# How to stop my dog barking at the cat? Help...



## sydney123 (Jul 22, 2010)

I have a big dog (9 years old) that keeps barking at the neighbours cat at night. Here is whats happened.

Neighbour moved in about 1.5 years ago and has 2 cats. Another neighbour also moved in at about the same time. This neighbour has complained about the barking. The cat roams freely about all night and day. The neighbour has to put a bell on the one of his cats because that particular one will hunt and kill wildlife in the area. 

Now, this cat also likes walking along my fence and sits on it. My dog cannot get to the cat because there is a pool gate surrounding the fence so he will bark at the cat and the cat will just sit there looking at him. 

Frequently during the nigh at all hours, you can hear the cat roaming about (I can hear the bell) and if my dog hears the cat he will bark. I have done everything to stop my dog from barking (tying him up, spraying him with water, using the dog whistle, using the citronella collar etc) and nothing works when its the cat hes barking at. 

I have since had the other new neighbour complain about the barking as it wakes him up and I can understand that because it wakes me up to. I have spoken to the cat neighbour about 2 months ago and he claims that he only lets the cat out at 6am in the morning which is not true as I can hear the cat bell in the middle of the night. Anyway, my dog stopped barking in the middle of the night pretty much immediately after I spoke to the neighbour so obviously he must have kept the cat in the house after the conversation we had. 

Now 2 months down the track, its starting all over again. And I can hear the cat bell in the middle of the night and my dog is barking. I dont know what to do. The other neighbour has said that they have complained to the council. I cant keep my dog indoors because he is a big dog and all his life he has been an outside dog so my house would be destroyed if I let him in at night. 

I just need some advice as I am at a loss at what I can doIve tried everything. 

BTW, other dogs in the area also barks when the cat goes towards their house. No one else has complained, I have spoken to other neighbours and they all have dogs and they understand. They dont have a problem with it. My dog doesnt bark continuously all night but just for 2 3 minutes until the cat walks away and annoys some other dog down the road.


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## hutch6 (May 9, 2008)

IF you are worried about then go to the local pet store and buy a cat collar with a bell on it like the one the cat wears.

Rattle the bell a bit. If the dog barks then just wait for him to be quiet. As soon as he's quite wait a second or two and then give him a tasty treat. Don't worry you are not associating the cat bell with eating the cat   

Leave it a few minutes and rattle the bell a bit again. Wait for the dog to be quiet. Wait a few seconds and treat.

Keep doing this and you shoul dsee that the dog barks less and less as long as you make the wait between braking and being quiet long enough for him to get the idea that if he is quiet he gets something tasty and nice.

If you have your own bell then you can condition him very quickly to the point where the sound of the bell will not even stir him except for a treat :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:


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## DebbieP (Jan 4, 2010)

Poor you! If your neighbour didn't mind keeping the cat inside for a while, why did they start letting it out again? If the cat bothers your dog when it sits on your fence you could get some of those fence spikes - they're meant to be a cat deterrent and aren't sharp enough to harm them, but will stop the cat sitting there and you can just tell your neighbour you got them to deter burglars if they get suspicious! 

Though as your dog can still hear the bell, I guess you need something a bit more than that. I've used one of those ultrasonic collars that detects the vibration of the barking and lets out a sudden sound only the dog can hear. It stopped my dog barking and was cheap, so could be a good option. I only put it on my dog at certain times, when he was most prone to bark - like when we went for walks. He learnt very quickly to stop! If you're interested, this is the one I've got:

Dog Pro Dual Action Anti Bark Collar £14.95

Hope this helps. I do think your neighbours could be a bit more understanding though! The cat owner doesn't really seem to be pulling his weight to help solve the situation...


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