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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Neighbours happy dogs

37 replies

MrsMorse · 12/04/2019 07:07

I want my neighbours to shut their two yapping dogs up. Don’t know how they’d do this...but I want them to!

They let them out in their back garden each night around 10am and each morning around 7am and they just yap nosily for 10 minutes or so. They are two little dachshunds. It’s driving me mad. We live in a small quiet village so imagine the noise is heard throughout. Total disclaimer, we have a dog but in the 4 yrs we’ve had her she’s barked about 5 times. Fortunately she ignores them if she’s also out in the garden. Just don’t understand how they can let them make such a racket at such unsociable times.

OP posts:
DoNotEatYellowSnow · 12/04/2019 07:14

Yet another inconsiderate twat forcing their lifestyle choices onto everyone else. I feel your pain. Put a note through their door x

WhoKnewBeefStew · 12/04/2019 07:18

Talk to your neighbours. I seriously don’t understand this mentality of not discussing things. They may have the kettle on and not hear them. They might be horrified at inconveniencing you. You’ll never know if you don’t actually have a conversation with them.

If they tell you to piss off or refuse to do anything about it, then come back onto AIBU.

OldSpeclkledHen · 12/04/2019 07:24

I wondered what you meant by happy dog 😂😂

But yes little dogs can be yappy, as much as I love animals, I value peace and quiet too - so I feel your pain.

Are the dogs ever exercised? Just a thought ....

Original poster
MrsMorse · 12/04/2019 07:27

Yes sorry for autocorrect in title :)

I agree I’d normally say something. But I don’t feel comfortable to, they aren’t particularly friendly in the first place.

Dogs are well exercised, see them being walked several times a day. I think it’s just a yappy breed to be honest.

OP posts:
Itscoldouthere · 12/04/2019 07:39

Sorry but I think 10 mins yapping twice a day is not a massive problem.
I thought you were going to say they do it all day.
You are lucky that you have a dog that doesn’t bark, most dogs do at some point in the day.

longwayoff · 12/04/2019 07:39

Mention it to them. Friend used to leave her dog in garden barking. If I was there I'd fetch her in. Exasperated friend, 'leave her out there, she's fine'. Me, 'but your poor neighbours'. She ConfusedBlush. She'd never even thought that it would disturb others, hadn't registered. So mention it nicely, they may not realise.

DisplayPurposesOnly · 12/04/2019 07:40

It's 10 mins, let it go. (I'd say differently if the dogs were left out for hours and were barking because they are bored or lonely.)

Trouble is, you are now focused on it and you will have to train yourself to consciously 'unhear' it.

echt · 12/04/2019 07:48

You need to get over not liking the NDNs much, and talk to them. A way in would be to say how aware you are that your angelic pooches also bark and hope you are not imposing on them.

WhoKnewBeefStew · 12/04/2019 07:59

Next time you see your neighbour, a simple

‘hi X how’s you? Could you do me a favour, your dogs are driving me bonkers on a morning, I know it’s difficult to keep them quiet, but any chance you could take them inside earlier as they are waking me up at 7am and barking for about 10 minutes’

all said with a positive, happy tone and a smile should do it. I’ve got dogs and if my neighbour said that I’d be horrified I’d been inconveniencing them and sort it.

alittlesnow · 12/04/2019 08:09

Yeah, a bright and breezy 'I'm so sorry but did you know your dogs are barking really loudly really early in the morning and it's disturbing my sleep' should do it. If you feel awkward saying it, just pop a note through their letterbox saying the same thing. Unfortunately, there are some people who think if THEY need to be up at 6.30-7am, that everyone else should be awake too.

@itscoldoutthere and @Displaypurposesonly

Saying 'it's only 10 minutes!' is all very well, but 'it's 10 minutes' at SEVEN in the morning! Once woken, many people cannot get back to sleep, especially when it's light at that time. Not everyone works the same hours, or indeed SLEEPS the same hours! Hmm

@echt

And the OP never said she doesn't like the neighbours, she said they don't seem friendly/approachable.

@MrsMorse

If all else fails OP, and telling them about the dog doesn't stop it, then contact the council about it.

Hazlenutpie · 12/04/2019 08:12

I feel your pain. We have a yappy spaniel living near us. It’s not next door but if it was I would probably say something along the lines of what you’ve said in your post.

Lockheart · 12/04/2019 08:12

@alittlesnow given its a total of twenty mins a day I doubt the council would be interested to be honest.

Best approach is to speak to the neighbour. Ask if they can be let out for less time or at a later time.

Dachshunds are a notoriously loud breed, despite their size!

User457990033gYpovd7 · 12/04/2019 08:22

I would be very surprised if the council will do anything about it. They did nothing for 5 years when my cousin and her neighbours were experiencing horrendous noise from their drug-taking, alcoholic screaming banshee of a neighbour.

You can toot your car horn as early as 7 a.m. and as late as 11 p.m. so I don't think they'd do anything about it.

I appreciate it's very annoying but if those dogs need a wee then they have to be let out. It could be worse, they could need to be let out at 4 a.m.

SeriouslyStrongCheese · 12/04/2019 08:24

Do you live in Hampshire OP and are the couple young? If so I know them and I can tell them to stop it if you like! Not me but close friends.

Gilead · 12/04/2019 08:28

Do you know what dogs do? They bark. Not all of them but a significant number. Just like people they're all different. 20 minutes a day at fairly regular intervals is not over the top at all.

Hazlenutpie · 12/04/2019 08:31

@Gilead

Dogs can bark but it doesn’t mean they have to. Mine hardly ever barks, unless someone is at the door. It’s called training. 🙄

Singlenotsingle · 12/04/2019 08:37

At least the dogs only bark for ten minutes twice a day; the ndn don't go out to work all day and leave the dogs. Idk what you can do about it tbh. Maybe get earmuffs?

Dieu · 12/04/2019 08:41

I am the biggest dog fan, but a yapping dog sound makes me murderous. YANBU Thanks

alittlesnow · 12/04/2019 08:43

@Lockheart and @Gilead

Just because you think 'the council will not be interested in 20 minutes a day of yapping' - and it's 'no time at all for a dog to be yapping,' that does not mean the OP should not report it. It's SEVEN in the morning. An anti social time. I am sure they will act on it.

Will it be OK with you if I come round your house on Sunday morning between 6.30 and 7am, and bang on your front door for TEN MINUTES, waking the whole family? And because it's light then, you struggle to get back to sleep?

And then at around 11.30pm when you're all tucked up in bed fast asleep, I will come bang on your front door, for another 10 minutes, waking you again, when your family have work/school the next day? Will that be OK???

Yeah I thought not Hmm

Someone allowing a yappy barking dog to continue the yapping and barking is a bad, entitled, inconsiderate neighbour at best, and a poor dog handler who can't control their mutts, and think everyone who doesn't like them and is affected by anything they do can just deal with it! Hmm

These types are usually the same ones who let their dogs jump up you when they are out, and let their dogs shit all over the pavements, and to hell with anyone who is affected by it.

BarkandCheese · 12/04/2019 08:47

Some breeds bark more than others though. Mine is a breed who were bred as watchdogs, it’s her instinct to bark at anything she perceives as a threat to the home and I can’t train her out of it no matter how hard I try.

What I don’t do is let her bark in the garden for prolonged periods of time. I’ve trained her to come back when I rustle the treat packet, and when she’s out for an early morning or late night wee I stand in the door ready to get her back if she barks. It might not be in the owners control to stop the dogs barking, but there’s no reason to let them do it outside for prolonged periods of time, especially at antisocial hours.

BeerandBiscuits · 12/04/2019 08:50

Just talk to your neighbours. They probably have no idea the barking is bothering you.
I used to live next door to a houseful of students and one of them came round, looking very embarrassed, to ask me if I could stop my dog barking in the morning.
Dog was let into garden at 8 am and usually gave a couple of woofs to scare off the pigeons, literally 5 seconds of barking. It never occured to me that it could disturb someone.
But as the student explained, he stayed up late studying and didn't get up till 9am, the barking made him lose an hour of sleep.
I was happy to help, easily stopped the dog barking by going out first and shooing the pigeons away.

crimsonlake · 12/04/2019 09:05

I cannot believe the mentality of some people thinking it is acceptable to leave a dog outside barking for any length of time obviously disturbing the neighbours. When I had a dog she was never shut outside in the garden, if she needed to be outside I took her for a walk for exercise. If she ever barked in the garden I would call her in straight away and that is because I am a considerate neighbour. Unfortunately since moving one of my neighbours thinks it is acceptable to put their dog outside and let it bark for hours. It makes me really angry, if you cannot be bothered exercising your dog and shut it outside instead do not get one.

echt · 12/04/2019 09:29

And the OP never said she doesn't like the neighbours, she said they don't seem friendly/approachable

Good point. So she'll have no trouble approaching them. Which she has.

longwayoff · 12/04/2019 09:36

Dogs bark for a myriad of reasons and no amount of training or exercise will alter some, the smaller they are, the more vocal. They're dogs. They bark. For some only damage limitation is effective. If they are being a nuisance, take them indoors.

Original poster
MrsMorse · 12/04/2019 10:11

Frankly don’t know my neighbours well enough to like or dislike them. I hesitate as I understand their dogs need time out first and last thing for a wee so don’t really know what they can do about it. They also haven’t been particularly friendly when we’ve made an effort to chat. We also need them on side a little because they have hideous hedges that shade our garden that we have to ask them to trim. I might start letting my children play outside at 7am though to counter the yapping 😁

OP posts: