Week 3 of new rescue 7 month old and I need some more advice please.

[TooOldForThisWhoCares]

It's becoming apparent to me that there are a few things going on with our new dog. Socialising her to new situations is an ongoing thing, sometimes she seems to ignore people she sees when we're out, others she stares at/gives a few barks at (though is quickly distracted with a treat normally). The walking on a lead is still a nightmare but I understand it will come with patience and perseverance. Her and the cats are still at a stand-off. We have training classes booked.

I suppose the main concern I have is that she seems to be very much on 'high alert' when in the house. If we are at home and relaxing(or trying to!), it tends to be in the living room which has a large bay window. She doesn't sit in the window and watch constantly or anything but as soon as there's any movement/unfamiliar sound from outside she's up there barking quite persistently. Alarm barking. Some times with hackles up. It's worse in the evening and seems to prevent her from settling down and resting even if she's had her 2 walks and training sessions (even if she's had 3 walks!) I try to distract her with a toy when she starts barking (variable success) dh seems to think a firm 'no' is a better option - not so sure on that. This alarm barking definitely seems to be escalating and the problem is, she needs to get used to being left for a few hours for 3 days a week (off work for next 3 weeks) and it needs to be in the living room so our cats can come into the other parts of the house, due to the location of their cat flap etc. So don't want her stressed and barking in the living room. Would adaptil help?

Truthfully, this combined with other normal adolescent dog stuff and the fact her training will take longer as a result is making me feel a bit overwhelmed. She is a great little dog and thankfully, very non-reactive to other dogs but it's all really hard work, harder than I thought.

Any advice gratefully received.

My dog barks if he thinks he can hear or see anything outside. When we left him it was clear this was upsetting him so we had to put an opaque cover on the windows and leave the radio on for him (on a music channel as a talk channel upset him as he could hear 'humans').

When he does it when we are at home I tend to thanks him and stroke him and say it's ok in a reassuring voice which is usually enough. If he doesn't stop I take him into another room to get his attention and then we go back.

On the overwhelming feeling I think that is perfectly normal. Whether it's a puppy or a new adult rescue it's such a change and very full on. Just remember it will get better.

Thanks Bitey.

The windows are huge - too big to put the opaque stickers on. Could I close the curtains early evening (when she's at her worse)? Although it seems a shame to block light while we still have it. I'd started leading her away by the collar when she was doing it but then she started running away from me!

I've tried the attention, stroking etc but she is very focussed on barking and it doesn't help.

I knew the feeling overwhelmed was likely but I'd forgotten what it actually feels like iykwim!

It's only three weeks.. we're still reminding ourselves that with our rescue it's only three months and things take time to settle down.

Has she got a secure bolt-hole? - a box, an open-fronted crate, something with a bed/blanket she can burrow into where she's not having the world thrown at her through large windows, encounters with strangers, etc.

Our dog (got him at 5 months, now 3 years) is hyper-vigilant.

Our behaviourist said he is alerting us to anything he thinks is a problem and she encouraged us to say 'Thank you!' in a breezy voice and give him a small treat (sounds counter-intuitive, but I think it has helped).

It also stopped me getting more and more stressed yelling 'Enough!' on days when it was particularly grating!

I don't know what your set up is like but we arranged some large pots with plants to stop him looking out of our french doors down our drive and that has helped loads - basically limiting ways in which he can practice guarding behaviour. And we spent loads of time in the first few weeks making noises in and around the house (slamming doors, knocking, radios on upstairs, etc) until he gradually seemed to learn and accept what was 'normal noise'.

It CAN feel overwhelming, you have my sympathy - I really wondered what I'd done when it became clear he had ishoos, but now he's so much better and I'm glad we persevered. It really is worth it.

My dog (also a rescue) sounds a bit like this - he compulsively runs between the windows and the back door, barks furiously at invisible things outside and paces around the place. He’s obsessive, anxious and gets very agitated if prevented from doing the obsessive behaviour. He also came to me with no reward structure - he didn’t give a shit about food, or toys, or me saying ‘no’. None of it meant anything to him. I find it deeply un-relaxing and stressful, so I can imagine how you’re feeling.

I’ve tried: An adaptil collar, adaptil diffuser, Xylkene, giving him porridge (highly recommended by greyhound owners on the internet. He’s not a greyhound.) Covering windows, curtains, rearranging the furniture, cutting down all of the shrubs in the garden, white noise, shutting doors, baby gates, treats, toys, training sessions, a crate, standing in front of him to block him from getting to the window, lifting him down from the window, time out (for him), time out (for me), shouting (not proud of that), crying (ditto), going to bed at 8.30 and turning off all the lights. Threatening him with sending him back to Spain on the first available ferry.

You may be getting the idea, none of these things have provided a quick and easy fix...

He’s very slowly become easier to live with. I think the adaptil and the Xylkene did chill him out just a little bit. Giving him a bone or a chew is sometimes really successful...but then again sometimes he’s not in the mood, or sometimes that stresses him out and he runs around with it whining. Changing rooms sometimes works - sometimes if I go upstairs to the bedroom he’ll literally flop on the bed and sigh like he’s saying ‘thank God I don’t have to patrol those windows any more.’ On the other hand, sometimes if I move him away he’ll get more and more stressed. He now is often distractable with a toy or a treat, but will then go right back to the window. If he’s VERY tired he doesn’t do it - but I’m talking a whole day of physical or mental exercise. Chopping down the shrubs did really help, because he used to obsessively run backwards and forwards in front of them. On the other hand, covering the windows didn’t work at all - he was furious because he knew the window was still there.

Sorry, this has become a massive essay. The short version, as our trainer says (oh God, the amount of training we’ve done...) is ‘Its very hard, because nothing is as exciting as the obsessive behaviour, he doesn’t want anything you’ve got, and every time he gets to stare out of the window, it’s reinforcing and rewarding to him, but if you stop him he gets so stressed he can’t engage with anything.’

It is early days but I would contact a qualified trainer to come and see things in the home situation to help you get out of this difficult phase as quickly as possible.

Initially my aim would be to bring down her stress levels and help her to relax.

I would consider making a dark safe area for her, could be a crate left open, or could be a bed behind the sofa - treat her for going into this quiet area.

I would also have background noise to help muffle outside noises, maybe radio on or a fan in this weather if she tolerates it!

Sniffing, licking and chewing are very relaxing activities for dogs. She will not be able to do this when she is aroused by the noise but encouraging her to do it for periods of time will help to bring down her hyper alert state.

Can you scatter feed her meals - either throw it on the grass for her to find or you could use a snuffle mat or a very long textured bathmat and hide the food in the mat.

Licky mats are great - you can spread food on to the mat and encourage her to lick off the food, again relaxing and time consuming and tires dogs out.

Scent work is great. If you get very cheap thin ham and but small pieces of it where she can see and ask her to find it she will begin to sniff out the ham. Very quickly you can hide the ham and she will sniff it out. This even relaxes and tires out the most energetic young border collies.

I would also give her treats just for doing nothing - so find a mat she can have as hers and put it near your feet when you are sat down. whenever she comes near the mat or sits on it say nothing but treat her. This may need to be done on a lead to start with and I am sure that she will still bounce off and bark at everything she hears but over time she will realise that the mat is a better option.

I would also adopt the calm "thank you" when she barks but would not although tempting shout enough stop etc and distract with a treat. You are not rewarding the barking you are conditioning the response to the noise.

I would close the curtains if it helps her this may not be for ever but just to help her relax. I would not pull her away as you are saying she is working that out already. Clever these dogs

Could you pop a lead on her, that you could pick up and then move her away from the window? Use her dinner in the evening if kibble to treat her once she is quiet sitting or laying beside you :)

Thank you all. Some great advice. We had s good day today. She walked brilliantly on the lead this morning and on a longer walk had great recall on her long line. Was an arse on the lead this evening but hey ho. Not quite as barky at the window. I tried distraction with food scattered on the floor and later with toys. Variable success! I've ordered some lickimats and another kong. I think I'll try and give her most of her food as a puzzle and great idea about hiding food for her.

Thanks again to all.

It also stopped me getting more and more stressed yelling 'Enough!' on days when it was particularly grating! - This is important, as tempting as it is to shout at them when they won't stop, all you are doing is reinforcing their belief that whatever it is they are barking at, needs to be barked/shouted at. They think you are joining in, and your stress will make them stressed etc. That's why the light 'thank you for warning me, I'll take over now' is better.

I have a command called 'touch' where he bumps my fist with his nose and it guarantees a treat. So if he barks at the window, I call 'touch' and he runs over. I can then ask him to sit etc and keep away from the window.