[S0Belle]

Hello,

I am hoping that someone will be able to help me with this situation with my dog. His name is Psycho and he is the sweetest dog. He is very in touch with my emotions and feelings and he is a joy to have.

The problem is that he is very hyper and has been since the day we got him, hence the name. lol

He is very calm when we are at home and I'm working or just doing whatever around the house. But if you show him any kind of attention, he gets so excited and ends up scratching me with his nails unintentionally.

I installed a dog door for he and my other dog to be able to go in and out when they want. He is a border collie/Australian shepherd mix.

The issue is when I pull in the drive way or leave, he runs out of the dog door and goes to the side of the house and waits until I'm just out of the drive way or when pulling in almost to the garage door and he starts barking incessantly. My neighbors have called the police on him before because of his barking and I've gotten letters from the city threatening to take me to court. I've tried everything to stop this behavior but nothing has worked.

He and my other dog, Anastasia also get into barking competitions with the dogs that live behind us. And that is annoying as well. The other dogs start barking and then mine join in and it won't stop unless I go out there and yell "hey!, that's enough". I hate having to yell, but that is the only way they can hear me they are all so loud, and they stop immediately. I don't want to discourage them from barking completely as there are times when someone is close to the house I want them to let me know.

I thought it was separation anxiety, but if I close the door to keep them from being able to get out of the house when I leave, they don't bark when I leave or come home. It's only if they can get outside that he barks. Anastasia doesn't bark during those times.

Any help anyone can provide would be wonderful.

Thanks!

 

[mathilda]

keep them inside the house when you're away and make sure your house is a little bit sound prrof so it isn't as loud when they bark.
If you're away you don't have control over them and like this he can't learn that you want him to stay quiet.

he's a herder mix... compared with other breeds they bark a lot. that's how they communicate.
they're also dogs that have a very close with their owner, so this could be one reason why he's nervous when alone.
Herders also are very intellingent and they want to work...being alone in the garden is probably extremely boring for him, so he'S doing the only tihng that he finds remotely entertaining. barking at the neighbour dogs.

How long do you leave them alone?
How much quality time alone (witohut the other dog) does you dog get?
make sure to spend some time working with him every day.

if you work fulltime, perhaps you could put an hour of training time in your schedule in the momrning before you leave the house, so he's a bit more tired when you leave.
Or perhaps ask a friend or a fellow dog owner of they can take him out for some work while you're away?

 

[S0Belle]

I actually work from home more than half the time. He doesn't bark while I'm away it's only when I leave and come home. If I'm only going to be gone for an hour or two I will keep them inside, but if I have to be gone all day, I will let them use the dog door to come in and out when they need to. He barks at the dogs behind us when I'm home or gone, doesn't matter, the other dogs always start it though. My dogs can be laying in the sun and quiet then my neighbors will let our their dogs and they will come to the fence and start barking. My dogs will ignore it for a few minutes but then they join in.

I spend more time with him it seems than my other dog because if you show the other one attention, he has to put himself in between us. He is very attached to me and follows me everywhere. I've tried telling him no in a stern voice when he exhibits these excited behaviors, I've tried stroking him and speaking in a soft, calm voice to calm him down, I've tried using rocks in a plastic bottle to make noise to distract him, but he is just so excited about everything! lol When I take him with me on my morning walks, it doesn't seem to matter, he is a bundle of unending energy, and he is about 6 years old or more.

I have worked with him extensively. When I give him a treat, I make him sit and I have to say "easy" before he takes the treat or he will get my finger with it. But he's learned that when i say that to be gentle in taking the treat. He wants to please me so much and he is a good dog in every sense of the word. No messes ever, he doesn't get into anything, stays off the furniture, but the barking is what I can't seem to break with him. If I am in the back yard with him he's fine, if I go to the front yard to mow, he is anxiously waiting at the gate for me to come back.

Like I said, it seemed like separation anxiety at first, but now I just think he is saying good bye or greeting me when I leave. I just don't know how to keep him from doing it.

 

[Chas]

You could probably add a remote or timed lock for the dog door so they are inside until you are gone