LGD barked ALLLLLLL night and the neighbors are going to kill me....

[ericajune]

Tessa our new beautiful anatolian/great pyr cross barked ALLL night long. It was her first night here... she was raised with the alpacas she came with, but she barked all night long. Our neighbor's house is closer to our back pasture than we are, so they heard it all night long. And their window is on the pasture side.

I desperately need some suggestions on how to settle her down. My neighbors made it very clear, understandably, that they will not go through one more night of this... Please help!!

 

[ksalvagno]

Can you lock her up someplace at night that the neighbors wouldn't hear it so much? Also you may just have to get one of those collars that stops dogs from barking. I'm not sure about other options since I don't own one myself. Also since she is new, she is getting used to her new surroundings and barking at every noise. She will probably get better once she gets used to her new area but it may take a while.

 

[adoptedbyachicken]

Sorry but this is the settling in part. She needs to let the other canines of the area know she is in charge of this feild now, and she will not tolorate them coming in. Once she establishes herself she will be quiet. However there will always be some barking so you might have to rethink where the Alpacas spend the night.

You can go out there and settle her once and a while, but for the most part they need to do their job. Locking her up without her herd will only frustrate her and could break her bond, as well as just prolonging the settling in due to her new insecurities from being locked away. If you move her be sure to move the alpacas with her.

Best to talk to the neighbors ahead of time and let them know she is doing her job. If your in a farming area a LGD doing their job is not a noise complaint issue. Don't ever do anything to discourage her from barking, if you go out to help her settle praise her for the work she is doing, when she feels secure that her herd is safe she will naturally be quiet.

 

[jodief100]

I am in agreement with April here. An LGD's job is to bark and warn off predators. That is why so many of the guardian breeds wind up in rescue when people try to make pets out them. If you try to prevent her from barking she will be ineffective as an LGD.

If you live in an agricultural area, it is doubtful your neighbors can do anything about it, legally.
That doesnt mean the neighbors have other recourse, legal or otherwise nor does it mean you should ignore their complaints.

I would talk to your neighbors, discuss the issue with them and let them know the dog is an LGD whose job it is to protect your livestock. Hopefully they will be understanding and work with you. Perhaps you can put the alpacas and dog in another field at night?

*Off Topic* RANT! I wish people would understand that farms have loud noises and unpleasant smells BEFORE they decide to move out to the country

 

[ericajune]

Well we put up a no bark bird house...it emits high pitched sound next to the neighbors...she has a citrus collar on and I m spending the night in the pasture...tonight has to go better than last night or tessa will have to go back which would stink!!!! I just don't have anywhere else to put the alpacas and tessa WON'T go in shed....so here I sit in the dark and she is laying out there with the alpacas not making a sound.

 

[AkTomboy]

The above posters are correct LGD's bark as part of the job they have, and you said you just got her she is making sure all those bad things out there know she is there and is working her job like she should.

I have had pyrs 29 years in March and pacas almost 17 years. Pyrs will calm down a bit IF there is nothing in your woods lurking, or smells of pests be it a yote or a person they dont know. The others are also correct in not trying to break her of barking. A single Pyr has a better chance of getting predators to leave by barking, long be for it becomes a real fight.

With my farm my Pyrs only bark if there is a problem, most nights are bark free. I also would not recommend putting her up at night unless you have her in the same place as the Alpacas, otherwise there is no point in haveing an LGD

Just my two pennies

 

[Beekissed]

Maybe your solution would be to have two dogs? My GP mix would take a notion to bark a lot some nights also....it's just a trait they have. My other dog rarely, if ever, barked and only for serious threats. Could be your dog is part lonely and part scared in a new place.

I would let Lucy bark for a few minutes and then would go out and acknowledge her "find" and then tell her to shut it up. She understood and would settle down. If it was something real out there, she would continue to show excitement and keep looking towards the perceived threat area.

One can usually tell if the dog is barking at a real threat or just sounding off....just idle barking seems to have a constant rhythm...no short bursts. Short bursts seem to constitute a real threat as they are barking as they are running towards the threat. Just standing and bark, bark, barking out into the night is~in my opinion~not "working".

 

[ericajune]

I understand she is doing her job and am confident she would settle down if given time...she is eager to please too...but as I have been sitting here..she is barking at planes and cars and just about anything. She will stop barking immediately if I say tessa no...which I m doing for all the non threats...my neighbors on the other hand are very intolerant it seems...not sure how else to please them and keep her. Guess I m trying to get her to bark only at the real threats..that seems reasonable to me.

 

[adoptedbyachicken]

I would not use the no command for her barking at something she is unsure of. Tell her that will do, or that's OK in a pleasant tone so she sees that you accept that. then she learns what to guard from, and a car just going past is not your concern, rather than her guarding is bad. Since she is so driven to guard telling them no makes them insecure which increases their barking, just what you don't want.

Yes they are biddable and are looking for guidance. Most of them form easy and will take on the work as directed, but they also discourage easy and can just quit if you impose on them, so be careful.

Once the wild dogs and other risks of the area know she is there, and she is feeling at home in the new place her barking will be less frequent, but your neighbors have to be realistic. She has to bark to do the work you require of her. They need to get over that and accept that they will hear her.

 

[ericajune]

yes, that is a good point about not discouraging them from guarding but getting them to see that what she is barking at is not a threat... I will try that tonight. Thanks... All in all it went pretty well. She was essentially quiet from 10 till 6 except for one or two barks. That to me is very reasonable... can't wait to hear what the neighbors impression is.