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I don't really know what to do. She's about 14 years old, i inherited her along with an old english mastiff( about 3 years old ) when my grandma died and she was an outside dog her whole life. Her hearing is kinda going bad, if i make my voice deep and loud she can hear me , she seems to be able to see just fine and she eats like a champ. Just lately her and the mastiff stopped getting along so i take turns with them going in the dog kennel which has an inside and outside . Lately when she sleeps outside in her dog kennel she won't stop barking and she can go on for hours. Im starting to get frustrated but being patient cause she's old i just don't need my neighbors complaining about her. We have a small laundry room that sometimes ill bring her in, sometimes she does fine and likes it but sometimes shell start barking again cause she wants out but does nothing. I have two dogs of my own that ill put in the backyard to keep her company for a bit. When she's in the kennel , on the enclosed side i put a blanket and towel inside for warmth and she as bowls on water on both sides. My moms thought of getting a spray collar so every time she barks shell get shot by water , I've even thought of getting that special jacket when it storms but i really don't know what to do. All my dad ever says is maybe we should just put her down. Im not sure, she seems to walk ok even though super slow and sometimes trips but she seems to see me okay and like i said eats good. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
She probably misses your g/ma and I bet she got lots od attn.
Also dogs can get Sundowners Syndrome just like some old people. That is when later at night they get anxious and this maybe causing her to bark,perhaps you could give her some Benadryl to calm her,
1mg per lb. Not the liquid it has alcohol in it and is dangerous to dogs liver/kidneys /get it in pill form and hide it in some peanut butter or cheese.
Fill a large kong with peanut butter and crushed wet kibble every day, freeze it and then toss it in with her. She will hopefully focus on that if she still has a food drive and she might fall asleep while she's working on it.
As abbara said, it could be a version of "Sundowner's", but she's an old dog who has had a huge change. It can take a while for them to adjust. Can you keep her with your other dogs at night? It's definitely not fair to your neighbors for her to be barking like that.
Other option is to start taking her on long walks. Not so long that she ends up in pain, but maybe slow walks before bed that last about 30 minutes. The stimulation might help her brain to be quiet later.
She also may just feel unsafe. My old girl can't see as well as she used to at night, and she is frequently uneasy about being outside at night.
I'm going to try the Benedryl. my older dog cant get up and down himself. so he wake me up in the night by barking. so I roll him over and that worked for a week but last night it didnt. so will let you all know how the benedryl works. my vet said that if that doesnt they have some thing stronger that I can give him.
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