[shellebelle]

No luck searching for an answer in the archives...

I moved this past Saturday with my dog from a house into a condo (I've mentioned this in a potty-related thread). In any case, now I'm having an issue with my dog barking whenever I need to step outside for a bit to greet guests or to take out the trash. It's anything where I need to leave without much warning, and it's getting annoying, and I'm concerned about my neighbors going to the HOA about it. By all means, it's not excessive; she'll bark 3 or 4 times and then calm down. When I leave for work in the morning she's ok because she has warning and this has been our routine for the past 8 months. As extra insurance because I leave so early I give her a treat and a stuffed Kong as I go to distract her. However, she isn't as excited about the Kong as I thought she'd be so I don't know if that'd be the best distraction for the instances I'm having trouble with.

I've never had this problem with her aside from the first week or two we had her as a puppy. She's nearly 10 and is a Standard Poodle. This is totally related to her life being jumbled up right now. How long can I expect it to take for her to be comfortable in her new home and be able to handle me stepping out abruptly? And is there anything I can do to curb the barking? The one time I went back in and corrected her it was worse when I left again. There are times when I need to leave with no warning and I want to nip this in the bud.

I don't mind giving her a treat every time I leave, but I almost feel that I don't want her to have to depend on those for soothing.

Any help?

[Renoman]

This came from a behavorist years ago and it saved the life of many a couch at my house. My Max had an extreme case of seperation anxiety. No couch was safe.

This is a desensitizing exercise and you should repeat it as many times as possible. This is a slow process, but in the end it worked for Max.

Start by simply opening and closing the door you normally go out. Then you open the door, step outside and immediately step back in and close the door.

Gradually start closing the door behind you then immediately step back in. Increase your time outside the door every time you do this. You should eventually be able to stay outside without any barking going on.

She may also relax some after she adjusts to your new surroundings.

[BoxMeIn21]

I had the same issues with Rowdy when I moved out of my roommates place - not only did we change living environments, he also no longer had the companionship of my roommates boxer who he had known since 8 weeks old. He wouldn't even go into his crate, he'd flip out if I would leave - even if it was just to take out the trash. Personally I had to go back to giving treats and frozen kongs when I left. I also started making frequent trips in and out of the house and only enter when he was quiet - just to get him used to the idea that I will be back. Dogs don't generalize, that means they doesn't always understand that the same thing applies in all situations. So I think it's fair if you take a few steps back and give treats for a while, just to get her adjusted to the new place. Just remember to go at her pace. It took me about a 1.5-2 months to get Rowdy back on track, so just be consistent and patient and I am sure she'll be back to normal in no time. Good luck!