Barking dog.

Question
My sister has a basset hound bitch.She is 2.5 years old and has been spayed.The problem is at periods throughout the day she constantly barks at my nephew.Sometimes he has got her going by rough playing but sometimes she just constantly barks at him for no reason.She will not stop barking and sometimes she does show some aggression towards him.
My nephew has ADHD and is sometimes rough with the dog by yanking her collar when we tell him not to he just shouts and argues.
Because of my nephews condition he and my sister also shout a lot and argue with each other which also upsets the dog and gets her barking.
The dog also barks at my sister.If they come to my house she sometimes starts barking at my sister for no reason.It seems as if she is telling my sister to go.
Is there any advice you could give us with this problem because my sister doesnt think she can put up much longer with the constant barking as it is not fair on her neighbours.Any advice will be highly welcome. Thankyou.

Answer
Hello Zoe,

Basset hounds certainly do bark and it can really be annoying.

First try giving the dog more exercise other then rough housing with your nephew. Hide things and teach her to sniff them out and find them. Walk her until she's really tired. Try your best to discourage your nephew from yanking her collar. Your basset needs a peaceful environment that encourages quiet behavior.

If this is impossible get her a bark collar. Although this treats the symptom rather than the cause, it would be better then having neighbor problems and losing the dog.

Good Luck!

Sandy Finley
Perfect Manners Dog Training
http://www.perfectdogtraining.com