To think I have no choice but to report the neighbours?

My neighbours two dogs bark everytime I go into a certain part of the garden. She just shouts at them - that winds them up even more.

I saw an interesting programme that explained why some dogs bark. Some dogs see themselves as the ‘gatekeepers of the pack’. Their bark is saying ‘Hey, there’s someone out there’ and it’s just to let everyone in the pack know, and to let the ‘intruder’ know they’ve been spotted. It could be someone in the garden or just everytime someone walks past the house. Everyday they bark at the Postman and everyday the postman goes away when he/she hears them barking - so the dogs thinks it works.

The other thing I learnt is that when we shout at a highly roused dog that is barking, they think the human is joining in the barking.

The more noise that gets generated, the more energy there is and the more noise there will be. This explains why there is no barking when they are out. You say the neighbours are shouting a lot at each other - high energy - which means that the dogs need to bark and warn the pack there’s people out there, or they think the humans are barking in response to a threat - and they are just joining in, because a lot of noise will warn off any outsiders. It what packs of wild dogs do.

So sorry, long story short - you have every right to inform the council- but your neighbours probably don’t know how to control the problem.

I had two neighbours ( not at the same time thankfully) with barking dogs .

Neither were walked ( there are other dogs in the street I see going out for walks so it's not that I don't see this ) , both dogs let into the gardens to run about , bark etc.

My DD was driven mad , she was >< this close to storming round at 4am to tell the adult son to stop his f*cking dog's noise . ( He was left at home and just turfed it out early morning )

Other annoying dog was similar , turfed out and the music went on next door to drown it .

One of the most "Eh?" suggestions I got on MN was to offer to walk it . Erm ...no. There were four adults with perfectly usable legs who could do this .

Sometimes , resorting to "Rover Shut Up " loudly would stem the barking (mainly because this was the language the dog was used to ) would bring the neighbour out to see to the dog .

And I bought a whistle , proper not silent . Couple of blasts would stop it .

They moved ( both sets of neighbours ) and thankfully the dogs went too.

I am not a dog hater , there are other dogs in the street ( at least three large breeds ) but the annoying ones were small with shrill , incessant whining barking . Probably not trained

It so unfair. Any excessive noise, whether from.pets or people is anti social.

I expect if they are old and frail then having a younger barky dog might be getting them down too. I think that you should talk to them about it or report it and suggest kindly that they've taken on too much and should rehome the loud one to somewhere without close neighbours or somewhere less busy.

I say this as someone with 3 dogs, one of whom who loves the sound of her own voice.
I've also lived next door to other people's noisy dogs and had to talk to them about it.

I think it's largely how you approach it. I think most people don't want to make life miserable for their neighbours, but obviously they will love their dog even if it's a prick. They might need to face facts though if the dog is not happy and on high alert all the time

Maybe speak to your local RSPCA? They might be able to engage with your neighbours and help them address the issue with the younger dog. And/or gentle offer to rehome it.

Have you spoken to them yet?

Take a note, retrospectively of the times the barking has taken place. Dates and times as much as you can remember.
Is their landlord the same person as is your landlord? Report them to their landlord.

You can do a property search as yo the owner on an official website. You may have to pay a small fee.

If they are frail and elderly the can get a dog walker to walk said dogs. Oh no, this will cost drinking money.

You owe it to the poor frustrated dogs to help them ( the dogs).

I really do feel for you OP, I have been woken up every morning for 2 1/2 weeks now, by whining puppies next door. Our neighbours apparently breed them, but seem to leave them outside for long periods, and obviously the pups are unhappy about it. We had several run ins with the woman who lives there when we first moved in, so she sent her husband round to 'deal with us', lol. We basically laughed in his face and told him what SHE had been doing. The next day we went on holiday for a week, and when we came back there was a note through the door with a grovelly apology from her, saying how they like to be good neighbours, etc. We are REALLY considerate neighbours, and try never to annoy or upset anyone, to the degree that when my DH heard the neighbour talking to people outside a few weeks ago, when the weather was lovely, he actually took the trouble to ask if he'd be disturbing them if he put the garden shredder on, she said no, so that was fine, but we ALWAYS check. However, we have shouted out, and asked for them to take the dogs indoors or make them shut up, and have been completely ignored, so now the gloves are off!! Next time they sit outside, they will find out that being good neighbours is not something you can take for granted, and when they're forced to go indoors due to noise, a smoky garden fire, or BBQ, perhaps then they'll think before being so bloody unreasonable as to allow the dogs to disturb other people.

I would go mad living like that. Sorry you have to deal with this

It could be that the dog heard you shouting at it and decided to zip it. I've shouted at a dog before to the same effect

That sounds really exhausting.

One thing I would say (from going through something similar) is that keeping a clear log like you’ve started is actually really important if you do end up going to the council. They tend to look for patterns over time rather than one-off incidents, so dates, times, duration and how it’s impacting you all help build the picture.

It sounds like you’ve already tried the informal route and it hasn’t changed anything. I wouldn't worry about causing trouble, you need to protect your own quality of life.

I ended up using a simple logging app to keep everything in one place. It was easy to log and automatically built it into usable evidence which can be exported to submit to the council. Good to do just in case, then you have the data should you need it later. Noiselogger

Why contact them?

Firstly there will be no doubt about who reported them

Secondly either they knew that sooner or later there will be action taken against them and if they dont then there is something wrong with them.

OP, can I suggest that rather than going and talking to them again, you sit down and put it all in a letter? Add in all the times that you've logged the dogs barking, so that they can clearly see why you're so pissed off, and reiterate the effect it's having on your mental health, and how it's affecting your life in general. In the letter, you could perhaps suggest some organisations that you think might be able to help them sort out the problem, and you could also say, if you want to, that you're happy to discuss things, but you really do need them to take action. I would also tell them that if they can't stop them barking, then perhaps they should consider re-homing them as obviously they aren't happy. Then finish by saying that much as you don't want to, if they won't sort it out, or get rid of the dogs, you'll be left with no choice but to contact the council. Be sure to keep a copy of what you write, and then pop the letter through the door.

Shouting at the dog will increase the stress for the dog, obviously and embed unwanted behaviours. Please inform them of this.

There is a risk when you understandably raise the issue with them again that they will become more shouty or aggressive with the dog which could result in cruelty but in any event would prolong the situation for you all. They need to learn how to look after their dog properly which may never happen but maybe you can gently nudge them towards. Tell them to google positive reinforcement..?! It’s not rocket science. Good luck.

I’m in the same boat. It’s horrendous isn’t it.

My neighbours allow their dog to sit in the bay window and go ballistic at anything and anyone walking past. I’ve asked them to just move it from that room but they wont as she likes it there? I despair honestly.