The GSD is the perfect dog EXCEPT for the barking - Page 1

 My boy is the best dog i have ever owned. Wonderful temperament, very sociable, level headed, very trainable. He is generally quiet but when he decides he want to bark, boy can he bark. I keep him outside in the day but inside at night. I have had a bit more practice with my "i'm really sorry and embarrassed, thanks for being such a good neighbour" routine since i got him. He is about 6 months old now. 

GSD's are active dogs.  They are noisy.  The more exercise/fulfillment they get, the quiter they are. 

Stick an active GSD in a kennel without any pupose and exercise and they will drive you nutz.

He gets minimum 2-3 walks a day which includes free runs plus ball chasing. We do OB in the yard. He settles great at night. The barking isn't really a problem IMO because he is quiet 95% of the time, in fact more so than most GSDs I have met. But since I live in the city, with a small yard and houses all round, whenever he does decide to bark, i am aware it might be a problem for the neighbours although they have never complained. Life would be so much easier if i lived on a farm!!! Some of my friends have rotties and they are so quiet you'd never know they are there.

I guess the reality of owning a GSD in the city and the potential problem of barking is slightly spooking me.

I agree with the Don - your pup needs to stay busy. If you are unable to provide the exercise and mental stimulation during the day that he needs, you might want to look around for a doggy day care center where he can burn off all that excess energy - or perhaps there is a nice neighbor who could take him for a walk, or has dogs of their own he could play with. If this isn't possible, he should be crate trained to stay quietly in the house, at least for a few hours - that's where my two go (one 7 year old girl, one 20 month old boy) so I know there won't be any rushing the door or windows and a lot of noise any time someone passes the house. (We have neighbors who work out of their homes, so we try to be considerate). You need to get  the barking under control - trust me, your neighbors WILL reach a point where an apology just isn't going to cut it.

If your dog is quiet 95% of the time, I wouldn't worry too much. 

Talk to your neighbors and let them know you don't want to be a bother.  Give them your phone# and tell them to call you if there is a problem. 

If you have him in the house all night until you go to work, I don't see how they can complain.

I used to care what my neighbors thought until they put a rabbit farm next to my fence and allowed their dog to raom the countryside. 

My daughters barks because she is happy, she barks when she is busy, she barks when she is boared, she barks to greet you, to say goodbye, she loves the sound of her voice and thinks you should to!

I'm taking no chances.  When I leave in the morning and the dogs go to their kennels the bark collars go on.  When I get home in the afternoon the collars come off.  I have asked the close neighbors to please let me know if there are any problems.  It only takes one complaint to get on the list of your city or county for additional and continual follow up.

I hate neighbors......  And even on acerage you can have complaints, unless you're on a HUGE acerage, say a couple 100.

Laura,

You don't happen to live next door to Abhay's sister per chance do you? (see thread about neighbor problem)

Seriously, you might consider keeping him inside during the day (crated if need be). I suspect he is set off by something he hears or sees and removing that element might be the key.

Add to this if possible exercise in the morning before you go off to work, that way he will be tired (for a while at least) and should rest peacefully. A tired dog is a happy dog!

good luck

I agree with animules