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Bark collars are helpful in these types of situations when they are used properly. You can't just slap one on her and BAM she gets shocked when she barks, there are instructions on how to get them used to them, etc.
Where is she when you leave the house? Is she crate trained? When you properly crate train a dog, they make it "their space" and they feel safe in their crate, even when you leave. If she is crate trained, I would try leaving her in her crate in a bedroom (away from hallway noises) with some soft music playing.
If crating is not an option, I wouldn't rule out a bark collar. Eventually she may not need it, but it may be a temporary solution for now.
I don't have a dog, but aren't there collars that spray citrus rather than using the shock? Could you try that out?
Maybe a thunder shirt to calm her?
Also amp up her exercise so she doesn't turn excess energy into anxiety.
I also recommend crate training ( turn it into like a cave with a sheet over it) and also leave the t.v on or something that may be familiar for her as white noise to drowned out the other noises.
@bakerella: I have never used those but I have heard they worked really well! Of course every dog is different, but I think it would be worth a shot.
Just realized the ones I was thinking of were citronella based, not sure if that's what you were thinking of or not, but either way.
My neighbor tried a bark collar that sprayed citronella. Her old beagle was a bit neurotic and howled when she was gone when he got older. One day, I could hear him freaking out. He sounded hurt, so I used my key to check on him. I found him in his crate, scared out of him mind and the whole room smelled like citronella. Poor thing was was not connecting the smll with him barking. The collar was empty. :)
Definitely appreciate your willingness to fix the situation - I have dogs down the street that bark and bark for hours on end and I'm losing my freaking mind. I'm going to take some action soon because I can't take it anymore.
I also suggest exercising the bejesus out of your doggie to help calm her down a little. Maybe leave a TV or radio on low when you're gone too, and leave a pile of dirty clothes on for her to lay on/be next to. Our family dog loooooooves sleeping in my parents worn shirts. It might help.
@Jeannine @ Small Chic: Aww poor thing!
That's a good point though, whatever you decide to use it's probably a good idea just to walk out the door and listen for a few minutes and then go back in.
When we lived in DC we had to get a no bark collar for our one dog. It was the type that made a noise at a high pitch frequency when the dog barks. Humans cannot hear the noise, but dogs can and they do not like it. I don't think it hurt our dog and really after a few times, she no longer needed it on her.
There are lots of things you can do!
Some just take time because it is training.
You could start by leaving him in a room(s) by himself (but not locked) and you close the door to the room you are in.
Then reward him after a very short period of time of no barking, by coming back out and playing with him. Build up the time.
Make sure he has toys whenever he is left by himself.
Here seems to be a decent list
http://www.wagntrain.com/SeparationAnx.htm
Sounds like your dog has separation anxiety.
You can check out this article or do some research on Google to get some ideas on how to stop it. http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/separationanxiety.htm
Some things that helped with my dog include exercise, not making a big deal out of leaving and giving him a kong with peanut butter. This toy is awesome! The dog has to figure out how to get the peanut butter out of the toy and it takes at least a few minutes. This can keep his mind off the fact that you are leaving and provide a positive association with you leaving.
There are also things that look like little bird houses, they emmit that high pitch sound too. It is supposed to help stop them from barking too. Also I second the lots of exercise. Run and run and run some more!
There are lots of ways to stop the barking. So don't give up! Just keep searching until you find one that works.
@PennyLainne: We have one of these for our next door neighbors dog and it worked wonders!
You can also freeze the kong with peanutbutter, and it takes longer to get it undone.
Also, work your way up to being gone. Walk out of the door. Come right back, praise her a ton! Go out for 2 minutes, walk back in go stupid crazy about her not barking.
If you go bark collar route, please do the citronella. FI's grandma uses the shock, and the dog pee's herself when she sees it.
FI ran out and bought the citronella spray (before we read the replies). We didn't want to subject her to a shock collar whatsoever.
We tested it out. The first time she barked she stopped right away. She waited about 5 minutes later and tried again. Nothing after. We let her out of the room and now she's a bit anxious, but she seems to know better.
We tried again and she barked once and that was it. She didn't attempt again. Now these tests were only putting her in a room separate from us - which she will bark excessively until she's let out.
Our next test is to go stand outside for a bit to see if she will try to bark continuously. I know there are stubborn dogs that will bark through the spray and drain it, but the second time we tested it, she ran under the bed to hide. I know she gets upset when I put flea medicine on her. I'm hopping this will work for awhile. I can't imagine losing my dog after 7 years.
@MissPumpkinPie: looks like she's learning with that. My neighbor uses it, and her dog barks when she hears her coming. But that's it.
Also every-time you let her out after incessant barking, it reaffirms that if she keeps barking she will eventually be let out. I guess I'm at a lost at how to let her "bark it out" since you guys have neighbors who are not friendly towards her noise level.
Hopefully she will begin to get settled and the barking will die down!
@Eva Peron: I only worry more of when we are gone for a few hours or so and there's no one there to tell her no or to stop. Definitely can't have that. So, we are only using collar for that time being. I'll let everyone know how it works out when I actually leave the house. I plan to record it somehow.
I never tried the citronella spray--but I have an American Eskimo (look them up online) who is extremely protective. He doesn't necessarily bark when we leave, but he goes crazy when anyone knocks on the door, he hears something going on outside, or there is someone "strange" to him in the house. We put a bark collar on him. I put it on my wrist first to see how bad the shock was, and it's not bad. I felt horrible putting it on him at first, but it's been a lifesaver! He doesn't wear it all the time, just when we know that there will be an issue, and now, if he's in the middle of a barking fit, and we even just bring it out, he quiets down. I've never tried the citronella spray, but I read online, that eventually dogs get used to it, and they begin to ignore it. With the bark collar, the more and louder they bark, the greater the intensity of the shock--
@marylandnurse: We won't be using it on her much. She doesn't bark when we are home, just when we leave the house. That's why we're fortunate that FI works days and I work nights. It's just a big deal when both of us go out or he's at class at night (twice a week) and I have to go to work.
FI sat outside the apartment for 30 minutes last night with tv on and the no bark collar on. He said that she barked once and that was that. He could tell she wanted to bark when he came in because she was getting excited, but she didn't make a peep. Usually she goes ballistic and acts like we left her for centuries.
Knocking on wood. This has been great thus far.
ETA: She didn't even bark when I came home from work this AM. She got excited and that was it. So relaxing.
@MissPumpkinPie: I cannot tell you how much the citronella bark collars saved my life! Our vet recommended it as it's very humane. It allowed her to learn how to work out her anxiety on her own instead of barking it out.
EDIT: saw one of your replies.
Since you've already got the collar, let me also recommend conditioning her. When you leave and when you get home, make it a non-event. Don't say "awww, goodbye" or "I'm back!" because then it feeds into any anxiety. Put your dog in a down-stay for 30 minutes while you put away groceries, take off work clothes, etc. It allows your dog to learn how to reduce anxiety on his/her own.
PM me if you want more info.
@MissPumpkinPie: GREAT! Hopefully after a while, JUST having the collar on will be enough to stop her. You could also look at rescue remedy. We used it on the puppy when we knew it'd be high anxious situations
@zagora: This!
Don't go crazy when you get home and she hasn't been barking cause this will lead to other anxiety issues. When you let her out, almost ignore her and let her calm herself down. This will make things so much better I promise you! If you dont believe me just ask Cesar the dog whisperer lol
Also, I'm glad the citronella collar is working! I know how hard it is to have a yappy dog!!
I seen a thing called bark off on tv. It is not suppose to shock or hurt them.
http://www.asseenontvguys.com/bark-off.aspx
Here is the info listed on the site:
Bark Off As Seen On TV Features:
Stop your dog from barking anytime, anywhere!
Tired of yelling at your yappy Yorkie? Help stop annoying chronic barking with this portable, pet-friendly training device. When your dog barks, Bark Off emits an ultrasonic sound that instantly captures your dog's attention, naturally and painlessly interrupting the barking pattern. The ultrasonic sound, inaudible to human ears, stops once your dog ceases barking. Peace at last.
Bark Off As Seen On TV pet training device is the ingenious, ultrasonic training aid that allows you to take control over your dog's nuisance barking. Just switch on the Bark Off barking deterrent and an ultrasonic signal, inaudible to human ears, instantly captures your dog's attention and immediately interrupts the barking pattern. This allows your dog to calm down and stop barking painlessly and naturally. BarkOff As Seen On TV works so well because the ultrasonic signal actually teaches your dog the difference between nuisance barking and barking that protects your family and your home.
Battery-powered Bark Off pet trainer can be used indoors or outside and is especially helpful in the car when you have to take your dog on a long drive. It allows you to control your dog's difficult behavior humanely without trying your patience. Best of all, Bark Off is small enough to fit in your pocket so you can take it virtually anywhere you take your dog! Bark Off requires 1 9V battery (not included). Bark Off barking deterrent is completely portable so you can take it anywhere.
Glad to hear the collar is working! I also recommend having a trainer come into your home and helping out with any problems. Also, EXERCISE!
@MissPumpkinPie: The citronella collar worked like a charm for us, too! We were getting complaints too and it stopped his barking completely...actually, he doesn't even need it any more, but when we used to crate him when he was smaller it was a life saver. We also found it seemed to calm him down because he couldn't work himself up by barking a lot. Hope it keeps working for you!
Bark collars are very helpful. I got my dog one. It doesn't hurt her, it just surprises her and she doesn't like it. She learned pretty quickly not to bark.
Just want to add that you might write a letter to your neighbors apologizing and saying that you are working hard to find a solution to the problem. You might also provide them with your cell phone # and tell them to text you if she's barking while you're away. If you know specifically what neighbors are complaining, baked goods might help up their tolerance while you're working to lower your dog's anxiety level.
My dog had this issue and the combination of practicing coming and going, making leaving a non-event, making sure she gets LOTS of exercise, and giving her a frozen kong filled with canned food worked wonders.
Good luck!
I would suggest taking her a walk before you leave, that way she's tired and more likely to go to sleep instead of bark. When I leave the house I put my little dog in my puppy proofed bathroom (before that it was her in her crate). I read somewhere that little dogs don't like the feeling of having to protect the whole house when you're away and it makes them nervous.
You should talk with the vet and see what they say. I would hate for you to have to part with your pup.
Edit: OP, I just read your comment. I'm glad the barking is getting better.
I'm glad to hear the collar is working. I also had a maltese in an apartment and she had severe separation anxiety. Her barking got worse and worse despite all of my efforts trying everything I could. I tried two different bark collars, increasing excersize, crate training, behavior training, you name it - I tried it. Nothing worked. I eventually had to give her to my parents who are home all the time because she could just not deal with me being gone during the day.
@moderndaisy: They are quite the handful!
FI and I walk her every night as well. She was always walked and outside which she enjoys very much.
@Mrs.Estep: I bought the bark off and it didn't work for crap. I would pass on this one.
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So, last night FI and I went out grocery shopping to stock up on some food and neccesities. We just moved into our apartment on Tuesday so this was the first time our 6 year old maltese was left by herself in a new apartment. She is used to living in a house so the new surrondings and noises probably have her worried. I know malteses have some sort of separation anxiety.
Anyways, I got a call from the office today notifing me that there were three people that complained about my dog barking for three hours straight (which is an exaggeration cause I was gone maybe 1.5 hours). Regardless, I understand she can't bark while FI and I are gone. Luckily, I work nights while FI works days, but there's going to be times where neither of us are home or we go out together. I can't worry that she is barking the entire time we are gone.
FI wants to try a no bark collar. I'm not sure it'll work or I want to subject her to that. I walked downstairs for a second and she immediately started barking. I am near tears about this because I have a feeling they're going to tell me that I have to get rid of her.
Does anyone have any suggestions or went through something similiar. I really, really could use some advice. Thank you!