My dogs barking

[damnthisvirusandmarriage]

My dogs bark. They only bark when people go past the house. Or if people are standing outside the house winding them up. I know this as I have cameras.

My neighbours have complained. They complained last week about this but my dog was out with me so it can’t have been my dog.

My dogs don’t bark late at night as I have kids and they’re asleep. I’m a single parent so they’re never alone at night as I’m here with the children.

My dogs are literally never left for more than a few hours due to the nature of my job. They don’t have separation anxiety. They aren’t bored. They are extremely well trained. They just bark when they can see or hear people go by the house.

I’m getting constantly nagged at and was previously reported for this. The man from the council said probably malicious and not to worry. That was months and months ago.

Are my dogs expected to never ever bark? Surely, surely some barking is not unreasonable? I can’t control who walks past and when.

From my cameras I know today has been a particularly busy day on out street though.

Dogs are permitted to bark during reasonable daytime hours, for things like people at the door, busy stuff going on right outside a window, in play etc.

What constitutes a noise offence is endless barking without a break, and barking a lot outside the reasonable hours (so I think 11pm to 7am ish).

If your dogs are watching things through your front windows and getting wound up by what they can see out there, a good solution is frosted window film as this cuts out the view and much of the movement, and most dogs are then far less wound up and much less likely to bark. It's also much easier to keep clean than blinds or nets :D

Keep a diary of when your dogs are home/not home/barking/not barking. Should anyone make a complaint then you can easily pin point when you are not actually there and the dogs were out with you, or when you were there but knew the dogs were not barking and this could help in a dispute - however councils ARE usually wise to malicious reports and won't take them seriously once they've seen there isn't really a problem.

I think its a little different to have a dog bark when someone comes onto your property, than every time someone walks past.
I can see how this could be irritating for neighbours.

If your dog barks every time someone walks down a public street passed your house, it's unreasonable. If your property is semi detached, terraced or close enough to other properties that the barking is disturbing their peace, then you are being unreasonable.

Can't imagine having to listen to that noise daily.

Barking every time someone moves past your house is very annoying. Who cares whether it's legal or not? Try to find a way to stop it.

Why should other people have to put up with your badly trained dogs?

When i had dogs, they barked if someone knocked at the door and would stop on my command, they rarely barked for any other reason.

@jasjas1973

Why should other people have to put up with your badly trained dogs?

When i had dogs, they barked if someone knocked at the door and would stop on my command, they rarely barked for any other reason.

How did you do this without using aversive techniques making your dog afraid of you?

My dogs are not badly trained. Quite the opposite. Barking is behaviour. Not training.

ah OP I hear you! I have dogs that bark when the door knocks or if the window cleaner or the post man is near. If they are in my front room where they can see out the window they would bark at people just walking by, one dog sets the other off etc etc.
Like you my dogs are very rarely left on their own and if they are I put them in the kitchen where they aren't aware of people walking by. I have used a water pistol at times for excessive barking in the garden at neighbours dogs - for their own good before anyone accuses me of dog cruelty. wee bit of water really does them no harm at all and my dogs are well loved and cared for. I do try to keep them out of the front room so they are not barking at passers by.

I cannot bear dogs that bark. It goes right through me. I would be upset if i lived next to you.

I really sympathise, because I have a Cocker Spaniel who barks when he's excited (usually out on a walk or greeting a friend - never in the house though).

However, it is your job to try to minimise your dog barking. It requires training and may or may not be easy. I suggest watching 'Dogs Behaving very badly' for some tips / ideas... and then calling in a trainer to help and support you if that doesn't work. Good luck.

But dogs bark?!

People stand outside your house winding your dogs up? That's really concerning.

I can only suggest getting cameras inside your house so that if there's another complaint, you have the footage to prove its only occasional.

If that's what you really believe. But if my dog barked everytime someone passed by, they would spend alot of time barking. Which would frustrate us and the neighbours.

Of they’re barking every time someone goes past then that’s a lot of barking and disruption.

Our previous NDN had a very barky dog and they got a specialist trainer in who worked wonders - it can be done.

How many times an hour would you say they bark? For how long each time?

@damnthisvirusandmarriage

But dogs bark?!

They really don't. Mine doesn't. Ever. I don't think she realises she can.

@damnthisvirusandmarriage

But dogs bark?!

Yeah and it is f*ing annoying

@Ladylokidoki

People stand outside your house winding your dogs up? That's really concerning.

I can only suggest getting cameras inside your house so that if there's another complaint, you have the footage to prove its only occasional.

If that's what you really believe. But if my dog barked everytime someone passed by, they would spend alot of time barking. Which would frustrate us and the neighbours.

I do have cameras. This is how I know this to be true.

🤦‍♀️

I had a Cavalier once that I only heard bark a handful of times over ten years. She never had any training so I'm sure for some dogs, barking/not barking comes naturally. Still, that doesn't mean you can't train to correct it. And if the training doesn't work, then remove the trigger - draw the curtains, use the frosted film, keep them out of the front room, etc.

Cameras inside or out?

And who is standing outside your house winding the dogs up?

The same people, different people, someone you know?

I had a neighbour with a dog that barked all the sodding time. It totally did my head in. She was oblivious to the noise and nuisance.

I live next door to barking dogs. We are in a cul de sac, big houses so I can't hear them indoors but if the dogs are out when I go out of my door to the front drive they bark. One sounds like a bloody wolf, terrifying deep loud bark. I jump out of my skin. Every. Single.Time.

Keep the dogs out of access of the front window, keep the radio on to muffle the noise of people outside and see what difference that makes.

It is absolutely possible to train dogs not to bark, or to manage them in such a way to stop it through lack of stimulus. Just assuming that your neighbours should suck up their noise is unreasonable imo

There is nothing more annoying than listening to barking dogs. Apart from people that think it's ok that people should put up with it.

My dog sounds similar to yours OP, she barks when she hears anybody outside or sees them go by. Luckily we live in a detached property and she cannot be heard by our neighbours.
My DM has 2 neighbours both with dogs that climb up to the window and bark whenever anybody walks by too.
My dog is always told to be quiet whenever she barks and like you she isn't left home alot and is quiet at night as my children are in bed by 7.
As long as you are doing all you can to minimise it then you are doing all you can, dogs bark that's a fact.

I used to live next door to a dog that howled (I'm assuming separation anxiety) for 8 hours a day 5 days a week while the owner was at work, it drove me mad but I didn't say anything as it was quiet as soon as she got home and there probably wasnt much she could do, she was aware of it too.

My dog barks when people go past the house/up to the door. I stop him.

I imagine that if you didn’t stop them and the dog kept barking (and this happened multiple times a day) then it would be really annoying.