Dog barking - neighbour complaining... what to do?

[purpleflower23]

We have a 16 month old terrier who has some issues with separation anxiety. She's no bother when we're home but when we go out she barks - for context, I'm out most days for around 3 hours, usually in the morning, & maybe one night a week for a maximum of 4 hours. I leave a light on, the radio on a talk station, she has toys to play with and an array of comfy 'safe' places for her to go to. We also have an older dog who is in the same room with her, but she is used to being left and just sleeps when we're out (we have tried leaving them in separate rooms but the younger dog is even worse then).

We don't see our neighbour very often but every time we do (like every couple of months) he mentions the barking again, saying she does it all the time when I'm out & asking when she's going to stop, if we're trying to train her, etc. I've apologised many times and said she's still a puppy/young dog & that I'm trying my best but I can't stay home all the time! I get that it must be annoying for him but it's not at unsociable times and honestly I don't really know what else to do!

Any ideas?!

Thanks @mikesh909 for your input and best wishes, it's much appreciated.

Thanks @earthmover for sharing your experiences. That must have been very difficult for you. I'm beginning to understand this situation from the neighbours point of view. I guess I hadn't realised how annoying it was as she doesn't bark when we're at home. We also put up with the neighbours loud TV, his whistling and singing without complaint (to avoid drip-feeding, this has been going on before we got the dog so it's not done as some sort of retaliation).

@llangennith Thanks. She is past the chewing and destructive stage (thankfully!) Unfortunately we've tried a crate (see upthread) and this doesn't work for her. The whining is definitely worse in a crate.

@kneedeepinunicorns Unfortunately daycare isn't a possibility, I'm not working at the moment so even if it isn't that expensive it's still prohibitively so without a wage. It would also be tricky as when I go out isn't the same time everyday as I'm usually just going to hospital appointments, running errands, shopping, etc. A club sounds like a good idea though, I think she would like that. I'll have a look and see what's available locally. Thank you for your help.

Have you tried leaving on the tv instead of the radio? Could you try leaving him for very short periods and working up to longer ones? My dog pines at home so we only leave her alone about 2 times a year (not practical I know for most), we have older dcs so usually someone waits with her..

A crazy idea is maybe the neighbour could dog sit!

Our dog was a little nervous wreck when we first brought him home - we had to introduce crate training very gradually. It definitely makes him feel more secure and safe when he's left now though.

We started with just putting him into the crate for a few minutes at a time, then leaving him in a quiet, low lit room with one of us not far away. If he barked, we'd go back in, say 'no - down' and leave again. If he kept quiet for a few minutes we'd go in, praise him, give him a little training treat and leave again. Reset the clock, repeat leaving for a little longer each time.

Now when we go out we walk him first, give him a kong stuffed with sausage treats and peanut butter or skweezy cheeze and he's fine for a few hours (it's a big crate!). We'd know if he was barking/upset, we told our neighbour how we were training him and she'd tell us if he started barking again.

Good luck, whatever method you choose!

Do you have any advice?
Yes - take your neighbour's frustration seriously.
What I said to my neighbour was that I didn't care how she shut her dogs up, but to just do it because I was sick of hearing them and I'd had enough. She's the dog owner not me, she's supposed to know more about them. It isn't down to me to tell her how to train her dogs.

asking when she's going to stop, if we're trying to train her, etc.
So what have you done?

Your dog is suffering from separation anxiety- she is utterly distressed when you leave. What behavioural advice have you fought? What counter-conditioning programmes have you initiated?

What are you doing to ease her distress?

It might be a problem for your neighbour, but it’s a bigger problem for your dog who Is in acute distress and you need to address that.

Are you exercising her throughly physically and mentally before going out, a tired dog is a quiet dog.

Can you avoid shopping and errands whenever possible until the issue is resolved? (Internet shop, go when partner is home instead, take her with you when possible, is there someone who can watch her now and again). You do have a responsibility to make it a priority to reduce the impact on your NDN and the stress on your dog.