Serious noise troubles

[caroanne]

Well... we have moved into our nice new BIG apartment with a fenced yard! The dogs and I couldn't be happier. As for the landlord... he is singing a different tune now that I have moved in, even though I have dogs written into my lease and a very hefty deposit as well ($2000).

Last night was our first night here and Teddy was a bit unsettled and when I took him outside to go potty he heard a noise and started crying (those high-pitched puppy yelps). When I tried to reassure and shush him he only cried louder!

Today I got a visit from the landlord (he lives above me) and he's taking his board exams for dental school. So he's a stress case. He is saying NO BARKING WHATSOEVER and will talk to me again on Sunday (today is Friday) and by Tuesday they have to be gone if he hears one more noise!

My landlord's threat is in violation of the lease terms, and to be quite frank my dogs are not going anywhere without me, but I do want to be on good terms with the landlord. So... how do I make them shush!!!!

To sum up... Teddy is a "crybaby" and Bunny thinks she's a big white German shepherd. Any ideas???!?!! I'm hoping Teddy's just having adjustment issues but if so then he needs to adjust VERY quickly now.

Sorry for the long post!

Love ANY kind of feedback!

Thanks much,
Caroline

[This message has been edited by caroanne (edited 06-07-2002).]

[This message has been edited by caroanne (edited 06-08-2002).]

[This message has been edited by caroanne (edited 06-08-2002).]

 

[mollysmom]

I don't know how to get your newf to stop barking either, sorry. If I did, I'd certainly not have 2 of them at my house

. Some newfies are just very verbal. And they are not to be ignored.

 

[Luca's Dad]

Caroanne,
Dont know what to tell you Luca is a very vocal newfie pup....he barks when he wants to play he has a diffrent bark to be petted and a cry when he's alone and we are upstairs....he even howls when we go outside with out him....I just figure he thinks we understabd him......i was told to squirt a little lemon juice in thier mouth when the bark to get the to stop...only thing id luca wound up liking lemon juice,,,,, well good luck

Rudy and Puppy Luca

 

[Jeannie]

My Samantha is very vocal also. But the other two rarely bark. One thing I can tell you, when he was afraid out side, he started to cry and you comforted him that only encourages the behavior. I know we want to comfort our dog when they are afraid, but when we OOOH and AAAH and pet our dogs--that is praise or positive reinforcement. So they think "I did the right thing because daddy/mommy petted me and talked real sweet". Best thing would be to ignore it all you can. You can take the puppy to see the "monster" to help build confidence, but be careful how much comfort you give.

As for the barking, if you find a cure. Please let us all know. Sam is 4 and well, I have decided it will never end!

------------------
Jeannie and the rescues
Sara, Samantha and Panda
www.newfland.com

 

[AmyPC]

There was an animal show on about barking the other day. One of their solutions (which I have heard about before and seriously considered) is a citronella collar. It's a little box on a collar that you put on your dog that ejects a squirt of citronella spray when they bark. Dogs supposedly hate this smell.

I've considered it because we live next dor to the owner of our (leased) house and while he never complains (he has a giant poodle which can be noisy at times), I feel bad when Rory is outside barking her head off at a possum in one of our trees. And it's very hard to make her stop.

Obviously you don't want your dogs to bark when they need to bark, or when they are trying to say something. But it's that needless, mindless barking that can be a problem.

Here is a link for that collar.
http://www.nomorebarking.com/new/pages/howitworks.html

 

[misamala00]

I belive if your landloard could be a bit more understendable the situation would resolve itself with time.

Whenever I take Misha camping, she always barks a lot on her first night. I do try to stop her - just a firm "no" every time. But with every night things are better. I think your puppy is just a bit scared and unsecured now, but once he gets used to the place he'll be more quiet.

At home I also don't want her to bark at night. She loves to be outside (on the terrase). But whenever she would start to bark I would put her inside. I guess she figured it out because now she can stay outside during the whole night without barking. It still happens sometimes and I still just put her inside for the night.

Good luck

Mirjam & Misha

 

[caroanne]

Ooh thanks for all the replies

I guess Newfs are just a "chatty" breed then!

So... here's the update, being Sunday night has come and gone and I HAVEN'T heard from my landlord (thank god). Maybe he'll stay away!

Teddy, just like you guys suggested, has settled down quite a bit and there is no more crying (except when he is in "timeout" and he acts like he's never seen a crate or baby gate before)-- silly baby.

He does still "talk" a lot but thankfully it's mostly in an "inside voice." Sometimes when he and Bunny get too rowdy I tell them to "Calm down," "Shh.. Quiet!", or "Enough!". Remarkably they are catching on and usually shut up. If not then the next time it's a "Timeout" and they don't like that much.

For your persevering barkers, this is what I do with Bunny, who is a persistent "alarm barker" (i.e. the drop of a feather): the first time she gets an "Enough!" or "Quiet!" etc. and a tap on the nose or sometimes I'll grab her muzzle and hold it closed while staring her down in the eye.

The next time she barks, she gets the muzzle put on. It's one of those soft muzzles where she can still breathe & drink but supposedly not bark or bite. The main thing is she hates it.

SO... it's been working well. She hasn't stopped completely (she never will!) but now "woofs" in a very low tone instead of that high-pitched yap. Much better. And whenever she barks I also let her know that it's a no-no by giving her VERY pissed-off looks and looking VERY angry. You should see how guilty she looks!

I don't think I can do it with Teddy, though, since it's usually just an isolated "comment" here or there. But as long as it's not too loud he can talk all he wants.

When he cries he gets a firm "Enough" or "What are you crying about now?" and an exasperated staredown until he realizes that's he's being silly and stops. That's working quite well. If he's legitimately scared then I'll comfort him, but when I say that it only means that I'm a little less stern and it's usually a "There's nothing there, you big baby!"

I have looked into the citronella collars but they are REALLY expensive so that's out for right now...

Anyway, hope my experience has helped! Remember: try the "Timeout" and the muzzle thing!

Thanks so much,
Caroline
with the quieter big black dog and little white dog