# Excessive outdoor barking



## Bella's Momma (Jul 26, 2009)

You have all been supremely helpful with getting us on the right track with our other issues...so I thought I'd throw one more at you. 

*Excessive barking outdoors.*

Originally I thought we had the perfect yard for Bella in that she can see out to the front on both sides of the house. Keep her busy during the day, mentally stimulated in additon to the plethora of birds and squirrels (that she has somehow stopped barking at while continuing to chase around).

What actually happens is she barks her big ferocious poodle bark and ANYONE who walks down the street..."chasing" them from one side to the other...and sometimes if they are on the street that feeds into ours, too. We have mail carriers on foot here, live by a school, and in general it just gets a lot of foot traffic. Additionally, it seems having dogs here isn't that common and I NEVER EVER EVER EVER hear another dog bark. Ever. It's embarrassing.

She KNOWS we do not approve. If I am home I immediately call her inside and send her to her pen to settle. So much so that sometimes she will just run straight to the door after a barking fit, to come on (note: she is not doing this to get my attention to bring her in. That's a different short 'request' bark made at the door, which we do approve of). I am talking a major barking FIT. Sometimes she won't even come when called during one but is getting better on that. 

Generally this will not happen if we are outside with her b/c we're more interesting than hanging out at the gate. On the rare occasion it does, I call her, put her in a sit and tell her 'settle, settle...good girl (after she settles)," etc. I also usually make her sit and 'settle' before coming in when I call her after a fit.

Thoughts? I was thinking citronella collar, but open to other ideas before I spend $100 on a collar that I fear will teach her NOT to bark when I really want her to (i.e. intruder, etc.).

I hate to keep her inside in her pen when I'm away, when the weather is lovely, but I have started alternating doing so if I'm only going to be gone for 4 hours or so, just for the peace of the neighborhood.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I think it is a great deal to ask of a dog to be quiet when she feels she is on duty guarding the property. Bella is still a young dog, too. Frankly, I would never leave a dog outside if I was not around to supervise - not fair on the neighbours, and too much scope for accidents, theft, and other dangers. 

Assuming that she is only outside when you are around, stay out with her, and call her to you the moment something distracting heaves into view, before she has a chance to react, and praise, party and reward. Barking releases frustration, and is self-rewarding for most dogs, so you need to be more rewarding than the yap fest. Keep it up consistently for a few days, and she should soon be running to you instead of barking. It does mean no more taking the easy route, and just leaving her out on her own, though!


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## ziggylu (Jun 26, 2010)

We have view fencing in our backyard to the desert belt behind our house. This means our dogs can see everything that passes by our backyard. Unlike your neighborhood we have LOTS of dogs that bark at passers by and our dogs over the years have learned to bark with them, including now Cosmo who has learned from his big brother.

The problem often gets compounded as we have a lot of people who feel they don't need to walk their dogs on leash in our neighborhood so often dogs will charge up to our fencing when being walked behind the house. I have never understood why people feel they don't need to leash their dogs....we live in a suburb of a major metropolitan area and said desert belt opens at one end of our neighborhood on a major six lane arterial road. But that's a whole other rant and only relevant to this discussion as it makes the barking problem in the neighborhood worse...

How we deal with this:

1) Our dogs are never left out when we're not home. This is why so many dogs in our neighborhood bark actually, they're left out during the day and become territorial about things that pass by. I'd stop leaving her out, she's better off in the house, sleeping calmly. This will probably do the most to solve your issue. 

2) When my dogs start barking I do like you and call them to me and treat them. This typically stops the barking and also helps us work on recall. If they go back to the fence to bark, I call them again for another treat and then make them come in the house to settle down. I have french doors without screens so in nice weather they often can come and go to the yard as they wish but if the barking is becoming a problem at any given point in a day the doors get shut and the dogs come in for a bit. 

My dogs will sometimes hear fuss outside in the neighborhood and want to go out to join the barking but I don't let them when that happens. 

I haven't found a complete cure but this has worked well for us over the years to manage the issue so my dogs don't become a nuisance to the neighbors(or us).


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## Bella's Momma (Jul 26, 2009)

I just feel guilty leaving her inside...how boring it must be for her.  At BEST she gets the family room to herself, but safest is in her pen.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

If you are leaving her all day every day, have you considered finding someone to take her out at lunchtime, or daycare? A bit of boredom is probably better for her than a lot of stress, though, and fence running is a sign of a highly stressed dog.

I am at home with my two most of the time. They get about an hour's off leash walk at some point in the morning, the same again in the afternoon or early evening, plus a few quick trips out first thing, last thing and in between. During the day they spend most of their time sleeping, or working on a chew, just as they would were I not here. As long as you can give her attention, exercise and stimulation when you are with her, I think she would be happier - and safer - indoors, in a dog proofed family room.


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## georgiapeach (Oct 9, 2009)

We have a couple of barky dogs in my neighborhood, too. We don't leave ours outside alone, b/c they'll eventually join in. Our dogs have learned that if they start barking, they're told to stop, and if they don't, they go inside immediately.


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## Bella's Momma (Jul 26, 2009)

She's not left all day everyday. I'm a SAHM so it depends on the day, how much I'm gone, or not. I'm in and out a lot. The longest she'd likely ever be alone on a weekday is 6 hours, but it's rare. Usually if we plan outings longer than that on weekends she does go to daycare. 

My husband can stagger his leave times on days I may not come home at all before the afternoon so generally she may be on her own 4 hours. She can certainly stay in for that amount of time, I just figured how boring compared to the fresh air, trees, squirrels and birds. I just wish she couldn't get to see out front and bark at people! Her barking at wildlife is minimal. 

I hadn't thought of being outside as stressful for her. That is an interesting POV. What do you mean by 'fence running.' Our back fence she only runs along it if a squirrel is...or the neighbors have a border collie visiting. LOL.


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