# Puppy barking in apartment



## JGal (Apr 10, 2011)

Hello, I live in an apartment and when I leave, and when she is crated at night, my puppy barks like there's no tommorow for long periods of time. I have read that ignoring her is the best thing to do, however this method seems to be getting my neighbors angry. Any advice?


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## Taryn (Feb 9, 2011)

Is there a reason she needs to be crated, like not totally potty trained or destructive, etc? If there isn't then you might want to try to see if she can do without the crate. I have to crate Dexter when we leave otherwise he raids the trash and eats things he shouldn't. I spent my 32nd birthday(the day before was his last time alone in the house without being crated) cleaning up dog puke as he puked up a metal pet toothpaste tube(my fault for leaving it within his reach) he ate so I totally understand if she has to be crated. I will say he is perfectly fine without the crate as long as someone is home(even if they are asleep/otherwise ignoring him.)

If she has to be crated is there a room you can try to contain her in sometimes it helps if they have extra room to walk in. My OES Abby was very anti crate, I assume her past owners(we got her at 4 months old) used it to punish her so she would raise hell if she was in a crate so we put her in the laundry room at night until we knew she could make it through the night without pottying or destroying the house(which wasn't very long, she was pretty much reliably housebroken when we got her and she never was much of a chewer.) A bathroom can work, if you have one you can dog proof and how crafty your puppy is, I know ours would never work, too much stuff for him to get into and he can open cabinets so I can't just put everything up when not in use and use it for him.

I don't have any ideas on the barking since I have never lived in anything other than a house(and Paul lives in a trailer) so I have never had to deal with neighbors in very close proximity. I would see if she can go without the crate if at all possible. I'm sure the others will have sugestions on the barking. I know if I tell Dexter the command 'Enough' when he's barking he'll get quiet(the trick is rewarding the second they get quiet) but nothing stops him from whining.

Taryn


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## doxiemommy (Dec 18, 2009)

How old is your puppy? And how long have you had her?
Many pups don't take to their crate right away, they need some conditioning. They basically need to be taught that the crate is fun, cool, comfy, etc. 
When you ARE home, I would try some crate training exercises:
- start by luring her in with a really yummy chew, like a bully stick, or frozen, stuffed kong. Then, shut the crate door for 1-2 minutes. That's it. Try this several times throughout the day, whenever you have a couple minutes.
- after doing this for a couple days, increase the time, maybe to 4 minutes. Do that several times a day, for a couple days, then increase the time again. You get the idea.

Important things are: 
- increase the time very gradually, and stay at one time for a couple days so she gets used to it.
- always leave something in the crate for her to "work on" like the bully stick or frozen, stuffed kong.

Gradually, she will (hopefully) realize that she will be ok in the crate!  It's basically about teaching her it can be fun (thus the kong or bully stick) and that she can learn to calm herself down.


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## JGal (Apr 10, 2011)

She is 2 months and I've had her for a week. I leave for work at 5am and come home on my break to find she is still barking. Problem is that it is noise ordinance between 10pm and 8am. So her barking can get me in trouble. During the day she has plenty of space because i just gate off the kitchen for her and put her crate with toys in it, her fluffy bed, a puppy pad, and food and water in there for her. And I even leave the tv on for her to listen to.

Matter of fact I cant even go into another room without her acting the same way


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## doxiemommy (Dec 18, 2009)

I know it's frustrating, and I know you're worried about the noise ordinance, BUT, she's just a baby and you've had her a week, so it's likely to get better! She's scared and away from everything she's ever known. You're her security blanket right now, because you are the provider of everything good, food, toys, treats, cuddles. So, she's afraid when you're not there.

Is her crate in your room at night? I know that some people don't like their dogs sleeping in their bedrooms, but, for a young puppy, it can help! It can be soothing for her to hear the sounds of you breathing, and moving in your sleep.
Here are some other tips:
-cover her crate at night. Try something a bit heavier than a sheet, you don't want her to be able to pull it through the holes on the crate and chew it up.
-put an unwashed piece of your clothing in the crate; it smells like you and is soft, it can be comforting.
-put a kitchen timer near the crate, the ticking can soothe her.

The other thing you can do is write a short note to your neighbors explaining that you just got a puppy, you know the noise is frustrating, but you are working diligently on it. Adding some fresh, homemade cookies doesn't hurt, either. You catch more flies with honey, right?


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## Fuzzy Pants (Jul 31, 2010)

I live in an apartment and my puppy SCREAMED when I put her in her playpen the first few times. She doesn't do that anymore. She just waits for her treats and then goes into her crate to nap.

What I did is I wouldn't let her out until she was quiet. I stood in front of her with my arms crossed over my chest and head turned to the side. When she kept whining I'd take a step back and keep doing that until I'd backed myself out of the room and out of her sight. Then I'd wait for her to quiet before returning to the room. If she resumed whining I just rinsed and repeated crossing my arms, turning my head to the side and backing away and out of her sight. It took a few hours but it finally clicked in her little fur brain that screaming, whining, barking didn't get her anywhere but left alone. It is a battle of wills and you have to stick to it and not give in...ever. Try this during the day on your off days with the tv on and a fan going to create some white noise so it doesn't bother the neighbors as much. Just remember, don't give in. Repeat the procedure as many times as it takes. If you give in even once it just teaches them persistence. Also, make sure you put some yummy high value treats in her playpen before you go that she only gets when you leave. And when you come home only let her out if she is quiet and then still completely ignore her for 5 minutes. Just go about your business taking off your coat and shoes and putting your things away and then you can acknowledge the puppy. That way your leaving isn't so terrible and your return is even a little bit boring. It might be an ego boost to have an excited puppy greet you every time you return but it isn't good for their emotional health to dread your leaving and long for your return too much.


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## Active Dog (Jan 18, 2010)

I might also suggest filling a kong with some frozen canned food. This has helped me with my husky A LOT, it keeps them distracted long enough that they forget that you leaving is upsetting lol. Just try to give lots of good stuff while the puppy is alone. So Kong is perfect, then you can hide treats in their crate and in other areas of the kitchen so that can keep her busy as well. It just takes time. She has barely been away from her litter mates and mother, it would be like taking a 5 year old child away from their family and not know why. 

Believe me I live in an apartment as well and when I got my husky he scratched and chewed on his crate and barked for who knows how long. I couldn't take my time either cause I had to go to work. So just day by day it got better and now he has been with us for 3 months and has no problem being crated when I leave. =)


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