The Dog Next Door

[QuintessentialOHara]

It barks. A lot. It is a big dog with a big bark, living in its kennel right by our fence.

Every time we are in the garden it barks non stop.

Is there any chance it will get used to us and stop barking?

[QuintessentialOHara]

The fence is taller than me, so we cant see eachother.

[evansthebread]

Next door to us have 4 small dogs that bark non-stop (council property, only allowed one pet!). They've been there 4 years now. They still bark when we're in the garden or next door other side is in the garden or if there's the slightest noise out on the street (list is endless). They went out for the day last autumn and forgot to take one in (Chihuahua) who was really distressed. I tried to go round to bring him in to ours but he was aggressive to me. I felt awful - thought he'd die of exposure - told them when they got home and mentioned that the others bark ALL the time and since then they have sort of made an attempt (sometimes) to call them to be quiet, but it's not been a success.

It was a nice day here yesterday so I was pottering in the garden. I waved at the family all sitting out, got ignored and then got a bit pissed off that they're all out there making no attempt to shut the dogs up. I gave in and went inside after a while. Sigh. I'm now waiting for the weather to warm up so I'm subjected to the lovely whiff of dog shit (they've never cleaned it up - large garden). It's unbearable when he strims his grass. Thank God he only does it a couple of times a year!

Any chance you could ask the owner if they could teach it to be quiet? I have a dog and don't let him bark needlessly (would drive me mad). Although I don't want him to shut up completely as he's a good deterrent when I have strangers at the door.

Having said that, I asked my ex-neighbour (nicely) if she could keep dog quiet and she told me to fuck off and never darken her doorstep again (then called the police saying I'd been abusive to her children!!).

I wish you luck.

[ReluctantlyBeingYoniMassaged]

Evans, get onto the council/housing association.

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Would Environmental Health do anything?
Can you record the noise of the barking?
Keep note of the time/duration?

I wouldn't recommend feeding someone elses animal in case they were on a restricted diet .And many people think too many treats make an animal bolshy and 'grabby'

We have a NDN s dog that is noisy when it is out - but it helps keep foxes away so that's a bonus.

[pointythings]

I feel your pain, OP. Our neighbours have a little yappy type dog. They never take it for walks, they just dump it out in the back garden. It goes mad any time anything comes near, it is bored out of its skull. I sympathise with it, really, but when it starts at 4 fucking am I want to kill it. And its owners too.

[RandomMess]

In my childhood home one of the neighbours bred corgis, had several in outside kennels never heard a peep. They sold one to a different neighbour - we think it was called shurrup as that was all they ever said to it as it barked all the time!

Irresponsible owners I guess...

[feetlkeblocksofice]

The dog next door used to hate me, barked whenever I went anywhere near the garden. The only thing that worked was getting a dog myself then it whined instead, slightly more bearable. It has since passed away and so has mine, they now have spaniels who seem fairly happy to see us.

[neontetra]

Are the neighbours at home when it does this, and can they hear it? If so they should at least come out and quieten it down. Do you know them well enough to ask? More difficult if they are out. Hope you get somewhere.

[MelanieCheeks]

Have you mentioned this to the neighbours?

[QuintessentialOHara]

I just stood on the top of my kids skating ramp and had a look across the fence.

I dont think I will knock on their door.

I did not see the dog though, its kennel must be really narrow and right up against our fence.

They must be scrap metal collectors. And all sorts of collectors. I think all the missing bikes in the neighbourhood must have ended up in there.



I wont complain for two reasons:

1. We have a trampoline.
   
2. We have a skating ramp. Even if my boys dont say a word, there is a distinct Whosh Whosh as the skateboards go up and down.
   

I dont want to create any animosity.

And somebody made a point about dog noise being good, in case of intruders.

[dreamingofsun]

we used to live next door to a dog that barked all the time. still got burglars the other side - i guess they knew it barked all the time and noone would take any notice of it barking.

i found swearing over the fence relieved my stress a bit, but nothing shut it up. And i say this as a devoted dog owner.

[evansthebread]

Good point, dreaming. How would anyone know any different if the barking was constant?

Ex-neighbour called the police for me telling their yappy mutt to shut up. Still in shock they attended and told me to shut up!

[TheHumancatapult]

must admit i sympathise my neighbors have a new dog and all i hear from 6am is yap yap yap when n garden and sometimes at 9pm .i am hoping as only young it calm down somepoint but its annoying all the same

[marciaoverstrand]

I have two small dogs,one is a barker the other isn't. I take them out 3 times a day but he still likes to run outside and have a bark!
BUT I don't let him, I try to stop him as soon as I hear him. It probably does annoy the neighbours but certain noises their dc make annoy me!
Some dogs are just barky types I'm afraid but if the poor dog is stuck outside on his own its bored stiff hence the noise.

[evansthebread]

Marcia - at least you make an effort. Dogs are dogs - I want ours to bark when he needs to. What I can't stand is people who are too lazy to stop their clearly annoying dogs (or kids!) from annoying others. It's simple disregard for other people. Or simple laziness. Or ignorance...

[marciaoverstrand]

evans thanks I do try! He annoys me tbh and my neighbours have occasionally made snidey remarks but their dc bangs their front door constantly plus loud music so I don't worry too much!
I just don't understand why people get dogs then never take them out,v cruel.

[DoJo]

Someone who lives within earshot but not close enough to see has a dog which they allow to bark for hours in the evenings and it drives me mad. Short of leafleting the whole row of houses, I'm not sure how to communicate with them (I choose to believe that they don't know otherwise they are just utter twunts) but the one time I shouted in frustration out of the window 'Please just shut that dog up!' two other people joined in, so at least I know it's not just me....

[wannabedomesticgoddess]

In our row everyone has a dog. So if one starts they all bark.

Next door have a big dog with a deep bark, then you hear our dog with his effeminate yip (collie GSD X) then the other sides little terrier yaps. :o

We have lived beside dogs that bark constantly, and our dog got the blame. Its not great. A dog barking constantly is a real pain.

Our dogs yip goes deep when theres a real threat though, so we know somethings up. He chased an intruder out of our garden in a previous house!