neighbours complaining about pets

If you could leave them inside with some background noises they probably wouldnt bark?

Deger, This is unfortunately a common problem. The main ways to stop dogs barking are:

(1) increase their exercise - i.e. walk them before you go to work in the mornings and again when you get home. Good long walks, tire them out! Some people also get friends/hired dog walkers to come in the middle of the day and walk them then - this can really help. As whispered said, they are alone for a very large portion of the day, which is very likely a huge part of their problem.
(2) plenty of toys to distract them - rawhide chews and food releasing toys e.g. kongs are the best.
(3) if they are barking at other dogs/at something in particular, prevent them from seeing and hearing the dogs/that thing - this usually means keeping them inside the house. Is this possible for your dogs? If not for the full day, even to bring them inside for half of the day? You might think it is cruel to keep a dog confined to the inside but with plenty of exercise and toys most dogs don't mind at all.
(4) (Please don't jump on this point and not the rest) you can get anti-barking collars, there are a few types, citronella spray collars, ultrasonic noise collars, and electronic shock collars. Many people jump on these as they seem like an easy fix - However for various reasons these collars aren't the best choice, particularly the shock collars - they don't address the cause of the problem, and can make dogs even more distressed than before, so they can end up barking even more then usual, even after the collar is removed.
(5) It can also help a little to brush up on their general obedience training, and to address any separation anxiety issues they may have (a dog trainer or behaviourist are good for extra info on these.)

The first 2-3 points above are the most important as they actually address the causes of the barking, which are usually boredom, anxiety or territorial.

As this may turn into a legal issue it might be an idea to record them during the day and establish how long they are barking for, and also what triggers it. Your neighbour has rights under the control of dogs acts to have the issue investigated and even have your dogs seized.

same as what others have said 11 hrs aday is along time out for any dog. and as much as i love dogs i have 3 myself it would drive me mad if my next door neighbours dogs were constintely barking. in all fairness you dont know how long they are barking for, and as others have said most of it is prob out of boardom. in all fairness if you were at home trying to work the barking would prob drive you insane as well
Have you no one that could come in and walk/play with the dogs. 11 hrs without food is along time maybe there hungry as well.

To be honest it's hardly fair for either your dogs or your neighbour. Your dogs are clearly bored and frustrated if they're barking, could you consider a dog walker during the day to give them more exercise?

My neighbours dog used to bark whenever we were in our back garden at all and it got very old very quick. We couldnt sit out in good weather never mind have anyone over for a bbq cos the dog barked non stop the minute she heard our voices or footsteps. I ended up loosing the head when my mam was dying of cancer, we turned her room into a hospital room but it was at the back of the house so everytime we opened a window or the dog heard us do anything it would start off barking and not stop. It really upset my mam so I went in next door to ask them to keep the dog inside and was told 'sure it's only barking, that's what dogs do'. I pointed out that I had my mam's dog plus my own 3 in my mam's house and you wouldn't hear a peep out of them, and that my mam should have the dignity of dying without constant barking in her ears.

So you never know what's going on behind closed doors, give your neighbour a break and keep your dogs inside unless you can control their behaviour. I'm not a cruel person but I ended up shouting at that dog and turning the hose on and pointing it over the wall in an effort to get it to shut up. Next step was going to be one of those high-pitch emmiters that's triggered when a dog barks, it's a noise that's really irritating to dogs.

deger82 wrote: »

am i being unreasonable to ask my neighbour for help to resolve this matter
i dont complain when he is fighting with his wife at 10:00 in the evening
i dont complain about all the noise coming from his house
i dont complain when his clients come and park outside my house and i have to park up the top of the road

Unfortunately your neighbour has no obligation to help you train your dogs. In your first post you said your dogs were out from 9am to 8pm but then you said you were home from work at 4pm so how about keeping the dogs inside until you get home at 4pm, then you would be on hand to correct the dogs whenever they barked. It can be as simple as a sharp 'no' or call them into the house. It needs to be consistent though so even if your neighbour was willing to give them a treat when he went outside it would never be consistent, especially if he has clients coming and going. So the best way would be the dogs only to be in the garden when you're there to supervise and train them.

As regards your neighbour being noisy, that's an entirely separate issue so it has to be dealt with separately, like others have said approach the neighbour and either talk to them about your dog problem or them being noisy but don't get into a tit for tat discussion, it won't end in any kind of resolution

Hi OP, it sounds like there are underlying problems in your situation. But i do think you have to take his complaints seriously cos if you are not there during the day you can't be sure how much barking they are actually doing.

deger, can't really add much to what's already been said by others.

Although fortuneteller above is no doubt blowing hot air about what he'd do, the sad truth is that there are plenty of people out there who wouldn't hesitate to harm or kill your dogs for disturbing their precious peace. The kind of man who goes out into his back garden to shout at dogs, doesn't sound like the most stable person around.

The ball is in your court here, it's ultimately your problem because it's your dogs who are barking. So you need to sort it.