[ratterrierlover]

Our neighbors are fed up. We have to find a way to control our rat terriers constant barking. He is in a dog run on the side of the house. We live in a busy neighborhood. Kids play in front of the house, he barks. People walk on the sidewalk, he barks. The neighbors are in their backyard, he barks. What can I do?

[shuckabri]

You could actually take him on an hour long walk everyday, that will calm him down a bit. If that doesn't work then you could try those shock collars. But, me personally, I don't believe in that. Other than that, I really don't know.

[labman]

The best solution to a barking dog is to keep it in the house only leaving it out long enough to relieve itself. Dogs are pack animals, wanting to be with others. What the dog wants more than anything else is to be others, you, anyone else in the
Household, and any other pets. In our modern society, even if we are home,
Other things distract us from the attention an uncrated puppy must have. The
Only real solution is to crate the dog when you aren't around. The dog may be
Happier in its den than loose in the house. It relaxes, it feels safe in its
Den. It rests, the body slows down reducing the need for water and relieving
Its self. Dogs that have been crated all along do very well. Many of them
Will rest in their crates even when the door is open. I think the plastic
Ones give the dog more of a safe, enclosed den feeling. Metal ones can be put
In a corner or covered with something the dog can't pull in and chew. Select
A crate just big enough for the full grown dog to stretch out in.

Leave it some toys. Perhaps a Kong filled with peanut butter. Don't leave
Anything in the crate the dog might chew up. It will do fine without even any
Bedding. You will come home to a safe dog and a house you can enjoy.

A dog that has not been crated since it was little, may take some work.
Start just putting its toys and treats in the crate. Praise it for going
in. Feed it in the crate. This is also an easy way to maintain order at
Feeding time for more than one dog.

The "shut the puppy in a safe room" is a fallacy. Very few houses even have a
Safe room. How many of us have a room with a hard surfaced floor and nothing
Else? Most rooms have electrical cords to chew if nothing else. In addition
To destroying anything a bored puppy finds to chew, it may choke or have
Intestinal blockage from the pieces. I had a friend that left her dog in a
"safe" room. It ate a hole in the floor covering. The safe rooms fail to
Give the dog the comfort of the enclosed space their instinct requires. Nor
Do they restrict activity extending the time the dog can go without relieving
Itself.

It is really best if the dog isn't left alone more than 4-5 hours. If everybody is gone and nobody can make it back to give him a mid day break, see if you can find a neighbor or professional dog walker to give him a break. Doggy day care is available some places. He would love to spend all day in supervised play with other dogs.

I doubt an hour walk is going to make much difference, and don't waste your money of the shock collar. Once he figures out he doesn't get shocked when you aren't around, it will be back to complaints about his barking. They have also mentally messed up many dogs.

[RubyPitbull]

I agree with labman.

Your dog is only exhibiting it's natural instinct to bark at "intruders". It doesn't matter if those people or noises are not in your yard or house. They are in the immediate area, on the other side of the run.

I have very strong opinions regarding the use of shock collars. I do not like them. As labman suggests, they can damage a dog emotionally. This is not the way to solve the problem.

It is best to find an alternative to leaving him alone in the yard all day as labman advises.

FYI, I was watching one of those Emergency Vets programs on cable. There was a situation much like yours, in which the owners left their dog in their fenced in yard. If anyone walked by, the dog would bark. He was simply "defending" his home. Well, the husband happened to come home for lunch that day and it was lucky he did. He found a big bag of kibble dumped over the fence in his yard. The bag was wet and had broken open. He said that when he looked closer he realized it wasn't water. Someone had completely saturated the bag with antifreeze. He wasn't sure if his dog had eaten it but the man raced him over to the vet. Sure enough, the dog had eaten some of the kibble. To make a long story short, the dog's organs started to go into failure. Thankfully, the man made it in time, but it took a great deal of work for the vet to save him. The dog recovered, but his overall health had been permanently compromised.

My point in telling you this is not to scare or upset you. It is just a sad fact of life that people can be very cruel. Before some nutty person does something because they are frustrated, please consider following labman's advice.