To ask neighbour to change his routine?

[SPUNfan]

We are an end terrace, at the front are gardens and then the road, to the side is a dirt road going down the side of our house providing access to parking at the back. We're semi rural and so have no neighbours except for the terrace we're attached to.

Our neighbours are a retired couple in their 60s. They're friendly enough but beyond saying good morning we usually keep ourselves to ourselves. They have two small dogs, we have three.

Every single morning at 5.30am without fail my neighbour walks his dogs past the front of our house and up the road. Every time the dogs bark from the time they leave his house until they're past our house. Without fail this wakes either me, or one of my children (3 under 5) and therefore me.

I can't wear earplugs as the children still wake in the night but I'm at my wits end - my youngest still wakes several times in the night, the other two do occasionally and so being up for the day at 530 is killing me! I'm absolutely knackered.

Wibu to speak to the neighbour to ask him to change his routine so he doesn't walk his barking dogs past my house every morning at 530?

i would tell him the dogs are waking me up

I think you can nicely point out to them that the barking is waking your children .It needn't be a confrontation or a demand of any sort.Your neighbour might not be aware.They might be able to walk in the other direction which would be better.

My dog won't go the the loo in the garden so I walk him around 5.30/6 each morning. However, he doesn't bark on his walks and I take care to be very quiet. Your neighbour is being selfish but I'm not sure if they can do anything at this point, it's very difficult to change a dogs routine.

This

My neighbours kept their husky in the garden at night for a good 10 years. Dog whined from around 6.30 am until he came down to let it out at 7. That was my alarm call. We got on as neighbours which I valued and I didn’t raise it.

That is really selfish, 5.30 is way to early

One of mine is a barker, so when we go out in the mornings I make sure he doesn't get the chance to bark and wake people up. We're usually out around 6am, and I would never consider allowing him to make noise and be a pest to all the neighbours at that time of the morning! YANBU. Your neighbour is an inconsiderate arse.

And? OP is not excited to be woken at 5.30am and nor would most people be.

What can he do, OP? What would you like to happen?

I think you need to let them know the problem and what outcome you'd like to see.

Something like:

"Your dogs wake our whole family each day at 5.30am and it's causing a lot of upset. Is there a way you can walk them later and/or avoid our house, pls?"

You could knock and speak to them (ideal) or put a note through the door if you fe you can't be direct?

If you live rurally you are lucky nobody has a Cockerell.

You've clearly never met my dogs then 🤣 we live in a small hamlet and if they walk past a house that they know one of their enemies lives in they will bark. Which might be what the neighbours dogs are doing in this scenario. Luckily I don't walk them at 5.30am though.

Definitely speak to them, however many owners of barking dogs seem totally oblivious to how annoying it is. I have 2 dogs and live next door to one that barks a lot!

YANBU to raise it. But I can’t see it going down well tbh. People are very protective over their dogs and routines etc. How long has this been going on? Is it a new thing or have you recently moved there?

Wow they’re very inconsiderate.
YANBU at all but I would be surprised if they do what you ask, anyone with a shred of consideration for their neighbors would already have changed their routine as soon as they noticed that the barking became a routine for the dog.

When I read your title I was ready to say yabu, but after reading that, yanbu. That sounds awful. I'd be at my wit's end if my DC were being woken every morning at 5.30am! I could cope with a one off but every day, omg! I'd speak to them.

Phrase it as: we're woken up every day at 5.30. by your dogs barking.

Don't mention the walking or it'll be derailed

This. Then stand back and wait for him to reply. His response will show you whether he's even more of a selfish dickhead than you thought.

Definitely speak to him about it. I had the exact same problem some years ago although it was later - 6.40am I think - and it was just one dog that was being walked along a path beside my house. The owner said the dog barked because it was still young. I stood my ground and did the broken record of saying please walk your dog somewhere else so it doesn’t disturb people.
it worked! She didn’t come back.
but as pp have said dog owners are often oblivious to how annoying their dogs are. Good luck and I hope he is reasonable but I wouldn’t bet on it.

It's the barking at 5.30am which is the problem, not the fact he's walking them at that time. My neighbour complained to people over the back from them as they were letting dog out into garden early in morning and it was barking to get let back in. We didn't hear it as bedroom at front.

I agree with other posters. Phrase it about the barking waking up the whole household and how the children are tired for the day

RosesAndHellebores · Today 07:49
If you live rurally you are lucky nobody has a Cockerell

I thought for a minute that you were talking about a new posh cross breed dog!

I'm a dog owner myself, and like Aprllx says, the barking is odd. Dogs don't bark for nothing, and I've never seen a dog just barking as it's going for a walk

I'm a dog walker and I walk several dogs who bark when they leave the house - it's mostly excitement but in some cases it's because the dogs are anxious and leaving the house is a bit overwhelming.

Lots of dogs that are reactive will bark at things like cars too - I wonder whether the owner is walking them early to try and avoid other dogs - mine can be a bit less reactive with other dogs after being attacked and bitten on his lead, and for a while we walked him at silly o'clock in the morning to try and avoid his triggers.

Sort it. I’m on the same position but it’s at midnight and I don’t know who/where the dog is!

Most owners of barky dogs are well aware and stressed by it, but hard to stop it I guess once the dog decides its pleasurable.
Theres some dogs round here that sound as if someones strangling them as they walk down the road. Owners are so embarrassed

Yeah but it doesn’t need to happen at 0530 though

I would say your dogs are waking the children at 5.30am every morning. Then see what he says.