NDN dog howling

[Princessponies]

NDN have recently got a rescue dog. It’s a lovely friendly dog and they are also nice reasonable people, no issues normally.

Unfortunately the second they leave the house the dog howls none stop until they come back. It’s extremely loud and annoying, I have babies and it wakes them up every single time. It’s a big dog and we share a chimney so the noise echos through the fireplaces. She isn’t out often, a couple of hours a day usually.

Obviously I can and will speak to them but realistically is there anything they can do about it? I’m sure she will be very apologetic as she is very nice but I’m wondering if it’s worth causing problems between us if it’s just one of those things that she won’t be able to fix. I’m not exactly silent (toddlers and a dog of my own who occasionally barks but nothing like that!)

Thanks!

Definitely speak to them. They need to be aware the dog is distressed when left alone. They need to build it up gradually by leaving for very short intervals and slowly extending them - which absolutely can work, but gets harder if they get into a pattern of separation anxiety and prolonged howling.

There are steps they can take to help settle the dog and get it used to staying home by itself for a short while. Like pp says, it needs to be built up gradually too. If the dog is newly rescued I'm surprised they aren't doing anything with this already.

Unfortunately no matter how much you try, some dogs, especially some rescues, just can't handle it. I have a rescue greyhound and he simply can't cope for more than an hour on his own, so he doesn't get left on his own. I make sure I get someone to stay home with him or I take him to a helpful neighbour. I hope your neighbours are going to approach this responsibly. Good luck!

If the dog comes from a rescue they should be able to advise and support new owners on how to deal with separation anxiety. We had this problem and found this book really helpful amzn.eu/d/5b4wpzL
There's also a website and podcast.
Took a while but my dog can now be left for 3-4 hours if needed

She can fix it but it won't be quick. Ideally, the dog needs to stay with someone until it's confident enough to be left alone.