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How to stop my hound from howling due to separation anxiety?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Black and Tan Coonhound | Male | neutered | 5 years and 6 months old | 80 lbs

my hound howls when i go out, hes causing problems and need to know how to keep him quiet. I can''t afford to hire a trainer and hes usually good when not alone. the only choices i can see is for him to find a new home or try a bark collar, the neighbours are harassing us and my wife is getting very stressed and thats not good because of an illness.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Lauren Kennedy, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on July 10th, 2017

I can totally understand your problem, as I have a hound dog too! I, personally, have used a bark collar and found it very effective. There are collars that give a little shock/buzz or you can get one that does a spray to deter the dogs from barking. In my experience the dog only needs to be buzzed once or twice until they learn not to bark when the collar is on. You may also consider talking with your vet about an anti anxiety medication for your dog. This may help calm him so he doesn't become so anxious and bark when you leave him alone.

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    Answered By Jeffrey Milner

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Hi, unfortunately it is difficult to get a dog breed like a hound to stop barking. You can try positive reinforcement when he is quiet and ignore or act displeased when he barks. Another thing is to give him something to do while you are leaving. You can purchase a large or extra large Kong toy (it looks like a snowman) with a hollow center. Fill the hollow center with something tasty and sticky like peanut butter or canned cheese and give this to him right before you go out. This will distract him and stimulate his mind while he tried to figure out how to get the food inside. You may have to do this every time you go out, but it is better than rehoming him.As for bark collars, first try a citronella spraying collar. It will activate when he barks and spray him which is distasteful to dogs but does not harm them. Only put the collar on when you can't have him barking, because a dog has to bark at some point. It's when it becomes a nuisance that you have to deal with it. Good luck, i hope this helps!

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