Barking Dog :-(

Dubrub

Hi. I have read a number of threads here from people complaining about their neighbour’s dogs barking excessively. There is much ranting but no solutions.

I am at the other end of this problem and have had one of my neighbours call twice to complain about my dog barking. The dog is a terrier pup, almost a year old. He stays in the back garden while I am at work during the day (the garden is not too tiny). He has plenty of bones and toys to keep him busy. He gets a walk in the evenings. He does not bark during the night or while I am home in the evenings. However, my neighbour tells me that his toddler is being kept awake by barking during the day. I can only take his word for this and assume (having researched online) that it is the result of some sort of separation anxiety.

Mostly, people on this site are giving out about dog owners who do not care. I am not an unreasonable person and have no wish to aggrevate any of my neighbours. That said, I am unsure as to what I should do. I have had my dog neutured, which should have calmed him a little. Most of the training techniques I’ve read about are impossible because the dog isn’t barking while I’m there – so I can’t discipline and teach him.

This neighbour has quite upset me tonight, saying that he will “sort the dog out” himself. All I want to know is, has anybody else been at the owner end of this problem? Have you managed to successfully solve the problem? And if so, how???

Thanks in advance.

star-pants

Ok, I have two dogs, one is a pup.
I have been kept awake by some neighbours dog barking continuously all night (as have my dogs been kept awake!!)- that is rather annoying but not a whole lot that can be done.

Thing is - is someone has a baby/toddler & they're awake half the night screaming their head off, can you complain? No. And I've been there minding the baby/toddler etc and obviously you do think of the neighbours but you can only do so much.
Same with my dog & pup, they're great girls but yes sometimes they might get a bit barky if left on their own for a while or see birds outside etc. Heck my little pup barks at her tail sometimes. Again, you can only do so much.

It sounds like you're a very attentive dog owner and whilst I'm afraid I don't really have any solutions, you seem to have done all you can. If the neighbour starts up again and threatens your dog in that manner, I'd nearly log a report with the local garda. Not to get your neighbour into trouble, but just incase anything ever happened (goodness forbid) or if it comes up again from his side. At least you will have explained you've done all you can.

At the end of the day, you can't control a dog barking same way you can't control a baby crying if it wants to. (to a certain degree I mean) So I'm sure you've politely explained you've done all you can, and you apologise but that there's not much you can do.

andreac

Try bringing the dog on a big walk before work to tire him out, hes prob bored if he only gets a wlak in the eve. Or leave him in the house.

Try giving him treats like a kong filled with frozen food which will take a while to eat.

How long is the dog left on his own during the day? maybe get a dog walker in to bring him out during the day.

andreac

Dogs bark for a reason, boredom etc, so try and tire the dog out and he will want to sleep then.

joey54

I think the only solution to stop the dog barking during the day is to leave him in the house while you're out during the day. What kind of a relationship to you have with your neighbour? Would they be willing to let the dog out for an hour during the day and then let him back in again?

I know its far from ideal but maybe it would allow them to get peace and quiet and you the piece of mind that the dog isn't locked away in the house all day!

Sigma Force

The dog barking certainly doesn't mean you are a bad dog owner it's just one negative thing your dog does and it happens when you aren't there it's a common problem so perhaps there are a few things you could try.
As sometimes when neighbours threaten like that they will carry it out sadly.

I would suggest keeping the dog in the house when you are out mainly to keep the noise level down perhaps in the other end of the house away from the neighbour that is complaining side.

As mentioned trying to make sure the dog is tired before you leave, although this is difficult with terriers as they are little Enegizer (sp?) bunnies at that age.

How long is the dog left on average every day? A dog walker might be a solution esp. if you are gone from say 9 to 5 ish. The kongs will help as well.

Also if you start leaving the pooch in the house and then leave the house for a couple of minutes and then come back in, and gradually build up the time that could possibly help a little bit.

Eventhough from a practical side when you are out (esp. when the dog needs to loo) it works for you to keep the dog in the garden I would move the pooch indoors (perhaps having to place some newspaper or wee wee pads by the door). There is a chance the dog might feel more secure as well esp. if the dog sleeps indoors at night he might suprise you and go straight to his bed where he feels safe and secure.

I think it's a combination of things that should help.

You'd be suprised how annoying a dog bark can be we have double glazing and are detatched and about 100 feet from next hse but the dog that used to bark used to bark all through the night and it got really irritating eventhough there are dogs all around us this was none stop.

The Sweeper

Dubrub, try talking to your neighbour again.

You need more information because you don't know WHY the dog is barking. Since he only barks when you're not there, try asking your neighbour (and I know this may seem like a stretch) to keep a day diary of what happens. (The council would require your neighbour to provide a barking dog diary anyway before they served you with a notice that you need to sort it out.)

The diary looks like this:

Monday
10.00am, cloudy, calm, postman drives up the street, eight barks.
10.15am, cloudy, calm, someone in the street slams a door, five barks.
Tuesday
10.00am, very windy, dog barks intermittently at flapping washing line
Wednesday
11.00am, someone in street has a visitor and their dog barks, so dog starts barking, 12 barks.

Seriously, that's the sort of detail a barking dog diary is required to have for the council to take a complaint seriously - but it's also the sort of detail that allows you to do something about the problem.

If the dog barks at the wind, at aeroplanes overhead, at the sound of a car in the street, well he really needs to be kept in the house while you're out at work.

If he barks at the back door whining to come in while you're out, then he needs to either be moved inside with some noise for company (buy one of those solar/wind-up radios and leave it on for him while you're out, pleasing both dog and carbon footprint) or you could look at getting a companion dog for him (though this could make your neighbour's head explode if you don't explain the thinking behind it ).

I know you may not want to talk to the neighbour, but as it stands you can't do anything about this because the dog doesn't act this behaviour while you're home, so you've really got no idea what he's barking at.

Additionally, a garden full of toys and bones is no entertainment for a dog on its own. If I locked you in an enclosed space for a day and gave you toys and bones and no other stimulation, you'd be bored too.

Another solution would be to look at hiring a dog walker to take the dog out for an hour every day while you're at work - but keep him in the house the rest of the time unless you're home.

I know it's stressful when someone's complained about your animals, but a barking dog is worse than a dripping tap. I was one of the people who had a barking dog thread on this forum. I moved out of that house eventually, but the people who owned that dog, in my opinion, were not good dog owners. The council upheld my complaint about their night-barking labrador, so they got rid of it. They got another dog that raided the back garden of the house I used to live in on a near-daily basis over 10 days and killed every chicken my ex-house-mate owned. She had no idea what was going on until she found chicken feathers behind the neighbour's shed. Instead of offering to pay for the chickens and guaranteeing they would secure the dog, the neighbour got rid of it as well. Doubtless it will be replaced by another animal that becomes a problem because of how they keep it.

LadyTBolt

Dogs Bark & Neighbours complain, it is a vicious circle.

Our dogs bark and our neighbours complain, alot. We do all we can when we can but they will never be happy until there are no dogs.

Except for one occassion, during one night our neighbours car was vandalised, the next day our neighbours questioned why the dogs didn't bark.

Dogs Bark & Neighbours complain - just live with it.

Aru

hi just seen ur thread and it is a fairly serious problem to have a dog barking.Regardless of any time of the day because if the neighbours complain to the council and can prove the dog is "nuisance barking" the council can insist the dog is either stoped from barking or removed..i no that probly seems a bit excessive but im a vet student and we got to do a module on behavoiur and this was something that came uo a lot! owners come in worried about because they have got a letter from the council and an ultimatum about their pet but it is a problem that can usually be fixed!

Firstly you need to figure out what is causing your dog to bark....is it territorial?ie is it able to see ppl passing by and bark at them if so you are going to have to stop hm being able to see people passing

Is it bored?what sort of toys have you for it to play with?are they a challenge ie like a kong or other stimulating toys or just balls and chews?does he have the same toys alll the time?if so remove a lot of them and start changing the toys he gets so the novelthy will make him more intrested
if you get along with your neighbour you could just give them some of the novelthy toys to drop over the fence to distact the dog and stop him barking(at least for a while)
Is it seperation anxiety?is the dog normally inside the house and with you when your at home>is he very attached to you?if so you have a more serious issue and it may be seperation anxiety and this can take a while to fix

Is he getting enoough exercise you said you walk him at night he might benifit from a walk in the morning so he wont be as hyper during the day
even a short walk might help a bit...how long are you at work for?could you walk him during your lunch hour if not it might be worth while finding someone who could walk him for you during the day or even just to drop in and keep him company for a while..

The other problem may be that he is lonely.Is he an outside dog only?if hes housetrained id try leaving him in the house with a few toys and the tv on to provide some company and to block out any backround noise he might bark at and see how that works....
or of course you could try getting him a companion theres plenty of rescue centres that could find you a sensible older dog who hasnt a problem with barking to keep your lad company and entertain him to stop the barking..after all dogs are pack animals
hope some of these help!

Jimkel

Sorry but if a dog gets walked at least once a day and has regular human contact and is well looked after it will not bark excessively at night.

Aru

Jimkel the dog isnt barking at night its barking during the day when the poster is at work...

sorella

If the dog is indoors when you are home and is then put outside when you are out? It will think it is being exiled.

We got ours used to our being out; but they always stay indoors then, for safety as as much as anything else. Dogs can be stolen from gardens.

We have listened then; sometimes a whimper for a few minutes,but no barking.

Unless someone comes too near the house when we are in, no barking then either.

And barking then is their job.

With an adult dog, they will wait the day long to toilet.

Left outside, dogs will and do bark all day long.

Sleipnir

Sorry, but people who have to leave their dogs out the back garden while they go to work simply shouldn't have dogs. If I was left for 10 hours in the back garden every day I'd get bored pretty quickly; and I have opposable thumbs.

My kids (like all kids) want a dog but after thinking about it long and hard, I had to say 'no' because there's nobody at home during the day and that's just not fair on the dog. Someone did suggest I get two but usually just end up with two bored dogs.

redroisin

If the dog is indoors when you are home and is then put outside when you are out? It will think it is being exiled.

This is exactly the problem....when he is barking he is in fact "calling" you to come home. The solution is simple...buy a dog crate (looks like a cage) as this will tap in to his den instinct and make him feel secure (unlike a solid enclosure which makes them feel isolated therefore stressed) or a baby gate across a small area such as a stair recess or hallway ending, spend one day introducing him to it properly as there is a certain way it should be done, and I promise you he will sleep while you are away and can happily stay in his "den" for up to 8hrs without needing anyone to attend to him or let him out. If you need anymore info or advise introducing him to the crate feel free to pm me.