Dog Day Care / Dog Sitters in Munich

hello to all. my labrador retriever is completely undone by my move here and has been barking when we leave our apartment causing no small amount of tension with our neighbors - note left on the door, calls to our landlady. we think we can sort his separation anxiety problems as he has never exhibited behavior like this before, but in the meantime are seeking the name of a place we can drop him off or the name of a dog sitter. i don't work so most of the time i can be with him, but there are times when we need to leave him home without him. any help would be appreciated as my nerves are totally on edge over this! thanks!

There are several products on the market that will encourage your dog to stop barking.
A quick google for dog + bark + sonic gave this result.

I remember reading about a thing you hang on your back porch to stop a neighbor's dog from barking. It works on picking up the noise from the bark and emitting a 'corrective' signal that only dogs hear. This uncomfortable noise quickly trains the dogs to stop barking in your direction. (See Pavlovian responses)
Some items fit right on your dogs neck and give a quick shock, others spray a bad smell. Might be considered cruel but the dog learns fast. Try to see if pet stores in town have any thing along these lines. It would be much cheaper than handing a barking dog to someone else every day.

thanks for your quick reply. was looking at that stuff all morning. i might try the citronella collar if things get bad, but the one which emits a shock would be a bit much for me to use. this dog is so wonderful, gentle and sweet i could never hurt him. especially as i feel that i caused the problem/anxiety.

i suppose i am just in a panic mode because we just got here and there's already a hitch!

thanks again.

Bark Free
I personally love the ultrasonic devices. They don't cause pain and are great for indoors. Good luck!

How long have you been here? My dog barked a lot when I first got here, but now he's calmed down a lot and barks far less. He's no lab, but I do feel your pain... It took a few weeks for him to get adjusted.

I have friends with a lab that barks a lot. They tried the citronella route, but eventually he got used to the smell and went back to barking. If your dog isn't going to be wearing it a lot every day, maybe it'll be enough for you though, at least to get him adjusted to the new place.

good luck!

I once dog-sat for my mother's dog for a few weeks and she barked a LOT at first.
I tried my own little behavioral therapy, I think I got the idea out of the internet but it worked. Takes time and patience though.

I just left the apartment for one minute, then came back. If the dog happened to NOT bark in that one minute (likely, because they usually bark after you are gone for a few minutes at least), she got a treat (bacon, yum) when I came back. I increased the increments I was gone to 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 5, etc and only gave her a treat when she didn't bark. She is a quick-witted terrier, so she caught on fast and it really helped.

The dog's probably just freaked out because it's a new place... if it learns that you are not going to be gone forever, it will chill out (I hope).

My mother tried the barking collar- it didn't work long-term, the dog learned that it didn't hurt THAT much...

Hey Potter, through the grapevine I heard about your neighbours being pissy.

Kick their door down , splash some petrol round and burn the f***ers out!
(Grumpy German neighbours with that anonymous note thing don't do subtlety and it's the only language they'll understand)

And hugs for Henry!