Dog wagging tail too loudly against fence.

[Beansandcheesearegood]

Neighbours are complaining that dog wags his tail and as it hits our fence its too noisy. It's waking them up, they don't want him out in our garden until 8:30am abd also want us to cover the fence with something to stop the noise.... I'm at a loss as to what to reasonably say!

Is your dog a Labrador by any chance? I ask because my late Lab, when greeting people or when she was happy, used to whack her tail against all manner of hard surfaces and it did make a loud thumping noise. It's not something I would complain about at 8.30 in the morning but I remember talking to people on the telephone who would ask, "what's that banging noise?" 😂

He's wagging his tail ffs.

What’ on earth are you taking about? Anti social noise can be any time of day or night and can be reported to the council.

My dog is a Labrador 👍🏻

It's a dog's tail. I have heard it. It's not enough to complain about being woken up at 8:30.

It's weirdly quite a sweet problem to have in that your dog is just TOO happy! So you can take from that that you are doing something right!

I have known dogs who can wag quite noisy while standing next to something reverberative, but still I would be surprised if it was loud enough to wake someone inside a house, when the dog is outside.....

Are they nice neighbours? I think my willingness to inconvenience myself and my family to meet their needs, would in part be influenced by how willing they have been/I suspect would be to do the same.....

Because you have paid for your garden and you have the right to enjoy it in any legal way, which includes using it to allow your dog to exercise and, yes, be happy!

Those saying, yes, of course you must immediately accommodate them - would you think the same WHATEVER time they said, and WHATEVER noise they objected to? What if they didn't like OP talking quietly in her garden at 5 in the afternoon? Where is the cut off?

(OP, Mumsnet is notoriously anti-dog, and I suspect some of the shittier posters on this thread would have agreed with your neighbours or they had complained about your dog breathing too loudly, and called for his immediate execution.)

There is a lot to weigh up here:
A) how much do I honestly think it's inconveniencing them
B) how mush will it inconvenience me (or my dog) to change my routine
C) to what extent have they earned (or the opposite) my respect and cooperation.

It's a fine balance. Hope it all works out.

And finally, my favourite post was the one that implied you were a shit dog owner because you hadn't yet trained your dog not to wag! The animal branch of the happiness police!!!

Then you should know better

Of course it's a reasonable request

The IPS dog is making a repeated noise that is bothering the neighbours, all she has to do to stop that is to put some plants in front of the fence, hardly difficult.

no one is asking them to stop the dog wagging its tail, why are people being so ridiculous? They are simply asking that the dog is prevented from whacking its tail against the fence, waking disturbing annoying them. There is an easy fix. Why wouldn't you do it?

Okay, but other people have different sleep schedules and it is waking them at 8:30 yes to you and me and lots of others that is halfway through the bloody morning, but it isn't to them and that's what counts. It's an easy fix to not be a cunty neighbour.

Well, clearly it is. Not everybody sleeps like the dead it's waking the neighbour, it's an easy fix to stop it waking the neighbour. Why wouldn't you just do that?

And I worked for over 50 years. The tax I paid probably funded your child benefit. What's your point?

I wouldn’t pander to this nonsense, it’s petty & trivial. Next they’ll complain they can hear kids playing or washing machine spinning too loud. If your dog was out barking then yes I would understand but tail banging on fence is ridiculous. Just ignore them

I disagree.

I've heard a lab or similar whacking their tail against a wooden fence. I know exactly what it sounds like.

If the op's dog was doing it for any length of time, that dog would be in the vets already. It will be intermittent, I highly doubt the dog is standing immobile next to a fence for hours on end.

I don't think the level of noise this causes is 'worthy' of moving heaven and earth to try and stop. I don't consider it a reasonable request and I wouldn't therefore do anything about it. Much like when an elderly neighbour a few years back complained about the noise of my children laughing. NOT screeching or screaming btw - just laughing. I did exactly nothing - expecting your neighbours children to stop laughing or to control which area of the garden they're allowed to laugh in is not a reasonable expectation.

As a person with neighbours, there's a certain amount of normal, low-level everyday noise you have to accept. This is one of them. Suck it up neighbours.

Cover the fence in gongs

Well that depends on your definition of "c*y" neighbour. The C word isn't one I've ever used of anyone ever, it's tacky, so I'll use "inconsiderate." Playing music at all hours; slamming doors and shouting; growing weed are all legitimate reasons to complain but a happy dog hitting its tail on a fence for a few seconds, give over. Life's a bit too bloody short.

There complaining about noise and banging outside in the morning waking them up
just because it’s a dog causing it doesn’t make it anymore acceptable

No one said the dog was doing for hours, it doesn't matter how long it's doing it for if it's enough to wake them up it's too long.

Putting a few plants in front of the fence to stop it is hardly moving heaven and earth🙄🙄

Stopping children laughing would be absurd, stopping children carrying on screaming would not. But this has nothing to do with children anyway..

It's a repetitive noise that the OP could easily stop, I just don't understand why anyone would be so pathetic as to not stop it.

Whatever🙄🙄🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️

Remove the fence!!! Simples!!!!! (That is a joke by the way).

0830 is too late Never agree to that time schedule Elderly neighbors can’t dictate your animals need to go the bathroom. I rather like the elderly description because I like detail and it does add to the understanding. A busy younger family would be rushing to get out the door not sleeping in or listening to your dog I hear dog barking and such but I am up at 5 and at work by 7 and don’t have time to focus on it. They probably do. Try some MN boundaries…you time how much wagging and how early. You ask them specifically what they are hearing (reverberation) is it a single spot the dog favors? What about buying a cheap inflatable swim “raft” (or U.K. equivalent) and place against that single spot. Your post seems fairly reasonable for a dog being let out to potty before your go to work . I wouldn’t change anything based on your posting. Life is noisy. My adjacent co worker complains I’m noisy….yes it’s called a place of business and I talk all day in my job. Yours is called a home and it’s noisy because family homes are.

Some of these comments are hilarious!
Please, someone explain to me how to train a dog not to wag it's tail?
Jeez!

So funny! Surely he’s only out there briefly for a wee and a sniff about?

How did they complain op? Is this a giant dog? How does someone sleeping in a bedroom hear a dog’s tail in the garden?

Do you own Clifford the Big Red Dog?

Aren’t they ridiculous! The problem is people who don’t like dogs will find any reason to make them a nuisance. People who live in close proximity to others have to accept that there will be noise from neighbours & accept some of the inconveniences that arise from that. I get up at 10 ish at the weekend but I would in no way expect my neighbour to restrict their daily activities for my convenience.