And I have been listening to my dog.
It's been a hard days night, I should be sleeping like a log.
But no, instead I have been listening to Toby barking at bloody nothing for the last 4 hours and 45 minutes.
Allow me to tell you of our situation and perhaps you guys who are more experienced with the Dobe mindset can give me some advice because right now I am at the end of my tether.
Our house has no air conditioning and tonight is a particularly stuffy night so all the windows are open in the house to let what cool night air is out there in so we might get some sleep.
Fat chance, at precisely the moment we went to bed Toby started rumbling, then yipping building himself up to a full on bark. So up I got, I always get up to check if there is anything or anyone around. Nope, nothing, no one in sight. So I told him to settle. He did for all of 5 minutes, then he started again. (Bear in mind he is in the living room less than 30 feet from our bedroom door so he is hard to ignore). So up I got and lo and behold there was nothing, no one, though there was a large owl hooting so I thought he was barking at that. After reassuring noises he put his head down but no sooner had I gotten back in bed, he starts up again.
So I let him out. Bringing Russell (my Terrier in, as I have adopted the policy one in, one out for the sake of peace). Well naturally he wasnt best pleased about the situation as he loves to sleep outside, showing his displeasure by barking when Toby barked. So I dragged Toby's crate outside and put Russell inside which he was more than happy with curling up and going to sleep almost instantly. But not Toby, oh no, bark, bark, bark, pause, bark, bark, bark. He went from the back of the house, to the corner, to the front, to the back, he did bloody circuits I swear. Stopping eventually at the back corner where he stood and barked his head off. I must have gotten up a dozen times, thing is he wasnt bothered that I was there. To my mind he wasnt doing it to get my attention as he ignored my calls for him to come to me so intent on barking was he. I then had a thought. As he barked the Parabolic Satellite Dish I have on that side of the house was making a funny metallic echo of his bark bounce around the small courtyard that leads via a small alleyway to the back of the house. Was he hearing this and thinking it was some strange dog barking back at him. So I called him to me and told him to. "Calm down, it's okay, go to sleep". He was so wound up however, he was practically beside himself. I eventually had to drag him indoors and sit with him on the sofa, gently stroking him and now he seems to have finally given in to sleep. (I hope).
This has been happening off and on since the warm evenings began. So far I have had 3 sleepless nights this past week and it is taking its toll and rather than losing my temper and shouting at him I want to understand what he is trying to tell me (if anything) and how to deal with it correctly.
Do any of you guys have this kind of problem. I honestly cannot hear/see anything that might cause him to bark like he is. My 2 Terriers don't join in the majority of the time, only when he gets so heated he is about to combust do they voice their support. However, they soon stop when they realise it is just Toby being a daft dog again. So I honestly do not think it is anything out there that is making him do this.
He barks if he is in the house, he barks if he is outside.
As I live in the middle of nowhere my dogs are an early warning system for any potential problems that might occur so I do not want to get one of those stop bark collars if I can avoid it. However, he doesnt seem to be able to hear me speaking to him when he gets into this kind of state, so how do I get him to shut up and only bark at the appropriate time.
He is now asleep on the sofa opposite me. It took me about half an hour of massaging him, telling him to sleep before he gave in. Perhaps he thinks 'mum is on patrol now, I can rest, she will tell me if I need to bark' I don't know. What I do know is he had backed himself into a corner the likes of which I don't think he knew how to get out of, so do you guys have any ideas how I can stop him reversing himself into it tomorrow night.
:thanx:
It's been a hard days night, I should be sleeping like a log.
But no, instead I have been listening to Toby barking at bloody nothing for the last 4 hours and 45 minutes.
Allow me to tell you of our situation and perhaps you guys who are more experienced with the Dobe mindset can give me some advice because right now I am at the end of my tether.
Our house has no air conditioning and tonight is a particularly stuffy night so all the windows are open in the house to let what cool night air is out there in so we might get some sleep.
Fat chance, at precisely the moment we went to bed Toby started rumbling, then yipping building himself up to a full on bark. So up I got, I always get up to check if there is anything or anyone around. Nope, nothing, no one in sight. So I told him to settle. He did for all of 5 minutes, then he started again. (Bear in mind he is in the living room less than 30 feet from our bedroom door so he is hard to ignore). So up I got and lo and behold there was nothing, no one, though there was a large owl hooting so I thought he was barking at that. After reassuring noises he put his head down but no sooner had I gotten back in bed, he starts up again.
So I let him out. Bringing Russell (my Terrier in, as I have adopted the policy one in, one out for the sake of peace). Well naturally he wasnt best pleased about the situation as he loves to sleep outside, showing his displeasure by barking when Toby barked. So I dragged Toby's crate outside and put Russell inside which he was more than happy with curling up and going to sleep almost instantly. But not Toby, oh no, bark, bark, bark, pause, bark, bark, bark. He went from the back of the house, to the corner, to the front, to the back, he did bloody circuits I swear. Stopping eventually at the back corner where he stood and barked his head off. I must have gotten up a dozen times, thing is he wasnt bothered that I was there. To my mind he wasnt doing it to get my attention as he ignored my calls for him to come to me so intent on barking was he. I then had a thought. As he barked the Parabolic Satellite Dish I have on that side of the house was making a funny metallic echo of his bark bounce around the small courtyard that leads via a small alleyway to the back of the house. Was he hearing this and thinking it was some strange dog barking back at him. So I called him to me and told him to. "Calm down, it's okay, go to sleep". He was so wound up however, he was practically beside himself. I eventually had to drag him indoors and sit with him on the sofa, gently stroking him and now he seems to have finally given in to sleep. (I hope).
This has been happening off and on since the warm evenings began. So far I have had 3 sleepless nights this past week and it is taking its toll and rather than losing my temper and shouting at him I want to understand what he is trying to tell me (if anything) and how to deal with it correctly.
Do any of you guys have this kind of problem. I honestly cannot hear/see anything that might cause him to bark like he is. My 2 Terriers don't join in the majority of the time, only when he gets so heated he is about to combust do they voice their support. However, they soon stop when they realise it is just Toby being a daft dog again. So I honestly do not think it is anything out there that is making him do this.
He barks if he is in the house, he barks if he is outside.
As I live in the middle of nowhere my dogs are an early warning system for any potential problems that might occur so I do not want to get one of those stop bark collars if I can avoid it. However, he doesnt seem to be able to hear me speaking to him when he gets into this kind of state, so how do I get him to shut up and only bark at the appropriate time.
He is now asleep on the sofa opposite me. It took me about half an hour of massaging him, telling him to sleep before he gave in. Perhaps he thinks 'mum is on patrol now, I can rest, she will tell me if I need to bark' I don't know. What I do know is he had backed himself into a corner the likes of which I don't think he knew how to get out of, so do you guys have any ideas how I can stop him reversing himself into it tomorrow night.
:thanx: