Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Neighbour's Lockdown Dog

73 replies

kittykitty · 19/09/2021 13:53

Would really appreciate the help of Mumsnet's dog owners and non dog owners to know if IABU on this.
We live in a small block of flats - think around 20-25 people living here in total. A lot of my neighbours have pets, both cats and dogs. But it's my immediate neighbour's dog that's the issue , we both live on the same floor. I never hear the other dogs in the building.
The dog, a dachshund, arrived in the middle of lockdown around 7 months ago. At the time there was a lot of barking while it settled down. The neighbour apologised in advance and I figured it was just a settling down phase.
Now, seven months on, and the dog has started barking again. A LOT. It's not an exaggeration to say you can hear it from a street away, so it's really loud, and annoying, particularly as I WFH. They're home too, so it's not that it's on its own.
What seems to set it off is literally anyone coming into or out of the building or the building's gates. And that's a lot of people every day when you take into account all the comings and goings of residents, couriers, Deliveroo drives etc.
It is slowly driving me crazy.
So my question is, AIBU to expect the neighbour to train the dog not to bark every time. Or is this something dogs do and I'm going to have to suck it up? (the latter seems a little unfair but it would be good to know if I'm just expecting too much as I live in a flat and have to accept a certain level of noise from neighbours).

OP posts:
Nocutenamesleft · 19/09/2021 16:02

My mums next door neighbours have 4 dogs. That bark day in. Day out. It drives my mum crazy. I’m so used to it I’ve completely desensitised to it. That might happen for you. Though it’s awful. I feel your pain.

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 19/09/2021 16:10

You'd have thought if they were getting a dog to live in close proximity to others that they'd research the pro/con of the breed

I live next to yappy dogs ( not dachshunds though) they bark in the house , in the garden, if a butterfly looks at them funny Hmm

In the house if they're alone it can go on, but in the garden they have all the stimulation to wire them up so it;s hyped up

I have sort of (almost) tuned them out (I don't WFH ) but on occasion I go out in the garden and bellow "Shuuuut Uppppppp"

Which makes me feel better (if a bit fishwifey) and the dogs are "Say what now?"
(Being shouted at by their owner isn't alien to them BTW so Im not abusing small animals here )

I have had words . All very "Oh sorry , Oh yes I see"
But other people manage to control the barking etc.

AdobeWanKenobi · 19/09/2021 16:18

@kittykitty

So this is a dachshund only nightmare? God why would anyone living in such close proximity with other people get such a dog?!!
Nope. Old NDN had a Jack Russel that barked and howled from the moment she left until she got home. It had the run of the house too so there was no escaping it.
Goldbar · 19/09/2021 16:28

If your neighbour doesn't take action to shut the dog up, I'd be tempted to play dachshund barking noise at top volume on Youtube on a loop whenever I leave the house and tell her I got one too. Her dog might exhaust itself barking at the noise while you're out and then quieten down for you coming back in.

But I'm sure she will be reasonable and promise to do what she can.

Original poster
kittykitty · 19/09/2021 16:36

@Goldbar oh, that's evil, but tempting!

OP posts:
Goldbar · 19/09/2021 16:39

Yes, some people are able to turn the other cheek or be the bigger person but I'm afraid I'm quite petty. You could always say "sorry, I don't have a dog" and look at her like she's crazy if she comes to complain.

But hopefully such drastic action won't be needed!!

Therunecaster · 19/09/2021 16:45

We got ours a ball on a string. Stopped a lot of the barking.

Neighbour's Lockdown Dog
ThinWomansBrain · 19/09/2021 16:53

@kittykitty

Should also add, we're all owner occupiers, so there's no landlord or council to raise this with.
my block is all privately owned, some sub-let - but the clause in the leases states that pets are allowed if they are not a nuisance to other residents, or something along those lines. Check your lease, see if there are any restrictions. Agree with PPs - Daschunds are cute, but loud yappy bundles of cuteness. And if all you're getting is the noise, there's no cuteness factor.
toodizzyizzy · 19/09/2021 16:59

@kittykitty I feel your pain, we live next door to a Daschund and it's an absolute nightmare. The bark is so loud it hurts! My partner has learnt to tune out to it, but I haven't and it drives me crazy. The neighbors have 3 other dogs, but it's the Daschund that is the loudest. I've tried talking to the neighbors, but they laugh it off. I feel stuck as I don't see how we could sell the house now, if we report to the Council then it will come up on a search that we made a complaint.

WiddlinDiddlin · 19/09/2021 17:02

It will be a combination of breed and age - pup is now entering adolescence which means they get more inclined to be startled by stuff, plus the brave pants to bark at whatever it is to send it away.

Unfortunately, this behaviour is self reinforcing - dog has NO idea that the people startling him ARE going away anyway as they go to wherever it was they were going. As far as HE is concerned... something startling happened, he shouted at it, it went away, job done, very reinforcing.

So the owner HAS to step in here - she needs to counter condition this (not ignore it, not wait for quiet then reward, quiet ain't gonna happen).

She needs to pair sounds with rewards, all the time, constantly, for some time, so that sound = YAY TREAT. Then once the startle effect is removed, the dogs emotional response to sounds is now 'woo, wheres my treat' and not 'ARGH SEND IT AWAY'... she can start to ask for other behaviours before the treats happen, and fade out the treats a bit.

This should reduce the barking significantly IF she is consistent.

If she is leaving the dog alone in the flat a lot, she is likely to miss so many instances, where he then barks and is rewarded for that by 'whatever' going away.. then the barking will continue.

amijustparanoidorjuststoned · 19/09/2021 17:05

I have a dachshund and whilst he does have a gob on him we ensure that his needs are met so that he doesn't continually bark at anything and everything.

We tell him off when he barks unnecessarily and he does stop. BUT this is the result of training and socialising him. It wouldn't hurt to have a quiet word with the neighbours OP, I'm sure the other people in your flat will also feel the same!

queenMab99 · 19/09/2021 17:11

Even if it is a yappy breed, it can be trained.There are You tube videos, programmes on TV and books on dog training. If they are in they should be able to manage the barking so it isn't constant, if it gets enough exercise it will be asleep mostly.

thetemptationofchocolate · 19/09/2021 17:22

There are two of these dogs next door. One is barky and the other isn't. The barky one only does it when there is no-one home and one day she barked for 5 hours straight. But she is getting a bit better. I can go outside and call her name and she stops for a bit.
You have my sympathy, it's maddening when it just doesn't stop.

BichonFrizz · 19/09/2021 17:57

Yes dachshunds are barky breeds but it can be trained or managed with work. I'd imagine that the owners have inadvertently made the problem worse through reinforcing it. Speak to them. It's not ok for you have to put up with that all day.

PixieLaLa · 19/09/2021 18:08

I would rather a dog barking than having to listen to our neighbours kids on the Xbox every night shouting/swearing/banging about. Then the Mums “stop fucking swearing” rants….Can’t think where they get it from! Hmm I hate living in a flat…..

Original poster
kittykitty · 19/09/2021 19:15

@ThinWomansBrain interesting! Will go and take a look.

OP posts:
Original poster
kittykitty · 19/09/2021 19:17

@WiddlinDiddlin that’s extremely helpful. I can maybe suggest that to her.

OP posts:
EmeraldRaine · 19/09/2021 19:18

Unfortunately dachshunds just aren't suited to living in flats. They're intelligent working dogs that need a job to do. Unfortunately theyre also the latest fad. The poor bugger is probably bored.

Original poster
kittykitty · 19/09/2021 19:20

@PixieLaLa I’m pretty lucky with my neighbours, they’re all lovely. And I love the dog downstairs who’s a cutie. But next door, not so much!

OP posts:
BrilloPaddy · 19/09/2021 19:36

One of our fellow villagers has got one. And we all know when someone walks the public footpath alongside their house. It yaps from 6.30am to dusk......... and it's a piercing bark. I rarely use that footpath as it runs the entire length of their property and it makes your ears hurt. It's put me off ever owning one.

Given the breed, I'd say you have to endure it OP sadly. Or buy an air horn that you blast on every time it barks..........

AdobeWanKenobi · 19/09/2021 20:02

Given the breed, I'd say you have to endure it OP sadly.

I think you mean "Given the owner".

Dachshunds are just as trainable as any other breed, it just requires the owner to put the work it.

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 19/09/2021 20:41

Is there anything do you think that has set off its barking again?
From arriving (and being barky) to settling , how long before he started up again?

Is it neutered ?

I don;t think its something you should have to put up with right next door . If they bought a husky you wouldn't just listen to it howl and say "Oh yes , that's what they do"
Small dogs do seem to be very vocal .

Original poster
kittykitty · 19/09/2021 21:20

@70isaLimitNotaTarget it’s been about five or six months since it was doing the settling down barking. No idea if anything’s changed. Nothing I know of anyway.

OP posts:
Scandicc · 19/09/2021 21:28

I never heard my dog bark until he got to 8 months and we are having a right pain in the arse with it. I can sympathise if that is what’s going on and encourage patience, however if they aren’t actively working on this issue then they are inconsiderate as hell!

whatthehelldowecare · 19/09/2021 21:46

We've got a miniature dachshund who is extremely vocal... Despite our best efforts it's only now (he's turning 2 next month) that we're getting the barking under control. I'd have a word, but be prepared to wait this one out

Swipe left for the next trending thread