house that has a dog that barks continually he is left outside for hours and hours and hours with no space to walk no treats and no stimulation so all he does is bark .

The rspca are crap they dont want to know and the council always offer us a recorder during school holidays when the owner is mostly at home....the owners are nasty and unapproachable and that dog would be better in the dogs home.

booyhoo · 30/07/2010 23:21

it is n't cruel at all. it cuases no pain but it is uncomfortable. he did twig on very quickly that relaxing helped but he just knew how to get it off in record speed. he was a very cool dog, sadly his skills lead to his disappearnce last year. he got out of our garden and when i contacted the dog warden they had another dog with his license tag on. he was originally bred for hunting and would have been worth about £300 but my uncle had given him to me (he was the breeder). so i think someone had spotted him and thought they could make use of him as he was still young.

zazen · 30/07/2010 23:28

I'd bring a large bunch of flowers round to the neighbours!

If your dog is still barking after he will be getting the exercise he needs, then rehome him. That was a fast one the RSPCA pulled on you I think, but ultimately the responsibility and liability for the noise pollution lies with you!

Original poster

SirBoobAlot · 30/07/2010 23:28

Oh booyhoo am very sorry to hear that Our German Shep died about six months before we got this dog, and I am still heartbroken.

OP posts:

booyhoo · 30/07/2010 23:34

i am still heartbroken aswell and it has been over a year now. I had just had ds2 at the time and my hormones were all over the place exp couldn't understand why i was so upset, but then he didn't really like him anyway. i really can't bear to think what might have happened to him. i told ds1 that he was living on a nice farm with lots of friends, i try to believe that myself. nothing else is worth thinking of.

Original poster

SirBoobAlot · 30/07/2010 23:38

I hope he is off causing havoc happily somewhere else

I miss Roxy very much. She was my dog. She was so lovely, always reminded me of Nana from Disney's Peter Pan! I used to snuggle into her when I was little and tell her when things were wrong, and she always seemed to be listening, as she licked my face when I started crying... We had her for 14 years. Am getting all upset again now

OP posts:

IMoveTheStars · 30/07/2010 23:46

midori I only speak from experience of our two dogs, an idiot spaniel (poss half springer) that was never going to get the idea of 'heel', and our collie cross-breed. Both of them are x-breed male dogs who despite many hours of training will always pull (may I add here that these were/are my parents dogs and consistency isn't a strong point of theirs )

one of our dogs (the idiot half springer FKA Toby was MY dog. Amazing creature, but never trainable, was a pure hunting dog through and through and hated the lead. He actually had to have hip operations because he used to run too fast

[Jareth has gone off on a tangent rememembering her old orange dog. please excuse the rambling]

IMoveTheStars · 30/07/2010 23:47

SirBoob - your roxy sounds like my Toby

Original poster

SirBoobAlot · 30/07/2010 23:49

Its so odd when they go... The house felt so empty, and I cried for weeks when I didn't find lumps of dog hair everywhere (she was a nightmare for malting).

OP posts:

IMoveTheStars · 30/07/2010 23:50

wuh... am in tears now. realised I don't have any pics of my orange dog

waaaa

sorry, this is a spectacularly helpful post, isn't it

Original poster

SirBoobAlot · 30/07/2010 23:51

Sorry I hope I didn't upset you Jareth

OP posts:

Flip

1 2 3