Post by bluebar23 on Oct 22, 2018 13:54:41 GMT -5
I am horrified. Our neighbor just called to tell me our outside dogs have been barking all night long for a week and her husband hasn't slept.
My DH sleeps like a log. His snoring means I sleep with earplugs, so I never heard the dogs either.
I think we are just going to have to find them new homes. The point of them being out there is to guard the place. The only way I have to keep them from barking is to lock them up, which means they aren't doing their job, which makes them expensive-to-feed yard ornaments.
The neighbor suggested a no-bark collar. But isn't the bark 99% of an LGD's job?
She also said in the 1+ year we've lived here, this is the only time it's been a problem. The only thing that's changed lately is that a few weeks ago I kicked one of the inside dogs out; she is a rat terrier who starts peeing in the house once it turns cold outside, and I was tired of stepping on wet rugs. DH suggested letting her come back inside, to see if she's learned her lesson and see if that lessens the barking. But that still leaves two outside. And if someone's going to stay awake to listen for barking dogs, it's going to be me, and I don't relish the thought of losing that much sleep. (Part of the problem is that they're barking at the far corner of our property, which is right by the neighbors' bedroom but as far as possible from ours.)
DH's other idea is to lock the actual LGD out at night, and leave the other two (the mutt and the rat terrier) locked up. But I don't think that's going to stop the LGD from barking, or the other two from barking back when they hear her. I also worry that's going to make her feel like she has free reign to roam off-property all night.
My DH will be deeply upset if I rehome any of the dogs. But I don't see another way around this. Am I missing a possible solution??
My DH sleeps like a log. His snoring means I sleep with earplugs, so I never heard the dogs either.
I think we are just going to have to find them new homes. The point of them being out there is to guard the place. The only way I have to keep them from barking is to lock them up, which means they aren't doing their job, which makes them expensive-to-feed yard ornaments.
The neighbor suggested a no-bark collar. But isn't the bark 99% of an LGD's job?
She also said in the 1+ year we've lived here, this is the only time it's been a problem. The only thing that's changed lately is that a few weeks ago I kicked one of the inside dogs out; she is a rat terrier who starts peeing in the house once it turns cold outside, and I was tired of stepping on wet rugs. DH suggested letting her come back inside, to see if she's learned her lesson and see if that lessens the barking. But that still leaves two outside. And if someone's going to stay awake to listen for barking dogs, it's going to be me, and I don't relish the thought of losing that much sleep. (Part of the problem is that they're barking at the far corner of our property, which is right by the neighbors' bedroom but as far as possible from ours.)
DH's other idea is to lock the actual LGD out at night, and leave the other two (the mutt and the rat terrier) locked up. But I don't think that's going to stop the LGD from barking, or the other two from barking back when they hear her. I also worry that's going to make her feel like she has free reign to roam off-property all night.
My DH will be deeply upset if I rehome any of the dogs. But I don't see another way around this. Am I missing a possible solution??