How my dog sleeps 
1 Like
Highly recommend āplace trainingā from a young age. Youāre probably all over it but feel free to DM me if you need a rundown.
We have a 9yo boxer and a 3yo german shepherd who both love to bark at night. Our block is half scrub so we get wallabies, foxes, plenty of birds, etc all kicking around.
We are trying to find a way to stop the nightly barking as it is happening to frequently. Itās at the point where we close them in our back porch over night unfortunately.
We try to get up and call them in whenever it happens but we canāt grumble at them because they have come back from wherever they were as soon as we call and I imagine this would send mixed messages.
Also, it gets a bit annoying getting up every 15mins.
Any tips please? We have a bark collar which we use when the german shepherd gets particularly carried away as he has a booming bark.
This probably is not the help youāre looking for @Mex but our dogs (we always had at least 2) always slept inside.
1 Like
ā¦as should all dogs. 
Our dogs donāt like coming inside. Our porch is enclosed and a decent size but they are used to running around the paddocks and being outside dogs.
The only time they come in without being very sheepish is during big electrical storms.
We could leave the door open all day and they wouldnāt come in
1 Like
Our dog is extremely alert and barks at any sound outside our house - which gets annoying.
Iāve been working on this, by when he does start barking, I ask him whatās up, take him to the door (or wherever), hold on to his collar, and tell him calmly what the sound is. Possum/person/dog, etc. I pat him while Iām doing it and he calms down. Then I tell him āitās goneā, and he turns back inside. Iāve been doing this the last few weeks (heās young) and it seems to be having a positive effect. I can now (sometimes) just tell him whatās making the noise and say āitās goneā without going to the door and heāll calm down. Donāt know if that helps you at all.
6 Likes
Ads now popping up on Blitz how to stop your dog barking.
1 Like
Big Brother is watching.
Problem with ours are they are outside dogs and usually run down the paddock barking. They come straight back when called so we praise them for that but sends mixed messages about the barking.
Another part of the issue is we actually want them to bark for the right reasons but donāt always know why theyāre barking when they run off.
Some suggestions without knowing the exact situation -
Gate off your back porch at night so that they are both inside & outside. They may be comfortable outdoors, but running around after nightfall is not really helping anything or anyone.
Your dogs (especially the GS) will know when something is threatening or when itās just interesting - I wouldnāt worry about them not warning you if needed. Iāve owned 3 GSDs. Even with no training at all, they arenāt letting a stranger walk up to the house without a challenge. Iād put that worry aside, if I were you, and concentrate on quelling the excitement level when things move around outside. They know very well whatās human, and whatās a cat/possum.
1 Like
One of the 15000 jobs on my to do list, now that I am on leave, is to fence off the house block properly. Hopefully this allows us to manage it easier and with more consistency.
This should alleviate the paddock running at night and also keep the dogs and chooks separate during the day.
They have both proven themselves before when strangers have wandered into our block through the bush so I am confident they would step up if needed. They just donāt bark when cars drive in as they see that as a time that they get a pat.
Anyway, consistency and love will get them there.
Cheers for the input folks
3 Likes
We lived on 20 acres for many years and fencing off the house area for the dogs to have free access to but still plenty of room to romp was one of the best things we did. We wished weād done it sooner! Good luck with it all. The dogs are lucky to have a great area to free run in.
3 Likes
l am also living on 20 acres right now. My brother-in-law has a Jack Russel terrier cross. She is a manic little thing, although she is 4, so no longer a puppy. She hasnāt really ever be trained and has to be on a lead whenever she is walked, probably up to half a dozen times a day. A couple of time she has got off the lead, she just takes off, hunting for rabbits. Next door on either side, the property behind, she just runs and runs, until she is ready to drop. She comes back after about 10 - 15 minutes of manic running. Very sharp and alert.
1 Like
Unfortunately things didnāt work out with the dog adoption. They were really nice dogs but we were told they were unable to be walked off lead - even in a fenced dog park.
Iām still recovering from a broken ankle and have to go back under the knife, so my wife would be the one walking them and they were simply too strong for her.
Plus, pet rescue didnāt know enough about their past and they stood taller than my kids.
But if anyone is able to handle them then they are beautiful dogs.
3 Likes
Sorry to hear that @Mackster . It must have been very disappointing. Iām sure theyāll find a lovely home & 
that you will also find your perfect pooch match soon. Hope all goes smoothly with your surgery.
2 Likes
Sorry to hear about the need for more surgery. Hope you are in the mend soon and back kicking goals with both feet.
1 Like
Not that the following necessarily applies to anyone in here, but we all know people that certainly qualify. While the swear jar gets filled quickly on match day.
10 Likes
If you want to get to know the people in your neighbourhood, just get a dog. Took the dog for a quick 10 minute walk to do his ābusinessā this morning and was back 30 minutes later. 
8 Likes