Out of control dog disturbing baby in garden - help?!

[soirritating]

I'll keep it as brief as possible. Basically I have a 3 month old baby and we are often out in the garden in the pram in the nice weather. Sometimes she falls asleep whilst out there (obviously I put her in the shade and stay with her just rocking her etc).

My issue is that next door have a small noisy dog which seems to have some sort of motion sensor on it. Literally every time there's any sort of movement, like me standing to rock her from sitting, the dog runs to the fence (I can see through the small slats) and starts yapping very loudly. And it's constant, continual yapping, until the neighbour eventually comes and retrieves it and what I would describe as half heartedly tells it off, eg. "stop it, come inside". Dog ignores her and continues. By this time my baby is wide awake and crying. This is every single time we are in the garden and make any sort of movement. Her "tellings off" are also few and far between - sometimes she just leaves the dog to yap at us through the fence.

As well as waking her sometimes when she's asleep it has also given her a shock and made her cry her on one occasion when we were out in the garden on her playmat - the best shaded area is right by my garden fence so that's where I was sitting with her lying on her mat. Next thing the dogs comes bounding over and is yapping inches from where we are. She startled and cried instantly. I was so upset on this occasion I just went back inside.

I know dogs bark. I get that. But i have owned a dog previously and if it was barking through the fence every single time a neighbour and her small baby were out there I'd be taking it inside. She doesn't seem to do that. So often we just end up back inside so baby isn't upset and can sleep, which I don't think is fair.

I don't expect silence in my garden by any means. But a dog constantly up at the fence, inches from where you know there's a small baby?? I just wouldn't let this continue. I'm starting to feel like I can't use my garden.

AIBU?

Good blast with a hose you know to water your garden/plant/neighbours dog.... neighbour .... then bamboo screening and pots with bushy plants/bamboo/grasses. The swooshing would be a nice noise and may distract/confuse the dog from when you come out into the garden?

Oooh I love PP idea of throwing over cheese!
The dog is gonna poop itself... Might make the owner think twice about letting it bark in your face at the fence.

Spray the stupid thing with water 🤣

Try a dog deterrent spray, you can buy them in pet shops, just makes a sharp loud sound (might not help with baby!). It stops mine in his tracks if he’s barking, humping, chasing the cat!

Bit bloody tired of all this ‘bloody dog/cat/chickens’ and do this/that and the next thing to them.

It is the owners you need to direct your anger at - not a defenceless animal.

Grow some bloody balls and take your ire out on the owners.

You’d be upset if we turned the hose on your kids/visitors/parents/workmen instead of talking to you about noise levels.

It is shocking really. Water may not hurt an animal but it could frighten it and inadvertently injure it if it twists to escape for example.

Turn the hose on the neighbour if you must.

Go online to barxbuddy.com. I have a barky little dog and I don’t like her bothering the neighbors here in my small California town.
It’s a small little - SILENT - handheld thing that emits a high-pitched and harmless noise that will stop a dog from barking.
It’s worked wonders on my yapper. I’m thrilled with it.

Yes to the squirt bottle method (or a super soaker!) I grew up on a farm with lots of dogs and our neighbours also had land and dogs but they had one who just barked all day whenever we were in the garden, it was impossible for us to play without it barking it’s head off and it drove my parents mad. My mother had enough one day (she’d addressed it with the neighbours several times but they didn’t care) and tipped a bucket of ice water over its head when it stuck its head through to bark. It Never did it again. I’m a dog lover, but I believe dog owners have a responsibility to train their animals.

OP you can also complain to the environment Agency for noise nuisance. Contrary to lazy peoples beliefs it’s not ok for dogs to bark all day! It means they are bored and or stressed and should have adequate training and stimulation not to do it! Not the poor animals fault, it’s their careless owners!

My mother had enough one day (she’d addressed it with the neighbours several times but they didn’t care) and tipped a bucket of ice water over its head when it stuck its head through to bark. It Never did it again. I’m a dog lover, but I believe dog owners have a responsibility to train their animals.

Not the poor animals fault, it’s their careless owners!

And yet your mother punished the dog…

This should be called Dogsnet based on some of these batshit replies. Some dogs behave badly because of their owners and the rest of us don't have to put up with it.

Good luck OP, hope you can come to a resolution

I get the frustration by the way but to take it out on the animal is uncalled for.

What's wrong with MN today, its turned into a proper bitch fest! (See what I did there?)
I have several dogs, including potentially yappy terriers and would be mortified if they frightened the small children next door. Dogs yapping at the fence is unacceptable. We aren't the quietest neighbours in the world, nor are my neighbours, gardens are there to be enjoyed by the whole family.
Have a word with your neighbours, @soirritating, do it in a friendly "did you realise this was happening" kind of way. It isn't that you are demanding silence so your baby can sleep outdoors, of course a baby is going to be frightened and upset by dogs barking through a fence.

You cannot seriously expect them to take the dog inside every time you are out there??
I do with mine when she barks! It's antisocial.

This should be called Dogsnet based on some of these batshit replies.
I had to double check that I was on AIBU, not ASBO.

Dogsnet, lol. Most people these days don’t train their dogs beyond house training and barely exercise them so I’m not surprised so many people think it’s acceptable to let the dog relentlessly bark at the neighbour through the fence.

Water pistol

@Waitrosedisaster

As PP has said, OP doesn't want advice, she wants some drama and someone to justify her going to start an argument with her neighbours.

You her mother, @Waitrosedisaster? Her sister? Her bestie? Her confidant? Know everything about her, do you? HTF do you know what @soirritating wants or doesn’t want or what she thinks or doesn’t think? I’ve read your comments up & down this thread. You’re appalling, self-righteous and seriously un-clever - just like @Greenwateringcan. Mumsnet REALLY needs to install a block function and you need to change your username to simply Disaster. For the shame of it all - both of you.

I am from the Council of link posted earlier about anti social behaviour

There was couple of us yappy dogs under one roof whose owners allowed us to be antisocial giving no fucks to noise levels at anytime of the day.

They was given many chances to train us but it was never going to happen as didn’t bother to even walk us, the rspca didn’t care about our well being either.

Our owners were eventually taken to court by the councils environmental health which costs tax payers as you know court and legal fee aren’t free.

Our owners where fined and sadly still got to keep yapping dogs but any further yapping would occur threat of further fine and removal of dogs.

So those who think it’s ok for dogs owners to let’s their pets be anti social just remember you tax payer end tax up paying court costs

Council borough

We had this problem with yappy jack russell - barked every time anything moved the other side of the fence, particularly my dogs. It did get better over time - I spoke to it through the fence, using its name, and eventually it got used to me being there and stopped the barking. It accepted me and my dogs as not a threat. It still barked a lot - my elderly neighbour left his back door open all the time - but not at us! Some barking is unavoidable but if your neighbour’s dog is always outside and barking that’s a bit unfair.

Can you buy some dog treats and when the dog barks pop your head over the fence and tell it to 'sit' and then give it a treat? I'm not a dog trainer but perhaps if the dog associates you with 'good' things it might stop barking, which I'm assuming is territorial or guarding behaviour?

My neighbours are detached from me, I can still hear there baby cry at night

Have you tried speaking with the neighbour.
Alternatively do you know the dog's name. You could try saying its name and the word no each time it barks and keep repeating. This is how we successfully trained our dogs. You have to be consistent, but it will work.

Move away from the fence. The dog can see you right there, that's why it's barking!
Shock and fear is a stretch, it's a dog barking, she will recover. Anything startles a baby!
I don't even like dogs and I think this is a bit silly op. You don't have to stop enjoying your garden! You just simply need to move a bit, it's really not a big deal.

@SpindleWhorl

I'd be putting a better fence up on my side. One that's sturdy, with no gaps, and anchored securely with fence posts so that the dog can't see through or claw through it.

I agree, this seems like the best solution. It'll be a worth while expense to finally have some peace to freely move around in the garden without neighbours dog barking at you both.

FFS! Dogs more important than humans. This world