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?

@GenderApostatemk2

Dog whistle app on phone. It worked for next door’s mutt. You might have to try a few different ones.

Never heard of this! Will have a look, thanks

The neighbour is selfish. If our dog barks in the garden, he's brought in immediately.

I would try and block all visual stimulus from the dog - that may involve a new fence, trellis, or something up against the fence (a marquee, sun shelter etc.) so that the dog can't see you moving around.

You can't force someone to train their dog so I would do whatever I could to keep the dog from seeing into my garden.

My dog is like this (although with much louder noises) - he's a fence maniac. It's not ok, he's been wound up by the child at the rear of us but every time he barks he's straight back in. Sometimes I take him out on a lead to make sure he's not freaking out at the fence.

I dont think you can stop it completely even with a new fence (and I take it you realise the water pistol will make it ten times worse?) but they are at fault for not bringing him in.

Fence training is pretty long winded. I think the problem lies with them being arsehole dog owners as someone said earlier.

You have 'no words' yes, change your habitat to suit you is what I said......so did the next person who you agreed with!!

Just move away from the fence. It's a boundary. The dog is bound to be protective of it!

Dogs round here are let out to bark at 1-pm, 6am.. the other day it was 4am ffs. Drives me batshit (and wakes the kids up). I wish there was more consideration - I don’t let the kids out until 9am even though they are up by 7, and never let them shriek/scream etc, out of consideration to the rest of the neighbourhood, but it doesn’t seem to be reciprocated!

Can you try the squirty bottle of water? Or as others said, another layer of fence/screen?

I agree with @warmfluffytowels - whatever you can do to block sound and movement being discerned by the dog.

I think I’d try barkstop spray? Think you can get it from pets at home. It’s a red can of pressurised air. Used to use it for one of our dogs who kept barking and it worked. One quick spray (sounds just like air) and she stopped barking. It didn’t hurt her in any way.
Have to say though it never worked on our other dog, she seemed to see it as some kind of challenge 😂
It may be enough to deter the dog from barking so close if you try it a couple of times.

Talking to your neighbour could cause problems, or they might be really embarrassed about it but unable to stop the dog barking everytime.

www.amazon.co.uk/The-Company-of-Animals-AP00/dp/B000UCH02O/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&rdc=1&keywords=bark+stop&sprefix=bark+st&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1626616876&sr=8-3

*The neighbour is selfish. If our dog barks in the garden, he's brought in immediately.
*
We did the same with ours when we had her. Mind you she didn't do it constantly at any little movement though so was far easier to manage. I just wouldn't have my dog barking like that a baby. It's not right.

11pm sorry forgot to proof read

V annoying ! We have new neighbours and they have three dogs who park every time my dog goes in our garden . I think just keep doing it and your baby will get used to the yapping

I really dislike small yapping dogs !

Bark not park ! Haha

I cant believe peoples responses on here! We live next to two yappy dogs and it drives me nuts.
Everytime we go in the garden they start and makes me jump everytime (im not great with dogs at the best of times), someone knocks on their door they start, both owners leave the house they start.
After 3 years the dogs are getting a tiny bit better and i am better at ignoring them but it is annoying. Luckily my son who is 3 doesnt even notice so hasnt given him any fears.

I wish i had some advice but i dont, but your not alone!

The dog isn't barking at your baby..... it's barking at whatever's on your side of the fence

You, your baby,other child....whoever

Have you spoken to them? Dogs do bark but they should be training it not to bark at the fence. My dog used to bark over the fence when we got him and each time I told him off. He doesn’t do it now.

Fence training is pretty long winded. I think the problem lies with them being arsehole dog owners as someone said earlier.

Tbh this fits with the half hearted "stop that" comments when the dog does it. Most of the time it just carries on and they continue drinking/ chatting / whatever they're doing completely oblivious (or if not oblivious they just don't give a shit).

Their dog sounds annoying and they sound like ineffective owners, but you also sound a bit unreasonable if you know the dog is yapping and choose to sit next to the fence.

If you don't want to be inches from a yapping dog then use somewhere else in your garden instead of opting for somewhere you know will put you in close proximity. It's like sitting down close to some sprinklers and complaining you've got wet.

Get a gazebo and move away from the fence?

It’s annoying - it would annoy me too - but there is very little that is in your control about what happens on the other side of the fence. You really just control your side of the fence so look to improve that.

@gardeninggirl68

The dog isn't barking at your baby..... it's barking at whatever's on your side of the fence

You, your baby,other child....whoever

This is just semantics. The upshot is, my baby is upset by it.

report to your local dog warden.

What's one of those? We don't have those where we live, are they common elsewhere ?

@CharlotteRose90

Have you spoken to them? Dogs do bark but they should be training it not to bark at the fence. My dog used to bark over the fence when we got him and each time I told him off. He doesn’t do it now.

Trying to build up the courage to... I have no idea what to say. I really don't want a neighbour feud on my hands. Hence why I just give up and go inside most times.

It’s annoying - it would annoy me too - but there is very little that is in your control about what happens on the other side of the fence. You really just control your side of the fence so look to improve that.

Sound advice I guess. Just wondered what MN would think and wanted to check if others would be pulling their hair out too or if it's just me

I know someone who had the same problem. They bought a megaphone and shouted "shut up dog, shut up dog, shut up dog" repeatedly through it whenever the dog was yapping in the garden. Their neighbours asked them to stop (apparently it was very very loud) and they refused unless the neighbours sorted out the dog noise. The dog noise got a bit better after that.

Not suggesting you do this (the person who did this hated dogs and was generally a bit mad ) but your post reminded me of them.

@SlothinSpirit

I know someone who had the same problem. They bought a megaphone and shouted "shut up dog, shut up dog, shut up dog" repeatedly through it whenever the dog was yapping in the garden. Their neighbours asked them to stop (apparently it was very very loud) and they refused unless the neighbours sorted out the dog noise. The dog noise got a bit better after that.

Not suggesting you do this (the person who did this hated dogs and was generally a bit mad ) but your post reminded me of them.

😂 this has given me a laugh.

I'd ask the dog owner to keep the dog quiet after continuous barking ,she shouldn't really need to be asked,I certainly wouldn't allow my dog to do this.

YANBU. Next door to us have a dog. It's a lovely dog but it barks pretty much all the time. We can hear it even if we're indoors with the windows shut.
If we're in the garden it goes mad barking and usually makes my 1 year old cry. Luckily it doesn't disturb him if he's asleep.
Lots of sympathy as it's difficult but maybe take your baby out in the front garden (if you have one) or to a local park. I'm not sure what else you can do if you don't want to risk arguing with your neighbours.
Dogs can absolutely be trained not to bark constantly and it's irresponsible to let it bark and bark. I bet you aren't the only one who gets annoyed.