Dog barking when we go out

[moolady1977]

So my dog has finally come to live with me and my dp after living with my stbexh(he wouldn't let me take her with me until he decided to kick her out to get a puppy), the problem is she is barking loads when we go out, at the minute it's no more than maybe a couple of hours we are out but we are both due back to work in the new year and our neighbours decided to tell us tonight that she is barking, we have left her the radio on and given her one of my sweaters but I'm not sure what else to do if anyone has any ideas I'd be grateful.

Was she previously left for periods of time without barking? (When you and ex were together). If so, it could be that she needs more time to settle ... you might live there, but she's in a strange place.

How long will she be left when you go back to work? Could you use doggy day care?

Upheavals like moving house can trigger separation issues even if the dog was ok before. My dog was fine but then started barking when left after he had to have several overnight stays in the vets due to illness.

I use a camera which I can look at in real time to see what he is doing. They are cheap and can stream to a smart phone. Mine was £40. This enabled me to try a few things to get him to settle. First he was barking at the patio doors so I put a cheap screen up so he could not see his refelection. Another thing I found was that music channels were better than talk channels. Without the camera I would have never known this.

I would go and speak to your neighbours and thank them for telling you and say you are working on getting him settled but it may take a short while but you are doing something about it so they are more sympathetic and don't think you are ignoring the issue. Get a camera so you can watch and listen to what is bothering her. Maybe create a den somewhere so she feels safe. Leave a kong or something similar stuffed of food when you leave. Leave for short periods and monitor what works etc

It's so kind of you to try and sort this. My neighbours leave a barking dog for hours each day. It drives me crazy.

I highly recommend an adaptil plug in - for some dogs it can work wonders in helping ease anxiety.
Also another big vote for stuffed Kongs.
On a practical note, is she getting enough decent quality exercise before you leave her?