Neighbour complaining about dog barking in morning

[Gizlotsmum]

Our neighbour has just mentioned he is being disturbed by our dog barking. He initially said through the night ( which he doesn’t, we had 1 2am bark when he needed the toilet this week and that was unusual) then admitted it was more like 5:30/6:00 which I accept as that is when we start the day. How do I stop him barking for toilet first thing? We are working on quiet by ignoring and rewarding when quiet, but not easy esp as he is barking for attention sometimes. We struggle to be up before him as it can be anytime between 5:15 and 6. Is it just a case of getting up at 5:15 ( or will that mean he will think that is his new wake up time?) as he will go happily till 6 some mornings.

Dog is crated downstairs and it can take us a few mins ( I’d say max 5 but will look to start timing it) to get him out ( he stops barking when we are downstairs). I appreciate this is annoying but need to find a way round it. Dog is nearly 1 yr old. Has 2 decent walks a day, chew toys etc. am starting to write down when he barks to see if there is a pattern. He doesn’t bark at the doorbell or people waking past. He barks for attention, especially if new people come in but settles after a short while.

Will ask our trainers advice after the holidays but just after opinions in the mean time

neighbour admitted he struggles to sleep and I want to make it better for us all.

The basic idea behind toilet training for both humans and animals is to hold it in until it’s convenient. When I’m at work (third party oppressive bastards ) I manage not to piss on the carpet while I wait for a convenient time to use the toilet. I guess thanks to my mum for potty training me. This is no different.

Just a side thought - this is a very good dog! He's been trained not to go in the house. He does his best to let you know he needs help to go outside.

He is amazing. He is very clever so I reckon the bell/button could work ( if he doesn’t eat it!) just likes eating things he shouldn’t!

I sort of agree but also disagree with this. Part of toilet training for children & dogs is about waiting until it is “convenient”, but it’s not about waiting for a convenient time, it’s about being in the right place.

So when you toilet train a puppy, you don’t teach them to hold a wee, you teach them toilet = outside/in the garden. They usually learn this pretty quickly, so OP’s dog knows that they must be outside to go to the toilet. They do then tell you when they need to go, because they aren’t taught “oh you can only go between 9pm and 6am”, they are just simply taught outside = toilet.

It’s the same with children, we don’t tell a potty training child to “wait 10 minutes” for a wee, in fact we do the opposite, we literally sprint with them to the nearest toilet when they even suggest they need a wee to ensure that it happens in the right place and we then reward them for getting it right. It’s convenient PLACE, not time.

The time is something that comes with age, experience etc, but even then can just depend on the person and the day. My dog is fully toilet trained and usually sleeps 8pm-9am without even stirring once, but there is the odd night he comes to wake me up in the middle of the night and needs the toilet. I’m in my 20’s so long since toilet trained, but I rarely go through the entire night without needing to pop for a wee.

The reality is when you need to go, you need to go.

This thread is WILD! I say this as someone who has two crated dogs sleeping in my bedroom at the moment... move into a detached house, rehome if you're not prepared to allow the dog in the bedroom?! Sorry you've taken such a beating OP. I second the dressing gown and pee after the dog has been out. The other thing worth trying is setting up a monitor (use a baby monitor app) so you can hear the dog before he gets to the barking stage.

Wait until you're busting for a wee and then be denied access to your bathroom for five minutes!

Poor thing, get up and let him out immediately instead is leaving him to bark .

Get up half an hour earlier than you normally do.

3 meals a day and 4-5 poo's is too much, I think this is your problem, he "unsettled"

We tried all sorts of food with our dog, everything made him go to the toilets too much and/gave him the runs (started after he contracted compiler bacta as a pup).

The only thing that seemed to work for him is James Wellbeloved grain free. He has two feeds a day and does two poo's a day, occasional three if we take him out on a very long walk (ie all day) but we can tell he is a much more settled dog too.

He is absolutely a velcro dog and won't leave my side during the day, but he has been trained to happily sleeps downstairs in the kitchen at night. He does his last wee around 10pm and we get up anywhere between 6am and 8.30am. Some mornings he still doesn't move out of his pit for another hour or so after we get up, we just get the side eye for being noisy 😂

He will bark to let us know if he wants out through night but this is very very rare.

I would try a combination of:

1. finding a food that makes him more settled, 2) drop to two feeds a day, and
2. setting your alarm to get up before he barks even if just in the short term

The raw seems to be working but he has only been on it for 10 days so want to give it a bit more time. Trainer has advised what we are doing is ok food wise so will drop lunch gradually, he is not fully grown yet. Earlier alarm set and ready to go!

Out of curiosity, what kind of dog is it ?

Yeah, I wouldn't say that's the greatest time to confine him to his crate with puppy pads. Quite the reverse.

Even as puppies, my dogs pooed only 2x a day max. What is going on with him?

I know; it's not like he is barking the nano-second the thought of a wee or poo crosses his mind; by then the need is urgent! He's a living creature.

I would take feeding advice from a qualified veterinarian, not a "trainer." Does the trainer, just by odd coincidence, also sell the food you are transitioning him to?

I could never put my dog in a cage - why can’tyou train him not to chew things with your trainer - if you let him roam downstairs he wouldn't bark - simple! Get him trained not to chew ! Or if you cant - put him in the kitchen eith a dog flap to tge garden!

@Gizlotsmum it's very wrong of you not to post a picture of the offending beast you know!

He's still young, I'd try letting him out a bit later for last wee and for the time being get up early to let him out then slowly push the time a bit later each day until your trainer is back wirking and you can ask their advice . I'd not be giving any fuss for a 5 o'clock waking though !

Good luck! And ignore some of the posters on here. It's obvious you don't want him waking the neighbours

They do but they never pushed it. I approached them after 2 types of kibble and several vet visits for upset stomachs where they recommended a bland diet for a period of time and re introduce kibble. He will be due a health check so will get their thoughts then. He does seem to have a sensitive stomach but will also eat anything he finds. As I have said I would tolerate him chewing if he didn’t eat it which is dangerous for him.

And if you have a chewer I certainly wouldn't do away with the crate at night until you've worked on the chewing more. He could make himself ill!

Also I don't know anyone who has a dog flap, it certainly wouldn't work for mine, he'd be out there chasing cats and howling at the moon! I'd also worry something might get in the garden and attack him even though I have high fencing I've seen foxes in the garden

He’s an English Setter. They can be quite vocal, he definitely talks to us a lot but the barking needs to be sorted

Yes he loves a good cat hunt, and he would eat everything ( this includes stones)

The bark master

@Gizlotsmum you have several issues to solve.

The barking for the toilet has been covered I think. As @IngGenius says, just get up a little earlier, then gradually fall back.

Next is the chewing. You need to give an outlet for the chewing as it is a natural behaviour. More chew toys (supervised) would be a good start.

Next is the eating things he shouldn't, you can train this out too. Have a chat with your trainer.

As an aside, there is no scientific evidence that raw is any better than 'normal' food. Assuming you are in the UK, pick a food that manufactured by a member of the pet food manufacturers association. It is regulated here and any food marketed as a complete food will be fine. If you have a decent 'normal' food, you shouldn't have any poo issues. I switched from raw to kibble with no difference in poo quantity, size, smell etc. If anything it's better than when he was on raw. I use Burns Complete kibble. He's more energetic with the kibble than with the raw, and less risk of cross contamination. With kibble you can scatter feed in the garden which will give your dog something to sniff and keep his brain occupied too.

He has chew toys, he has managed to destroy every thing but a black Kong bone, most last less than 10 mins.. he has some wood chews which fair a bit better but happy for any recommendations.

His poo is definitely better with the raw and I appreciate there are various opinions on feeding raw, having tried 2 high quality kibbles and only seeing results with the raw I am going to stick with it for a while but appreciate your comments

I had a terrible chewer once, @Gizlotsmum he grey out of chewing (destroying) everything in sight at about 2...You'll need to be vigilant about keeping everything tidied away so he can't chew things he shouldn't and provide plenty of strong Kongs / toys (sturdy rope toy held up the best!)

We found a lot of it was down to needing additional mental stimulation so look for toys which offer this.

My lab is also a chew monster and will go through yak chews in about 15 minutes.

The best things I've found have been a kong with kibble inside, a very small amount of water, sealed in the end with peamutt butter, then frozen, and a type of white hide chew that I can't recall the name of. Both of those will keep him going for an hour or so.

No issues about the opinion on raw. Just because there is no scientific evidence doesn't mean there won't be one day, just that there is none now. I suspect the amount if poo is related to over feeding though, not the type of food.

@HappiestSleeping he is according to all the packages getting the right amount of food, but I accept we may be on the higher side whilst mixing the two diets currently. He doesn’t appear to be over or under weight. However when on just kibble and absolutely right amount he had more ( and loose) poos. Will definitely try the frozen Kong tip

Op have you tried kipping on the sofa next to him for a bit. I know it sounds strange but with all my pups when I first bring them home I sleep where they sleep for the first few nights then I go to bed and set an alarm to wake up until they can sleep longer. My pup is 18 month now and starting to go through a naughty stage of weeing without waking me so I started from scratch by staying on sofa for a night or 2 then setting an alarm when I go to bed. If you don't want to stay on the sofa just set an alarm for a certain time, let him out and don't speak to him. Have him settle back down and go back to bed. This way hes not demanding you wake up and pee. Yes this is very tiring for a while but I've found it works for us. Just a suggestion. Good luck.