Q: I have two questions. I have a short coated retriever that I found on the road side 3 years ago Christmas Eve. Wonderful dog, very loving and seems to pick up on training well.

Question 1: she spends her days in the backyard while I am at work, and she barks at my neighbors or anything that moves in front of my house. I found this out by a neighbor leaving a note on my door, he was tired of listening to her bark while he was in his front yard. She does not demonstrate this behavior while I am at home. I have used a tarp to cover the fence so she cannot see out of the yard, what else can I do to stop her from barking? She is hyper too, I now have a banked race track in my back yard.

Question 2: the same dog hides her food when I leave home and she is left with my other dog, a 6-year old Border Collie. Is this just because she had to find her own food before I can along? Maybe an instinct? Thanks for any and all advice.

A: Well, first, I would suggest feeding the dogs separately, give them perhaps 15 minutes to eat, then take the food away. Give them 2 or 3 chances a day to eat. She will quickly learn to eat her food when it is offered, and you won't have to worry about a blood-letting fight breaking out between the dogs over that hidden food.

I do think she may be hiding her food for later because she has been deprived in her past. I had a dog who did that. She eventually got over it, but she did always fret a bit when I was gone, even if my husband was home with her.

Leaving her in the house when you're not home would be the best way to handle the barking. She thinks it is her job to keep the area free of intruders. Hopefully she is old enough not to chew destructively in the house, but if that is still a problem, a crate is usually the best way to handle it.

I know it's upsetting to have a neighbor tell you the barking annoys him, but it was very up front of him to tell you, instead of just calling the authorities. A barking dog is a huge issue in depriving neighbors of the use and enjoyment of their own property. It is one of the major neighborhood complaints that police get, and can be a source of serious conflict between neighbors. The one who complained may not be the only one who is upset. The sooner you stop the noise, the better. I hope it goes well.