[Sue/Rico]

Hello there!

My new puppy came to live with me at 8 weeks. He is now 4 1/2 months. Because I live alone, and in an apartment, I purposely left my pup every single day alone - in his crate - beginning with just 10 minutes, 30 minutes, etc etc. I have increased the time to even 2 hours once. I videotape him when I go. For the first while he was fine but in the last week he has been barking nonstop when I am away. He doesn't bark at night in his crate, nor during the day if he's in his crate and I'm home. But wow - nonstop when I leave. I leave a kong with him, but this doesn't stop the barking. I am really stressed about it because of other tenants. So far, no one has complained. Has anyone found anything that works? I am open to all suggestions. Thank you.

 

[NBer]

I can certainly relate to this. Fortunately, I work from home where I teach online. This means I cannot have barking in the background so I have to put Rafi in his crate in another room, where he used to bark constantly/loudly for the full 90 minute class! I was worried this would never stop but several people indicated he would "grow out of it" in due course. He came to us at 9 weeks and is 15 weeks old now. I'm gradually seeing a reduction in the barking and hope you see improvements soon too. Rafi hasn't completely stopped barking but he only does so for a short period of 10 minutes or so.

 

[Sue/Rico]

I can certainly relate to this. Fortunately, I work from home where I teach online. This means I cannot have barking in the background so I have to put Rafi in his crate in another room, where he used to bark constantly/loudly for the full 90 minute class! I was worried this would never stop but several people indicated he would "grow out of it" in due course. He came to us at 9 weeks and is 15 weeks old now. I'm gradually seeing a reduction in the barking and hope you see improvements soon too. Rafi hasn't completely stopped barking but he only does so for a short period of 10 minutes or so.

Hi there - oh thank you for replying. I'm so happy to see Rafi is growing out of it and it's getting better. I sure hope that happens with my pup, Asher. I am retired, so I'm home a lot, and for a long time he was quiet when I left him briefly. But I have to take him out for potty breaks and I think he just wants to come with me all the time. Next week I have a dentist appt. and of course I have appt.s and shopping trips etc. There are times I have to leave him alone. I soooo hope he grows out of it, Thanks so much for the encouraging thought that he will grow out of it.

 

[krandall]

One mistake many people make is to go out for increasingly longer periods of time. This makes the dog anxious that every time will be longer than the time before. Instead, you want to vary the times you are out… one time staying out for 15 min., the next for half an hour, the next for ten minutes, the next for 35, the next, 25, the next 5, the next 45, the next 10… “ping ponging” the times.

This is called “intermittent rate of reinforcement.” The dog is never sure whether you MIGHT come home in 5 minutes, and can’t QUITE remember how long he has tolerated before. Just keep slowly creeping up the higher number, but remembering the importance of sprinkling in lots of short ones too!

 

[Sue/Rico]

One mistake many people make is to go out for increasingly longer periods of time. This makes the dog anxious that every time will be longer than the time before. Instead, you want to vary the times you are out… one time staying out for 15 min., the next for half an hour, the next for ten minutes, the next for 35, the next, 25, the next 5, the next 45, the next 10… “ping ponging” the times.

This is called “intermittent rate of reinforcement.” The dog is never sure whether you MIGHT come home in 5 minutes, and can’t QUITE remember how long he has tolerated before. Just keep slowly creeping up the higher number, but remembering the importance of sprinkling in lots of short ones too!

Oh, thanks, that's a great idea. Good, good point. I actually have started back to basics and have been leaving for shorter times, like just for 10 minutes. But I'll bounce around my times - short and longer, etc. I have a dentist appt. next week which of course will be longer. Thank you so much.

 

[Rainy]

I can certainly relate to this. Fortunately, I work from home where I teach online. This means I cannot have barking in the background so I have to put Rafi in his crate in another room, where he used to bark constantly/loudly for the full 90 minute class! I was worried this would never stop but several people indicated he would "grow out of it" in due course. He came to us at 9 weeks and is 15 weeks old now. I'm gradually seeing a reduction in the barking and hope you see improvements soon too. Rafi hasn't completely stopped barking but he only does so for a short period of 10 minutes or so.

Try a small toy squirt gun with water in it. After a couple of times, he will quit barking while in the cage. Havanese don't like to get wet (or at least mine don't like it).

 

[Rainy]

Hello there!

My new puppy came to live with me at 8 weeks. He is now 4 1/2 months. Because I live alone, and in an apartment, I purposely left my pup every single day alone - in his crate - beginning with just 10 minutes, 30 minutes, etc etc. I have increased the time to even 2 hours once. I videotape him when I go. For the first while he was fine but in the last week he has been barking nonstop when I am away. He doesn't bark at night in his crate, nor during the day if he's in his crate and I'm home. But wow - nonstop when I leave. I leave a kong with him, but this doesn't stop the barking. I am really stressed about it because of other tenants. So far, no one has complained. Has anyone found anything that works? I am open to all suggestions. Thank you.

He is a baby and wants to be around you at all times so that is why he barks. Hopefully he will grow out of it. Tell him that you will be back each time that you leave the apt. Eventually he will understand what it means.

 

[krandall]

Try a small toy squirt gun with water in it. After a couple of times, he will quit barking while in the cage. Havanese don't like to get wet (or at least mine don't like it).

Squirting an axious puppy is only going to make him more anxious. I only use punishment when I am absolutely POSITIVE that the dog is completely clear on the rules, is breaking the rules knowingly, and is not doing so due to a situation that is upsetting or causing anxiety. I honestly can’t think of a circumstance when I would squirt a puppy.

 

[Sue/Rico]

Hi there,
Well, things are not improving with my puppy's barking in the crate while I'm gone. I have a diffuser going that I got from the Vet releasing pheromones, I tire my pup out, and leave him with a kong but I went to the dentist the other day and was gone for 90 minutes and he barked for 90 minutes. Shockingly, he was so distraught he didn't even touch the kong. I thought things were improving and I consistently left him alone in the crate and left - and varied the time - from minutes to longer. He would be quiet for about 20 minutes and then bark but with long spaces between the barks.

He's 5 months now. It's cooler out, so when I grocery shop, I leave him in the car - I'm only gone for about 10 minutes. I live in an apt. and can't have him barking all the time when I leave. He barks in the car when I leave but then stops.

Other than when I leave, my pup never barks - ever. He never barks when I am home with him.

I love my little pup so much but I also would love him to feel calm when I'm gone briefly. I don't know what else to do. If I lived in a house I wouldn't care - assuming he'd adjust in time - but in an apt. it's so different.

Any suggestions?

Sue

 

[Pucks104]

Maybe not a permanent fix but could you find a pup sitter you could come 2-3 times a week so you could run errands. The puppy could get use to your absence though someone else you be present. Or have you tried a puppy pen rather than the crate. Would that make a difference.

 

[Tere]

Was he calm when you returned?
Mine is now over 5 years old. He had a big separation anxiety problem when I got him at 10 months. He too never barked except when he was alone. He would bark himself into quite the frenzy and loose control of his bladder/bowels. This was resolved after a few messy crates thankfully but the howling continued. This all would start if I was gone for under 5 minutes. He had never been alone ever.
He still does not like to be alone. In the last month, he has restarted not touching his treats that he gets when I leave. This really concerns me as he is always ready to eat. But he has not restarted the barking/howling of his first month.
I did try some calming treats about an hour before I was going to leave him, a few different kinds. They did seem to calm him a bit but he was still distraught, barking. I used the Adaptil spray that also seems to calm him. The vet suggested some meds for him but I really did not want to go that route.
I was talking to a neighbor who had bought a anti barking device that lets out an ultrasonic sound because their neighbor's dog barked constantly by their windows. It could be used indoors or outdoors with a 50 foot range. I borrowed it. First day, I set it up and went outside with a window open. Sure enough within a few minutes of departure, he started
barking. A few woofs later, he stopped. I could hear him pause. He must have heard the sound.
Next day, again. It was one or two woofs and he stopped.
The one they had was about $200. I ordered a different one from Chewy for about $25. and used it for about a month just to be sure that he did not restart the barking.
I would only use this as a last resort. I have loaned it to a couple neighbors for barking problems and it worked.

 

[Melissa Brill]

Was he calm when you returned?
Mine is now over 5 years old. He had a big separation anxiety problem when I got him at 10 months. He too never barked except when he was alone. He would bark himself into quite the frenzy and loose control of his bladder/bowels. This was resolved after a few messy crates thankfully but the howling continued. This all would start if I was gone for under 5 minutes. He had never been alone ever.
He still does not like to be alone. In the last month, he has restarted not touching his treats that he gets when I leave. This really concerns me as he is always ready to eat. But he has not restarted the barking/howling of his first month.
I did try some calming treats about an hour before I was going to leave him, a few different kinds. They did seem to calm him a bit but he was still distraught, barking. I used the Adaptil spray that also seems to calm him. The vet suggested some meds for him but I really did not want to go that route.
I was talking to a neighbor who had bought a anti barking device that lets out an ultrasonic sound because their neighbor's dog barked constantly by their windows. It could be used indoors or outdoors with a 50 foot range. I borrowed it. First day, I set it up and went outside with a window open. Sure enough within a few minutes of departure, he started
barking. A few woofs later, he stopped. I could hear him pause. He must have heard the sound.
Next day, again. It was one or two woofs and he stopped.
The one they had was about $200. I ordered a different one from Chewy for about $25. and used it for about a month just to be sure that he did not restart the barking.
I would only use this as a last resort. I have loaned it to a couple neighbors for barking problems and it worked.

Can you post the link to the device they had and/or that you bought? Perry still barks a lot when we're out. Most of the time it's ok - though I wish he wasn't so upset - but when we're staying in a hotel I would love something that I could use to stop the barking - and I worry that if we end up in an apartment at some point we will still have these issues.

 

[Sue/Rico]

Maybe not a permanent fix but could you find a pup sitter you could come 2-3 times a week so you could run errands. The puppy could get use to your absence though someone else you be present. Or have you tried a puppy pen rather than the crate. Would that make a difference.

Hi there,
Thanks for responding. Unfortunately, he hates the puppy pen more than the crate. I have left him alone from day one and he used to just sleep when I was gone but all that has changed. I do have people offering to watch him, but so far I'm hoping he'll settle down. I have a cat who loves to sleep in my pup's crate, so I put another crate beside my pup where the cat sleeps but it still didn't help. I thought the company would be good. Sigh.

 

[Sue/Rico]

Was he calm when you returned?
Mine is now over 5 years old. He had a big separation anxiety problem when I got him at 10 months. He too never barked except when he was alone. He would bark himself into quite the frenzy and loose control of his bladder/bowels. This was resolved after a few messy crates thankfully but the howling continued. This all would start if I was gone for under 5 minutes. He had never been alone ever.
He still does not like to be alone. In the last month, he has restarted not touching his treats that he gets when I leave. This really concerns me as he is always ready to eat. But he has not restarted the barking/howling of his first month.
I did try some calming treats about an hour before I was going to leave him, a few different kinds. They did seem to calm him a bit but he was still distraught, barking. I used the Adaptil spray that also seems to calm him. The vet suggested some meds for him but I really did not want to go that route.
I was talking to a neighbor who had bought a anti barking device that lets out an ultrasonic sound because their neighbor's dog barked constantly by their windows. It could be used indoors or outdoors with a 50 foot range. I borrowed it. First day, I set it up and went outside with a window open. Sure enough within a few minutes of departure, he started
barking. A few woofs later, he stopped. I could hear him pause. He must have heard the sound.
Next day, again. It was one or two woofs and he stopped.
The one they had was about $200. I ordered a different one from Chewy for about $25. and used it for about a month just to be sure that he did not restart the barking.
I would only use this as a last resort. I have loaned it to a couple neighbors for barking problems and it worked.

Hi there,
He wasn't calm when I got home - quite distraught - but no messes in the crate. I was only gone 90 minutes - at the dentist. I even tried Rescue Remedy and it didn't work. I have never tried the Adaptil spray - but I do have the diffuser running all the time. Is the spray better? So the device is not a collar? It sits nearby? And where did you get it? I wonder if I should try that. Living in an apt. is pretty tough with a barking dog but he never barks ever unless alone. I hate seeing him so upset.

 

[Tere]

https://www.amazon.com/PetSafe-Outdoor-Ultrasonic-Deterrent

This is the one I bought. I hope this link works. It's made by PetSafe, runs on 9V battery that lasts for months, not included. I see it is now almost $40. Sign of the times, I guess.
It is not a collar and you can use it indoors although it says it is outdoors. It means it is weatherproof. I used it on the 1 setting(goes up to 3).
The reason I bought this one was that the one I borrowed was PetSafe also, but it was a heavy duty one for an acre of land and so many settings and could be hardwired, battery or plugged in. It was also $200 at that time I checked. It was alot more than I needed.
I think that it would only work if the dog is located in one room without walls interferring. I hung it from a towel hook in the bathroom where Shadow's crate is, about 5 feet from the ground and about 10 feet from his crate. I did take it outdoors when my neighbors had a dog visiting that would not shut up. It did work, the dog was on the other side of the fence probably 20 feet from the unit.

 

[Tere]

Hi there,
He wasn't calm when I got home - quite distraught - but no messes in the crate. I was only gone 90 minutes - at the dentist. I even tried Rescue Remedy and it didn't work. I have never tried the Adaptil spray - but I do have the diffuser running all the time. Is the spray better? So the device is not a collar? It sits nearby? And where did you get it? I wonder if I should try that. Living in an apt. is pretty tough with a barking dog but he never barks ever unless alone. I hate seeing him so upset.
[/QUOTE

Not a collar. You just place it near where the dog is. See the Amazon link above, although I bought mine from Chewy because the delivery was faster at that time. The manufacturer guarantees it will work, for what that might be worth!
The treats I used were VetriScience Composure because my vet recommended them. They have them on Amazon.
I don't know if the spray is better than the diffuser since I never tried the diffuser. I wanted to also use it in the car so the diffuser wouldn't work.
Shadow is not a barker either. Being alone clearly upset him. He'd start barking and howling and I think he would work himself up to being very anxious, very quickly. Although we live in a house and you could faintly hear him outdoors with the windows shut, I resorted to this since he was so distressed. I think it is worth a try especially because you are in an apartment.

 

[Sue/Rico]

https://www.amazon.com/PetSafe-Outdoor-Ultrasonic-Deterrent

This is the one I bought. I hope this link works. It's made by PetSafe, runs on 9V battery that lasts for months, not included. I see it is now almost $40. Sign of the times, I guess.
It is not a collar and you can use it indoors although it says it is outdoors. It means it is weatherproof. I used it on the 1 setting(goes up to 3).
The reason I bought this one was that the one I borrowed was PetSafe also, but it was a heavy duty one for an acre of land and so many settings and could be hardwired, battery or plugged in. It was also $200 at that time I checked. It was alot more than I needed.
I think that it would only work if the dog is located in one room without walls interferring. I hung it from a towel hook in the bathroom where Shadow's crate is, about 5 feet from the ground and about 10 feet from his crate. I did take it outdoors when my neighbors had a dog visiting that would not shut up. It did work, the dog was on the other side of the fence probably 20 feet from the unit.

Awesome. Thank you so much. I think I'll try it. So far my neighbors have been great - well, except for one - but I know in time they will get frustrated. When you arrived back home - was your dog still upset? Or able to sleep due to not barking?

 

[Sue/Rico]

Not a collar. You just place it near where the dog is. See the Amazon link above, although I bought mine from Chewy because the delivery was faster at that time. The manufacturer guarantees it will work, for what that might be worth!
The treats I used were VetriScience Composure because my vet recommended them. They have them on Amazon.
I don't know if the spray is better than the diffuser since I never tried the diffuser. I wanted to also use it in the car so the diffuser wouldn't work.
Shadow is not a barker either. Being alone clearly upset him. He'd start barking and howling and I think he would work himself up to being very anxious, very quickly. Although we live in a house and you could faintly hear him outdoors with the windows shut, I resorted to this since he was so distressed. I think it is worth a try especially because you are in an apartment.

Oh, great, not a collar and much safer. And I'll try the treats too. I have a meeting with my Vet on Tuesday. My trainer has been helping me lots too. I felt so bad when I got back after my appt to find my pup so distraught.
I'm so happy it worked for your little guy.

 

[Tere]

Ask your vet's office if they carry Composure by VetriScience. Lots around here do since vets seem to favor that brand. My old vet gave out a few to try.
There are many reasons not to use collars but I never use a collar in a crate ever. I never use a collar in the house at all ever, only his harness when we are out walking. Many years ago, (40) my dog got his collar caught on something and could not escape. Luckily I was home and found him trapped. I had to remove the collar to free him.
I am not 100% sure he is sleeping since he is black and it is hard to see if his eyes are shut when I've tried to record him during outings but he is resting with the radio on for company. He appears happy and ready to race around the dining room table a couple of times. His crate is located about 100 feet from the garage but he can hear the garage door open and he knows that I am home. That would wake him if he were sleeping.
Good luck with it. I hope it works out for you both. It was heartbreaking to know how upset Shadow was.

 

[Rainy]

https://www.amazon.com/PetSafe-Outdoor-Ultrasonic-Deterrent

This is the one I bought. I hope this link works. It's made by PetSafe, runs on 9V battery that lasts for months, not included. I see it is now almost $40. Sign of the times, I guess.
It is not a collar and you can use it indoors although it says it is outdoors. It means it is weatherproof. I used it on the 1 setting(goes up to 3).
The reason I bought this one was that the one I borrowed was PetSafe also, but it was a heavy duty one for an acre of land and so many settings and could be hardwired, battery or plugged in. It was also $200 at that time I checked. It was alot more than I needed.
I think that it would only work if the dog is located in one room without walls interferring. I hung it from a towel hook in the bathroom where Shadow's crate is, about 5 feet from the ground and about 10 feet from his crate. I did take it outdoors when my neighbors had a dog visiting that would not shut up. It did work, the dog was on the other side of the fence probably 20 feet from the unit.

It is no longer on Amazon. 🙁