I'm going to try to keep this short, but please stick with me if it get's a little long.
Background info:
- We have 3 indoor dogs
- Our house has been on the market for 7 frustrating months
- Whenever we have a showing, my husband, who has a somewhat flexible work schedule, leaves work to shuttle the dogs somewhere for the hour.
- We've recently had a no-show and then today a cancelation due to illness with the promise to re-schedule soon.
So, obviously the taking time away from work to shuttle dogs around for a showing is getting tough on my husband. We have a fenced-in back yard, but one of our dogs is a "digger", and they are all barkers. They bark when the UPS truck drives by, when someone walks by, when other dogs are in the vicinity. I realize this means they're not well trained in that regards. Please don't flame me for that. It's never really been an issue as they are indoor dogs and are only outdoors when we are home and get intervene and get them inside if they start barking up a storm.
Anyway, my husband is talking about the possibility of leaving them in the yard on showing days to make it easier on him, but I don't think it's a great option since people then wouldn't be able to really walk around our property. They would absolutely bark at and crowd the clients. Not a great impression.
So, I suggested maybe we try to crate them in the back yard, though they aren't crated in our home. A friend suggested training them with bark collars,w hich I haven't researched, but I'm going to guess isn't considered a good thing to do by dog enthusiasts. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
So, can you help me? Do you think crating them, even if it means them barking at the clients, might be an ok option? Are bark collars acceptable or cruel?
Does my husband need to suck it up and keep figuring away to shuttle the dogs away during showings?
This is going to be a bit of a post n' run, but I will check in later. Thanks
Re: Those with "outdoor dogs"
Do you have any doggy daycares in your area that you could take the dogs to in the morning of showings and pick up after work?
Is boarding or doggy daycare an option? Or hiring a dog walker who has flexibility and can run over and walk on a short notice?
Otherwise, hubs needs to suck it up as part of the hassle of selling a home.
Sorry it's taking you so long to sell! Hope it turns around for you soon!
I AM a huge dog lover, and I wouldn't have entered that house either.
We do doggie daycare regularly, but it's only for 1 dog and it still might bankrupt us. I understand that you're in a difficult spot, and that the sale process has taken a really long time. I don't think crating is an option, especially since you don't crate them inside the home already. I absolutely wouldn't leave them outside for the whole day. I think the best plan is to have your DH continue to shuttle them around whenever he possibly can and on the days he can't, try to find a daycare or dog-walker option, if one exists.
Good luck. Home buying and selling is super stressful without this added complication!
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We have had inside and outside dogs of all sizes over the years. We invested in a 10'x10' chain link kennel with 6' tall sides and a gate. I bought it used and it was inexpensive. It's large enough to fit a couple of medium size dogs for the day while you are at work. Put them a dog house out there in case it rains and a large bowl of water.
If you have a digger, buy some extra fence and lay it on the ground under the sides of the kennel and tie it to the sides. The dog will stand on the fence on the ground and can not dig under if it is secured well to the sides.
The plus is you can use it in the garage or basement if weather is bad, move it around into the shade and take it with you when you move.
I would never put a dog in a crate outside in the yard for that long. Bark collars don't work very well unless you spend a lot of time working with the dog and training them with the collar.