Urgent. Neighbour complaining about barking dog

martyeds · 05-08-2009 8:29pm #1

I posted a thread on here a few months ago about our 2 year old dog and her non stop barking, and admittedly we took no action and now things have came to a head today.
A neighbour came to our house to complain about the dogs barking and said that it is making her life hell. She said she is working night shift and the dogs constant barking is keeping her awake. She said she is going to take the matter further.

The dog is in the backyard during the day while myself and my wife are at work (the backyard is secure and the dog cannot escap)
She is inside at night time and does not bark.

Is this classed as anti social behaviour and what would the consequences be if she does report the dog to someone?

Does anyone know how i should approach this matter. I was thinking of going to speak to the neighbour but i want to know legally where we both stand on the matter.

Thanks.

PS I dont intend to go around and cause any trouble.

fatmammycat · 05-08-2009 8:42pm

I don't know if your house is privately owned or not, but honestly this is very much anti-social behaviour. Imagine how distressing it is to listen to a dog bark all day long? It would drive even the most mild mannered person insane. I would go speak to your neighbour. I would apologise first and then tell her you intend to rectify the situation. It might require you exercise the dog first thing in the morning or leave her in and get someone to let her out during the day, or whatever. it is unfair to subject your neighbours to that kind of noise daily.

mikemac · 05-08-2009 8:46pm

You said non-stop barking yourself

I've worked night shift and believe me, your neighbour is going through hell.

Are you exercising your dog in the morning?

martyeds · 05-08-2009 8:50pm

Well when i said 'non stop barking' what i meant was she barks when someone walks past the house and so on.
I totally agree with the neighbour that the barking is very annoying but i was wondering is it a case of that the dog can be taken off us or what?

Beth · 05-08-2009 8:52pm

Nuisances caused by dogs include excessive barking, particularly at unsocial hours. Excessive barking that causes a nuisance to any member of the community, is classed as an offence. The Discrict Court in your area can make an order that requires you to reduce the excessive barking from your dog. It can also limit the amount of dogs allowed to be on your premises or even instruct you to bring the dog that is causing the nuisance to the Dog Warden as an unwanted dog.

Excessive barking is the cause of a lot of complaints and if you find that you are being disturbed by a dog's barking, that is considered excessive by standard means, you can make a complaint to the District Court under Noise Regulations. Before making your formal complaint to the District Court, you must first inform the dog owner of your intentions by completing a form under the Control of Dogs Act 1986 which are available from your local authority.

She has every right to complain if it is noise pollution. She has informed you casually, which she didnt have to do, now all she has to do is complete the form.

The consequences of a formal complaint is above in bold.

Why do you leave the dog in the garden when you go to work? Why not bring it inside? When the owners arent there, most dogs will just generally sleep the day away.

An apology to your neighbour and informing her you will take steps to rectify the situation would probably go a long way. it will take some time probably so you might need to tell her you will require a little patience while working on it. If you're working on it though and she sees this, then most people will oblige with the patience - though her patience might be stretched a little too far at this stage. Sleep deprivation is a form of torture!

timmywex · 05-08-2009 8:55pm

Theyll have to file a noise complaint with the local county council, isnt anything the gards can do about it, they have no power to do anything.

Council will do a monitering period to check noise levels and it could go through the courts then

martyeds · 05-08-2009 9:03pm

Thanks for your replies.
I will call to see her tomorrow and take it from there.

jen_23 · 05-08-2009 11:34pm

I saw a collar in a maxi-zoo the other day that is an anti bark collar. every time the dog barks it sprays some water at the dog.

It might be an option for you??

As to how effective/humane they are I wouldn't be sure but maybe others have tried them?

bnagrrl · 06-08-2009 3:07am

How many hours is the dog left on its own in the garden? Really a dog shouldn't be left for more than 4 hours alone. If your dog is barking excessively she is likely bored and lonely.
There are some things you can do to combat this though. Increase the frequency, length and intensity of your walks so she is too tired to bark all day. Keep her indoors while you are at work so if she does bark it will not disturb the neighbours. Do you have a friend or family member who could check on the dog while you are at work? Lots of toys will keep your dog distracted for some of the day. My dog loves the puppy kong filled with peanut butter and a broken up markie treat. Any toy that you can incorporate a treat into that your dog has to work at to get out will keep them busy and quiet for some time.

Gary ITR · 06-08-2009 3:26am

Your neighbour has been very reasonable. I wasn't so reasonable when my old neighbours had two dogs that barked non stop 24 hours a day.

I asked once and nothing was done so I called the DSPCA and the dogs were removed and rehomed.

They were only 2 small mixed breed things that the answer couldn't be bothered looking after. We manage to look after and keep a happy lab that doesn't bark the place down when he's on his own

06-08-2009 8:48am

I agree with bnagrrl, any longer than four hours is just undeniably cruel. The poor thing is bored out of its mind.

If you care about the dog, and your neighbour, hire a dog walker to come by during the day. As it is, that's just cruel to everyone involved.

crally · 06-08-2009 9:06am

hi

i had the same problem and 2 dogs. i bought 2 anti bark collars. they worked. they give a shock to the dog to stop it barking. not nice i know but it had to be done. it stopped immediately. i no longer use them. why not give your dog a large meaty bone to eat and it would take a lot to distract him/her then.

Kooli · 06-08-2009 9:35am

crally wrote: »

hi

i had the same problem and 2 dogs. i bought 2 anti bark collars. they worked. they give a shock to the dog to stop it barking. not nice i know but it had to be done. it stopped immediately. i no longer use them. why not give your dog a large meaty bone to eat and it would take a lot to distract him/her then.

I think that's pretty awful to be honest.

If a dog is left alone all day then it is NOT the dogs fault that it is barking all day (as said before it is bored and lonely!) so you are effectively punishing the dog for behaviour that you have caused.

Imagine having a dog that is SCARED to bark? Awful

06-08-2009 10:31am

Kooli wrote: »

I think that's pretty awful to be honest.

If a dog is left alone all day then it is NOT the dogs fault that it is barking all day (as said before it is bored and lonely!) so you are effectively punishing the dog for behaviour that you have caused.

Imagine having a dog that is SCARED to bark? Awful

Totally agree, and Ireland are apparently a nation that love their dogs.

Is that why most of them are overweight ? What an idiotic thing to do to the poor animal, a bark is a way a dog expresses emotion. He can't talk the poor bastard. :eek:

HashSlinging · 06-08-2009 10:41am

A really easy solution to this would be leaving the dog in during the day and letting him out a night, make sure to bring the dog for a walk in the mornings etc. When he barks at night at least you will be there to teach the dog not to bark.

crally · 06-08-2009 12:50pm

hi

I have to say that I agree with you to a point. yes the ideal situation is for dogs to have company all day but in most households this is not possible. I had two dogs keeping each other company, well exercised and generally very well kept BUT Dogs can start barking incessently and the anti barking collar breaks that cycle. The dogs are very well exercised and sleep inside at night time. The collars were used for a few weeks, it was either that or get rid of the dogs not the ideal situation but it had to be done. In my experience when dogs reach 3years of age they quieten down and when left inside during the day they tend to sleep a lot. when they were younger i could not leave them inside as they had the place wrecked and urinated on everything, ate anything in sight etc. My advise if a dog is going to be left on its own do not get a puppy get a rescue dog.

Kooli · 06-08-2009 1:44pm

Just because the collars worked, doesn't mean they were a good idea.

Hitting a dog each time it barks will stop it barking. Kicking it will do the same. As will shooting it. Just because something works, doesn't mean it's the right thing to do.

Cian92 · 06-08-2009 3:29pm

Using the collars mightnt be the ideal option, but you will need to train the dog quickly if you want to keep it, so I would go with it. Maybe you could keep the dog inside, it might not have as much space while your away but this will keep the neighbour happy.

bnagrrl · 06-08-2009 5:14pm

Personally I think those electric shock collars are barbaric.

Roaster · 06-08-2009 5:57pm

I have used both the sonar and shock collar on our lab who barked non stop and the shock one was the only one that worked. I tested it on myself and it's no worse than a pinch.

We do exercise the dog too. Some dogs just love barking.

aujopimur · 06-08-2009 6:06pm

It's nice to see somebody taking a neighbours complaint seriously

HashSlinging · 06-08-2009 8:56pm

Kooli wrote: »

Just because the collars worked, doesn't mean they were a good idea.

Hitting a dog each time it barks will stop it barking. Kicking it will do the same. As will shooting it. Just because something works, doesn't mean it's the right thing to do.

FFS Hitting a dog when he barks is a solution, they are animals for god sake, not children I dont understand how people can let their dogs dominate like that.

Depending on the dog you dont have to use force but just so he knows he's over stepped the mark. I used a news paper as it was really loud and after he barked each time I would go over to him and hit him a couple of times with the loose news paper, if he lost the plot and wouldnt react the way I wanted then he would get a gentle nudge. After a couple of days he stopped.

It depends on what type of dog you have, something bigger might need a gentle meaningful hit with a stick the area just before the hind legs is the best place to strike.

star-pants · 06-08-2009 9:04pm

Whilst I agree dogs are animals - I do NOT agree in hitting them with sticks.
I don't wish this thread to get dragged down to how you discipline your animals.

This is about barking and how to occupy the dog. The dog probably is bored and maybe some of the kong treats would be a good idea. Or seeing if you can get someone into walk him.

My dogs bark but that's their nature. Lhasa Apsos are warning dogs, that's what they do. They don't bark all the time, but if someones at the door or they hear something out the back they bark. I won't give out to them for doing what's in their nature.

HashSlinging · 06-08-2009 9:13pm

Agreed, I actually encourage my dog to bark, he's a great early warning system, but what I cant stand is my dog being involved in the doggy choir at all hours of the day and night, my dog is out doors all the time, and he never barks unless he needs to, even if the next door neighbors dog is barking he doesn't bark.

Blueprint · 06-08-2009 10:33pm

I think some breeds will just bark more than others and all you can do really is keep them in during the day.

You can train your dog to shut up on command (humanely I might add!), but realistically if he's all alone in the garden and kids are screaming on the road and kicking their balls into your driveway all day etc. he's going to bark and it would be unreasonable to expect him not to! (of course maybe other people's neighbourhood is quieter...)

My guy knows he shouldn't bark much, but he is a Terrier and it's unrealistic to expect him to be quiet all day, so he's never left out on his own. I'd be afraid someone would steal him or the kids would torment him anyhow.

arybvtcw0eolkf · 06-08-2009 11:47pm

OP, sorry I've no answer for you.

But I'm in the same situ as your neighbour in that I've a neighbour who's dog barks day and night, and I swear to god sometimes I don't know if its kinder should I strangle the neighbour or the damn dog.

We all love our dogs/pets - but in the greater order of things human's and our quality of life must take precedence over that of an animal. In saying that the onus is on the owner to stop the dog from barking.

Electro collars, well guys its all very well to this here and bang on about how cruel they are, but right now @ 23:45hrs I'm dreading going to bed incase this little beast starts again - my quality of life is directly affected by its barking to an extent where I'm often going to work totally exhausted, cruel or not I could care less, if something like that works then fine - use the damn thing.

Only thing that my guys bark at is the East Europeans posting plastic recycle bags through my door looking for my old clothes - I might try a collar on one of those guys first (fitted as tight as I can get it

).

.

07-08-2009 12:46am

It's not the dogs fault though. It's the owners responsibility and the owner must deal with it.

If people have to go to work for 9 hours a day and leave their dog at home alone, then don't get a dog in the first place because it's cruel regardless of whether or not you want a dog.

You have to listen to your head over heart sometimes - it's crueler on the dog if people give in.

Is it any wonder the dog barks ? People should research their dogs before they get them. Most people who own dogs seem pretty ****ing clueless if I'm being honest.

doubleglaze · 07-08-2009 10:48am

HashSlinging wrote: »

FFS Hitting a dog when he barks is a solution, they are animals for god sake, not children I dont understand how people can let their dogs dominate like that.

Depending on the dog you dont have to use force but just so he knows he's over stepped the mark. I used a news paper as it was really loud and after he barked each time I would go over to him and hit him a couple of times with the loose news paper, if he lost the plot and wouldnt react the way I wanted then he would get a gentle nudge. After a couple of days he stopped.

It depends on what type of dog you have, something bigger might need a gentle meaningful hit with a stick the area just before the hind legs is the best place to strike.

:mad:

If that's your attitude, you shouldn't have a dog.

07-08-2009 10:52am

HashSlinging wrote: »

FFS Hitting a dog when he barks is a solution, they are animals for god sake, not children I dont understand how people can let their dogs dominate like that.

No it's not, I suggest you go research.

doubleglaze · 07-08-2009 10:57am

jen_23 wrote: »

I saw a collar in a maxi-zoo the other day that is an anti bark collar. every time the dog barks it sprays some water at the dog.

It might be an option for you??

As to how effective/humane they are I wouldn't be sure but maybe others have tried them?

I think that breeds of dog with high guarding ability aren't that suitable for semi-detached or terraced houses as they tend to bark too much, no matter how well they are exercised or entertained.

In cases where a more docile dog - retriever for example - gets too fond of the sound of its own voice, then that dog is going to need to be calmed down. As a last resort, anti-bark collars are the most effective option. I like the sound of this one. Bottom line: neighbours have the right to a peaceful night's sleep.

Alun · 07-08-2009 11:11am

Lina Uneven Asphalt wrote: »

Only thing that my guys bark at is the East Europeans posting plastic recycle bags through my door looking for my old clothes - I might try a collar on one of those guys first (fitted as tight as I can get it ).

We've got a couple of yappy terriers next door that bark at the slightest noise as well. It's a PITA seeing as I work from home a lot. The thing that gets them going (as in continuous howling as opposed to just barking) is the ice cream van with it's jingle. The jingle is bad enough on it's own, but combine that with two dogs doing their impression of the Hound of the Baskervilles and it's almost too much to bear.

Urgent. Neighbour complaining about barking dog

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