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ForumsBelgian Malinois > New adult mal barking in kennel when we leave her. (9 replies)
New adult mal barking in kennel when we leave her. by LucyCandA on 09 July 2012 - 11:10 |
| We have had her 4 nights now. The first 2 she didn't bark when we put her in her kennel and went to bed. The third and fourth nights she barked until my husband came down to see what was wrong. We both agree we are reinforcing the barking by coming downstairs to check on her or quiet her. Last night my husband even slept on the couch to keep her quiet since we have a baby we didn't want woken up. She barks now anytime she is left alone. My husband even made sure she was worn out so she would be really tired and not bark.....but it didn't work. My husband wore her out exercising this morning, fed and pottied her. She still barked when he left. Can't go on having her bark every night like this or when my husband leaves early for work and I (and the baby) are still sleeping. Suggestions? |
by Wufpack on 09 July 2012 - 12:12 |
| Try giving her a kong toy with peanut butter in it, or a stuffed bone, in her crate. That will keep her occupied. If that doesn't work you can try a bark collar, but try a bone or kong first. Beth Rood RoodHaus Belgian Malinois |
by LucyCandA on 09 July 2012 - 12:21 |
| So what about when she wakes us up at 5 a.m. barking and the Kong is empty? Is it ok to give her a Kong every single night? I thought about getting one of those ultrasonic egg devices to turn on only while we are in bed. I think it would stop the attention barking while we sleep..... |
by reedman222 on 09 July 2012 - 19:16 |
| How did you introduce her to the kennel? Did you break her in slowly or just put her in it? |
by LucyCandA on 09 July 2012 - 19:50 |
| Well, she was familiar with the command "kennel" for getting in the kennel. I think she recognized it as being similar to the kennel at the previous owner's place. I just left the door open. When she went in I praised her and said "Good kennel" lots of times and "Good girl, Lucy". She goes in and out on her own comfortably and will get in when we tell her too as well. She has to sit/stay prior to being allowed to come out. |
by asomich on 10 July 2012 - 23:43 |
| She barks now anytime she is left alone. Separation Anxiety. She is not use to being alone (could have been with other dogs) and/or new environment. Google it on the internet - lot's of info that you can use to condition her to being alone. Yes, use the kong every time she's in the crate - it will be her "lovie" or like a child's "blankie". She's had enough time to settle down to new house. Do what the others have said and use a bark collar. She needs to learn that crate means quiet time. Also, the more she barks, the more she gets ramped up, and the more anxious she gets. And it's tough love time. |
by reedman222 on 11 July 2012 - 17:00 |
| You need to put her in it and close the door while you are there. After about 5 - 10 minutes let her out provided she has been quite while she was in it. Praise her and tell her how good she was. You can increase the time longer as she progresses in being quite. After you get up to about 1/2 hour, start going outside for short periods of time. When you come back in, let her out and act NORMAL and go about your business. Once she gains confidence that you will be there and let her out, she should calm down. This is going to take PATIENCE on your part. During the night, if she barks, you need to tell her to be quite. When she is quite, tell her in a calm voice how good she is. Remember, all she wants to do is please you. It is OUR JOB AS DOG OWNERS to find a way to communicate with the dog. |
by asomich on 11 July 2012 - 17:45 |
OP needs to google separation anxiety. She will find a lot of info. The reason why I suggested this is that there is more information out there than any of us can tell her on this thread. Treating sep anx requires doing alot of little things to condition and desensitize the dog. It is not necessarily doing one specific thing, but layers of things including schedule changes and your own behavior. The OP needs to learn about the condition and research what techniques she can and actually wants to do. For example, having someone at home all of the time does not help the dog. The OP is going to have to leave the house on a regular basis or it will make the condition worse. If the OP and her husband are stressed and anticipating the dog barking at bedtime it is going to make the dog worse, etc |
by asomich on 11 July 2012 - 18:59 |
| OP, If this was my dog I would contact the owner to find out where and how Lucy was kenneled. She may be use to being with other dogs or sleeping near the owner. This information will help you set her up for your home. If this was my dog and I wanted her to learn to sleep on her own downstairs, I would place her crate in the hallway outside my bedroom with the door open and let her sleep in that spot for 2 nights. If I want to sleep with my bedroom door closed then I would do that next that for several nights because she will be sensitive to being shut off from you. Then I would slowly move the crate toward the stairs every couple of nights. The biggest jump for Lucy will be at the foot of the stairs. I would leave her crate there for 4 to 5 nights or longer before working the crate towards the final destination. I would have my husband place her in the crate with a freshly stuffed kong before he leaves for work. You may find that Lucy is ok during the day downstairs but barks at night. Many dogs are very pack oriented and want to be near their owners at night time. If this is the case, then have 2 crates or move her crate downstairs after you get up in the morning. I find that my dog with separation anxiety does better with an open wire crate versus a plastic crate. Make sure she has her kong. Oral chewing and licking for her is soothing and calming. (for us humans too - ex chewing gum) At the same time, you need to slowly work on leaving Lucy at home alone during the day. If I were you, I would plan my errands at the same time each day and/or each day of the week. Having a schedule will reassure her that you will come back and not totally abandon her. Then slowly add random trips away from the house. I would use this training dvd called "Crate Games" by Susan Garrett to teach Lucy to learn to relax in her crate http://www.dogwise.com/itemdetails.cfm?id=dta287 Just some thoughts. Good luck. Annamarie |
by asomich on 20 July 2012 - 01:24 |
| OP, are ya'll getting any sleep? |
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