Advice - Neighbours Noisy Dog

[Outkast1972]

Hello all

Anyone have any advice on how to deal with a new neighbours noisy dog!?

New people moved in about 9 months ago. I thought it was great when I saw their cute little dog, I thought it may be a new friend for my 2! But the novelty soon wore off when the new neighbour began barking at everything! It has a very high pitched bark that drives us nuts. It goes on a lot during the day and night, sometimes waking me up. I don't blame the dog, the owners don't seem to pay it much attention, I have never seen it leave the yard. It doesn't seem to get walked or much other exercise, it is an outside dog so it spends 100% of its time in the small yard. I have never heard the people do a thing when it is barking.

One of my dogs now barks a lot more then she used too, as she goes off when she hears the new neighbours dog go off. I understand many dogs bark, including one of mine. But atleast we do something about it by telling her off and bringing her in if she keeps it up. But it really bugs me when people just ignore it and do nothing with no concern for the people around them. I can't understand how the barking doesn't annoy them!

Anyway, I know the obvious thing to do is go and talk to them about it, but I have only spoken to them once. They don't seem very sociable and I would be really uncomfortable going over to complain! I am generally not the sort of person to make complaints so I've never had to deal with this sort of thing before. Sometimes I feel like making a complaint to the council, but it seems unfair doing that before letting them know!

It would be good if you could make a suggestion to Bark Busters and they go over an tell them neighbours suggest you need our help!

Any other ideas?

Thanks!

[~Anne~]

If you feel uncomfortable about direct contact, why not write a little note to leave in their mailbox? Personally, that would annoy me if someone did this to me. I think you should just knock on their door and have a little chat. Maybe tell them about dog parks in the area or use some excuse that is positive.

[skip]

I moved a while back. I asked both my neighbours to let me know if the dogs were annoying anyone while I am at work. Mine have a dog door now and stay in at night too.

It would drive me batty.

I would rather know if it were my dog. However chances are these owners may not. Maybe I would tell them you are worried about your dog barking with theirs and see what they say. Maybe they don't know about exercise and toys/bones etc to keep dogs occupied. Don't know what you have dogwise but you could ask if they wanted it walked when you walk yours. Thou I would worry I would get too attached to it.

My yard backs on to parkland so dogs will bark at people passing by with dogs. But even if mine are asleep inside, when the BC's one house down go off, mine fly out to try and join in. Same if the SWF barks the other way. Thank heavens the park is not too busy.

Good luck. Maybe just bite the bullet and go knock. Worst they just look at you like you are mad. I knocked next door when I moved in - woke up a big islander bloke who didn't open the screen but just grunted at me. Bit embarassed. But got to chatting another time (when he wasn't woken from his nap )and he is fine.

Hope you get a good nights sleep.

[sandgrubber]

I'd say swallow the discomfort and talk to them. Potential conflict situations are not comfortable, but sometimes they are necessary. You might want to talk to the local Rangers or Council Officer first . . . to find out the proper channels for placing complaints about dog noise. In most places, the Rangers are happier about doing something if you have talked to the owners of the noisy dog first. In some places they will only act if multiple neighbours complain . . . in which case you should chat around and find out who else is being bothered and encourage them to complain, if they haven't already.

Hello all

Anyone have any advice on how to deal with a new neighbours noisy dog!?

New people moved in about 9 months ago. I thought it was great when I saw their cute little dog, I thought it may be a new friend for my 2! But the novelty soon wore off when the new neighbour began barking at everything! It has a very high pitched bark that drives us nuts. It goes on a lot during the day and night, sometimes waking me up. I don't blame the dog, the owners don't seem to pay it much attention, I have never seen it leave the yard. It doesn't seem to get walked or much other exercise, it is an outside dog so it spends 100% of its time in the small yard. I have never heard the people do a thing when it is barking.

One of my dogs now barks a lot more then she used too, as she goes off when she hears the new neighbours dog go off. I understand many dogs bark, including one of mine. But atleast we do something about it by telling her off and bringing her in if she keeps it up. But it really bugs me when people just ignore it and do nothing with no concern for the people around them. I can't understand how the barking doesn't annoy them!

Anyway, I know the obvious thing to do is go and talk to them about it, but I have only spoken to them once. They don't seem very sociable and I would be really uncomfortable going over to complain! I am generally not the sort of person to make complaints so I've never had to deal with this sort of thing before. Sometimes I feel like making a complaint to the council, but it seems unfair doing that before letting them know!

It would be good if you could make a suggestion to Bark Busters and they go over an tell them neighbours suggest you need our help!

Any other ideas?

Thanks!

[raineth]

Yeah just talk to them about it! You might be worried about nothing!

I wasn't aware that my dog was barking when we went out. My neighbours told me in a polite way and I was very grateful to them for doing so I wouldn't have known it was happening otherwise!

Maybe your beighbours are aware of it - but they need someone to politely complain to them so that they actually do something about it

Some people are like that

[sas]

Talk to them about it

[dogdayz]

I say talk to them.

Ive just been issued a complaint by council without any prior approach by what ever neighbour is concerned. Have spent two days without success trying to speak to a ranger to discuss whether there is any evidence it really is mine (but thats a whole other story), and now have a problem i cant renew my permit for an extra dog, so am in crisis working out what i do.

Believe me i would have been far more appreciative and less stressed right now if the neighbour had simply approached me directly along with some information as to times when it was happening.

[LizT]

Talk to them.

My neighbours left a letter in my letter box and I felt so worried and anxious about any possible repurcussions I went out and bought a bark Control Collar for my GSD as I work night shift and the rest of my family didn't hear him barking at all????

The strange thing is the letter she sent stated that she worked night shift 4 nights a week and couldn't even leave her window open on warm nights when she was home as our dog kept her awake. I understand as a mum I too am a light sleeper. Admittantly I sent her a letter in reply as I thought this an appropriate response and a good form of a record since she had sent me one.

These neighbours don't really interact with us at all. I introduced myself to them shortly after we moved in and her response was "We keep to ourselves"?? OKaaaay.

Anyway the collar worked immediately and the problem is solved. I often hear the dog on the other side of the road opposite her going nuts at night...hope he isn't keeping her awake.

[Dame Aussie]

Yeah, speak to them about it. One of our two can be a bit of a barker, having said that though he is inside at night so can only make noise during the day, and if we are home we go straight out and get him.

Just have a chat to them, maybe tell them you have dogs too and you know what it's like, reccommend some training ideas etc.

Good luck

[Dame Aussie]

I say talk to them.

Ive just been issued a complaint by council without any prior approach by what ever neighbour is concerned. Have spent two days without success trying to speak to a ranger to discuss whether there is any evidence it really is mine (but thats a whole other story), and now have a problem i cant renew my permit for an extra dog, so am in crisis working out what i do.

Believe me i would have been far more appreciative and less stressed right now if the neighbour had simply approached me directly along with some information as to times when it was happening.

That's what happened to us. Where did the days go when you would speak to someone before calling authorities!

Good luck with it dogdayz

[ILK]

There is only one friendly way to nip it in the bud and that is to talk to them.

You will be doing them a favour if you just go knock on the door, I'm sure that you aren't the only neighbour getting annoyed with the high pitched bark.

[chelle~aussie~dragon]

Ive got the same problem, new neighbour moved into our rural street about three weeks ago and him and his dog have been making loud noises ever since.The dog barks non-stop and the guy gets drunk just about every single night and yells and screams like a banshee.I've lived here for three years and its gone from a few dogs barking if theres something spooky around and even a few coming visiting but really no noise to hear about and to the point I felt so safe I didn't have to lock house or car to now being quite wary at night as his part of the duplex sits right next to my driveway and he can look over nearly straight into my kitchen and lounge room...

Where he lives is about 4 duplex units that were built two years ago and never sold so the developer has rented the first one out and it sits right next to my driveway.I went and saw a worker that is completeing the gardens there, the other day to ask his advice and he told me after dealing with the dog himself barking all day non-stop he and the bloke had an argument about it and he advised me not to go near him and that he was very rough and abusive.So a week later after been driven insane I spotted the developer and went over to him and he first denied being the developer and when I called his bluff he admitted he was but he refused to do anything.We have a council here but no police so I went down and made a complaint so in the middle of doing a diary of the dog barking(which is ALL the time basically noted).

But what do I do about the noise level from the guy?He is screaming and shouting this very minute outside my lounge window and when he stops for a breath, the dog is going off.I was even thinking about seeing if I could adopt a older dog breed like a Doberman to feel safer as my two would welcome any intruder and point him in the right direction to me.

I loved living here, absolutely loved it...now I'm thinking I might have to move...which sucks because I have no other neighbours, an acre of land and my daughter's school is literally at the end of our street.

Would the police be able to do anything about the guy?

[Lady Flying Furball]

Ive got the same problem, new neighbour moved into our rural street about three weeks ago and him and his dog have been making loud noises ever since.The dog barks non-stop and the guy gets drunk just about every single night and yells and screams like a banshee.I've lived here for three years and its gone from a few dogs barking if theres something spooky around and even a few coming visiting but really no noise to hear about and to the point I felt so safe I didn't have to lock house or car to now being quite wary at night as his part of the duplex sits right next to my driveway and he can look over nearly straight into my kitchen and lounge room...

Where he lives is about 4 duplex units that were built two years ago and never sold so the developer has rented the first one out and it sits right next to my driveway.I went and saw a worker that is completeing the gardens there, the other day to ask his advice and he told me after dealing with the dog himself barking all day non-stop he and the bloke had an argument about it and he advised me not to go near him and that he was very rough and abusive.So a week later after been driven insane I spotted the developer and went over to him and he first denied being the developer and when I called his bluff he admitted he was but he refused to do anything.We have a council here but no police so I went down and made a complaint so in the middle of doing a diary of the dog barking(which is ALL the time basically noted).

But what do I do about the noise level from the guy?He is screaming and shouting this very minute outside my lounge window and when he stops for a breath, the dog is going off.I was even thinking about seeing if I could adopt a older dog breed like a Doberman to feel safer as my two would welcome any intruder and point him in the right direction to me.

I loved living here, absolutely loved it...now I'm thinking I might have to move...which sucks because I have no other neighbours, an acre of land and my daughter's school is literally at the end of our street.

Would the police be able to do anything about the guy?

What a disturbing predicament. Sounds quite a different scenario from Outkasts's original post as the neighbour is demonstrating some agro, potentially violent behaviour. Lots of people have suggested to OK to go and speak to his/her neighbour regarding the dog but that doesn't sound like such an option for you. I know that it is police that deal with neighbour noise and council with pet noise. In the past I have talked with the police about a problem in my apartment building (an old lady going demented and paranoid) and here in Sydney they have "community" police officers. It was very reassuring, no action was taken, but I received some advice about handling it and felt understood and better.

Why don't you have a talk to the police and express your concerns. Wait and see how it pans out as moving would be a pity!

Edited April 23, 2010 by FlyingFurball

[Tara and Sam]

Cheap as chips sells a horn like the ones for sports games , the starting horn ( I dont know the offical name of it )

my side neighbour has one

our back neighbours dogs go off all the time

2 dogs jumping and banging on fences

play fights that start to turn nasty and the high pitched noise can be defeaning

I saw one of the back dogs trying to get over their neighbours fence to the other dog

lucky I had the hose in hand and squirted them to stop them and they backed of

they have tried digging under our fence which I have covered up with bricks etc

I have even put a fencing inside out own property in case they get under

I do not trust these dogs behind us sadly

I have dropped a letter of to them explaining the dogs barking etc , but seems as though they either dont want to listen or dont know how to stop them

talking to them is hard as we see no movement until late at night , and I not walking around the street in the dark

I also at times use a personal alarm to shut them up

a quick burst of the alarm and they stop