[Boe]

hi im jenny and iv just recently brought a gsd i put him in the kennel and he barks and barks and barks my neighbor told me to throw a bucket of water over him when he barks should i do that?? or is there any thing else i could do to stop him barking?
thanx

 

[DianaM]

First thing, don't talk to that neighbor EVER AGAIN about dog advice.

Second, GSDs are velcro dogs. They are not good outside dogs like Great Pyrenees or foxhounds. They NEED to be INDOORS and with their people! Your poor puppy isn't barking to make noise, he is saying "Hey, I'm alone and scared, I miss my family, what did I ever do to get exiled out here?! HELP!" Bring your puppy inside, exercise him, play with him, train him, spend time with him, and the barking will no longer be a problem.

 

[DianaM]

Just want to add that a crate in the house is a LIFESAVER. I'm not against crating a dog at all (I looove my crate and my dog loooves his crate), but putting a puppy in a kennel outside with little contact with the owners is not good. In the house, a crate that is utilized properly is the best thing ever for raising a well adjusted and quickly housebroken puppy!

 

[nitros_mommy]

I agree totally with Diana!!!!!!

I have two GSD's and i would never ever leave them outside. They need attention, they need to be close to their family. They both stick to us like Glue. If i go to pee i have at least ONE dog check what i'm doing.

If you want to keep this dog i strongly suggest you bring him/her indoors. And read up on the breed, possibly read up on what you can do with your dog to bring out his beautiful side.

If you want a loving dog.. one that will treat you like a queen. You can't do better than a GSD, but one left alone in a yard all day alone, will give you a problem.. and that's not a breed thing.. that's a dog thing.

 

[DianaM]

One last thing... WELCOME to the forum! Please do peruse all the forums and read as many topics as you can. You can get a feel for what you've gotten yourself into by getting a GSD puppy!

This is a wonderful board and it is LOADED with information. If you have questions, by all means post! You'll find everyone here is very helpful. Sometimes we may come off a bit "testy," but that's only because we are so passionate about the breed.

 

[Boe]

thanx for the advise
but my mum works and i have to go to school what do i do then?
i really love my GSD and i dont want to give him up ever!

 

[DianaM]

Can you convince your mom to pick up a crate for the puppy? Get a crate that is sized for a fully grown GSD but also supplies a divider. That way, you can section off just enough crate for the puppy and have the crate "grow" with your dog. Is someone able to come home during the day to let the puppy out for potty breaks? It's VERY unsafe to leave a GSD puppy outside in a kennel, alone, unsupervised, all day. Someone could steal your puppy! Not to mention, if your neighbors complain about the barking (which is natural for a BABY), one of them might take action and end the barking..... permanently.

There are lots of cases out there of people tossing poisoned food into yards and kennels, either because they hate animals or the animal is a nuisance. Best to keep your animals indoors where it's nice and safe.

 

[StGeorgeK9]

I agree, crate the puppy in doors, I've had many dogs and I will have to say that my GSD's were the best house dogs hands down. He barks because he is board and lonely, if you can have someone come by and help that would be ideal. I would leave Ava for about 3 hours at a time when she was small. An adult can stay 8 hours in a crate if needed, and this is much better than left outside alone. A crate becomes their "den" and it is their safe place. Read up on crate training, I can guarantee that crate training now, will save tons of money and frustration later.

 

[Cooper&me]

If you cannot crate could you use a bathroom or laundry room? Once the pup is older, although far from ideal, he can be outside. Right now he is scared and needs to feel secure.

Congrats on the new puppy. I have only had mine for 3 weeks so I know how hard it is to get a routine established.

DO NOT THROW WATER ON THAT BABY!!!!!

 

[GSDgirlAL]

I have to admit I wasn't a fan of crates, cages whatever you wish to call them until I got my GSD. I now can say that it's a good thing to have and if used properly they too will like to be in it.

 

[GSDgirlAL]

Random here ... but the last 3 people that posted here all have a fur daughter named ... Ava!! We sure know how to pick out a beautiful name don't we ladies

 

[StGeorgeK9]

Wow! I didnt notice that!!! Great minds think alike!

 

[Boe]

Hi everyone thanks for all your help(jens mum here) We got her pup 16 Dec and he has only been left alone once for 2 hours since then. One nite we put him in the kennel for 1/2 hour thinking he would like it better as was very hot. but he just barked. So gave up on that as neighbour yelled at him over the fence. I will start back at work in Feb. Am lucky as my hours are 9am - 3pm and I go home for lunch. I work about 2minutes away from home. So he wont be alone for long. Probaby leave in our yard. As he is happy there and never barks. Temuka is a really small town and I dont think I've ever heard of someone stealing a dog around these parts. I understand that could be different in a city. hope this helps explain our situation alittle better. Appreciate your feed back very much. We love our "Boe" to bits and play with him heaps. We also spend time each day training alittle. Just basic stuff.

 

[cdonahue89]

why not leave your dog in the crate? my husband works all week & i'm home for the most part, but usually i am gone for at least a couple days out of the week. our 7 month old beamer will go outside to pee/poop at like 8am before we leave, then we leave & she stays in her crate. she is let out at least once during the day by my brother in law or mother in law, & she is a lot happier than outside. she has a doghouse & a runner but she hates it if she is alone outside.

your puppy just wants to be around familiar stuff, try taking him out in the monring before you leave for work, & then leave him n his crate till u get home.

 

[Chris Wild]

Crate training your pup so he can be crated indoors while you're gone is a MUCH better alternative to leaving him outside unsupervised.

 

[StGeorgeK9]

Just another perspective, but I crate train to not just to protect my dog, but also so she doesnt have the oportunity to make mistakes when I'm not there to correct her, ie digging in the yard, barking at neighbors, tearing up shoes or the neighbors kids toys that got over the fence etc.... I cant even imagine all the things my active little girl could have thought up to get into.....Its easier if the behavior never begins, then to try and correct later.

 

[larrydee33]

After awhile your puppy will really like the crate and look forward to going into it to rest. I will become his santucary. A crate is definitly the way to go.

 

[MaggieRoseLee]

CRATE TRAIN!!!! It's a good thing! The vast majority of us crate train and it's cause we love our dogs! Not cause we want to 'cage' them. It becomes their safe haven they love. My pups eventually go into their crates to sleep all on their own when the doors are open.

Leaving our dogs outside and unattended is a very bad thing. Here's some info on that:

http://www.iwclubofamerica.org/outside_dogs.htm

http://www.diamondsintheruff.com/outdoor.html

Here's some great sites about crate training:

http://www.uwsp.edu/psych/dog/lib-SpecTrain.htm#crate

 

[Timber1]

MRL,

time permitting (I am retired) what do you think about training your dog early on to have the run of the house. I have imposed a few exceptions, for example at night he is not allowed to sleep with me, and if a stranger comes over that is fearful of the dog he is put in a crate.

Even when potty training I did not use a crate. Just got up a few times in the middle of the night and let him out. The few times I caught him having a poop or pee in the house I just picked the dog up, peeing and all, and placed him outside. In a few weeks he was trained.