WIBU - neighbours aggressive dog in a high rise flat

[LittleMissRayofHope]

NDN got a jack Russell pup for Christmas. That is fine.
We live in a high rise on 9th floor.
Dog is quite aggressive. Has barked and snarled at me and DC on more then one occasion. We have lifts and just this morning dog barked non stop while we waited for lift and then the entire journey down (this takes about 20 seconds but that is long enough to reduce DC to tears) NDN appears to have no control over dog who simply ignores her commands to sit and be quiet.

Dd (2.6) who liked dogs is now scared of them. DS (5months) is just scared and cries on sight of the little fecker.

WIBU to report them to the landlord?
Or to RSPCA as keeping a lovely dog in a flat all day is cruel.

Dog yips all day and night

It will be fairly obvious it's me that has complained as we are the only other flat they share a wall with and the only flat with dc on this floor.

Complain! What a nuisance & terror for the poor children!

RSPCA wont be interested, if the dog has its basic needs met then what can they do?

I would report to the landlord i guess.

the dog must still be quite young if they only got it for christmas - have you spoken to the neighbour about it, it might just need socialising, JRTs are excitable little bastards dogs so it might just be excited rather than aggressive.

of course its not your responsibility to socialise your neighbours dog! i just meant that it may calm down. (hopefully)

Landlord. They are probably breaking their lease.

I love digs, and have no issues at all with them in flats - if they are trained properly, exercised well, cleaned up after and not left alone for silly amounts of time.

Jackies love being with people but are happy little buggers. Also snappysnappy little buggers if not trained properly.

My parents have a jack russell and to be perfectly honest, they are innately yappy dogs - not all of them, but some. They've had two, the first didn't bark, the second did: absolutely nothing to do with how they were treated.

Aggressive is not great, but if the dog was a puppy at christmas I wouldn't expect them to be fully trained by now. Presumably they're only a few months old themselves? Is it properly aggressive barking or just scary for a small child? If they are walking the dog for an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening, and there's someone home during the day, I wouldn't say keeping them in a flat is cruel. But if its not in the terms of the lease they can have them then maybe raise it with the landlord. I doubt RSPCA would do much unless there was actual cruelty going on.

If they have neighbours below, and the dog is barking, there's no reason to assume it would be you: that noise can be worse through the ceiling than through walls.

Oh dear autocorrect. They are yappy and can be snappy dogs!

You need to speak with the council. We have had a similar problem with NDN who also lets both his dogs roam free around the estate, shitting everywhere and barking/chasing everyone. The council were really helpful and sent ND a letter saying that if nothing was done they would be forced to take legal action, it worked! The dogs are now securely in the garden at all times! Good luck getting it sorted

It is taken out morning and night. But I think then left alone the majority of the day whilst NDN is at work.

It wasn't a new pup, judging from its size and that they got it from a rescue place it's between 6-12 months.
(God knows how it was treated by previous owner)

I love dogs. And when we move to a house with a garden and I can afford one I'll get a dog as I think they are great and good for kids to grow up with.

Talk with the Dog Warden they may be able to help.

Sadly it sounds like your NDN has taken on more than they can handle, the very idea of a terrier in an apartment is just stupid. If it is any consolation I doubt the puppy is aggressive. JRTs are barky dogs by nature but that doesn't make them more likely to bite. I am not minimising the annoyance the barking is causing or the fact that your DCs are scared - the dog should not be barking, no excuses. Just pointing out that it is unlikely to be aggressive so that's one thing to worry about.

What does the NDN say when you ask him to stop the dog barking? Would he object to you helping with the training? Arm yourself with some yummy dog treats, chose a moment when the dog is quiet (if such a thing is possible!) and throw a treat at him. It's important not to treat when he is barking. You can then add other criteria for the treat, like all four feet on the floor, to teach him not to jump up. If this works well you can also have your older child involved in this, throwing treats for quiet behaviour.

I only see the dog when we happen to go out at the same time. I understand what your saying by trying to get involved to minimise my own issues with the situation but I really don't feel like training their dog for them.

Not to mention that my DC are both young and need my attention far more then the dog does.

I would feel awful reporting them and the dog being removed as it's clear from the noises that when the owners come home the dog is happy and the barking reduces for be evening. Starts up again when they leave or go to bed.

You shouldn't be have to train someone else's dog!

The dog wouldn't be removed in the first instance, the neighbour will get a polite notice and if there is no improvement, probably some sort of visit then if still, nothing improves, that's when the council will go down the legal route and the dog will possibly be removed.

So your neighbour will be given a fair chance to improve the situation

maybe talk to your neighbours. we had a dog that barked if we went out. we didn't know because we weren't there! our ndn popped a polite note through the door and we were able to resolve the problem by simply giving him the run of the house. we used to shut the living room door so he thought we were upstairs. leaving it open solved the problem .

Good grief, offer to train their dog? What an odd suggestion.

Have you actually talked to the neighbour about the dog and its noise?

I haven't. I'm rubbish at that sort of thing. I feel sorry for the animal. Being cooped up all day.

Our flats also border the lift shafts and you can hear it get excited every time someone operates either lift.

Poor dog. Perhaps you could approach it as concern - "I hear your dog barking all day, just wondering if it's ok because it doesn't sound very happy up there."

Of course in an ideal world the NDN would have a well trained dog that did not bark and scare your DCs...but he does not. In an ideal world he would acknowledge your concerns and address the problems his dog is creating for you...but I bet he will not. If throwing the dog a few treats solves the problem what exactly is the objection? It's hardly training the dog for the NDN, it's addressing a problem the owner will happily ignore in a non-confrontational, relatively simple way.

I don't exactly see this thread being overwhelmed by effective solutions so perhaps rethink this idea.