Neighbours dog barking

rondog

Hi All,
Just looking for advice here.A neighbour bought a dog and it has been barking at 11:15 pm at night and again in the morning,sometimes at 7:50am.
It only goes on for about 15 mins at night but it can affect sleep if im having an early night.This morning I was woken at 7:50am by it barking after having a bad nights sleep with a young baby.
Can anyone tell me what is acceptable times for allowing dog barking or is it a case of the dog shouldn't be barking and interrupting my sleep?

PLus at the weekends if me or my other half want a lie on(as the other gets up) after being up early with the child all week ,we cant as it will start barking early,around 8ish.

Any thoughts?
thanks

cocker5

rondog wrote: »

Hi All,
Just looking for advice here.A neighbour bought a dog and it has been barking at 11:15 pm at night and again in the morning,sometimes at 7:50am.
It only goes on for about 15 mins at night but it can affect sleep if im having an early night.This morning I was woken at 7:50am by it barking after having a bad nights sleep with a young baby.
Can anyone tell me what is acceptable times for allowing dog barking or is it a case of the dog shouldn't be barking and interrupting my sleep?

PLus at the weekends if me or my other half want a lie on(as the other gets up) after being up early with the child all week ,we cant as it will start barking early,around 8ish.

Any thoughts?
thanks

IMO no excessive barking is acceptable - i wouldn't allow my guy to bark non stop for 2/3 mins let alone 15 mins. No excessive noise is fair on anyone.

I am assuming to the dog is left outside?

Have you approached your neighbours about this?

rondog

cocker5 wrote: »

IMO no excessive barking is acceptable - i wouldn't allow my guy to bark non stop for 2/3 mins let alone 15 mins. No excessive noise is fair on anyone.

I am assuming to the dog is left outside?

Have you approached your neighbours about this?

Yes,the dog is left out the back which is where our bedrooms are.I haven't approached the neighbour yet ,I just wanted to get some opinions first and advice.

I will obviously approach the neighbour in a friendly way about it but I hope they can be mature about it as I don't want to cause friction but then again as you say,I shouldn't be woken from sleep by it.

bikeresearcher

This is a major issue in housing estates in particular. I think there's legislation regarding the amount of noise that one (and presumably one's dog) can make. It's pretty generous up to 9pm as far as I know but after that you have the right to peace and quiet i.e. the noise can't exceed a fixed db level. If the dog is barking excessively then my first option would be to advise the owner. They may be sympathetic and do something about it like keep it indoors. If they aren't helpful then the legal route is the only one available to you. At least get some legal advice...

rondog

Ive read up on the dog control act but im not sure when is the acceptable time frames when barking is allowed?

I cant find anything in relation to it.IM hoping the neighbour will be sympathetic but im not sure what is a reasonable time to ask for the barking to stop?

Agree that I shouldn't have to be woken and TBH im getting quite stressed about it.

Its like im lying there at night just waiting for the last bit of barking so I can go asleep and then im woken by it.

bikeresearcher

Yeah from the way you describe it it's not tolerable on an ongoing basis. Personally I'd consider getting legal advice before approaching the owner. Might be good to know what your options actually are in the event that the neighbour becomes unpleasant.

cocker5

bikeresearcher wrote: »

This is a major issue in housing estates in particular. I think there's legislation regarding the amount of noise that one (and presumably one's dog) can make. It's pretty generous up to 9pm as far as I know but after that you have the right to peace and quiet i.e. the noise can't exceed a fixed db level. If the dog is barking excessively then my first option would be to advise the owner. They may be sympathetic and do something about it like keep it indoors. If they aren't helpful then the legal route is the only one available to you. At least get some legal advice...

I have to be honest here and say the legal should be your LAST resort not the next protocol if your neighbours don’t do anything about it.

Reason being the dog could be seized and PTS and let be honest and frank here at the end of the day it’s not the dogs fault at all it’s the owners and its completely unacceptable for the dog to suffer down to crappy owners.

If the poor dog is left outside and he/she barks this is usually down to boredom and not enough interaction / mental stimulation.

Also please note dogs will bark from time to time, the same as kids scream outside in their back garden at the weekends… but any excessive Nosie in not fair on anyone and needs to be addressed.

OP
Here’s what I would do:
1. Approach the neighbours in a “friendly manner” as you already stated.
2. If they do nothing… record the barking on your phone, approach them again letting the hear the noise etc. – document all interaction about the dog.
3. If this doesn’t work contact the dog warden – explain the full situation – they should come out and talk with your neighbours
4. If the above fails – contact the guards
5. Then contact a solicitor

9/10 it won’t come to this this most of the time the neighbours will address the issues etc.

Best of luck

tk123

Getting legal advise before you talk to your neighbor is completely OTT here - just go and talk to them?! If it's a pup then they might be trying to train it to be by itself - I'm not excusing the barking but sometimes with neighbors you need to have a bit of give and take. My neighbors down the road are renovating their house and starting at 8:00am every morning - yes it's annoying but they'll be done in a few more weeks so the rest of us just deal with it. BTW 8:00am isn't an ungodly hour?!

rondog

cocker5 wrote: »

I have to be honest here and say the legal should be your LAST resort not the next protocol if your neighbours don’t do anything about it.

Reason being the dog could be seized and PTS and let be honest and frank here at the end of the day it’s not the dogs fault at all it’s the owners and its completely unacceptable for the dog to suffer down to crappy owners.

If the poor dog is left outside and he/she barks this is usually down to boredom and not enough interaction / mental stimulation.

Also please note dogs will bark from time to time, the same as kids scream outside in their back garden at the weekends… but any excessive Nosie in not fair on anyone and needs to be addressed.

OP
Here’s what I would do:
1. Approach the neighbours in a “friendly manner” as you already stated.
2. If they do nothing… record the barking on your phone, approach them again letting the hear the noise etc. – document all interaction about the dog.
3. If this doesn’t work contact the dog warden – explain the full situation – they should come out and talk with your neighbours
4. If the above fails – contact the guards
5. Then contact a solicitor

9/10 it won’t come to this this most of the time the neighbours will address the issues etc.

Best of luck

I certainly don't want the dog to be put down.Just want some peace and quiet.

thanks for the advice.

irelandrover

How long has this been going on? If ythey just got the dog then it might take a week to settle down. Personally i'd give it another few days then say it to teh neighbours.

bikeresearcher

I suggested getting legal advise as a way of understanding what the law is in relation to this issue. There must be something on the books to cover it. Obviously if you get along with your neighbour then approaching them first would make more sense however in many cases people don't even know their neighbours anymore. Knowing the law might not require the hassle and expense of a visit to a solicitor...perhaps the dog warden can tell you what your entitlements are. I just think it's always useful being prepared. Either way best of luck.

rondog

irelandrover wrote: »

How long has this been going on? If ythey just got the dog then it might take a week to settle down. Personally i'd give it another few days then say it to teh neighbours.

The thing is the neighbours had their house rented.They moved back 10 days ago.Im not sure if they had the dog for a while or its just new.I can hold on I suppose to see how it gets on but I don't hear them trying to hush the dog while he is barking.

im thinking I might have a word and let them know its an issue.In that way they can start doing something about it if they haven't already.If that fails I might pursue the advise above.

Indricotherium

Have you considered upgrading all your windows to triple glazed argon filled glass?

I recently done this and I can't hear the dog at all no matter how much noise he makes.

rondog

Indricotherium wrote: »

Have you considered upgrading all your windows to triple glazed argon filled glass?

I recently done this and I can't hear the dog at all no matter how much noise he makes.

I dont think I should have to go through that expense.

Out of interest how much are they:D?

bikeresearcher

Indricotherium wrote: »

Have you considered upgrading all your windows to triple glazed argon filled glass?

I recently done this and I can't hear the dog at all no matter how much noise he makes.

hahahaha....is this a serious suggestion? Incur costs of thousands of euro to resolve a problem not of his making?

rondog

bikeresearcher wrote: »

hahahaha....is this a serious suggestion? Incur costs of thousands of euro to resolve a problem not of his making?

Agreed.No way im starting to shell out a small fortune for someone elses dog.

I think ill have a word and see how it goes from there.

Indricotherium

rondog wrote: »

Agreed.No way im starting to shell out a small fortune for someone elses dog.

I think ill have a word and see how it goes from there.

You'll also be saving up to €300 PER YEAR on your heating bill, so they will have paid for themselves by 2030 or so.

Probably sooner given peak oil and all that.

rondog

Nice sales pitch but I think ill talk to the owner.

cerastes

tk123 wrote: »

Getting legal advise before you talk to your neighbor is completely OTT here - just go and talk to them?! If it's a pup then they might be trying to train it to be by itself - I'm not excusing the barking but sometimes with neighbors you need to have a bit of give and take. My neighbors down the road are renovating their house and starting at 8:00am every morning - yes it's annoying but they'll be done in a few more weeks so the rest of us just deal with it. BTW 8:00am isn't an ungodly hour?!

I agree about going talk to them, if the OP is friendly about it then really the neighbour should keep their dog indoors.
Someone renovating their house isnt really comparable, neither does it excuse them making excessive noise though, but it's likely it will be complete at some stage, a dog may be left barking for years.
I know a few cases where this goes on, just out the backgarden today and can hear a neighbours multiple dogs barking non stop, been like that for years, fortunately they are far enough from me that when the windows are closed I cant hear it mostly and it doesnt seem at an unfair hour but I wouldnt like to live closer to them or next to them, I appreciate dogs will bark, but a few hours of constant yapping.

8am might be the time on the only morning they get to sleep in, and it shouldnt really matter if its at 8, 9 or anytime during the day, if its going on non stop its inconsiderate.

Indricotherium wrote: »

Have you considered upgrading all your windows to triple glazed argon filled glass?

I recently done this and I can't hear the dog at all no matter how much noise he makes.

Unless someone was going to upgrade for other reasons anyway, why should they pay out tens of thousands for what is essentially someone else causing a problem that shouldnt exist.

Indricotherium wrote: »

You'll also be saving up to €300 PER YEAR on your heating bill, so they will have paid for themselves by 2030 or so.

Probably sooner given peak oil and all that.

A whole €300 per year? not sure if you're serious or kidding now, how much for the windows? 2030 or so? are you saying your triple glazed windows only cost €4500??? seems a lot cheaper than I thought windows were, have they come down in price in the last ten years?

still, the saving vs cost might not be all that good for the heating end of things if they could buy less expensive better quality double glazed windows to save on heat loss, but their current windows might be very acceptable in that regard.
Triple glaze seems to be for extreme cold and noise, neither of which the OP should have to fork out for.

rondog

Exactly.We both work and the wkends are the only time we could fit in an extra couple of hours sleep.If this is going on at wkends too I ,for one,will be miserable so I thinki will have to have a word .

FelineOverLord

OP do you live in my neighbourhood?:D We have the same problem in with our neighbours and of course once one dog starts the others soon follow. I just put in ear plugs at night, it's annoying but if I want to leave the bedroom window open on a warm night it's the only way I can be sure I won't get kept awake or woken up at stupid o'clock. Talking to neighbours about the dogs being annoying is a waste of time, they know the dogs barking will be causing annoyance and they just don't care, you can be pretty sure their bedroom is on the other side of the house and they aren't being disturbed. I'd contact the dog warden if I were going to complain about it because the neighbours will not change their behaviour if you complain to them and if you have to follow through with the dog warden after complaining to them it'll just cause more problems.

cerastes

this is the problem,
if you're decent and approach them first, and they arent reasonable or dont care, it makes it more difficult to follow up.

cocker5

cerastes wrote: »

this is the problem,
if you're decent and approach them first, and they arent reasonable or dont care, it makes it more difficult to follow up.

Not necessarily... if they are not reasonable - record the dog, tell them your reporting them to the warden.. and that you have documented everything and tell them you will take it further.. in order to go the legal route you will be required to take these steps anyway.

FelineOverLord

bikeresearcher wrote: »

hahahaha....is this a serious suggestion? Incur costs of thousands of euro to resolve a problem not of his making?

I thought it was a joke, that the poster puts their own dog out and lets it bark as much as it wants because they can't hear the racket it makes.:D

superfurry1

I live next door and they have a baby that keeps me up all night long the poor dog has gone crazy we never get any sleep whatsoever can i call the baby warden?
ps I dont really live next door:)

icjzfmq7ewon1t

In my experience not myself thank god but family members the dog warden will be of little or no help in this situation.
He can't take the dog so long as he's been fed and has shelter.
He suggested it would be a different matter if the dog got out of the garden,he would then be able to take him.
Needless to say this wasn't acted upon because as was stated already it's not the dogs fault.

bikeresearcher

OK I had a look at the department of the Environment site and found a section there on what to do about excessive barking. This is what it says:


What can I do about barking dogs?
Excessive barking which causes a nuisance to any person is an offence. In a good-neighbourly manner, let the dog’s owner know how the barking affects you. They may not have realised what was happening. If that approach fails, a complaint about excessive barking should be made to the District Court. To do this, you must first inform the dog owner in writing using a prescribed form, which can be obtained from your local authority.

cerastes

cocker5 wrote: »

Not necessarily... if they are not reasonable - record the dog, tell them your reporting them to the warden.. and that you have documented everything and tell them you will take it further.. in order to go the legal route you will be required to take these steps anyway.

yes but I think you can rule out Xmas cards,

rondog

Id obviously rather keep a good rapport with the neighbour so will have a chat first and see how things work out.

Im hoping they will be reasonable and I don't have to take it any further.

Ill let you guys know how it goes.

thanks for the replies

ShaShaBear

rondog wrote: »

Id obviously rather keep a good rapport with the neighbour so will have a chat first and see how things work out.

Im hoping they will be reasonable and I don't have to take it any further.

Ill let you guys know how it goes.

thanks for the replies

Definitely do. And don't worry, the dog warden doesn't just arrive down and snatch and murder dogs because they are barking at unsociable hours
They might be utterly apologetic and have a relatively decent excuse for the temporary disturbance. For example, a few months back I had to apologise for my own dog's sporadic barking (granted, not past 10pm or before 10am) because he had to be kept outside while wooden floors were being installed. It took two days and he was a nuisance but we had nowhere else to put him due to the layout of the house!
You could find that there is something outside that is causing the dog to bark at those hours eg a cat/person who smokes outside in a garden or a sensor light (my dog is a little fecker for this - barks when our sensor light comes on while he's outside, which is usually triggered by our neighbour's odd comings and goings) and they might not even realise it!

cerastes

ShaShaBear wrote: »

Definitely do. And don't worry, the dog warden doesn't just arrive down and snatch and murder dogs because they are barking at unsociable hours
They might be utterly apologetic and have a relatively decent excuse for the temporary disturbance. For example, a few months back I had to apologise for my own dog's sporadic barking (granted, not past 10pm or before 10am) because he had to be kept outside while wooden floors were being installed. It took two days and he was a nuisance but we had nowhere else to put him due to the layout of the house!
You could find that there is something outside that is causing the dog to bark at those hours eg a cat/person who smokes outside in a garden or a sensor light (my dog is a little fecker for this - barks when our sensor light comes on while he's outside, which is usually triggered by our neighbour's odd comings and goings) and they might not even realise it!

There probably is something that triggers the dog to bark, as any dog, but thats hardly the concern of the OP? You seem to suggest that your neighbour coming and going is the one in the wrong, whats odd about their comings and goings? also that they might not even realise their transgression?, when and how should a person come and go that doesnt disturb a dog?
You could adjust your sensor light? but seem not to have?

ShaShaBear

cerastes wrote: »

There probably is something that triggers the dog to bark, as any dog, but thats hardly the concern of the OP? You seem to suggest that your neighbour coming and going is the one in the wrong, whats odd about their comings and goings? also that they might not even realise their transgression?, when and how should a person come and go that doesnt disturb a dog?
You could adjust your sensor light? but seem not to have?

I never once suggested it was the concern of the OP, but if they speak to the neighbours, they might be able to pinpoint what is causing the dog to bark and thus put a stop to it.
We cannot adjust our sensor light but we were able to introduce the dog to our neighbour, which promptly stopped the "intruder" barking. We took the steps needed to prevent the barking we knew was occuring, but again - I never suggested it was my neighbour's fault or that he should do something different.

PucaMama

I remember the one and only complaint I got about my dogs. I was after a surgery and had to have the dressing changed every second day. Got up at 10am on Sunday morning. After a night being kept awake by a house full of students drinking in their back garden behind us. 10.05 the dogs get out. 10.15 knock on the door. Idiot woman from said student house claiming my dogs are out barking all night. I told her what to do with her complaint. Her hangover is not my problem. Went to her house after her to get her landlord details she wouldn't even answer the door.

My advise is to make sure you have the right house/dogs. The idiot I had to deal with was actually talking about our neighbours, they had let their friend bring over their dog and left it out all night.

tina1040

8am might not be an ungodly hour for occasional disturbance but on a daily basis it is.
What would happen if I went out to my garden and played music every night and early every morning.? I don't think my neighbours would be accepting. I don't understand how it's acceptable for dog owners to allow constant barking at any time of night/early morning.

tk123

Everyday I come home, take the dogs out, have dinner and eventually sit down to relax only to listen to my neighbours dog barking....and it's still barking when I go to bed!! :mad: Same at the weekend - I can hear him barking now!

rachaelf750

I have the same issue with my neighbours dog, I haven't said anything to neighbours as the dog will never change so now I just shout shut it and it does. It's getting used to my commands not perfect but it will do

ShaShaBear

tina1040 wrote: »

I don't understand how it's acceptable for dog owners to allow constant barking at any time of night/early morning.

Op said its only for around 15 minutes at night. So not even close to constant.

rondog

I went around to the neighbours to have a word and there was no one home.

Strangely enough,there wasn't any barking sat or sunday morning.Iheard a little bark this morning.

Ive decided to see how things progress.

Like a poster said above,if im out having a few drinks,i shoud be able to lie on without having to listen to barking but I can deal with that if and when it arises.

tk123

rondog wrote: »

Like a poster said above,if im out having a few drinks,i shoud be able to lie on without having to listen to barking but I can deal with that if and when it arises.

Honestly if you came to my door and said that to me I'd tell you were to go so maybe think of a better way to phrase it.

I'm not excusing the dog barking but you're being unreasonable at this stage (they're only there 10 days after all) and could set a precedent that could come back and bite you in the ass when your kid gets older and is making noise outside, hanging around with their friends being annoying, having window shaking parties when you're away (this happened on my road when the complainer's kids grew up and everyone complained to them for a change)
I never leave my dogs out barking - one might bark at a bird on the roof every other week in the middle of the night at 7:45am ish after we come back from our walk but he's told to shut up/brought in and that's that. If he starts barking because he knows there's a stranger no matter what time of the day/night it is he's let bark a few times and then praised and brought in - if he wakes somebody up protecting mine and my neighbours houses (which they're grateful of) then so be it.

BaZmO*

Sorry for jumping in on this but I'm having a similar problem with two neighbours and it's so annoying. The next door neighbour (who is actually really nice) has two dogs, a little yapper and a collie crossbreed, and the two of them go absolutely mental when the neighbour goes out anywhere. They're generally kept indoors but you can hear them going crazy when the neighbour leaves or is coming back in. Not only barking, they also do a really annoying thing of scraping the doors that makes the whole house shake.

They also put the collie out the back in the afternoon and evening for an hour each time (presumably to do its business) and it barks constantly until it’s let in. They used to put the collie out in the morning when going to work (very early around 6am) and it’d bark constantly until it was let in around 7.30), but luckily enough they’ve stopped doing that.

The other barking is not constant so I can just about live with it.


We have other neighbours at the back with two dogs and they just take the p1ss. The dogs just bark constantly, all through the night and early morning. One of them started at 5 this morning and hadn’t stopped when I was leaving for work at 7.30. It’s been happening on and off for weeks now.

Generally lie ins on the weekend are a write off due to both neighbours.

The thing that amazes me is how does this not annoy the owners too?

Indricotherium

BaZmO* wrote: »

Sorry for jumping in on this but I'm having a similar problem with two neighbours and it's so annoying. The next door neighbour (who is actually really nice) has two dogs, a little yapper and a collie crossbreed, and the two of them go absolutely mental when the neighbour goes out anywhere. They're generally kept indoors but you can hear them going crazy when the neighbour leaves or is coming back in. Not only barking, they also do a really annoying thing of scraping the doors that makes the whole house shake.

They also put the collie out the back in the afternoon and evening for an hour each time (presumably to do its business) and it barks constantly until it’s let in. They used to put the collie out in the morning when going to work (very early around 6am) and it’d bark constantly until it was let in around 7.30), but luckily enough they’ve stopped doing that.

The other barking is not constant so I can just about live with it.


We have other neighbours at the back with two dogs and they just take the p1ss. The dogs just bark constantly, all through the night and early morning. One of them started at 5 this morning and hadn’t when I was leaving for work at 7.30. It’s being happening on and off for weeks now.
Generally lie ins on the weekend are a write off due to both neighbours.
The thing that amazes me is how does this not annoy the owners too?

Have you thought about taking up a sport or hobby that takes place at odd hours?

Astronomy, night running, midnight basketball?

Something that would turn the situation into a positive for you.

Lying in after all is just wasting precious weekend hours.

BaZmO*

Indricotherium wrote: »

Have you thought about taking up a sport or hobby that takes place at odd hours?

Astronomy, night running, midnight basketball?

Something that would turn the situation into a positive for you.

Lying in after all is just wasting precious weekend hours.

Or archery, shooting, javelin.........

kylith

Drums. Drums are very popular.

Choc Chip

BaZmO* wrote: »

The thing that amazes me is how does this not annoy the owners too?

The owners might not hear it - I've a pair of dogs who live next door to me and they bark CONSTANTLY. They live outside and it's never-ending. The funny thing is, I'm so used to it that it doesn't even register for me when they bark.

In the same vein, it's not necessarily a security deterrent - the owner had something stolen a few weeks ago and I didn't notice the dogs' barking because it's so consistent.

tk123

Choc Chip wrote: »

In the same vein, it's not necessarily a security deterrent - the owner had something stolen a few weeks ago and I didn't notice the dogs' barking because it's so consistent.

THIS!!! When my neighbour dog was barking last year my boy joined him when he was out for a wee for a minute before breakfast. I told him to be quiet and brought him inside so he wouldn't bug anyone...Well they were being broken into(!) Guys standing with crowbars on the other side of the fence to break into their sheds!! After that I always acknowledge that Bailey is barking for 'stranger danger' and then ask him to be quiet - if he doesn't bark and I hear something I ask him to bark a few times so whoever it is is aware that I know they're there.
For people around here I just assume they've addressed all the drafts that would let noise in with better windows and doors than us! :rolleyes: