[yorkielove09]

Hey guys.. I recently moved from the suburbs to an apartment with my Yorkie puppy. He is about six months old and we live in a large studio apartment. A neighbor recently told me my dog barks "all the time during the day" -- which isn't true because I am home all the time during the day with him. I spend every hour in that apartment with him except for anywhere between 1.5-3.5 hours at night (I am taking grad school classes). He does bark here and there when I am home with him during the day, but it is only because he hears people opening and closing their doors. His barks then are not continuous and only last for a minute or two tops. I don't know how much he barks when I'm not home, but I do know he usually whines when I leave but the hallway will be quiet when I return from class.

I am going to tape record him next time to see if the barking really is a problem when I leave or if my neighbor is just exaggerating. I know I am the only one on the floor with a dog (so she's probably a bit annoyed that there is a dog), but the building has many dogs living on the other floors. This neighbor also has bratty kids that scream that I can often hear through the walls and she doesn't quit them down.

Anyway, does anyone know of any ways to stop a dog from barking when you are not home? Especially in an apartment where noise tends to be closer than a house. Also, do any of those "bark stop" devices or sound/odor emitting things actually work? Any help would be great, as I am afraid the rest if my neighbor gets aggravated by this she may call the cops when I'm not home. Thank you!