tales... tales, I said not tails!
We have a neighbour, well most folk do LL. I know, I know!
We, their neighbour ie us and they our neighbour ie them acquired a dog at roughly the same time. Not at all to keep up with the Joneses, you understand? Completely unbeknown to each other. This was in the days last year, pre lockdown... remember that?
Difference being, we got ours Ellie from a rescue centre. They got a puppy. Although I can see why people would want a puppy, who wouldn’t when they are so kissable and adorable? Overlooking the piddling on the floor, crapping on the carpet capers. I do get it, I really do. The problem I have is there are so many unloved dogs in the world why would you want a fresh off the press puppy, who may or may not have come from god knows where? Alright a rescue has lots of inherent problems from a past skirmish with the human race, I agree. With Ellie, I will be the first to admit we did have problems overcoming her many fears. With love and patience she has come through and we have a super companion.
Now back to next door’s dog.
Let me explain, it is a brown
chihuahua not unlike a mobile turd. All okay, so far, until it found its voice or rather its yap.
It drives us nuts, if a leaf rustles it barks, if a car comes down our sleepy road, ditto, if a dog three counties away farts, it barks. our neighbours the other side, like us are beside themselves with the yapping rat.
Husband, who I ought to say is the most moderate of men said to them we feel we can’t even sit in our garden without the accompaniment of your dog’s yaps.
I do appreciate these sort of dogs do have a tendency to bark incessantly, however having it from a puppy, surely it isn’t outside the realms of possibility to train it not to?
Luckily Ellie is far too chilled to join in the chorus. She I ought to say had a shock collar fitted in her past awful life, so I suppose she was in the old days afraid to bark. Now she just barks occasionally when the postman arrives. She hasn’t an aggressive bone in her body, surprising when you think of her life’s experiences until coming to Ludlow?
I don't think that we would get a Rat on a String either...
ReplyDeleteYou and Ellie are fortunate together.
Horses for courses, I suppose. I was determined when I got Ellie and my previous rescue not to choose a barker. I suppose with these sorts of small breeds they make up for their lack of size by the huge volume of yapping.
ReplyDeleteLX
I feel for you ! For several years we had a yorkie living with us....may have told you this? She belonged to an elderly lady and I took the little dog to J most days to spend time with her. J wasn't up to walking her or even remembering to feed her sometimes, but she did pay for anything the dog needed. I loved her to bits..the dog...but oh boy could she yap ! When J died suddenly last year I decided to re-home the dog locally and peace once again reigns in the household. My own little fella, schnauzer, ( 7 yrs old today) I had from a puppy as at the time we had 2 very young grandkids and couldn't risk having a rescue with unknown background.( My first dog was a rescue). Tried all sorts with the yorkie.....spraying with water had fairly good results, but only if you had the sprayer to hand at the time. I looked it up and it seems that to stop them barking you have to first train them to bark to order....couldn't be bothered if truth be known!
ReplyDeleteI do understand people wanting a puppy to train etc., however for me I can’t bear to think of all the unwanted dogs looking for a loving home. Made me smile about you not being bothered training her to bark to order. You did a good deed Frances, that’s the main thing.
DeleteLX
We've had two rescues and two puppies and I would take the puppies every time now. I would love to say I'd take rescues again but I had so much bother retraining them and I came so close many times to returning them which I felt would be horrific for them which in turn encouraged me to keep on and eventually with very good advice from our excellent vet at the time we succeeded eventually to have lovely happy dogs. When we got our current dog 7 years ago I wanted a dog that we could train from scratch to our way and not have to sort out the problems of before and tiresome as it is cleaning up pee and pooh he's been a brilliant dog from day one. I don't envy you having a yappy neighbour, it is very annoying to have a dog yapping all day. I suppose you will just have to keep 'commenting' on it to the neighbour in the hope they get the message or you could have a temper tantrum and tell them where to put their dog?! lol. xx
ReplyDeleteAs if MG? In fairness it doesn’t yap all day. After himself had a word, they do now seem to try to stop it whereas before they must have just got used to it? They have both been hit by this blooming virus, work wise so they have our sympathy. The cottage is rented, so who knows what will happen? Added to which, better the devil you know, type of thing!
DeleteLX
Sympathies about the dog noise. 5 or 6 buildings along from us is an old house (Greek style of course with flat roof). Two dogs (BIG) seem to live on the roof and never stop barking. They bark at people and dogs and cars going past (and the traffic never lets up), they bark at the wind, the trees, birds flying over - they probably bark because they are bored. We've never seen them go walking. One day out of sheer bravado we walked past the house on the footpath on their side of the street (most people pass on the other side) and discovered there are actually 6 big dogs in the house and they seem to have an open access from roof to the grilled street door. So they rush down and bark and snarl at the grill when it suits them. Now we understand they probably bark in shifts and explains why they never seem to tire or lose voice. Even Mr B has commented when on the phone from UK that he can hear the dogs in the background.
ReplyDeleteNow cats - opera and poetry readings at 3am..... (when the dogs appear to be sleeping)
Wow, you make me feel a real heel for complaining about the level of noise we experience... it is nothing in comparison to this cacophony of sound! Poor you!
DeleteLX
My dog is a rescue dog, kept cooped up in a small crate all day long. Not socialised (he'd never seen another dog!) and totally untrained. And it has taken 3 years for him to trust me enough to go to sleep on my lap. However, the barking - at everyone who passes my front garden as he perches on the pouffe in front of the window. "STOP barking!" I say loudly. If he stops, I fuss him and praise him. If he continues, I shoo him out of the room and shut the door on him. (He has a bed in the hall and has plenty of space.) After 10 minutes, he's allowed back in, but only until he disobeys again. It keeps me moving (!) and he's learning. I hate yappy dogs.
ReplyDeleteLuckily Ellie is a non-barker, she is quiet, loving and now totally trusts us. You do sound like you are going about the re-training the right way... good for you. It did make me smile when you turned it to a positive...’It keeps me moving!) good for you lassie.
DeleteLX
Ellie is gorgeous and I'm glad she settled well with you. My previous 3 dogs were all Border Collies so this present one (a Bichon Frise) is a completely different kettle of fish! My preference would have definitely been another Collie, but succumbed to the idea of adopting a rescue dog. No choice in the breed . . . he just needed a home.
Delete