All dogs need help to undestantr what their role is when they are left alone in the house. SOme think they need to bark at every noise, others think that they need ot try to find a wayout to get to you etc...

Whenever you have a behaviour issue you would like to eradicatem, then ask yourself "what WOULD I like my dog to do in this situation?". Not what dont I want, but whaty DO I want and then tain your dog to do that.

For me, my dogs are trained to stay in a room and go lie down whenever I want them to whilst I am in the house. With new dogs or puppies, I train this in, severa times ont eh first day. Go lie down and stay there. And I try to then leave the room and even the house several timesd in one day always ensuring that when I return I greet them calmly, but not with any great vigour.

What if he barks, whinges or howls?

When a dog barks or howls remembe that the dog thinks that humans KNOW what it is trying to say. This can be used to your advantage.

If my dog barks when I dont want it to I say "ohhh you want me to cut your tow nails "(they dont like toe nails being cut) and I go back to the dog and cut their nails. The dog then thinks "stupid woman, thats not what I was saying, she thinks Im saying cut my toe nails">

With consistency my dog learns that when he barks, I go cut his toe nails, which he doesnt like, so in that case my dog changes his behaviour so I dont cut his toe nails. He stops barking.

Does that make sense??

its always a question of asking what behaviour you DO want and training it in. And then linking any behaviour you Dont want with somethign the Dog doesnt want.

Hope that makes sense and helps in some way.

Good luck with your neighbours!

Lotsadogs love it

Glad you liked it. ANd that you could decipher it all through my totally pants spelliing...

Im am the queen of bad spelling and dyslexic to boot - so I can read bad spelling as well as anythingelse - not that I noticed

Really like the idea tho - I have been using a 'time out' kind of thing - but just changing the humans way of thinking from 'you have done something I dont want you to so the consiquence of that is you will be excluded from me' to 'Oh you REALLY want to go in the other room?? OK!' is really much more positive - even if the outcome is the same - never thought of it like that before

ohhhh very very clever idea!!!!!

thank you - never thought of that in a million years!!!!

(will rep you!)




sa for today - dipstick here forgot to set up the camera - but! came home to my normal sleepy doglet in her basket - so she was settled....

im now sat here in the lounge listening to their t vand them yawning etc.... to give you an idea of how paper thin our walls are

ive been myself extremely quiet and waiting for the knock at the door - if he dares say again she was barking from half8 (i left at half nine)! etc i will be having words!)

hopefully young millard will be ok - but im still setting up the camera over the weekend and when i go out as i think it would be intresting to see what she does/how she reacts etc ...

thanks everyone for the help!!! if you think of anything else - feel free to add!!!!

Hiya,

Sorry - only jusut read your thread.

In my experience, neighbours to tend to blo everything out of proportion. I had it last year when my neighbours in-laws were babysiting their kids for a week whilst he parents went on holiday!
I was told whne they got back (and after the in-laws had left) that Zane (how they know that I'll never know) was barking all night every night and Ellie was barking at between 3am and 4am. I pointed out that both dogs ar3e in the house with me, asleep from about 1130pm after goin gout for their last wee. Zane sleeps on the landing (so I think I'd know if he was barking ALL night) and Ellie sleeps by the front door (the opposite side fo thehouse to the complaining neighbours).

Dogs are allowed to bark in the day. It's only a problem if it's escesive and I get the impression that your 2 aren't doing anything wrong - particualry as when you return home they're setttled.

Don't let them get to you.

Laura xx

Well actually the outcoem often isnt the same. You see when human FEELS liek they are doing something nicely they often do it nicely. When they FEEL better about something, they are more likely to do it more consistently, When it FEELS better, you do it better.

The result being that the modification of behaviour often works much better.

its the same as many dog owners being able to traing their dog to the words "Daddys home", "sant a biscuit" "tea time". And yet they often struggle with "be excited and enthusiastic", "come" etc.... How you express yourself in training a dog is crucial to the outcome. How you feel about something determines how you express yourself, how you express yourself determines how positive the response is from others. If you feel good about something you usually do it well, becasue you EXPECT it to happen and then it usually does.

IN class, when someone is trying to teach say Heelwork or stay, they often look very stern andspeak pointedly and sharply at their dog. Dog assumes they are in a bad mood and switches off confused. However, ask them to teach roll over, or twirl or weave through the legs, arguably far more difficult to teach and soemthing amazing happens. They start to have fun, approach the training as such and the dog switches back on, enjoying the owner interaction and learning quickly and with enthusiasm.

Thats one of the reasons that clickers and whistles work so well, there is no emotion in the sound and the consequences certainly of a clicker if used properly are ALWAYS positive.

Hope that helps.

AS for the original problem. If it is down to neighbours, maybe ask then in for a cup of tea to talk through their concerns, make them feel valued as nighbours, be greatful for their concerns, offer them some biccys, bake them a cake, let them get to know the dogs, disarm them with charm. Perhaps they wont be so condeming of a dog they have met and nighbours they are friendly with?

Perhaps they are confsing stress at dealing with their own personal difficulties with the annoyance of the occasional, normal dog bark?

Making friends and offfering help in my experince is the best way to avoiding neighbour conflict.

Good luck

thanks

some people are unreal arnt they??!

went out for an hour last night - came back to find millie very worked up..... (i left her tired and sleepy).... so can only imagine....



we actually do not like these neighbours - we have done nothing wrong - they disliked us before we moveed in they are just the type of people - no-one likes....!!!!


luckily im now off until tuesday so im going tog et my bum in gear and sort this video camera out and put it on every time i go out - even if its just half an hour.....


i want to make sure no-one iswinding them up.....

thanks everyone