Hi,
We need your help. We've got a collie cross which we rescued when he was about 4 months old. He was a very anxious dog.
He is now 10 years old and not so anxious.
We live on a rural acre bordered by a fairly thick hedge-line. He barks at everything passing by on the road - car, cyclist, pedestrian, dog, anything.
Birds - whether flying or perched - he will hardly be quiet.
The barking is not incessant. It does stop, For example, he will hear an approaching car and start barking, follow it as it passes by on the road and continue to bark after it has passed. Given our rural location it might be some time before another stimulant passes by on the road.
Same thing with other stimulants along the other borders of the garden. What he barks at is not as obvious here,
Nothing too problematic in all this. I would like him to be calmer but wouldn't want to mess with his head over this.
But here's the real problem. He has recently taken to not coming in after what used to be his last foray into the garden at night. We call but he ignores us. We can hear him running around and/or barking. Whatever he is barking at we cannot tell. We cannot see nor hear what might be causing him to bark.
The nighttime barking is waking us and we have had some rumblings from the neighbours.
So, we would love if you could cast some light on why our dog now prefers night manoeuvres to snuggling up in a nice warm bed. Any strategies to change this preference? Would it be feasible to change his barking habits?
Thanks in advance.
We need your help. We've got a collie cross which we rescued when he was about 4 months old. He was a very anxious dog.
He is now 10 years old and not so anxious.
We live on a rural acre bordered by a fairly thick hedge-line. He barks at everything passing by on the road - car, cyclist, pedestrian, dog, anything.
Birds - whether flying or perched - he will hardly be quiet.
The barking is not incessant. It does stop, For example, he will hear an approaching car and start barking, follow it as it passes by on the road and continue to bark after it has passed. Given our rural location it might be some time before another stimulant passes by on the road.
Same thing with other stimulants along the other borders of the garden. What he barks at is not as obvious here,
Nothing too problematic in all this. I would like him to be calmer but wouldn't want to mess with his head over this.
But here's the real problem. He has recently taken to not coming in after what used to be his last foray into the garden at night. We call but he ignores us. We can hear him running around and/or barking. Whatever he is barking at we cannot tell. We cannot see nor hear what might be causing him to bark.
The nighttime barking is waking us and we have had some rumblings from the neighbours.
So, we would love if you could cast some light on why our dog now prefers night manoeuvres to snuggling up in a nice warm bed. Any strategies to change this preference? Would it be feasible to change his barking habits?
Thanks in advance.
