Nextdoor have bought a fucking beagle

[wowsaid]

That barks a lot. Still a puppy so should I be worried it's going to get worse, or could it actually get better?

I know beagles are known for being noisy which makes me question their breed choice considering we live in Edwardian maisonettes in SW London, ie, close together!

The irony is, they used to complain bitterly about their upstairs neighbour before the left.

What about when they both go back to work!!

Aibu to get this to stop ASAP?

My lazy beagle also isn’t all that interested in food! Eats his dry food, doesn’t ask for anything else. Doesn’t beg, or look for scraps.
So many generalisations about beagles!

@Crumpetsforthequeen

Totally read this as they bought a bagel

The bagel would be better behaved

With much experience of urban living, leasehold property and nuisances, and some experience as a dog owner myself in a flat:

Having established that the head Lease includes a covenant not to keep a dog, then if you prefer not to be disturbed by a dog barking, you really SHOULD simply insist on performance of that covenent, and you should not have difficulty doing so

Any attempt at half measures, in the hope that the dog ceases to bother you, and/or because you don't want to upset people would be a mistake, as if you or the Freeholder don't exercise your rights, they can become weakened.

One thing that often happens by the way is that when a Leaseholder sub-lets the property, they fail to include important terms from the Lease in the subtenancy agreement. They sometimes even (through ignorance rather than malice) write terms which contradict the head Lease.
Of course the head Lease takes precedence, but this can on occasion put subtenants in an embarrassing position. But even if that's happened here (as I say, unlikley), none of that is YOUR problem.

Two caveats however before proceeding:

1. You need to be sure or reasonably sure that the head Lease of the property is identical to the one you have seen (presumably your own). Although uncommon, it is by no means unheard of for variations to creep in, even if all the properties were built and initially let at the same time.
2. You should read the Lease carefully to understand, for the relevant sections, where the power of enforceability lies. Probably ONLY with the Freeholder, but in newer leases that power may lie with other lessees, such as yourself. (This will be relevant if the Freeholder is sluggish in dealing with it).

In any case, you should write, formally, to the Freeholder, citing the relevant section of the Lease, stating clearly why you believe there is a dog there, and giving a reasonable time by which you expect the dog to be gone. Best to keep this time short, harsh though that may sound.

The key here is to kep this formal and impersonal. This is not about whether dogs can be trained quietly, or to be quiet, whether they should be kept in flats, whether one breed is less suitable than another, or being nice to our neighbours.

The Lease says no dogs, and you either choose to insist on that, or to turn a blind eye, and put up with the consequences whatever they turn out to be.

Good luck

So they bought a cute dog for Instagram, they know nothing about dogs and are now stuck with a yapping fiend?

Great.

You need to get over there and tell them in no uncertain terms: train your dog or I will report you to the council.

It's noise pollution from an untrained dog therefore you have a leg (or 4) to stand on.

my friend lives next door to a family with two small yappers. they even bark when she goes in her garden so she bought a device that only dogs can hear, not sure how they work but its supposed to stop dogs barking,

@earnshaw47 I need one of those !

@FelicisNox You need to get over there and tell them in no uncertain terms: train your dog or I will report you to the council.

The dog is a new puppy. He's only just joined their household! Give them a chance! How do you expect them to get a trainer in etc with current restrictions?

Beagles can be great family dogs but they ideally need an owner with dog experience - they can extremely stubborn and need good training. If your neighbours are doggy newbies then that doesn’t bode well.

Urgh! What a nightmare situation!

In our last house a neighbour bought a beagle after their collie died. The collie was lovely, extremely well behaved and no problem at all - we hardly knew it was there tbh. The bloody beagle on the other hand was a nightmare! It whined and whimpered all night and barked all day, it bayed in the garden constantly and escaped into other gardens frequently (came in my back door several times and tried to get my cat).
The owner was experienced and apologetic and the dog did improve, but it took a loooong time and it continued to be the loudest thing ever, when it was being walked.
I sympathise with your situation OP, I really do!

Ooof that’s so hard on the neighbours. I just rescued a dog 6 months ago and she’s a terrified little thing, her anxiety was so bad to start with she would bark at anything in a panic. We are training her and loving her to make her feel safe and she is getting quieter, but we are also really apologetic to our neighbours and explaining each step as we go!
I was always one of those ‘god sake control your dog’ kind of people before we found our girl, now I’m much more tolerant and accepting. Probably the same as anyone before children and after children, you just learn and become more tolerant and forgiving for the parents.
Maybe try a friendly chat about the dog and how it’s going?

This just prompted a family conversation. Would we prefer our neighbours to get a bugle or a beagle.

Perhaps offer to walk the dog during the day if you can.

Dog owners really are a special kind of mad. Presumably if wowsaid and family wanted a dog, they would get one (though probably not a beagle).

Perhaps offer to walk the dog during the day if you can.

I had to look back to see if someone really had suggested something so ludicrous.

Of course they fucking have.

This can go on the list with handing out Cream Eggs to people who shout at you in the street, solving the problem of unwanted tenants by giving them the house and taking brownies to angry neighbours.

I would talk to them,in a non confrontational,"I want to kill your pup" kind of way....Lol
For real though....
We have a Great Dane (huge) and 2 little Yorkies but we live in our own home.
So we have never had complaints,plus I have trained them too.
But my favorite thing is....
When a stranger rings the doorbell and when my GD appears,they take a gigantic step back!
Little do they know she is the sweetest of the three❤❤❤

@Lindsey0006

Perhaps offer to walk the dog during the day if you can. The barking may settle down.

Hahahahahahahaha!

This properly made me laugh!

Why on earth do you think that would be appropriate?! It's not the Ops dog and it's not her responsibility. Why would she spend her time picking up walking someone else's dog and picking up their poo? Don't get me started on what would happen if the dog was injured while in her care!

What an absurd suggestion.

The neighbour is in breach of their tenancy agreement, most likely without their landlord's knowledge, is knowingly disturbing their neighbour - and you think Op should offer to be a free dog walking service.

Soooooooo hilarious!

What message do you think that would send to the dog owner? If I were them it would tell me I should get a second dog. Maybe even a third. Because the neighbours love them so much!

www.barxbuddy-official.com/

Here’s a high-pitched device that might work. On Amazon too.

@wowsaid Suggest you go on its Instagram and de- cute it. Give the true picture.

Sorry if this has been covered OP. You might actually want Them to leave the pup alone at night and get it used to that, otherwise when they do go to work, the crying will begin, hopefully this way the pup will be used to being alone soon.

My little one barks like mad if he hears the neighbours in the garden. Luckily the ones directly next door are super understanding and actually laugh about it. Our trainer says some dogs are just noisy, which we're hoping isn't true. He is getting better the more we leave him outside and listening to things.

And since he's been basically glued to me since lockdown, if I even close him in a room and he thinks I'm leaving him, he howls. Coming out of lockdown will not be fun!

Perhaps, if you're ok chatting terms, suggest they play a "soothing music for dogs" playlist (Spotify has one) at night, it's not a miracle worker but it does calm them down and lessens the likelihood of hearing birds.

Good luck and sorry for your predicament xx

@User43210 are you sure you have a good trainer? Most dogs can happily be taught the ‘quiet’ command (with a bit of patience) and I do feel sorry for your neighbours, a constantly barking dog is really annoying and is probably preventing them enjoying their garden. You need to bring the dog back in immediately if this is happening and spend some time teaching it ‘manners’.

Beagles everywhere nowadays, obv the new "dog fashion" and it makes me so angry. The fucking lack of imagination ... ooh let's get a Saluki (1970s) let's get a Doberman (1980s) let's get a boxer (1990s) let's get a staffie (2000s) let's get a French Pug, a cockadoodle-do ... get a dog for your circumstances not for fashion ffs

Why would it make you angry HMSSophie, as long as they are being cared for properly? We got ours 10 years ago, part of a litter of rescue puppies. My dad got one from the same litter. Nothing to do with ‘fashion’. And a very happy life he has. He’s lived in France, Spain and Italy with us too!

Not read all this thread but being an owner you should know your lease better than tenants ...as you are bound by it equally... and it also means when you have a problem you know if it is fixable by approaching the managing company or freehold company ... Even owning your flat does not mean you can’t lose it for breaking covenants in the lease repeatedly
Noise is generally mentioned in leases

@kittenlicker

Wow very nice of you to assume we leave our dog out barking. We always bring him in if he barks too much and I never said it was "constant". It's a burst because he has heard something and is on alert mode. We always shout him to come in and our neighbours tell us to leave him (which we never do because we're not rude like you assume)

We have been teaching him a quiet command however some dogs do have a tendency to want to bark more than others. There's a difference between a dog being loud naturally and teaching them to listen to you when you tell them to stop.

Also we do not bring him in "immediately" as this would not teach him a thing. We tell him to stop, which he usually does. Then if he starts again, we bring him in as this teaches him much more than removing him from a situation and trying to teach him what he did wrong in it as he would no longer have context.

So thanks for your assumptions but I'm pretty sure there is no need to feel sorry for our neighbours who actually love our dog and can't do enough for him.

Dog owners need training ask any expert.
Noisey neighbours whether by pets or people is a reason upheld in law via lease or via your local council

Beagles are now fashionable?! News to me. I don't know why. I love mine but I warn everyone who asks about how challenging their behaviour can be if you don't understand them. I think anyone who buys a dog because it's 'fashionable' isn't likely to have thought about its characteristics and needs.