Neighbour’s dog

[Whatamess582]

Apologies if this kind of thing has been asked before. I had a quick scan of previous threads and haven’t found anything similar.

My neighbour comes to his house, which is a second home (which is side on to ours) every Tuesday evening and leaves Thursday morning. I think he has the day off on a Wednesday. He sometimes comes up on the weekend but oddly this doesn’t happen on a weekend... no idea why. When he comes he brings his enormous German Shepherd with him who my dog absolutely hates and they spend all day barking at each other through the fence, so I spend all Wednesday either yelling at my dog to shut up or having to lock him in the house all day which is unfair to him. The neighbour jokes that my (otherwise silent animal!) is very territorial and makes a lot of noise....

But that’s not really what I’m most annoyed about. Every Tuesday and Wednesday night he leaves the dog out in the garden. And when I come into the bedroom and turn my bedroom light on, the light streams out into my driveway and their back garden and dog starts barking at the light. That sets my dog on edge and he starts scampering round the house whimpering and whining to go out and protect his territory. The kids wake up then and start asking if the ‘crazy dog from next door is loose’... which is actually our greatest fear. When I turn the bedroom light off... the dog stops barking instantly. But I can’t do everything I need to do in complete darkness. I feel like a fool walking around my own bedroom in my own house with my phone light on trying to brush my teeth, get undressed etc so as not to disturb the animal. I’ve mentioned it to the dogs owner and he kind of laughed it off and made some joke about the dog obviously thinking I should be in bed at that time. I asked him if the dog always slept outside or if he could put him inside and the answer was along the lines of ‘he prefers sleeping outside... he is a guard dog’

We don’t have any other permanent neighbours who are affected. and those that are there permanently are on the other side of the road and can’t hear all of this.

AIBU to call the local council and tell them it’s a noise nuisance? Or should I just suck it up for 1 (sometimes 2) nights a week.

Perhaps black out curtains might be a quick fix, that way no light breaks through and neighbours dog doesn't set off yours 🐶👍

The kids wake up then and start asking if the ‘crazy dog from next door is loose’... which is actually our greatest fear.

You all sound ridiculous.

The “enormous” German Shepherd is probably a very standard sized German Shepard. What is your dog? Bichon frise? Cockapoo?

The German shepherd is not doing anything your dog isn’t doing by barking. They’re both barking at each other. Keeping your dog in the house is far kinder than letting it stay outside and get wound up all day.

Stop yelling at your dog. Train him not to bark at other dogs.

Put up black out blinds at your window.

AIBU to call the local council and tell them it’s a noise nuisance?

Only if you’re happy for him to report you and your dog as a noise nuisance. (Your dog for barking and you for yelling “shut up” all day)

Both dogs are barking, you don't really get to blame his dog. Sometimes our next door neighbours dog barks. Sometimes ours does. Sometimes they set eachother off. I'd laugh in our neighbours face if they complained about our dog.

The “enormous” German Shepherd is probably a very standard sized German Shepard. What is your dog? Bichon frise? Cockapoo?

Someone please tell me how to spell Shepard?

Shut your curtains?

Black out curtains?
Also really you can’t complain that his dog makes your dog misbehave
That’s your training issue
(Said from someone with a very naughty dog so you have my sympathies!)

I believe it’s only an issue for noise if it’s between certain hours, for a certain amount of time. So you’d need to record the dog barking the whole time your light was on.
But I suppose your dog would also be barking the whole time as well so you’d be complaining about yourself too

It does sound like you need to decatasrophise this issue for your children though.

@UhtredRagnarson

The kids wake up then and start asking if the ‘crazy dog from next door is loose’... which is actually our greatest fear.

You all sound ridiculous.

The “enormous” German Shepherd is probably a very standard sized German Shepard. What is your dog? Bichon frise? Cockapoo?

The German shepherd is not doing anything your dog isn’t doing by barking. They’re both barking at each other. Keeping your dog in the house is far kinder than letting it stay outside and get wound up all day.

Stop yelling at your dog. Train him not to bark at other dogs.

Put up black out blinds at your window.

Well maybe the fears of a 4 and 5 year old are ridiculous to you, but yes that’s what they wake up and ask at 10pm and they hear the barking and growling not 10m away from their window.

Our dog is a Tibetan Terrier and is very well trained. He doesn’t bark at any other dogs. He barks at this one. I’m not too bothered about the daytime. It’s a bit annoying but as I said it’s not the main problem. But thanks for your input.

I don’t see what you have to complain about that he can’t complain in retaliation about you and your dog.

I agree about getting some blackout blinds and curtains and using them on a Tuesday and Wednesday.

Sorry I think maybe I’ve written the original post badly... I’m not bothered by the daytime so much. Yes they bark at each other and I’m not thinking of complaining about that at all. It’s annoying but not a big issue. But at night I can’t read a book or anything in my bedroom without the dog barking constantly. I can’t leave the back garden light on because he is barking. If I turn the bathroom light on, which on the same side as the bedrooms, the dog starts barking.

My dog doesn’t bark in the house. He just gets agitated and upset and then is padding around the house whining to go out.

Yes I can get black out curtains it genuinely hadn’t occurred to me.

Well maybe the fears of a 4 and 5 year old are ridiculous to you

Why do they believe the dog is “crazy” and on the loose? Where have the gotten this idea from? Why didn’t you disabuse them of this notion the first time they suggested it? “Oh the dog isn’t crazy darling and he can’t get out of the garden. Barking is just how dogs talk- he’s just having a chat with himself. There’s nothing to be afraid of”

What would happen if you turned the light on in the afternoon (when it's still light out) and leave it on until your ready for bed? It's the light coming on in the dark which sets the dog off.

@TheLittleRedToothbrush
My curtains are closed but no they aren’t black out curtains and so he can see the light. It’s not even just my bedroom light. It’s the kids room light, the bathroom light, the back porch sensor light, so if a cat goes through our garden or an animal... it sets him off.

Sorry but YABU! Why is it not okay for his dog to get "protective and territorial" when your light goes on but it's okay for your dog to bark and whine but it's because he's being "territorial" ?

As for the during the day, both your dogs are barking at each other through the fence, so why do you feel it's unfair you have to bring your dog in? If it was just his dog standing barking and yours not reacting then fair enough but your dog is clearly reactive too.

I doubt the council would be interested when it is only when you turn your light on, again if it was continuous then yes but you say it stops as soon as you put your light off. Simple solution to that would be to close your blinds surely? Maybe you feel you shouldn't have to but when your dog is reacting to their dog, it is up to you to find a solution too.

I work with dogs and while sometimes dogs are forced to sleep outside at night (which I don't agree with), some dogs genuinely do prefer it. It doesn't sound like the dogs an issue all night so don't think the neighbour is unreasonable for that

Does the dog stay out all night? Barking dogs in gardens at night are a noise issue and I'd contact the council, I'd also worry about a dog outside all night in winter.
I used to have a Tibetan Terrier too, lovely dogs

Does the man come out to calm his dog down if he is barking during the night? Surely he can’t sleep if the dog is barking either. I suspect the dog would be less inclined to bark if the lights are always on, so you could turn them on before it gets dark and then turn them off once and for all when you go to sleep. That’s far less likely to disturb a guard dog.

I’d reassure your children that they are safe in their house from the dog.

@UhtredRagnarson

Well maybe the fears of a 4 and 5 year old are ridiculous to you

Why do they believe the dog is “crazy” and on the loose? Where have the gotten this idea from? Why didn’t you disabuse them of this notion the first time they suggested it? “Oh the dog isn’t crazy darling and he can’t get out of the garden. Barking is just how dogs talk- he’s just having a chat with himself. There’s nothing to be afraid of”

Presumably you lock your doors at night too. I know German Shepherds are intelligent dogs, but I've yet to meet one who's mastered breaking into a house through a locked door!

I know German Shepherds are intelligent dogs, but I've yet to meet one who's mastered breaking into a house through a locked door!

Ahh but this isn’t any German shepherd. This is an enormous crazy one. Who clearly wants to eat OP in her bedroom with the lights off.

It's pretty unreasonable to have to change perfectly reasonable habits, like putting lights on in your own home because of someone else's dog. What the hell is it guarding

What the hell is it guarding

The shadows

Probably nothing. It’s just disturbed by the light and sounds off. Some dogs are set off easily. Particularly dogs that are left outside all the time and bored senseless.

@Lou98
I’m not bothered about the daytime so much. As I said it’s not the main issue. But yes it’s annoying that it’s always me taking my dog away, putting him in the house, taking him in the car with me when I go. If I left my dog out the two of them would be barking all day. The neighbour never does anything about his dog. The noise is pretty intense and yet he sits on the other side of his house unperturbed and we are all subjected to the noise unless I put mine indoors.

I don’t have blinds and the current curtains don’t block out all light... but it’s also the kids lights, bathroom light, garden sensor light which obviously isn’t under my control unless I disconnect it every Tuesday and Wednesday evening... which obviously then reduces my security...

But the owner said it was a guard dog, sounds pretty antisocial to me to let a dog that barks at anything stay out all night. Really surprised at how many people on here would be prepared to creep around their own homes in darkness, weird

I would get ready for bed earlier so you don't need to put the light on. I imagine it would be an inconvenience but needs must. It doesn't sound as if the owner of the dog's interested and I doubt the Council would be, they would probably just ask you to keep a noise diary, except there wouldn't be much in it if he's only there two nights a week.