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?

You can tell him but there aren’t any obvious instant solutions if the dogs need to be walked at that time.

Depends on why they're walking the dogs at that time, I suppose.

He could walk in the other direction...

YADNBU Just tell them the dogs are waking you all up. Some people seem oblivious to others. If your neighbours are able to take the dogs out at that time without anyone being woken then that’s ok, but it’s completely selfish to wake others that early.

I doubt the dogs actually need to be out at that time anyway. It’s probably more a case of the owners waking early and wanting to go out. Very selfish.

See, we non-dog-owners don’t actually give a fuck “why” your little darling is barking or what “triggers” it.
We just want you to make it stop. Especially at 5.30am and midnight.

I am confused- is it your dogs that are being set off or are his dogs barking non stop? If its his then speak to him about it. It is rude and inconsiderate of him to knowingly leave that early in the morning with barking dogs.

I had a neighbour whose dog would bark seemingly randomly as they walked down the street. The dog was a rescue and had been neglected and abused before she got him. She did everything in her power, over years, to stop it – trainers, vets, behaviourists – but sometimes it would just start up again. She was always apologetic, and very aware that it could be seen as a nuisance.

Not saying that's an excuse for your neighbours, just that a) you don't know what might be making them bark and b) the neighbours might be trying their best.
Which is all to say, I'd speak to them, but go in friendly, not accusing or angry.

🤣

It happens here. A neighbour walks her dog every day (fortunately not at an inconsiderate time) but we can hear them approaching. The whole time their dog is pulling on the lead a emitting a high-pitched yap/squeak. The frequency suggests it's on every breath the dog takes.

So I believe the OP when she says the dogs bark continuously. It should be the owner's responsibility to train them not to bark, (as should our neighbour's dog). But getting them to do it without them taking offence at criticism of their precious dogs might be tricky.

Like @coffeecupsandfairylights I'm a dog walker and have walked several dogs who bark when going out for their walk. I only have one barker at the moment thankfully as I am very aware of the impact it must have on the neighbours for those few minutes, and he is walked when most people would already be awake.

Do his dogs get on with other dogs do you know? Some people with dogs who react to other dogs opt to take their dogs out very early or late to minimise the chance of running in to another dog but given that you are quite rural, other dogs should be easier to avoid anyway. Possibly the neighbour is a natural early bird and likes to be out at that time but he certainly shouldn't be disturbing you.

I would definitely tell him that that his dogs barking is waking you at 5.30 am, although he must already know that....

yanbu that would drive me mad. Weird that they’re just barking on a normal walk though

Definitely say something. We had a similar situation at our old house when a neighbour two doors down was letting their dog into the garden at 6am and it would bark so loudly it would wake us and our DC up. One morning I totally lost my rag and went out in the garden and yelled at her over the fence to take the effing dog inside or stop it barking. She had the bloody cheek to shout back that she had to let it out because it barked indoors and was waking her DC up! I asked why it was okay to wake the entire neighbourhood instead and someone in another garden who'd also come out to complain cheered and clapped! That shut her up and after that the dog was kept inside until a more reasonable hour.

Yep.

8 am is standard 'noise making' time.

My dog has barked occassionally at 7 or so when I've let her out and I've been bloody mortified. 5.30 is totally unacceptable and anti-social.

Who's dogs are barking, yours, theirs or both?

On first reading i assumed yours, because I don't see why else you'd mention you have dogs.

Really? Our terrier loves to announce to the world that he is coming out for a walk, get ready, it's really exciting etc. It's definitely a different bark from a) there's a pigeon in the tree, I want it and b) answering other dogs.

Yes, it's pretty common IME for dogs to bark with excitement and/ or anxiety, and that includes going for walks. I'm a little puzzled by the dog 'experts' earlier in the thread who have apparently never come across dogs barking with excitement at the prospect of a walk.

I would definitely go with 'your dogs barking wakes up the whole family at 5.30 every morning' and see what the neighbour says. They may be unaware or they may be the type of people who think that since they want to get up at that time every day, everyone else should do too. But it's worth starting the conversation and seeing what happens. I'd also avoid any critique of walking - it's the early noise that is the issue.

If the conversation is unproductive you may be able to report the disturbance to your council.

I'm sure that's a great comfort to the OP. At least the little furbabies are having a lovely time 🙄
I would mention it OP. I'm assuming if they are out walking at that time they go to bed early? How would they like it if you played loud music at night when they were trying to sleep. Selfish is not the word.

I’d definitely mention it. It’s not unreasonable to not want to be woken at 5.30am. If situation was reversed and your children were shouting outside his house kicking a ball at 5.30am fault they would rightly ask you to rethink.

Quite honestly don’t know why anyone would think that YABU.

YANBU just let the neighbour know it’s causing you trouble. Is the neighbour generally a nice person?

YANBU

The other morning my dog decided to go outside at that time and started barking. I was mortified and made him come in straight away.

I can't believe that your neighbours haven't thought their dogs might be waking you and thought of a different option. Just selfish.

I'm sure OP means the neighbours dogs.

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?

Dogs do bark ( especially multiple small dogs) when leaving a house for a walk.
We had neighbours who had three that yapped and made a racket when going out.

Shrill, high pitched barking-
Very penetrating sound

Hope your neighbours listen to you, OP

I looked after my friend's dogs once, and one of them barked from leaving the house until we got round the corner. I think it was excitement to be going on a walk - but it's poor training on their part.

You are not being remotely unreasonable.

My dog barks with joy and excitement every time she goes for a walk! She's a complete liability and an idiot, despite a lot of ongoing training. It's a good thing I love her...

There's no way I'd walk her at a time that would wake the neighbour's though. That's really selfish behaviour.

YANBU to mention that the barking wakes you all up. And as pp said ask him what his solution is.
But if you have never complained before this might come as a surprise to him.