What is normal for dog barking? Should I submit my log to the council?

OP don't be misled by people who claim that noise nuisance is defined as between 11 pm and 7 am. There is one law that says that, but another law that recognises that noise nuisance (or any other kind of nuisance) may exist at ANY time of day or night. The key is that it has to be unreasonable noise, and the type of noise you are experiencing does appear to be just that. If you have any doubts about how to proceed, including bringing pressure to bear on a council if it doesn't want to act, contact Sanctum Consultants (they have a website), who can give you cheap legal advice about your rights and how to word letters, etc. It worked for me.

Of course you can take you noise log and do it yourself legally, you can take the matter to a Magistrates' Court yourself under Section 82 of the Environmental Protection.

You will find all the necessary info online.

I can’t imagine much will happen. We had a barking and howling husky next door that was shut in the porch for the vast majority of its day. Council and SSPCA not interested. Thankfully the dog was rehomed.

I can sympathise OP, that sounds excessive. It’s all very well telling someone to move, but really we do all have a level of responsibility to not allow our own behaviour to negatively impact others - which includes not making unreasonable amounts of noise which disturb neighbours and impact their ability to peacefully enjoy their own home. What constitutes ‘reasonable’ is obviously the million dollar question so I would submit the log and I hope the council are helpful - I know how much it can put you on edge with noise that is so outside your control.

My dog barked almost non stop indoors for an hour yesterday from 3pm (behaviourist was here and dog was excited). Then she barked almost non stop for an hour from 9.30am this morning because the vet was here. She's going to be barking again from 12.30pm because my cleaner is here.

I've never had complaints and I live in a terrace.

You must have thin walls. Are any rooms in their house not sharing a wall with yours. Thinking about their options. Stopping a dog barking at all is not v realistic. I hear my neighbours but the sound is going in all directions.

@Carlie97 what noise does your household generate on a day to day basis? Do you have children playing the garden? Or teenagers playing their music all day long in their bedrooms? Or host lively parties? Have you considered how you may be impacting your neighbours? Or are you hyper focused on the sound of your neighbour's barking. Have you ever spoken to them and asked them that the barking bothers you or did you go straight to the council.

That sounds like an improvement then. It does sound like you might be noise sensitive as well. I sympathise, I am also. I’m in a terrace and I can hear the neighbours often - one side in particular. Music in the garden all the time. We all have dogs on this side of the street, and the opposite gardens mainly do too. A fair few kids dotted about, some football kicking teens and bike enthusiasts. So it can be noisy, which can be annoying. But that’s life when living near people. I’d definitely say put in the log, see what happens. But it might be that other noises then bugs you.

@NightText

NightText · Yesterday 23:37
@MyCottageGarden are you an EHO/Technical officer? Your understanding of what constitutes of statutory nuisance seems different to mine, although it's been a while since I was in an EH dept.

Looks like there is at least 3 of us on this thread then...

@Carlie97

Are you prepared to go to Court if necessary ?

I'm not sure I understand what you would like the neighbours to do.
You say they 'shut the dog up' as soon as it began barking, but you were still annoyed at that.
Do you want the dog not to bark at all?
It is quite common for chihuahua's to be yappy.
I'm interested to know what you want the council to do?
Fine them if their dog barks at all?
What level of dog noise could you live with?
Can you move? Although there's no guarantee you wont end up living next door to another dog unless you move somewhere remote, a fair distance from any other houses.

I wonder whether your neighbour is on this thread👀

I have a dog that likes to bark but I’m extremely conscious of neighbours and sleeping children so I don’t allow it. The fact they can keep it quiet sometimes shows it’s trainable so it’s definitely worth sending the log in.

That’s not actually true. Noise can be a statutory nuisance and then the council can enforce. The log will help the OP.

Oh I can empathise. One of our neighbours lets their dog out throughout the day, from around 6am until 11pm, and the dog barks the entire time it’s outside. It drives me nuts!

@MyCottageGarden are you an EHO/Technical officer? Your understanding of what constitutes of statutory nuisance seems different to mine, although it's been a while since I was in an EH dept.

OP send in your log & let the council decide what they can & can't do to help you. People in MN get very weird about dogs & will tell you YABU if you dare suggest they're anything but a delight.

Are they fuck. It's hell on earth listening to yapping and barking dogs and owners who don't give a shit about making their neighbours lives a misery with it. See the complaint through op.

The dog should be trained and that is it, he is impacting on your reasonable enjoyment of your home if he is barking for long periods every bloody twenty minutes. My neighbours dog is so well trained, cared for and exercised he has no need to bark. I was in another friends house a semi I was shocked at the barking noise coming through the walls. Environmental health will make the final decision. You submit the log and if they think it is bad they will probably install a noise monitor and take it from there.

It sounds like you’ll have noise whether they have dogs or not, if their arguing also disturbs you. Is moving an option at all?

@GreatGretaMy dog is also silent unless barked at and doesn’t even bark if the doorbell goes off. However my next door neighbour’s dog is a different breed and barks at everyone who walks past 🤷🏼‍♀️

Ignore all the dog owners. That amount of barking is too much. That would put my head away too. My neighbours dog never barks. Gorgeous big German shepherd if I come to the door I wish he would bark to let them know I am there.

One instance of 14 woofs is not noise nuisance! 🤦🏼‍♀️😆 Thankfully the council wouldn’t consider it to be either.