neighbours hassling me over my dog barking

saviourgirl

Yeah Jen cop onto yourself, that poster is making a point of how passive the OP is of her neighbours by saying they should handle the barking.

No they shouldnt and they have a right to complain.

Jenrobbri

If she had big dogs that were kept in the garden and barked all day long it would be a different story.
She has little dogs that are kept in the house and very rarely left alone.
If she was a man would they complain like that?
If you choose to live in a housing estate you have to have some tolerance, what's next?
No singing in the shower in case it bothers the neabours.
God Forbid she may have to drill a hole in her wall, or have friends knockin at the door ( the doorbell may be seen as being to loud)
Oh and make sure you don't slam your car door

The Sweeper

Jenrobbri wrote: »

If she had big dogs that were kept in the garden and barked all day long it would be a different story.
She has little dogs that are kept in the house and very rarely left alone.

Yes. That's why one barks from separation anxiety. Because it's rarely left alone. Uh huh. Good one.

saviourgirl

Are you serious jenrobi? Your just being petty now.

All those noises are acceptable because they last for a split second. This is a dog who barks for an hour at a time and is obviously doing her neighbours head in.

Jenrobbri

Nothing was said about barking for an hour. She left the house for the first time in ages to go across the road, came back 20mins later and there was a note on her door.

saviourgirl

Yeah she also said the neighbour has come around a few times so its not the first time.

jen_23

Jenrobbri wrote: »

If she had big dogs that were kept in the garden and barked all day long it would be a different story.
She has little dogs that are kept in the house and very rarely left alone.
If she was a man would they complain like that?
If you choose to live in a housing estate you have to have some tolerance, what's next?
No singing in the shower in case it bothers the neabours.
God Forbid she may have to drill a hole in her wall, or have friends knockin at the door ( the doorbell may be seen as being to loud)
Oh and make sure you don't slam your car door

Jen your not really being very helpful to the Op here. The OP has asked for advice to handle the situation and is happy to try to rectify it to keep the peace. You saying that the neighbours will have to get over it and tough isn't really going to help. Only cause more aggravation in the long run.

I do understand your annoyance with the lack of peoples tolerance though. It can sometimes be very frustrating.
But the fact is it is just so much easier to not get on the bad side of your neighbours.

And training can only better the dog in the long run and I'm sure the OP will enjoy the training classes as well

andreac

Im sorry but people arent going to complain about a dog barking for half an hour, they prob had enough of the dog barking and it came to a head that day.
Have you ever had to put up with a dog barking constantly? you cant compare a barking dog non stop, to someone singing in the shower.

Jenrobbri

The OP is living there for ten years, so either all her other neighbours are deaf or the new people just like to cause trouble.

saviourgirl

Jenrobbri wrote: »

The OP is living there for ten years, so either all her other neighbours are deaf or the new people just like to cause trouble.

Probably deaf.

DePurpereWolf

I wouldn't really like it if I bought a house and would find out that I can't sleep because this little dog is barking all the time.

OP, more dog owners should be like you. You have identified the problem: separation anxiety, and you're willing to work on it. Don't forget that your puppy isn't in a very happy state of mind either when he goes like this. So do it for your puppy and get him over this separation anxiety.

I agree that your neighbours are a bunch of whiners. But it is better to keep your neighbours happy. Trying to 'fight' with them won't get you anywhere really.

cloudy day

I'm sorry that you feel there are some people here that are bitchy with their replies. But bear in mind when you post on a forum for opinions, that's what your going to get. Because all people are different, you will get a lot of different opinions. You have to take on board the advice of those who have experience and pretty much take no notice of the ones you feel may be offensive. You are looking for a solution and there are a lot of us who want to help you find it so that you won't have to get rid of your dogs.

I've had dogs all my life, and the one thing I cannot stand is constant barking. It can be stopped. If you are home all day with the dogs then it will be easy for you to work on the training. Get them used to being left out in the back yard so that when they are not aware of it you can sneak out and they won't know you are gone.

I know it's stressing you out and it's a bad situation and not everybody can afford expensive training classes.

How many dogs do you have, what are their breeds and ages. This will give the people who have experience with these breeds the ability to advise you best. Some problems are breed specific and age related.

DePurpereWolf

It's really not that difficult.
Don't give your dog special attention before you go or when you come back.
The big SSsh, is actually bad. Don't yell at him when you come back either, or give him extra love, just ignore him for the first few minutes.
Practice a couple of days by going away for short periods of time. And increasing the times you are away.
The dog needs to understand that everything will be okay, and that you will come back.
Try to return when he is not barking.

DanR

Jenrobbri wrote: »

Unfortunatly looking for advice in this site you will always come up agenst the sanctimonious fools who will try to make themselves feel better by being nasty to you.
I wish you all the best with your dogs.
And dont let these bully's stress you out too much.
It's their problem not yours.

Sorry, no it's the OP's problem.:(

With that said the neighbours should complain face to face.

marles

I have to say a barking dog is the most annoying sound.Constant and piercing!
We have a neighbour who leaves their boxer outside whenever they go out at night or leave the house at anytime.
We have had to move into other rooms in our own home to try and sleep at night!The dog barks no-stop,as long as he is outside.It is not only me that has been affected many other neighbours have gone to the house in the nicest possible way to make it clear how disruptive it is.One woman was on maternity leave and couldn't sleep during the day when the baby would sleep due to the noise.
In the end we had to go to the Landlord,we were getting nowhere with the tenants.,
I must also say we have a large dog,so I'm coming from the perspective of loving and caring for dogs.

My point is,if the dog is barking then you have to deal with that.You are responsible for your dog.As somebody said the dog barking may have been causing major stress and that day may have been the final straw.

ozzirt

I think the fact that the OP has asked for help is a good sign, I notice that she is not reacting poorly to being told that it is her problem.

Personally, I'd say that she is trying to be a responsible dog owner. More power to her,.... and I wish her "All the Best".

WillieCocker

ditzy101 wrote: »

i don't want to be made feel trapped in my house by some people who can't handle a dog barking.
thanks a mil........

Then get training for the dog or get rid of it.
If it were me, i'd do a lot more than leave you a courtesy note.pffft

DePurpereWolf

with that attitude, I wonder if I can get my neighbours to get rid of their children.

cloudy day

marles wrote: »

I have to say a barking dog is the most annoying sound.Constant and piercing!
We have a neighbour who leaves their boxer outside whenever they go out at night or leave the house at anytime.
We have had to move into other rooms in our own home to try and sleep at night!The dog barks no-stop,as long as he is outside.It is not only me that has been affected many other neighbours have gone to the house in the nicest possible way to make it clear how disruptive it is.One woman was on maternity leave and couldn't sleep during the day when the baby would sleep due to the noise.
In the end we had to go to the Landlord,we were getting nowhere with the tenants.,
I must also say we have a large dog,so I'm coming from the perspective of loving and caring for dogs.

My point is,if the dog is barking then you have to deal with that.You are responsible for your dog.As somebody said the dog barking may have been causing major stress and that day may have been the final straw.

there's no way i could cope with that. it would drive me nuts. kids drive me nuts too. i guess old age don't come alone

clairem

Hi,

We also have a small dog that loves to bark and have found that it's quite a difficult problem to fix once it becomes a habit. We've done a lot of work with him and gradually he's gotten a lot better. We were referred to a behaviourist by our vet and she gave us a lot of advice that worked well for us. I'll give you the main points she gave us.

I think the main thing is that a tired dog is a well behaved (and quiet) dog. You need to do everything you can to tire him out. I know you are not well at the moment but I wonder if you have a friend that could help you out and walk him for you? Our dog is a small house dog like yours (he's a pug) but even though he's small, he goes crazy if he doesn't get at least one long walk every day. If you can't manage to walk him could you maybe play fetch with him in your garden a couple of times a day? That would probably tire him out pretty well.

Another thing she got us to do was to feed him half of his daily food in food dispensing toys (we used kongs and a buster cube for this.) You can even put the kong in the freezer the night before so that he has to work harder to get the food out. This should really tire him out and give him something to do (rather than bark!) while you're gone.

Another thing that should help is to never give him any attention when he barks in front of you. This means no saying 'shhh' or 'quiet' and just looking the other way no matter how much he barks. Our dog had learned that barking got him attention and that was making him do it even more.

We actually tried the citronella collar and it worked a bit but only while he was wearing it. Our dog learned really quickly that he could bark all he liked once the collar was off so that wasn't a good solution for us. Also, when he would get really worked up, he would just bark and bark until the collar ran out of spray (and the collar doesn't really hold that much spray). For that reason I wouldn't recommend the collar.

Our other dog has separation anxiety and all the points about extra exercise, kongs etc. work for that too. Also, try leaving the radio on while you're out and dont pay your dog any attention for five minutes before you leave and five minutes after you come back. I heard that rescue remedy (they sell it in boots) and DAP diffusers are great for separation anxiety too.

I hope you're able to fix the barking problem - best of luck:) Feel free to send me a pm if you'd like the name of the behaviourist we went to. She was very good.

Freddie59

In defence of the OP - she was living there first. However, as one who had to move house because of nuisance dogs (and their buffoon owner) I can sympathise with the neighbours.

However, I don't agree with a man calling to a lady living on her own. It can be intimidating. But, back to ourselves. We endured several years of two hounds howling (and being goaded to do so) by their "owner" (and I use the term loosely).

Ended up in court, and turned into a very nasty situation (we were dealing with small man syndrome). There are no winners in these cases. And at least the OP is recognising that she is causing a problem - and is trying to rectify it.

Freddie59

Kirby wrote: »

Well, I'm probably the only one, but I side with the OP. Noisy neighbours is a fact of city life. I have several dogs. They bark occasionally, usually AT something and for a reason.....such as somebody walking up the driveway.

If my neighbours came complaining I would tell them, politely, to shove it. I've had to put up with their noisy, squealing, screaming children enough times.....and I put up with it without complaint because it's normal.

Consider this. It would be considered "out of order" by most people to knock on a neighbours door and complain about children playing and making noise out the back garden. It's what kids do. But a child can be asked to quiten down. A dog can't. Hypocrisy and double standards at its finest.

Not so.

Do children 'squeal' (as you so eloquently put it) 24/7? Are they likely to bite their neighbours? (Maybe some are!:)).

But the reality is that what may not annoy YOU can be a severe source of annoyance to others. Have you spared a thought for night workers?

In the estate where we live, a lady has six dogs (why you would even want six dogs amazes me). She brings them onto the green every day for around 30 minutes at 11:00am (all off the lead - which is illegal).

They howl non-stop for that time and then (probably after waking several people up) she toddles off. Easy for her. She's retired. Not all dog owners are like this. But there are some selfish, self-obsessed idiots who care little for their neighbours. Unfortunately.

And BTW. I'm an ex-dog owner. And care for some dogs from time to time. I love them. Pity some owners don't.

ad1

My dog barks a lot. And he has a really annoying bark. So what i do is play throw and catch games with him. If he barks though, i'll retain his toy and won't play with him until he quietens down. He's getting better...
Maybe this is something you could try? Although youo'd need to be in the house....
Why do you think your dog is barking? Maybe he is lonely? Have you considered leaving the radio on low on a news/talk channel? Or getting him another dog to play with?
It sounds like he is lonely.

DarkJager

Dogs bark, its just a fact of nature. Does anybody tell people to shut the noise up when their demonic little spawn are bawling their eyes out on buses or in public places? No. Surely if its bothering you that much, couldn't you just turn on a tv or music to drown out the sounds?

SmellySockies

Had this problem when my dog was young he could not stand to be alone and putting him out the back meant a big barking fuss our neighbour who had to work nights ;[[ got mad about it and fair enough to him I would be the same called the dspca and they told us everytime hes barking at the door just throw a glass of water on him everytime he barks and they will stop. My dog is as good as gold now

thegeezer

Jenrobbri wrote: »

Did you say the Dog is a House Dog?
Just how much noise can a dog locked in a house make?
Some people will complain about everything.
They can do nothing unless the noise reaches a certain decimel, which i dont think a dog bark through the walls of a house could possibly reach.

The man always comes to complain, i take it this means you are female.
The next time he calls have a huge big bloke answer the door. Their not as easy to bully.

You are just the kind of selfish person who I hope will fall prey to the 150 Euro on-the-spot fine, because you don't care about your neighbours and think you are clever. Well, after the 150 fine, there can be ongoing fines and eventually, you will be forced to get rid of the dog. Lets see if that changes your atttitude ?

thegeezer

The fact that the OP has taken ownership of the issue (if a little reluctantly) is something, which if was spread through to all the other selfish people who believe their dogs, malfunctioning alarms etc - are YOUR problem, not theirs. They are likely to have the same attitude with their other responsibilities. The only thing they will understand, is if they are forced by fining and shaming to do something about it. This is because MONEY is usually their only real concern in life. They probably do not EVER study, rarely read anything outside of the tabloids, allow their dogs to pollute public areas - need I go on ?

So lets applaud this small step towards the eradication of selfish neighbours - whether it be through loud music, barking dogs, alarms going off at all hours, slamming car doors etc - cos basically, these people should all be forced to live in the same area - miles away from anyone who actually appreciates quality of life.

I welcome the Green Party's initiative. If you are a decent owner, you have nothing to fear, if you are not, your days are well and truly numbered.

da_funk

You say you don't want to be hassled but you think your neighbour should have to but up with the hassle of your dog barking. I don't see why anyone should be forced to listen to a dog barking in their own home. I work in a job where i have to be up at 5 in the morning and am always wrecked because a lot of people living near me leave their dogs out into the small hours of the morning. I rang the dog Warden about it but was basically told it wasn't his problem and id have to take it up with them myself. He said he would send me out the information but i never got it. There are so many dogs around here i don't even know who owns them all. I don't know how people on nights are supposed to be able to get any sleep either. There needs to be a law put in place about this problem in Ireland.

cloudy day

Irresponsible owners are a bane, really they are. Usually they don't give a thought to anyone else and don't care.

Our neighbour used to go out the door to work and leave his dog out all day. Everytime my bitch was in season we were plagued with his dog coming in all the time. Has a big hole in my lovely hedge where he's tracked through all the time. My bitch ended up a prisoner, it got to the stage where he just sat outside her pen all day long. He must of jumped the wall into her pen cos we had a litter or mongrel pup's.

He was told, nicely, a number of times his dog was in all the time, made no difference, he still let dog out and went off for day !!!!!

Why could'nt he put him on a chain, or put a fence up ???

If you say anything then you are talked about for moaning!!

His dog got stolen and he got another one, must keep this one locked in cos sometimes it will howl all day ARGH drive's me mad.

Some people are just A***HOLES.

thegeezer

cloudy day wrote: »

Irresponsible owners are a bane, really they are. Usually they don't give a thought to anyone else and don't care.

Our neighbour used to go out the door to work and leave his dog out all day. Everytime my bitch was in season we were plagued with his dog coming in all the time. Has a big hole in my lovely hedge where he's tracked through all the time. My bitch ended up a prisoner, it got to the stage where he just sat outside her pen all day long. He must of jumped the wall into her pen cos we had a litter or mongrel pup's.

He was told, nicely, a number of times his dog was in all the time, made no difference, he still let dog out and went off for day !!!!!

Why could'nt he put him on a chain, or put a fence up ???

If you say anything then you are talked about for moaning!!

His dog got stolen and he got another one, must keep this one locked in cos sometimes it will howl all day ARGH drive's me mad.

Some people are just A***HOLES.

Borrow a shotgun and shoot the f***** or better still the owner - its the only language they will understand.