Advice on noisy gsd please

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Sandstone1

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Can anyone offer advice please. My gsd bitch is noisy in the garden. She will bark at next doors cats, birds etc. she gets plenty of exercise and has my other dog for company.
I have tried teaching her to speak so can tell her to be quiet which does work to some extent but the problem is when I let her out first thing and last thing to wee etc. If she hears or sees any thing it sets her off.
Neighbour has complained, although she only barks a couple of times before I get her back in the neighbour say it disturbs them. Any advice please.
 
Just to add, shes a friendly dog not aggressive in any way. Im worried about neighbours complaining although she only barks for a few mins I do have to let her out early and late to have a wee.
I put up wit noise from neighbour ie music, kids, etc but they feel its ok to moan about a dog barking.
 
Thanks, yes im trying to go out with her and reward her for being quiet, but next doors cats always set her off. they wear bells and as soon as she hears it she barks.
 
Yes, shes keen on toys and balls I will give that a try. Bit peed off with neighhbours tbh as she only barks for secs really as when she barks I always call her in.
What makes barking a problem that the council etc can get involved in out of interest?
 
If it is excessive (I think it has to be a certain number of barks/repetitions per minute), the council would need to come out and record it, I wouldn't call a quick volley am and pm excessive personally.
You can check with environmental health/noise control dept of your council.
 
itsmylife said:
Yes, shes keen on toys and balls I will give that a try. Bit peed off with neighhbours tbh as she only barks for secs really as when she barks I always call her in.
What makes barking a problem that the council etc can get involved in out of interest?
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Regular, persistant barking, especially at anti-social times. Council would ask the neighbour to keep a diary over a period of weeks logging each occasion.

They would send you a letter highlighting the problem; best to respond positively acknowledging that your dog does bark OCCASIONALLY (hey, it's a dog!), that you are aware of your neighbours concern and that tyou are taking steps to address it with training. Outline your training programme, invite dog warden to visit to see problem and steps you are taking. Try and keep it as friendly as possible.

Hopefully it won;t come to that.
 
Do you have a watch me cue? If not train one! Very easy to do with a titbit and a clicker. Then I would get a cat collar with bells on and use the tinkling bell as the cue for watch me so that you get the dogs focus on you. (New cue, old cue.....so tinkle bell, then watch me). Do this in the house first of all, then transfer it to the garden.

When you have the dogs focus then mega reward.....ideally something that will only happen in that situation....game of tuggy,food reward, belly rub, whatever rocks her boat.
 
Try getting her to wait at the door, going out into the garden first, then calling her to you when you're ready. This is what works for my terrier who LOVES to charge out into the garden barking.
 
Thanks, will be trying some of the training tips. I know she does bark but i am aware of it and try to be considerate to neighbours. I could understand it if I let her bark all day but it is just when shes in garden and hears cats etc.
I never let her bark on and on and always get her in.
After all dogs do bark!
 
I wouldnt worry too much, where my mum lives there are 6 Huskys living in a tiny garden and then get a 10 min walk a day when they howl it makes a racket, environmental health put a monitor in the nearest persons house, and even when all 6 went off howling it still wasnt loud enough!!!! And they are properly antisocial, ie 3/4am!!!!
 
Holidays_are_coming said:
I wouldnt worry too much, where my mum lives there are 6 Huskys living in a tiny garden and then get a 10 min walk a day when they howl it makes a racket, environmental health put a monitor in the nearest persons house, and even when all 6 went off howling it still wasnt loud enough!!!! And they are properly antisocial, ie 3/4am!!!!
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Thanks, that makes me feel better, theres no way mines any where near that bad.
 
Evie does this, she explodes out into the garden at night as there is quite often a fox the other side of the fence. If I go out with her and get in a command quickly she is quiet, but luckily my neighbours (who aren't all that close it must be said) don't mind, they like the fact there is a GSD about making her presence known.
Hopefully some of the ideas suggested will help, and it may be worth having a word with your neighbours and explaining you are doing your best to keep her quiet.
 
I did speak to neighbours and said im doing my best to keep her quiet. Ive also had a word with two other neighbours, one of whom is much closer than the one whos complained and they said they never hear her!

I know she can be a noisy madam at times but im trying to keep on top of it and dont want to fall out with neighbours over it.
I did point out I hear neighbours kids music etc.
 
If you put up with your neighbour's kids, music etc, it might be worth keeping a record of the times when this disturbs you. That way, the next time they complain you can point out that the noise they make is far more frequent than the noise your dog make.

I'm lucky, my neighbours think my dogs are great, they bark every time somebody walks up the road - what better security is there?! :D
 
Some great tips here to try.

itsmylife - don't worry, our young rescue GSD barked all night when she first arrived (inside the house) but our neighbours (luckily) said "it's a dog, we didn't hear her anyway - our kids keep you awake crying, don't worry" but god, we felt guilty - luckily she has stopped now. They love our dogs, I think they like the security aspect of them!!
We did the rewarding when quiet and getting her used to being in the kitchen with the door shut etc and it's worked :)

There's a dog at the back of us that is literally shut outside all night and it yaps and yaps and yaps...I know there has been problems with their neighbours over it, but personally its not a problem for me as I'm at uni for most of the year and my bedroom backs onto their garden.

I very highly doubt a few barks from your dog during the day is going to concern your council :)
K x
 
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Itsmylife, we had loads of complaints about our old girl from the next door neighbour when we lived in a village. When she died and we moved out, they said 'oh we liked having the dogs next door, they made us feel safe'.


**headdesk**
 
CaveCanem said:
Itsmylife, we had loads of complaints about our old girl from the next door neighbour when we lived in a village. When she died and we moved out, they said 'oh we liked having the dogs next door, they made us feel safe'.


**headdesk**
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hmmm...I am prob not the best person to comment as I HATE my neighbours(setting their dog on mine as a game when he came with a fear of dogs/men which got massively worse for their own amusement) but I'd keep a record of your dogs barking...v their noise...LOG the fact that the nearer neighbour is not able to hear it...and definitely increase clicker training...If that doesn't work plan B...fit shock collar to neighbour and set up an auto corrector spray to jet them in the face every time they start to whine!:eek::D:D...don't panic...I do mean on the neighbour tho...not the dog! No dog deserves a shock collar evil nasty things...neighbours can be evil nasty things to so match made in heaven!
 
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it just annoys me that I have to put up with noise from kids, teenagers music, cars coming and going at odd hours etc etc and dont moan as I think live and let live, but if my dog barks they complain!
Im working hard on the barking though, im going out with her early and late. Praise and treat no barrking and using toys and play to distract her from the cats. So far its working, however I dont feel its reasonable or fair to expect a dog never to bark!
 
itsmylife said:
it just annoys me that I have to put up with noise from kids, teenagers music, cars coming and going at odd hours etc etc and dont moan as I think live and let live, but if my dog barks they complain!
Im working hard on the barking though, im going out with her early and late. Praise and treat no barrking and using toys and play to distract her from the cats. So far its working, however I dont feel its reasonable or fair to expect a dog never to bark!
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of course you shouldn't be made to feel that..it is their language(amongst the other silent body language they use)...thats why I meant keep a record of both, to prove your point.. you are being responsible & over cautious due to them unnecessarily moaning & you can't be expected to stop your dog being a dog
 
I am having issues with the neighbours over the dog too OP.

B has taken a disgusting backward step with her seperation anxiety and once in a blue moon something (I have no idea what) sets her off then she will scream for england. She is barely left alone (Not helping the SA) so can not be making a huge amount of noise.

Neighbour whinged (With a note - how cowardly) about her barking one night about a month ago then nothing more was said on the matter. Fast forward to last week and I popped out for half an hour to pick OH up from work, I was back within 30 mins and the neighbour was stood outside my house and started to shout at me because the dog had been barking for an hour and a half (BULL%*^&). I snapped back at him that he was clearly lying, i pointed out I was trying to work with the dog but him banging on the door and sticking things through the door would not help matters. As soon as I stood up for myself he wanted to be my best friend.

They also have a brat that screams the house down.... and when she isnt screaming the mother is.... in a yukky way:o

Not much help to you OP but I know what you are going through!
 
A little update, ive been going out with her when i let her out early mornings and last thing and she has not barked at all at these times.
Has barked a couple of times at tea time 6pm ish in garden.
The annoying thing is that my friend heard the neighbour moaning about dogs in local shop.
Im now quite upset as im doing my very best to keep her quiet and I think doing very well but does not seem good enough.
Im keeping a log of barks and so far there are hardley any!
Is it reasonable for dogs to bark once or twice a day or not?
What is classed as being a nusience? Im really upset now.
 
There are a lot of idiots out there, one of whom is my b-in-l who walks up our drive to the farm and my dogs bark at him as he goes. He stops and bangs on the window and tells them to shut up(head desk moment) and seems surprised when they get more vocal. Ive told him time and time again to just walk on his merry way and ignore them but that is obviously too complicated for him.

My dogs also bark at anyone who walks down the road and someone the other day told my ex she wouldnt walk down the road anymore because she is frightened she will be eaten by my dogs.(another head desk moment)

My dogs are never even allowed in the garden without supervision and the 2 Dobes play very rough and anyone walking down the road could be forgiven for thinking I had 2 maneaters in my garden. But that is where they stay and when the postlady arrives they break off play and are delighted to see her as she is to see them.
 
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