# Too much barking



## cnsb (Oct 11, 2018)

Hey everyone,


We got Tessa, a 5.5 year old GSD, back in June, and overall it's going great. She's good tempered, loving, gorgeous, gets along great with our other pup (6 year old greyhound mix), and is very silly. The only issue we are having is her barking, especially in the middle of the night (our other pup only really barks when someone is at the door). 



If it were always *at* something, I would understand a bit more, but sometimes she will start to bark and walk around not looking at anything in particular, and she won't always listen when we say "no bark" or "enough." (maybe we have ghosts?) It sometimes happens while we are petting or playing with her, so this isn't some bid for attention. Sometimes at night she will suddenly bark like three times (you know, enough to startle you awake), probably at a car or something, which shouldn't be setting her off because cars go past the house all day and night! Anyway, welcome advice on curtailing the barking.


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## Malibu (Jul 27, 2017)

Maybe your house is haunted... =)


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## Katsugsd (Jul 7, 2018)

Do you have any white noise generators in your house (fans, radio, etc) ? If you think it's the cars at night, maybe those might help drown the sound out to her?

My three are relatively quite except the Shiba who sometimes gets his panties in a bunch and has to bark at every little thing he hears or sees outside. I don't acknowledge it and he tends to stop shortly after.


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

It's worse with a pack. The blind one can here a squirrel fart a mile away and will bark to let us know, and the other two dutifully back him up. Then there's a whole pack of them barking at nothing. 



Mine don't do it in the middle of the night though. I think I would consider crating a dog at night who did that. Giving the dog a den-like experience in a crate at night might make it feel more relaxed and less like it needs to be "on the job."


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

This thread reminds me that a neighbor remarked she was happy that my dogs barked (thinking that it let her know something was going on.) My response was they will let you know if a leaf falls two blocks away. 



The current duo barks at birds up a tree, a tree that they think might have had a bird in it sometime in the last week. The older dog barks to tell the neighborhood (5 acre minimum lot size) about the state of politics, the economy, what she thinks about the neighborhood gossip, how my garden is growing, the number or critters on the planet and any other topic she can think of.


Fortunately, this is when they are outside for the most part. Barking inside = something needs my attention.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

I agree with the white noise idea. Can you leave a fan on? Or if she's not in the room with you at night, a radio on low? 

May just be a time thing too, you haven't even had her a year and she may just be still learning the new place with all it's new sounds...


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

I agree with the white noise idea. Can you leave a fan on? Or if she's not in the room with you at night, a radio on low? 

May just be a time thing too, you haven't even had her a year and she may just be still learning the new place with all it's new sounds...


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## cnsb (Oct 11, 2018)

Magwart said:


> I think I would consider crating a dog at night who did that. Giving the dog a den-like experience in a crate at night might make it feel more relaxed and less like it needs to be "on the job."



Tessa is crate-trained, though we like having the pups in our bedroom (on their own beds) to sleep. Her crate is too big for the bedroom, but last night we took her downstairs for her to sleep in it after she woke us up at 3am. She didn't bark at all after that (can't recall her ever barking in her crate), and was fine in the morning, so maybe she does need that "off the job" den feel. I've noticed that she doesn't bark nearly as often when we have the bedroom door closed (usually have it open in for better air circulation/flow), so maybe we will try that for a few nights in a row to see what happens. The day barking can be annoying, but it's that night BARK BARK BARK that really needs to stop.


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