SamK

My neighbour is home all day due to health issues and tells me Griffin (16 weeks) barks and whines at the gate from about 4:15 on and off until we get home from work. This starts about 2 hours after the domestic worker leaves.
The old chihuahua gets through the gate to the front of the property so she has some safe space, it seems she is not with him in the back when he's performing. She generally goes to sleep on the patio out of his sight.

My neighbour is being very understanding and helpful. Is there something she could do to make him quiet while we are not around?

I will do some separation training while we are around too (putting him in the back for periods of time and treating him when quiet). Any other suggestions welcome. Is this a phase he will outgrow?

falnfenix

is there any reason the dog's outside all day long? is he allowed in the house?

ellenm

Why isn't he locked in a crate inside or locked in a dog safe room with a baby gate inside? Chihuahua too for that matter?

SamK

He's in the house when we are home and when the domestic worker is around. In the afternoons he is outside for 3 to 5 hours. The domestic worker feeds him before she leaves.
He has a kennel outside for if it rains and we aren't in, he and the chihuahua climb in it and get cosy.

SamK

We don't generally do that in my country - the weather is mild, properties are large and just about every property has dogs. He does sleep in a crate in the kitchen at night. Do you think he would bark and whine less in a dog safe room than in a dog safe garden?

DogsR4Life

Dobermans dont do well outside. Their bodies just cant handle it. Your puppy might be whining or barking because he is outside. When inside, they can relax, there is less stimulation to trigger barking, and much more comfortable.

When the puppy is out there for hours, are you not worried he will ingest something that can perforate, or block in his intestines? What if wildlife gets into the yard and he goes nuts for it, and exerts himself and injures a leg? What if he got bitten by an infectious animal and contracts a disease? What happens if a storm rolls by and he makes a run for it? What if someone decides to try and steal him, or throw things at him?

Just a thought.

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ellenm

Try it and see if he just settles and goes to sleep. I'd have the housekeeper let him out for a hour before she leaves so he can run around, and then crate him when she goes.

Do you have a kong/toys/bones or something for him to chew on when crated? I assume the neighbor would not hear any barking if the dog is inside if he DOES protest a little?

SamK

He probably would settle if crated inside for the afternoon but I would prefer that he settles outside. One day of the week there is nobody around from 7:30 until 17:30 and I couldn't crate him all day so I would prefer to work with the outside situation than with the crate. He spends lots of happy time outside, he has lots of toys to play with and I rotate them so he doesn't lose interest.
If we leave early on a weekend morning for a cycle we will crate him to avoid noise so early in the day, and he sleeps while we are out, so this is an option but not my preference.

falnfenix

i take it you don't have issues with people poisoning or stealing pets in yards? we have a massive problem with it, here.

not to mention, an unsupervised puppy can get into a LOT of trouble if they're left alone and unsecured...and yes, in the case of a dog in the yard, the dog is unsecured. what would you do if you came home and the dog was missing after digging under the fence?

SamK

We do have issues with poisoning - all the cases I know of the dogs ate the bait after being let out in the morning. Dogs are poisoned to make housebreaking easier and it would happen if the dog was inside or out, seeing the house breaker wants to be inside anyway. Stealing pets does happen too but hopefully the high walls, electric fences, motion detectors, street security and private security will work for our pets as it does for our belongings. I also hear you on the unsupervised puppy trouble. We have done our best to puppy proof the garden, there will inevitably be a hazard we don't think of until it happens - I'm more concerned about when he's big and strong than now. We have also had big dogs on the property for 12 years, previous house owners had big dogs too, few incidents (a cut paw, pooh breath). You raise valid risks and we try to mitigate them but always crating when we are out is not a long term solution for us.

falnfenix

it's not necessarily a long term solution for anyone, but it should absolutely be a solution while you're training the dog. it's a puppy - it doesn't know any better - and it will get itself into trouble.

i honestly believe leaving the dog unsupervised in a yard for hours at a time is borderline negligent.

RottenVonSpotten

Are you in S. Africa?

Lori Z

Freeze a raw bone with the marrow inside. Have housekeeper give them to pup when she leaves. Or you can stuff a bone with peanut butter and yogurt then freeze. I leave daily and my pup is outside all day long. Actually he has a huge privacy fenced in dog area with a dog door into the climate controlled pool room/bird area. He gets a frozen bone with I leave daily. He was about 6 months when I began to leave him all day, before that I had a pet sitter come at noon. My doberman and aussie have a dog door into the house and can in and out at will all day long. The pup doesn't have house alone time yet nor do I want to leave him unsupervised with the doberman (both males) so I got pup used to the outdoor/pool room area slowly. He is doing fine at 8 1/2 months. Recently I had the flu and put pup out there for the day, he didn't bark one time. He has many fun toys and chewy toys in his area. I wish I didn't have to leave and work but for 1 1/2 more years I do. The other option is to leave him in a large crate or xpen or corral in your home. He should be fine with that for the few hours you are gone no?

DogsR4Life

Wait...you poison your dog to help with housebreaking?

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Sylvia

OP most likely means people breaking into the house. They will poison the dogs to give them access to break in.

BrinksBlue

I believe the OP meant breaking and entering...burglars will poison dogs to rob a house. At least that's what I hope....

DogsR4Life

I knew I was missing something

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AlyssaN

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Shell81

Dobes are not a breed that tolerate being left outside for long periods of time. You may prefer he settle out there instead of inside, but that's not typical of the breed. I don't believe any breed should be left outside unsupervised for long periods of time, but if that's what you wanted a Dobe was not the best choice. Also as a puppy he is much safer inside in his crate, or in a puppy proofed gated room, which is perfectly fine for a full day like the one day a week you mentioned. A safe place inside with lots of (safe) toys is much better for this breed.

Patches Mom

Yes I'm old still do not understand how a dog can protect some one if they are outside and the people are inside does not make sense to me.My Doberman is inside and my Dachshund too most times.

SamK

I didn't even realise the words were the same until you brought it up! Ha ha! I will refer to it as 'residential burglary' rather. Poor sentence structure, really...

I found this headline (SAPS is the acronym for our police services):

"SAPS go hi-tech solve housebreaking in three hours"

Man, wish I had got them to potty train my puppy!

SamK

Yes. Where pet dogs are 'white culture':

"President Jacob Zuma was only trying to "decolonise the African mind" when he criticised caring for dogs as pets as part of "white culture", the presidency said on Thursday." (27 December 2012)
"...The presidency was responding to a report in the Star that said Zuma, in a speech given at Impendle in KwaZulu-Natal on Wednesday, had said that spending money to buy a dog and taking it to the vet and for walks, belonged to "white" culture."



"The essential message from the President was the need to decolonise the African mind, post-liberation," said presidential spokesperson Mac Maharaj.

He said Zuma wanted "to enable the previously oppressed African majority to appreciate and love who they are and uphold their own culture".

ApolloVanderMack

Good thing I dont live in Africa cuz I let my dobie sleep on my bed!!! But my mommy is white so........... lol

We are an African American family and about 18 years ago when we got out 1st dog my husband (boyfriend at the time) was trying to tell me the puppy had to stay outside because only white people let their dogs inside.........

Needless to say - I WON!!! & last week when I was outta town...guess who let the puppy sleep in the bed with him.........yep, you guessed it!!! hehehehehehe

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Apollo's mommy
xoxoxoxoxoxo

RottenVonSpotten

During my stay in SA, almost everyone I met kept their dogs outside during the day when no one was home. The dogs enjoyed it and got to go to the beach after work. The couple I was staying with had a ridgie/boerbol/Dane mix that refused to stay inside. He would come in for a minute and then just want to go right back out.

SamK

I took your advice - I had been putting all of Griffin's toys away when I wasn't around to supervise but I selected some that are safe (i.e. unlikely to come apart or get swallowed, or get wrapped around him) and left them in the yard for him to play with. I also popped a frozen bone in his kennel and hid another for him to find later. The neighbors visited yesterday a said he's been an angel the whole week! They asked if I had been locking him indoors, I got the feeling I would have been berated had I said yes