Stop Dog barking during the day

Hello all - I need some help! This issue has only come to my attention today when a neighbour (4 houses up) called to my door to tell me that Bailey "my dog" has been barking during the day whilst we are away at work and as he and his mother work night shifts they need to sleep during the day but my dog is barking and then seemingly he sets off other dogs within the 90 house estate. And can we please do something about it. Obviously as I work during the day I never knew that bailey was barking but surely it can't be too excessive if no-one else (immediate neighbours) have complained (Bailey is 4yrs old).

Now as a back story we have lived here for three years with never one complaint, Bailey is outside in his "very costly" specially made run from 10am - 1pm and then again from 2-6pm and never longer he is not kept indoors whilst we are away as he is a large dog and feel that he should be outside and not cooped up inside. The 'neighbour' has said it has been going on for the last 3-4 weeks and as much as I know my dog I obviously can't say what he does when i am not there (However I did use to have a camera hooked up to my laptop out the back window connected to the internet bout 2 yrs ago for a number of weeks which i could view by login' on to special website via my computer at work, just to see what he did actually get up to when we were not there and to be honest not much and definitely no excessive barking as I would have nipped that in the bud back then) Our house does back on to an open field where there is horses and cows who occasionally walk by which Bailey does bark at and I have seen him do this but it is a couple of barks and then by the time I have made it to the back door he has stopped and gone about his other business it seems as it was just a quick alert bark and that is it.

So don't know if anyone can help or give me their thoughts - should I maybe try more exercise in the morning to tire him out a bit? we do the Kong thing occasionally and little treat "hunts" (hide treats around his enclosure) but he usually has these found within minutes so even ideas on how to prolong this.

I would really appreciate any help and as I do know dog's bark (and to be honest in some cases it's great as I said before our house backs on to an open field so the warning barks are great as at least he keeping an ear for intruders) but also don't want him to be causing a nuisance.

Thanks for that will take a further look into this later as can only see USA suppliers and post & shipping is quite high! - I am very aware that they have their rights and I too wouldn't like a dog barking all day long but from my knowledge Bailey is not barking excessively (My aunt lives across the road and would be the first to tell me if the dog is always barking) and just wonder is there any other ideas out there that i should be doing as I said is more morning exercise needed (more mental simulation) as the neighbour has said this is goin on for last three/four weeks I wonder is it because of the horses arriving in the field but again i have witnessed his barking at them and usually lasts no longer than a couple of minutes and then he is off doing his own thing I am also surprised that if he has been causing such a nuisance that none of my immediate neighbours have said anything (I live in semi detatched as are the rest of the houses). I will (and want to) be more pro active in this like i said would not like to think he is causing a nuisance but also feel that dogs do bark and wonder has this neighbour also gone to the other neighbours who have dogs who bark aswell?

Thanks again for the product link.

Hi Bluefish
That's a frustrating predicament, especially since only one neighbour has come forward about the barking. It doesn't sound at all like your dog has any separation anxiety especially since you checked this on camera some years ago. Separation anxiety doesn't tend to develop out of nowhere. And it sounds like your dog has consistency in his daily routine with morning exercise so there is no reason to think separation anxiety is a cause.

Most probable cause is your dog barking briefly at some stimulus, such as a horse walking in the field or a cat taunting your dog from a high wall, which triggers off the other dogs in the neighbourhood, which in turn probably encourages your dog to continue the barking. Have you asked any other neighbours have they heard barking during the day from the dogs in your estate or is it just the one neighbours?
Sounds to me more like your nocturnal neighbours are just grumpy about their unusual sleeping patterns. Humans, as well as dogs, are diurnal. So it's absolutely normal for dogs and humans to be active and vocal during the day (although neither excessively!). If it wasn't the barking dogs that was disturbing their sleep, it would probably be the local kids playing and screaming or the recycle truck coming to collect the rubbish.
Why not try the camera thing again or even a microphone setup in your back yard so you can get some closure on this. At least then you'll have an explanation and then you can come up with a plan of action to deal with it.
Keep us posted on how you get on
Mark

Hi Bluefish I hope you get sorted.

Hi all - just an update - as i mentioned before I started up the video recording again and here is the result basically Bailey is alert barking so from my point of view on the dogs health/contentment I can rule out separation anxiety, boredom barking & fear barking and it is just Alert Barking at triggers such as sounds smells that seem to invade his space (and rouse him out of his sleep)
From a recording of a 3 hour time span Bailey noticeably barked 5/6 times during this time span and the max time of on/off barking lasted approx 7-8mins - (min was a couple of barks and stopped). So at least I know it is now alert barking as you can see him on the camera sleeping (most of the time actually) and then something happens or he hears something and he is up letting out an alert bark and then he goes back to sleep. Now I fully understand that alert barking for 7mins can still be annoying but at least I now have video evidence that he is not barking from 10am when I leave and stops when I come back at 1pm and then again from 2-6pm which is what this neighbour led be to believe that he was doing - constant barking - which is evidently untrue and is just doing what any normal dog does and that is alert bark and to be honest as our property backs on to an open field we quite like the idea of him giving these alert barks as it wards off any intruders and my immediate neighbour - who i spoke to at the weekend - also agrees and said he likes the idea that the dog would bark should someone try coming over the back wall and he said he never had any bother with bailey (we are here 3yrs) and was in actual fact off over the last two weeks and said he didn't notice or consider the dog barking excessively and just what any normal dog would do.

The neighbour who complained also said he started off all the other dogs in the estate as some kind of ring leader - from the video you can clearly hear other dogs barking in the background and there is no reaction out of our dog (you can even hear the birds whistling on the video)

Alot of people I have spoken to over the weekend including the vet and trainer said you can't stop the dog doing what is natural and from my video it is obviously not constant or considered excessive and normal alert barking. But as I have always said I want to be proactive so I am going to continue surveillance and the extra runs and excercise and reinforce the 'enough' command when we are there to catch him if he does alert bark.

I have also found out were these people work and now know they actually only work 2 night shifts of any given week so are therefore only sleeping during the day two days a week (with 4 days off) so will try and figure their routine and keep the dog in/curtail outdoor time during these two days that they sleep. - which if they came to me in the first place and told me of these two days it would have been easier.

I also found out from another neighbour that these people gave a lot of hassel to their old neighbours who had a dog too - but this family moved back to Dublin few months ago and we are now the next closest house with a dog (6 houses the far side of them has 2 golden retrievers) so just next inline with a dog that barks which I consider to be normal especially after conveying my worries with the vet who said I shouldn't be worrying and over reacting a bit on this?

I just want what is best for my dog (and also the neighbours) who is extremely loved and looked after especially compared to some dogs and wouldn't want the neighbours sensitivty or dislike of dogs to him been taken away or something - maybe I am over thinking it but at least my closest neighbours are on board so to speak (one of which i only found out works nights too and if there was a problem would be quick to make comment)

So for the moment I will continue to monitor the dog and work hard at minimising the alert barking as from what i read you can't nor is it normal to stop a dog barking altogether.

Thanks for people advice and responses should anyone have further ideas/comments let me know.

Also just on the Ultrasonic Birdhouse/collar - which the vetr said not to rush into buying as from sounds of above not necessary. I got the ultrasonic sound example online and played them the other evening whilst bailey was inside sleeping by the fire and he didn't react at all - the cat alright came in to investigate what the sound was but no real reaction from Bailey who just twisted his head - so don't know if this sound device would actually work on him - if this issue does persist and these people continue to make this a problem will look into maybe a citronella collar but again vet said not to be rushing into it and only as a last resort.

A hard job indeed and it is very hard to judge the tone of the beginning of your post but I am doing my best to keep all happy and not treating these neighbours flippantly am sure there would be others that would just tell these people to go to hell but i am not like that and I am just wanting to be proactive about this and from a dog owners point of view I am just glad my dog is a happy content fella and is just alert barking (which is normal) and like you I would never put one of those shock collar things on him and i only mentioned the citronella one as a last, last resort but am sure if I continue with the extra exercise and 'enough' command etc we should get through it and no need for such a thing (am sure something like that could lead to even more problems - fear) - the vet and others say there is not much to worry about but I will keep an eye on it, thank you for your point of view.

They can be cheeky pups! :) as it is only the alert barking this birdhouse might indeed work but as i said before i did set off an example of this sound from my laptop and bailey didn't react at all so just wonder would it work at all? we are continuing to monitor this and work on the commands and stuff so hopefully we can solve the issue again thanks for your input into this thread and link to birdhouse - many thanks

Hey Brucie and stressed is one word, have spoke to a couple of others and a different vet and they reckon I could be worrying about nothing as it is not like the dog is constantly barking just normal barking (like all the other dogs in the neighbourhood) at smell and sound triggers which I don't have a whole lot of control over well other than keeping the dog locked up in the house which I know is an option but not fair on him - he is inside when we are at home and just with the good weather we are having of late he happier outside chillin' in the sun - from the video we can see that he doesn't react/bark at other dogs barking nor the birds that frequent our garden it is more so the whiff of a passing cat or indeed the horses in the field behind us that he tends to bark at - think i will continue my camera recording and working on curtailing the alert barking but no point stressing myself about it suppose as well as been a good dog owner want to be good neighbour aswell - which by all accounts I am and so is the dog as we have lived here for 3 years and nobody ever said anything. Thanks for your input into this thread much appreciate it shall be keeping an update!

Have just read  your problem with neighbours. I would try one of thoes dog toys that u put food in and it keeps the dog happy and busy trying to get food out. It might help. Goodluck.