Chemical Al Posted May 11, 2011 Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 Hi, Ive got an ESS, he is one years old and only ever lived at the breeders/trainers kennels. I picked the dog up on Saturday and he has setteled in great at my house with the exception of if i put him in his kennel an go out of sight he starts barking after a few minutes. Ive tried the leave and come back after a few seconds and have got to around 2 or 3 mins, now the bit i dont get... if i leave for say 4 mins and he starts whining/barking at 3 mins what do i do? do i wait for him to stop or do i just let him see me but show no interest or ?? im really stuggling to get past the 3/4 min mark. so i put him in, 2/3 mins of quiet then 10/15mins of noise then he will settle, this is everytime he goes in. (should i put him in and get him out more often so he gets used to going in and out?, say put him in for 15 mins or so every hour?) this is much worse at night too where he will howl for a long time. he will go in and out of the pen no problem if door is left open, he gets fed in there and has toys/balls to keep busy. i understand that he has never been alone before and it takes a while and that i could be fretting about nothing as its only been 3 nights. any advice etc is most welcome thanks in advance Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeonstool Posted May 11, 2011 Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 (edited) a simple solution to try -- get a tumbler - it has to have straight sides !! Fill up with about 1/4 > 1/3 of cold water now the hard part - ONLY > when he makes a sound > remember = ONLY = he HAS to be making a noise when you do it you need to make a loud deep guttural growling sound as you aim the water at him/her .. Do NOT use words ! ! then immediately walk away > refill tumbler .. and wait .. It seems to work best if you "catch him by surprise" - just pop up and >>> gggggrrrrrrr > whizzz >> silence ... after that - just show him the tumbler + = silence Edited May 11, 2011 by pigeonstool Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted May 11, 2011 Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 ok you have a bit of anxiety going on with an older dog moved from kennels with companions to being on its own in new surroundings. Take it easy as lobbing water etc in these circumstances could make the dog more anxious but obviously it has to be left so try and build up time on its own gradually my inkling is it will get better but make sure it has a lot of fuss and exercise in the meantime. A bark collar could be worth trying as its non confrontational but hopefully you'll notice it just getting better before the neighbours fall out with you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeonstool Posted May 11, 2011 Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 I do agree with you - it is hard to get the "balance" right - as puppy sees your "appearance/fussing" as a "reward" for his noises ... but a sign of "disapproval" works once he has 'confidence' you will fuss him at some point = Chocy Hobnobs (it takes a VERY small amount of water - that is > he don't need drowning ) .. In over 20 ESS's I rarely have to do it more than a few times.. as an aside - I have used a Jif Lemon thingy with water in it in the house to show disapproval - a quick squirt works wonders ok you have a bit of anxiety going on with an older dog moved from kennels with companions to being on its own in new surroundings. Take it easy as lobbing water etc in these circumstances could make the dog more anxious but obviously it has to be left so try and build up time on its own gradually my inkling is it will get better but make sure it has a lot of fuss and exercise in the meantime. A bark collar could be worth trying as its non confrontational but hopefully you'll notice it just getting better before the neighbours fall out with you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barn_Owl Posted May 11, 2011 Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 You could try a radio in his kennel .......... Let's him know he's not alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chemical Al Posted May 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 Great cheers guys, Ive just popped home to let him out in my dinner hour and sure enough from the time it took for me to walk to the car he was barking. Think ill try the radio trick and see what happens for a day or two, i dont really want to do the water thing if there are kinder ways to try first. At night do you think its worth putting a cover over the mesh at the front of the kennel? I also wondered if it was a bit big for him so i might make more of a "den" type area for him apposed to just having a bed in the corner. sorry, lots of questions i know but as you can imagine im probably as anxious as the dog!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpk Posted May 11, 2011 Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 Chuck a t-shirt or something you have worn in the kennel as your scent may settle it then once the dog is comfortable after a week or so just remove it, worked with my lab but just be weary of chewing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chemical Al Posted May 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2011 (edited) thanks for all the tips, i already have an old coat in the pen. i put a radio in last night and he had a quick whine and then settled for the whole night, also didnt make any mess in there either so he must be feeling more comfortable. Although he was having a bit of a bark when i left for work. Here a quick pic of the little so and so.. Edited May 12, 2011 by Chemical Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpk Posted May 12, 2011 Report Share Posted May 12, 2011 Nice looking dog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hy-flyer Posted May 12, 2011 Report Share Posted May 12, 2011 thanks for all the tips, i already have an old coat in the pen. i put a radio in last night and he had a quick whine and then settled for the whole night, also didnt make any mess in there either so he must be feeling more comfortable. Although he was having a bit of a bark when i left for work. Here a quick pic of the little so and so.. Hi if you have only had him for a few days give him time to settle before you start throwing water etc at him , have a word with any nabours you might have and say you have a new dog that might make a bit of noise for a few days and he should quieten down once he has settled in. once he starts to trust you and bond hopefully he should stop barking, every dogs different and most are quite when left so i hope yours settles before long ATB hy-flyer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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