# Problem barker



## Dilligas (Jun 17, 2005)

Thankfully, this isn't about my dog, but I beseech the wisdom of the forums 

My neighbors have a cocker spaniel puppy, about four or five months old. She's a great little dog, except that she barks ridiculously when no one is around. Both of her parents work, and when they're not there, she gets into a frenzied set of bark-bark-bark-whine-bark-whine-bark-whine. Not really that big of a deal, except that these barks are LOUD. I was walking Shadow one day, and I could hear her barking all the way down at the leasing office, which is through a door, four stories down, around three corners and about 400 feet away.

Of course, whenever there's someone around her, she's an angel. So ... how can they help to stop this? They already tried one of those if-you-bark-i-will-shock-you collars, but took it back because it made no difference at all. They leave the radio on when they leave, but they're fresh out of other ideas.

Anything is appreciated


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## Brandy's Mom (Oct 5, 2005)

Sounds like she's bored, for one thing. I'd suggest Kongs with peanut butter to re-focus her energies. Also, they may want to try a citronella bark collar instead of a shock collar. I've had great success with two dogs using one. A darkened room can also keep dogs calmer.


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## Dilligas (Jun 17, 2005)

Brandy's Mom said:


> Also, they may want to try a citronella bark collar


A what now? I thought citronella was a mosquito repellent 

They leave her with toys and things - they gate off the kitchen and she has food, water, and chewables, but nothing quite like a peanut-butter-filled toy ... I will suggest that. Good idea!


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## jim n (Nov 12, 2005)

Sounds like separation anxiety. I would crate her with some safe toys and leave a radio or television on.


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## Brandy's Mom (Oct 5, 2005)

Citronella spray -- they make bark collars that spray harmless citronella in the dog's face when they bark.


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## mojosmum (May 20, 2005)

I saw on one of the animal shows that there are seniors looking for something to do so they take care of the household pets by showing up partway through the day to take them out for potty and a walk and then they play with them. I think they spend about an hour with each dog they go to see.

This may be an option. Or doggy-daycare. This sounds like the best for her because I know, for a fact, that cockers HATE to be left alone. If I'm not mistaken I think I suggested this to you for Shadow and you said there wasn't any in the area but maybe there's a senior (anywhere from 55 years of age and up) that wouldn't mind making a few bucks.


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## shaneamber (Apr 20, 2005)

You have gotten a lot of good suggestions.I'd like to add,give her a old sweater or shirt that has been worn for a while.Perhaps the scent of her owner will help calm her fears.
Shane


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## Dilligas (Jun 17, 2005)

Once again thanks for the suggestions here! A few of them have certainly helped. I've also started taking her and playing "the barking game" -- I leave her in my apartment, then take Shadow, go outside, and close the door. Then I wait. She can whine and cry, but as soon as she barks, I throw the door open and yell NO. It seems to be getting into her head a little bit, but she's slow.

I also have a second problem with her, one that's a little less ... um ... sanitary. She seems to have become a problem pooper. This is a small dog (say, 15 pounds?), and she'll take three *very* big poops in half an hour or less, and she has no concept of 'outside'. She's very good about peeing outside, but this is another story. She will literally just stop as she's walking across the room, squat, and produce more than I ever thought she could. I've had to clean this up twice now, and the owners have at least four times. I've only been able to correct her once, when I caught her actually doing it.

So ... how do we attack this? As always, any and all help is much appreciated


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## Brandy's Mom (Oct 5, 2005)

First question is how much are they feeding this dog?! Even if it is an appropriate amount, it may be that separating the meals into different times of day may be the solution. Sounds like it is just getting way too much at one time to be able to hold it long enough to get outside. 

Also, some dogs need to go out immediately after eating. I know the general rule is 1/2 hour, but Jenna is one who can't even wait 5 minutes. She finishes her food and heads toward the door. Could it be that this dog is also like that?


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## Dilligas (Jun 17, 2005)

I know they recently switched her food (they'll be switching back soon) but I have no idea how much she eats. Also this seems to happen at random times - right after eating, late at night, not having any food for at least two hours... All times when this will occur.

Take last night for instance. I came home at, say, 8:30. I got their dog and as we were leaving their place, she squats and poops in front of the door. Bad dog. Then we head over to my place, and not ten minutes later she does it again in my living room! I know for sure that she hadn't been fed since about 6:00 at the latest.

Could this be a physical problem (intestinal troubles or something) as well as being food-related?


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## Brandy's Mom (Oct 5, 2005)

Do the poops look normal? If they're soft, it could indicate a medical problem.


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## mojosmum (May 20, 2005)

You said that when she was left during the day it's in the kitchen with FOOD and WATER and toys.

Maybe they shouldn't be leaving her food down for her. How do they expect her to learn to control her bowels if she's constantly pushing more food in. You said she's only 4 - 5 months old. She's still a baby that needs to have a lot more training. Maybe they need to put her in a crate when they leave. They should give her a nice long walk first thing in the morning after she's eaten (wait at least a 1/2 hour before taking her out) so she can do her business and then put her in a crate with a kong and cheez whiz or peanut butter. It would be great if someone could let her out around noon and then when they get home she should be walked again for a good bit. She should NEVER be fed right before or right after exercising. This could cause terrible and life-threatening stomach problems. She needs to be crated so she relaxes and sleeps. If the crate is too big then she will poop in the part she doesn't sleep in so it has to be size appropriate. They can get a larger crate and just block off a portion for her. Most dogs DO NOT like to foul up their sleeping quarters so maybe that will help her to control herself. She's young yet and needs to be trained. 

Good luck!

Dilligas - why are you taking her out again???? Have I missed something?


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## Maggie (Dec 11, 2005)

With our dogs we always left the radio on when we left. Being able to here people talking calms them. They can try music or maybe an AM talk show...


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## Dilligas (Jun 17, 2005)

More good responses -- as if I should expect anything else 

So, in order then:
- Do the poops look normal? Sort of. The first one of the bunch is always fine, but if she throws out two or three loads in a short time, the rest are soft, which I would kind of expect.
- I'll suggest the crate -- I know they have one and don't use it, but I don't know why exactly. She's also not walked very much -- being a Cocker, she tends to get filthy when they walk her and they don't like that. She does get a lot of exercise running around the house, chasing cats and Shadow and such.
- I'm not sure what you mean by "why are you taking her out again", but here's a shot at it: I watch her on weekends and in return they watch Shadow on Monday-Wednesday. It's a great deal, especially for the dogs!
- They do leave a radio on, or one of those noise-maker things, set to either ocean sounds or jungle noises -- freaked me out the first time I walked into an empty apartment and I got cawed at 

But I will definitely suggest these things. Thank you all much!


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## monomer (Apr 21, 2005)

Many (most) dogs 'evacuate' themselves at the very start of exercise. So I would suggest developing a regular feeding and exercise routine.

For an example: We feed Sidney a small breakfast sometime between 7am and 9am each morning and in the evening he gets about 3 times that amount for dinner usually between 5pm and 6pm. We always let him out after every meal... he actually 'asks to go out so he can do his ritual 'snoot rubbing' and roll on his back and drag himself sideways through the grass. My wife always takes him out for a short walk in the morning, where his poops either just before the walk or within the first 2 blocks of the walk. Then in the afternoon when I give him his 'real workout' he will ALWAYS stop, start circling and then poop within the first 3-minutes or 1000-feet of running. Only very occasionally he will do another one about a half-hour later (this one's always softer, which means he 'worked it up' while running. Exercise is actually a necessary ingredient just like fiber for keeping dogs on a regular schedule. The running gets 'things moving' in the digestive tract.

So.... I think if you start a regular feeding and exercise routine, the dog's system should adapt within a couple of weeks thus reducing those surprise presents. Yes, and if the dog is pooping more than twice a day you need to cut back on the quantity of food being fed or switch to a brand that uses higher quality ingredients.


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## Dilligas (Jun 17, 2005)

Following up...

Apparently she started developing her ... *ahem* problem after they switched her food. I don't know exactly what they switched it from or to, but on Friday they switched it back to the old food. And just like that, she poops like a regular dog again, instead of once every twenty minutes.

So once again, I'm not afraid of having her over anymore 

Oh, and the barking is slowly getting better... but I am the one who has had to take the reins and "be the bad guy" to scold her when she does it. I'm working on it.


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## LauraEyes2 (Sep 16, 2005)

As for the uncontrollable barking....my college roommate's dog had similar problems and would sound like someone was killing her everytime we left the apartment. What worked wonders for us was taking one of those large natural bones and filling the hollow part of the bone with a smidge of peanut butter. We usually just took a spoonful and smeared it along the inside of hte bone so she had to sit and lick it out for a while. Additionally we made the point of not makign a big deal about when we left. No big hugs and kisses good bye. 

Another thing to try is to crate her while they're home for short periods of time. This way she won't associate the crate with being alone. Put her in the crate for a 1/2 hr while you vacuum or do laundry or watch tv. Then let her out. It usually helps.


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