How to deal with neighbour noise

[Yappers]

I think I’m pretty lucky with my neighbours. I live on an estate with houses crammed in together and small gardens all squished up against each other on all sides.

There is the usual annoyances but in general radio noise is low and the shrieking hot tub teenagers have mostly grown up and left home by now.

But for some reason the family on one side (we’re a terrace) really irritates me, particularly the mother.

They are always entertaining in the garden. It’s not loud, just chatting (some squealing from kids but nothing unusual) and bbq smoke, squeaky trampoline and yappy little dogs.

They have also been doing DIY for years, ever since they moved in. It’s calmed down a bit now but they still occasionally saw and drill and hammer after 9pm or early on a Sunday.

Her voice is strident (I never hear the softly spoken dad) and goes right through me, she talks a LOT.

But the most annoying thing is the dogs. She lets them out very early, even at weekends, and they howl and yap and wake me up. She shushes them loudly and plaintively but with no success.

I don’t want to upset them as they are genuinely nice people.

Any tips on how to deal with it? I can’t use earplugs. I’m currently trying breathing exercises. I recognise this is my problem, they’re not doing anything wrong and aren’t bad people.

How early is early?

6am, weekdays and weekends

Plus sometimes after 11pm (but mostly 10-1030pm)

She should let the dogs back in as soon as they've had a pee which would stop the howling and yapping.

Yeah, she should… but I mainly want to be able to deal with it myself… don’t really know why I posted to be honest, maybe just wanted to get it out of my system!

Compared to some nightmare neighbour scenarios we are pretty lucky. I just wish I could afford somewhere more private!😁

I can’t use ear plugs but I do have a pair of noise cancelling headphones. Changed my life!!

Hose pipe and lots of watering....
Shame if they got wet..
And I have ddogs that don't bark. Ndn comment every time I see him!!
Or radio on in the garden. Or headphones...
Or report them to the council.

Reporting to the council does absolutely nothing. They send them a letter saying you've been reported for noise and some vague threat about further action. Then tell you there's nothing they can do and close the case. NDN dog barks from 6am to late afternoon, plus some evenings, and the council couldn't be less interested.

Absolutely untrue and if your council did this I'd be complaining. Noise investigations go a lot further than a letter. However if there is no evidence then obviously it won't go any further. But they still have to try and get the evidence. That means visits or monitoring.

White noise machine on your bedside table?

We're currently on the "noise machine recording the dogs" stage of a noise complaint. Other things we have tried: dog whistle; can of compressed air that makes a loud hiss, and scares the dogs away from the fence; recording of a large barking dog (this was very successful at scaring them away but is a PITA to keep up). I've seen deer urrine being suggested as dogs hate the smell (on the fence where they tend to congregate etc). As for the voice going through you - ARRRGHH I completely understand. Radio playing something educational near the fence to stop the neighbour speaking so loudly? White noise to help you sleep maybe?

Thanks for all the suggestions - I’m going to look in to noise cancelling headphones!

I don‘t want to antagonise neighbours, they’re decent people and it’s not their fault I’m so sensitive…!

One of our reasons for moving are our noisy neighbours. They have 4 young kids who they never seem to do anything with except for dump them in the garden from 9am-9pm on the daily! A ‘normal’ level of noise from the kids playing I can accept, but not the constant blood curdling screams that mean we can’t relax in parts of our own home. My teenage DD is recovering from major surgery and the lack of sleep from constantly being woken is really getting to her. I never have let my DC behave like that and they knew better anyway!