Neighbour's Lockdown Dog

[kittykitty]

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).

@PixieLaLa I feel your pain. My next door neighbours just is like that - and it’s not even a flat it’s a house.

The language can be heard about three houses away as he has the window open and his headphones on and the whole street can hear him.

Thank goodness it’s been a bit cooler and he’s had to close the window recently so I can no longer hear him ranting.

On the other side is the barky dog. I’m surrounded.

I know someone with a lockdown dachshund and he is super nervy and barky. If your neighbour keepe the dog, I doubt anything will change.

You can train some dogs not to bark, but not all. One of ours is very well behaved in every other way but barks at everything. Luckily we don’t have neighbours close by.

Dachshunds are barky little twats

My neighbours bought their child a pug during the first lockdown and now the novelty has worn off they just lock it outside all the time. It barks and barks and barks cause it doesn't want to be out there. I put a note through their door and it got better for a while then started up again so I complained to their landlord.

Are your neighbours actually allowed to keep a dog in the flat? whether it's rented or owned, there may be covenants.

I checked the lease and apparently they are supposed to get permission from the landlord, and I don't know whether that's been done. Thing is I don't want them to have to get rid of their dog and ruin neighbourly relations, I just want the barking to quieten down some (It's barking as I'm typing this because the bin men are here....)

Are they in just now or at work and the dogs alone ‘seeing off’ the bin men from its territory?

I’d be speaking to them and saying they have to put some more effort in to reducing the barking as the whole street can hear it and it’s only a matter of time before they start getting complaints. They need to start training it. Which is lots of work but they should have known that before they bought the dog. Do they even walk it much? I bet it’s bored shitless.

Does anyone know whether those barking control gadgets that emit a high pitched sound actually work? My next door neighbour has two dogs that bark in the garden at the slightest sound and I was thinking of attaching one of those gadgets to my side of the fence...they are not supposed to harm the dogs, just quieten them down. They're fairly expensive though, so I don't want to waste my money if they don't work...

@Elieza yes they're in the flat with them too. I don't know how much they walk it, as it seems always to be in and barking. Hard to keep tabs really on that kind of thing (not that I want to!).

Given your updates, I'd knock on their door and saying you really don't want to moan but the barking is making life very difficult in working hours for you.

@ChardonnaysPetDragon

Have a world, dachshunds are barky little buggers, neighbour should do something about it.

Yes, one near us never shuts up!

The dogs job is to bark to alert the pack leaders to a potential threat. Job done it should then shut up and let the pack leaders deal with said threat, backing them up where necessary.

Sounds like it’s not impressed with the pack leaders and thinks it has to bark for all and will likely escalate that into nipping if it’s feels that way inclined. Clearly the owners don’t even try and stop it if they are in and it’s behaving like that! I feel sorry for it. It’s not got much of a life. Especially if not enough walkies either :-(

People think they are suitable for flats, because they are small, and they don't really think about their temperament and the barking .

It's a shame so many dog owners end up with dogs unsuitable for their requirements, just because that breed is fashionable at the moment.

What a menace. I feel your pain. We are two houses along from a barking menace, I find it stressful and highly irritating.
THEY should be good neighbours and not have gotten a dog if it's going to annoy the neighbours. People are so selfish.

I don’t have any advice, OP, but I can confirm PP’s comments about Dachshunds being vocal and temperamental! One of my neighbors got one last spring-they’re v. experienced dog owners but they’ve told me that they’ve never had such a difficult dog. He only likes the wife, growls at the rest of the family ( has bitten the husband) and barks a lot. They’ve even considered rehoming him but are persevering. He’s not lonely, they have an older, mellow dog and she WFH.

I’d talk to your neighbor in a non-confrontational way, but she might have a battle to get him to calm down. Probably need a dog trainer.

@kittykitty

So this is a dachshund only nightmare? God why would anyone living in such close proximity with other people get such a dog?!!

They probably didn't know!

I know someone who breeds dachshunds, and she won't sell a puppy to anyone who lives in a flat or a terraced house, because they're such noisy dogs. Sadly, not all breeders are as responsible as she is.

She also tells me that they're a nightmare to housetrain, and makes sure her puppy buyers know this.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-58518892

I know your neighbors are home, but this article states that "As owners' circumstances change, puppies grow into boisterous 'teenagers' and the country unlocks, many owners are being forced to reconsider the place in their lives for their pet."

So I'd say he/she is still young enough to be having issues but I doubt the little bugger has been to puppy classes considering lockdown. Not th it should be your problem, neighbors, even in flats should be considerate as much as possible. They may have become deaf to the noise but I doubt your neighbors have.

I came across a dachshund on the beach the other day and couldn’t believe how loud it was. I think you should speak to your neighbour op and ask them to take steps to minimise the barking. You shouldn’t have to put up with it.

Here in rural Ireland the problems are with working collies that are left tied up out in the yard or even a field well away from the house so the owners do not get disturbed …..They bark and howl .

It is so widespread that there is a special court procedure that such a person can be taken to court by anyone without a solicitor. For E20. The rule is that you have to send a formal warning/advice letter first.
Wise courts as while I have had to instigate proceedings several times the noise has stopped when they get that letter.

My neighbour here used to let his collie bark all night. I got so mad one night by 2 am that I phoned them. Almighty row as they said I had woken their old mother, and that they could not hear the dog, and that the phone ringing had scared her..Never mind me and I am nearly as old as she is as I reminded them
Lovely dog; merle collie with silver eyes,

When I started telling them re the court system? The mere mention of the word GARDAI stopped them in their tracks and they never let the dog bark at night again.

I don't know the system in the UK but maybe ask the CAB? There must be something similar and as easy to enforce.

Christ that would do my head in !