Neighbours getting irate about barking puppy

[MattDillonsPants]

Our Maremma is 5 months old. He loves to be outside and that's fine usually but he is still learning what to bark at and what not to bark at...they're very protective and need training to learn what's ok.

He probably has a bark once or twice a day....when he does we go out and let him know it's ok and there's nothing to bark at...we praise him when he stops barking....neighbours have just ROARED at me over the fence and said "You need to tell him NO! Just say NO! TO him!"

I said as calmly as possible, "He's very young and still learning, he's attending puppy classes..." and she began to blether on about some guide dog trainer but in a loud and mean voice.

What do I do? I don't want them shouting at me....but won't shout at the dog...they're old and probably not up on the latest methods...

No I can't offer any advice on getting him to do what you want, but if he won't stay in, maybe you need to crate him, because your dog is disturbing your neighbours, and it isn't your neighbours fault...it's your dogs fault.

You need to sort it out, not "train" your neighbour to not to react!

why is our other neighbour not saying anything I hate this attitude. Just because one person is complaining, doesn't mean it isn't a nuisance.

You need to keep him in whilst he is a puppy and only have him in the garden when someone is with him. Otherwise he is training himself to become a guard dog. Are you using reward-based training?

Sounds like you're trying to do the right thing, but having lived next door to a family who kept their dog outside and allowed it to bark, I'm very sympathetic to your neighbours. The noise can completely shatter your nerves and it might genuinely be scaring them everytime they work near your property. I accept they might not have dealt with it the best way but sounds like they're frustrated and can't understand why you're allowing it to continue (yes I know you're training him but you also sound like you're excusing his behaviour).

The problem is not your neighbours, it is You op.

You need to train your dog not to bark so whatever you are doing is obviously not working as he is still being a nuisance towards your elderly neighbours.

Agree with PP you need to train dog your dog to stay in. He might be getting overstimulated by being outside, there are online videos on how to teach a dog to settle calmly and chill out.

You are creating a situation which is intolerable to your elderly neighbours and at the same time blaming them.

Totally your responsibility to resolve and the initial step is to no longer allow the dog outside alone until you have completed your training. Only have him out when you with him and/or are actively training him. If he scratches the screen door then train him not to or put up a dog guard to keep him away from it.

Also sounds like he needs tired out, especially an intelligent sheepdog breed, if he is getting his full physical exercise requirements for his age you need to exhaust him mentally so he barks less.

If he's literally just barking once or twice, for a few barks each time, i'd just ignore their complaints

Have you had LGDs before Matt?

They can be very specialist dogs, especially if they've come from working rather than show lines.

I'd be looking for a good trainer/behaviourist with experience in LGDs as at only 5 months his real guarding instincts won't have kicked in yet and he may well get worse during adolescence.

Might be worth bearing in mind that the OP has a breed of dog that won't come indoors. They're bred to guard livestock and although they may pop indoors once in a while, they want to live outside. You would struggle to train that out of him.

Well, he's been much better this morning. I made him sleep inside last night which he wasn't happy about but I realise that he may be barking early in the morning and I may just have not heard...what GIOss says is right....Maremmas aren't indoor dogs and we got one because we have a very, very large garden.....would never advise one in a small place....

He's not ever going to be a lap dog but this is a rural area and there are all kinds of working dogs, cockerels, cows etc within feet of the house....it's not like I've got a working dog in a city flat!

He's barked once...litereally one short bark this morning...I went out as usual and distracted him and will continue to do so.

He has been inside for his usual hour of socialising and he's about to go to the beach for his walk

MrsGl0ss Well then perhaps op should have chosen a different dog? Still, it needs to be dealt with, regardless of what breed of dog she has.

So he is left out at night too...I bet you are right, in that he has been disturbing them at night.

The US breed club has a great FAQ about Maremmas and owning them, well worth a read.

As are some of the articles on the Maremma Rescue Victoria FB page. It's worth noting that they list disputes with neighbours over barking as one of the most common reasons they get dogs in needing rehoming.

Again, I'd recommend finding a behaviourist or trainer with experience of LGDs. Guarding (ergo barking) is what they do and, especially if they're from working lines, they can very quickly become problematic if their guarding tendencies aren't appropriately channeled. Even LGD breeds which have been show bred for generations, such as the PMD in the UK, are still apt to be very guardy and the breed club takes great care to warn prospective owners of this.

Well we've had a chat with neighbours...we did apologise for their upset because to be fair, they HAVE been upset and wouldn't have been if we didn't have a puppy!

They were quite nice....we've decided that it's a good idea if DH makes our fence taller so the dog can't see them when they walk past..they now feel something is being done....we explained our techniques and they understand that them shouting at him makes him think they're just joining in with his shouting....they're going to ignore him....

We have also worked much harder on getting him to accept coming inside and that's been good too....he had a treat the moment he stepped in....then a lot of hugs and he actually sat with me for a while...he went outside again,....this is last night....then he barked once...an alert bark...so I shot out and let him know it was just a dog walker...he stopped barking and at bedtime, I brought him inside (he wont sleep in his kennel outside but prefers lying on the lawn!) so I brought him in and put him to bed in the laundry with a nice bed and some water. He was grand! He slept there till 6.00am this morning when he got up and I took him for a walk.

Now he's asleep on his lawn.

Bless him! Hope the situation improves and it certainly sounds like you're on the path to resolve with the neighbours. Good news

Would you mind me asking (genuine curiosity, absolutely no disrespect) why you chose this breed? It sounds like they'd be better suited to guarding livestock on a farm, than living in a residential area.

Thanks and glad again to hear that you're getting there with the neighbours and pup.

Dieu we "came across him" in a pen in a nearby vineyard. He was on his own...all his litter mates had been sold and he was the last. The Farmer gave him to us...he was living outdoors on his own and we'd already decided to get a dog anyway and were actively looking...so when we saw him there...well, we just couldn't say no.

We were aware of the breed and knew they were hard work. DH is experienced with dogs and we have a very large garden.

Maremmas don't HAVE to have livestock to guard. They're good pets too. He's been very good tonight, has slept here in the sitting room all evening! First time since he got here. He did go and sit by the back door for a while, but after a little sniff and a pee, he came back inside.

Thanks for taking the time to answer, and I can totally see why you couldn't resist him!

Just an update to say he has improved SO much. Bless him. He really tries his best. We did a lot with treats and positive reinforcements. The neighbour really did a lot to help as well...she even invited him over to see her garden and meet her properly.

He still has his moments...just now he FREAKED out...its nightime...and he was acting as if an armed robber was there in the back garden with a gun...we went out and found he'd cornered a terrified Echidna and was circling it and barking.

Neighbour then popped her head over the fence and said "I TOLD him it was nothing to worry about but he doesn't believe me."

He does quieten down when she tells him to now in normal circumstances. Here's a pic of an Echidna just so you can see how justified he was!

He's lucky he didn't get a quill in his face!