[Patch]

My friend has a pittbull called Diesel. He's about 18 months old.
They've never had a problem with him barking..

They recently moved house, and now, every time they leave the house in the morning to go to work he barks and barks.
He does it all day until they come home.

The neighbours have begun to complain, and now they've been forced to drop him off to her mother-in-laws place every morning so that he can spend the day with their staffy. He doesn't bark over there (he's used to this place because they look after him when my friend and her husband travel - so it's not an unfamiliar environment).

I've suggested getting Bark Busters in (a dog training place that trains dogs to stop barking) or get him a barking collar.

She's a little apprehensive about the collar because she doesn't want to do that to her dog...

ANY SUGGESTIONS?

 

[gazar]

Well he probably is scared because not enough time has gone by for him to
realize that this is his new home. He probably thinks he has been left there.
Where is he being kept? In the house or outside the house and if in the house,
is he in a crate?

 

[Redbull]

Crate him and put a blanket over the crate. Put his favorite chew toy in there with him, one that he won't be able to break apart or swallow. Get him a water bottle that will attach to the side of the crate and then he's all set. No more nonsense :lol:

 

[Patch]

no he's not inside. He's an outside dog during the day.
He was fine in the old house being outside during the day....
How can they stop the barking and show him that this is his new home?

 

[Redbull]

what's his "area" like where he's kept during the day? Is he tied out in the yard? Honestly they may need to build a dog run w/dog house for him and put up a privacy wall on the sides of the run if he barks at things. That would be the safest way to contain him outside.

That's personally what I would do if I were to keep my dog outdoors during the day. I don't trust tieing out in an open yard.

 

[Kate]

a super tired out dog = a super happy quite dog

 

[gazar]

no he's not inside. He's an outside dog during the day.
He was fine in the old house being outside during the day....
How can they stop the barking and show him that this is his new home?

It would take a good week of vacation at home to teach the dog that this
is where they live now. Personally, I would fix an area inside for the dog to stay.
It would take longer, than your friend's neighbors have patience, to teach the dog
not to bark. They, then, could slowly get him used to being back outside when
they are home on their days off. This would then extend to a trip to the store and
him left outside, to a half day outside when they are gone, to finally a whole day.

 

[tdiddy8101]

try music

 

[Miakoda]

Actually, a bark collar is just a band-aid & a sorry attempt to "fix" an underlying issue. Dogs bark for many reasons: to warn you of something, to greet you, basically to communicate & many dogs bark out of frustration, loneliness, & boredom. IMO, it's the latter 3 that are the choices as to why this dog is barking. A tired dog is a happy dog therefore my advice is for them to really work their dog. A "pit bull" is an active breed that requires at least a hard hour of exercise a day & it's important to vary the exercise types. My advice is for them to wake up an 1 1/2 early & take the dog for a good long jog/walk, play some fetch, then feed him right as they are about to leave. When they get home the first thing they need to do is exercise the dog all over again.

A lot of "problems" with dogs today are actually the fault of the owners. People want pets for the 2 hours they are home & awake yet they want to rest vs. working the dog. And most people don't even have any time to devote to the dogs except on weekends & even then they have other priorities. Dogs weren't designed to just throw out in the yard & leave them to entertain themselves. If people don't have time for a dog, find someone who does & hand the dog over.

 

[Stormy]

Patch, I haven't heard any good reports of Bark Busters.

Is the dog registered as a pitty? With all the laws in place the last thing your friends need is council becoming involved.

I got some new things today at my trainers.... Orbo with treat spot. My trainer explained how dogs with terrier in them have a high drive and if not getting enough action at home they go looking for it when out or by displaying unwanted behaviours at home.
These work by putting treats and spreads in them, they have a smaller higher area as well and are meant to be extra tough. What you do is give it to the dog and every couple of days you start hiding it in the yard, building it up to a brain tester. The orbos have a distinct smell for the dogs to track down and work to find then they have the added bonus of getting the treats and figuring out how to reach the top section.
Maybe trying something like this, I'll let you know how my 2 go tomorrow with theirs.

 

[slid3r]

If the dog is going to be outside for most of the day, grab a handful of kibble and throw it across the yard. Keep the pooch busy sniffing around all day.

 

[Patch]

Patch, I haven't heard any good reports of Bark Busters.

Is the dog registered as a pitty? With all the laws in place the last thing your friends need is council becoming involved.

I got some new things today at my trainers.... Orbo with treat spot. My trainer explained how dogs with terrier in them have a high drive and if not getting enough action at home they go looking for it when out or by displaying unwanted behaviours at home.
These work by putting treats and spreads in them, they have a smaller higher area as well and are meant to be extra tough. What you do is give it to the dog and every couple of days you start hiding it in the yard, building it up to a brain tester. The orbos have a distinct smell for the dogs to track down and work to find then they have the added bonus of getting the treats and figuring out how to reach the top section.
Maybe trying something like this, I'll let you know how my 2 go tomorrow with theirs.

he's registered as a Staffy cross.

ive forwarded your suggestion to my friend.

over the weekend, he had broken out of the yard, and they found him across the road trying to get to 2 be-witches....
they are having major problems with him!
i told her they really need to exercise him more and spend more time with him!

 

[Stormy]

If he's out going for bitches, maybe he needs to be desexed.

My trainer was telling me 5 or 10 minutes of mind play is equal to a 30minute walk.

Storm is just learning to play, still doesn't know what a ball is but I've been using rope toys and making her have to try to get them. Changing directions and lifting them high to get her really wanting them. She's then told to sit and I reward her by giving her the toy.

 

[Patch]

The thing is, he IS de-s$xed!
he's just going backwards.... my friend is SO stressed out about it.

i really think it has to do with the new environment!

 

[Chrisnjen]

I think they ought to start by exercising him more and by crating him inside the house during the day (unless they're gone for like 10+ hours at a time). I mean exercise him to the point where he doesn't want to do anything but lay there and pant in the shade, and do this every day. APBT/AMStaff breeds are extremely high energy, and they HAVE to let it out somehow. When they don't have any healthy outlet for it (exercise, games, etc.) they will simply find their own way, and that invariably translates undesirable behavior. This is true of any dog, but our breeds are exceptional in this and many other ways.

My AB (Maddi) barks her head off if we leave her out during the day as well, mostly at sounds she doesn't recognize and/or other dogs barking in the neighborhood or in the distance. With your friend's dog I would guess that the barking is due to a bunch of different things having to do with his new environment - new smells, new sounds, new surroundings, etc. Add to that the fact that it doesn't sound like he's getting enough exercise, either mentally or physically, and it's pretty easy (IMHO) to understand why his behavior has changed.

At any rate, your friend buying a dog treadmill (http://www.grandcarpetmill.com/) or making a flirt pole or spring pole (http://www.workingpitbull.com/springpole.htm) - or even playing some long games of fetch - in addition to daily walks and buying a doggy crate would be a huge step in the right direction and would yield results almost overnight. The biggest thing is strenuous daily physical activity.

 

[Patch]

Well yesterday they finished erecting the new tall side gate so now that he can't see out the front, he stopped barking!!!
so they had one barking-free day.

i'm trying to encourage her to exercise him more.

i noticed a HUGE difference with my patch when we exhausted him by playing til he wanted to sleep!

 

[Feenelly]

This sounds like seperation anxiety to me, the dog has been taken to a new environment with which hes not comfortable with yet and then being left all day...no wonder hes barking and upset. Sounds like the owners need to take some time out of work (if possible) and get him acclimatised to his new environment.

In the UK we have things called kongs, the owners stuffs them with treats or kong stuffing that can be bought, the dog then spends the whole day trying to get the treats or stuffing out, therefore keeping him distracted and busy. I have about 5 kongs that I stuff with treats when I go out, the dogs have a really good time with them. When they've tired themselves out hunting and eating, they go to sleep. Make sure there is plenty of drinking water available for the dog. These kongs are made to be practically indestructible, so far they have remained intact in my house.

Good luck to your friends.

Fee x x