Dh and I last week moved into a new apartment. The dogs seem to have adjusted well, for the most part, however Junebug is sensitive to noises outside, and gives an alert bark (1-2 barks) when she hears cars pull in, shutting doors, people talking outside, or other dogs barking. I have been working on desensitizing her to these noises but this can take a little time. I usually spend a few minutes with her right after work when I get home knocking on the door (which affects her the most) and rewarding her when she stops barking and relaxes. I feel this has helped somewhat. In our last house, she also barked at first at passing things, but that subsided rather quickly (there was much less traffic, however). And I should note that she is not incessently barking, just a few chirps, and this may occur 4-5 times an evening when we are home.
So this morning I recieved an email from the property manager re: the barking. Not only do I feel terrible that others are displeased with our presence, I am concerned about what to do. The manager did ask the neighbors to be patient, give Junebug time to adjust, which I appreciate, but if this contiues, we are going to have a problem. I've never lived in an apartment before, and I really want things to go well (and for our neighbors not to hate us!).
I have already determined that Junbug needs to be crated during the day, as I think she is much quieter there. I will also do more to excercise her, though she already gets two substantial walks per day. Maybe I'll take her out on the bike.
This really upsets me because I take being a responsible pet owner very seriously, and hate to think that I am not successful in achieving something with my dogs. I have spent a lot of time teaching them good manners, but this one thing I'm not sure what to do about. Spray bark collar? Crate all the time? How can I stop her from barking at these everyday things? Corrections just seem to feed the barking, no matter how firm they are, so I began working on desensitization. Any other ideas? Your help would be infinitely appreciated!!
Bonny, Junebug, and Elvis.
You need to be a member of MyCorgi.com to add comments!
Join MyCorgi.com