Roscoe and Bella have a new bad habit. I have no idea how it started, and I am at a total loss how to end it.

When they get locked in their crates, they both start barking BIG, LOUD, OBNOXIOUS barks. It's like fence-fighting barking. Their crates are on opposite sides of the room because they did this fence-fighting thing when they were next to each other. But we've had them in this position for almost the entire time we've had Bella, and it only started up 2-3 weeks ago.

The only time it is a problem is if we lock them up really early in the morning or really late at night and the windows are open. It only lasts for less than a minute.

It also happens if Bella is locked and Roscoe is free, but in that case, Roscoe rarely joins in.

But it's going to be a BIG problem if we do end up moving into a place with a shared wall. It's a big enough problem that it would keep us from moving into that place.

Any tips for putting an end to the barking?

So they can see each other when they are in their crates? What if you get ready and as soon as they start barking put sheets over the crates to shield their view from each other. Then as soon as they stop barking take them off . . . . hopefully they would catch the idea.

I dunno, just a thought! Good luck!

I agree that crating them so they can't see each other should help.

J.

My Mother bought some kind of ultrasonic contraption for her loud barking dog.....you can't hear it, but when she does that loud annoying barking, it sends something she can hear and interrupts the behavior. It's something she just sits in the room that they are in....it has saved their lives as my Dad wears a hearing aid and the barking dog was sending him through the roof.

They already can't see each other. They're on opposite sides of the room with blankets over all sides except the door, and they don't face each other.

June and Nick cannot be crated in the same room together - whether they can see each other or not. *sigh* Makes my life marginally more difficult, it does, but everyone is happier apparently when the two of them aren't breathing the same air. Wonder if the same is true for Bella and Roscoe?

Yeah, I had a rescue up to last month who couldn't be crated in sight of ANYONE. She gave off a "I kill you" vibe that made life miserable for anyone in the line of fire. It was just when she was crated. Wacky. But then, she's a BC - there's a picture of a Border Collie next to "wacky" in the dictionary.

The thing is that they've been totally fine for more than two years now. This just started within the last couple of weeks. And not being able to be in the same room is going to be a problem, since the place we want is essentially a giant studio. I might try something like an airhorn or other interrupt like Robin suggested.

That sounds like the Bark Free I posted about last week, but I don't think anyone saw it. But that sounds like it could be useful... looking into that myself.

I might look into that too.. they're usually pretty quiet.. but there are those times when they (i shouldnt say they.. its riley lol) drive me insane!