Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To buy my neighbours a voucher and put through letterbox?

233 replies

tertrisnblox · 15/06/2023 21:49

My neighbours are attached to us. They are renting and moved in around 3 months ago. They are two males, I've spoken to one briefly who has introduced himself, the other guy is quieter.

I have two chihuahuas, who honest to god, are really well trained except the fucking barking. It's actually a nightmare, I feel constantly on tenterhooks. They are fine as long as no one else is in their garden, but if they are, so help the neighbourhood.

So full disclosure, I can't afford a trainer at the moment, so I have been trying to train them. I find this very difficult when I just want them to shut up quietly so not to upset the neighbours.

One of the men are really friendly and always smile at them and have mentioned coming over to say hello so they're not too scared of him.

I try and only let them out when no one else is in their garden. However, tonight I didn't see the quiet neighbour sitting in his garden. Let the dogs out and they went MENTAL. The neighbour looked visibly annoyed and quite right. Until he seen me then started smiling, I apologised and he smiled and said it's fine but he was on the phone and immediately went inside and slammed the door.

I feel absolutely awful and honestly don't know what to do. I know they may smile at the dogs but in their head they'll be thinking fuck off noisy dogs (and worse I'm sure).

I have tried the spray from pets at home, I have tried positive reinforcement, I have tried distraction tactics etc.

Would I be unreasonable posting a voucher and an apology letter to the guys? Or will they be thinking, fuck the apology, get it sorted.

I hate the thought of rehoming my dogs. I utterly adore them but I honestly hate the thought of upsetting my neighbours.

What if I went over and knocked their door and asked them how much this was upsetting them with a promise to do something about it? Like they could give them sausages when they see them to make them not scared?

OP posts:
Whenwillitallmakesense · 15/06/2023 21:55

And if they honestly said yes, it's upsetting us, will you be able to miraculously come up with the money for training or would you be making false promises?

Maybe you should move this to the dog house and gey some tips on how to stop the barking.

This would really ruin my enjoyment of living anywhere, not being able to spend time in my own garden without the constant noise

hattyhathat · 15/06/2023 21:57

Like they could give them sausages when they see them to make them not scared? are you f*ing kidding?

JeminaPudd · 15/06/2023 21:57

I wouldn't want a voucher, I'd want you to sort your annoying dogs out.

ghostyslovesheets · 15/06/2023 21:57

They probably don't care but I think it's a lovely idea - my NDN used to have 2 Chihuahuas and yes they barked a LOT - one of them always came home mid day to care for them and I knew they where well loved. I met them both via a street party and they where such cute dogs - and my neighbour, while occasionally being a bit of a tit, is a nice man - so over all they didn;t bother me - but having that connection and little 'relationship' made the yapping more bareable

His GF moved out taking the dogs - new GF has 2 cats - I've made a point of learning their names and chatting to them (my kitten is obsessed with her cat - who does not reciprocate) and it just makes everything easier (when my tabby chased the fuck out of her other cat or the kitten tries to play with her other cat) - anything that makes being neighbours easier is worth the effort.

Stompythedinosaur · 15/06/2023 21:57

I don't think a voucher is appropriate really, or going to do anything to resolve the difficulty.

Obviously you need to keep going with training, and I think you need to minimise the time the dogs are out in the garden really.

Sunnydaysareuponus · 15/06/2023 21:59

Well they aren't well trained are they? We have 4 ddogs.. Ndn never hears them at all.

EmeraldFox · 15/06/2023 22:00

I'd want you to put any voucher or sausage money towards training to sort the problem.

Newuser75 · 15/06/2023 22:00

I can sympathise as we have a dog who can be prone to barking.

But, we always always call him in as soon as he starts. Also the neighbours each side both have dogs who also can bark so I don't feel as bad.

One of the neighbours have two dogs who I swear to god wait for me to go out before racing at the fence snarling and barking. They don't stop for breath and the neighbours don't call them in. These dogs drive me crazy! They put me off going outside and if they are out barking I go straight in. The neighbours however, are lovely and so I'd be reluctant to say anything.

I think it's a good idea to speak to them but I definitely think you at the very least need to be calling the dog in as soon as he starts barking.

Could you put the dog on a long lead in the garden, be ready with treats and as soon as neighbour comes out reward for being quiet. If he barks take him straight inside with the long lead. Repeat , repeat, repeat.

Original poster
tertrisnblox · 15/06/2023 22:00

Sunnydaysareuponus · 15/06/2023 21:59

Well they aren't well trained are they? We have 4 ddogs.. Ndn never hears them at all.

I guess they're not no. I'm so upset by it all, they are honestly so loud and upsetting to all the neighbours.

I have a nice big garden they can run about in and they're just missing out because I can't let them out for any amount of time.

OP posts:
therescoffeeinthatnebula · 15/06/2023 22:01

Your dogs are disturbing your neighbour. Why ask exactly how upset they are? You know this from witnessing their response to your dogs!

An apology would make me mildly less annoyed, but only until the dogs started making noise again. Honestly, I'd rather you spend the voucher money on some kind of solution.

I would not be feeding your dogs sausages as a solution. They're your dogs.

CoreyTaylorsSoggyTshirt · 15/06/2023 22:01

What if I went over and knocked their door and asked them how much this was upsetting them with a promise to do something about it? Like they could give them sausages when they see them to make them not scared?

If you can do something about it, why haven't you done it already?

I don't think asking the neighbours to feed your dogs sausages to shut them up is the best idea tbh.

Itsanotherhreatday · 15/06/2023 22:03

Get a plastic bottle with stones in - and shake it everyone they bark. They soon stop.

FfeminyddCymraeg · 15/06/2023 22:03

I have 2 dogs but mine are made to come in the minute they start barking. I wouldn’t allow them to continue (unlike some of my neighbours who have the yappiest little dogs ever 🤬).

The best thing we used was one of these - we used it in conjunction with a command word and it genuinely didn’t take long for them to learn that ‘stop it’ means to STFU!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BV2RB6CD?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

I wouldn’t want a voucher - I would want to know it was being dealt with properly though.

Doggymummar · 15/06/2023 22:04

Train them! There's no need for barking. Do you walk them, they don't need to be in the garden if so and they can't behave.

MolkosTeenageAngst · 15/06/2023 22:04

Why are you letting your dogs in the garden if they are this noisy and disruptive to your neighbours? You need to be exercising them away from the house until they are better trained.

I also don’t understand why, after you had one badly trained barky dog, you ever got a second?

EasterBreak · 15/06/2023 22:06

Spend the money from the voucher on practical help. It must drive them crazy.

Whowhatwherewhenwhy1 · 15/06/2023 22:07

These are great. Non shock and painfree they make a buzzing sound. Worked for us. You need to do something now not wait n til you can afford a trainer. Living next to yapping dogs when you are not a dog lover is awful.

To buy my neighbours a voucher and put through letterbox?
BrightLightsCalling · 15/06/2023 22:07

One of our dogs barks a lot, even with help from a trainer, we haven’t been able to make much improvement but we are still working on it. She had a very bad start in life and the vet believes it’s anxiety. It’s hard.

I don’t know about speaking to the neighbours as it’s almost like you’re telling them so that they feel too awkward to then say anything in future. I would just keep a very close eye on hour dogs when they go out and bring them in straight away if they start barking. If your neighbours want to come and meet your dogs, they will, don’t start suggesting they do or talking about sausages. 😬

I sympathise though as we have tried lots and it’s just not working. I’ve had other dogs and have been able to train them to not bark much. It’s deliveries that are the main issue and if we have people working outside.

Original poster
tertrisnblox · 15/06/2023 22:08

MolkosTeenageAngst · 15/06/2023 22:04

Why are you letting your dogs in the garden if they are this noisy and disruptive to your neighbours? You need to be exercising them away from the house until they are better trained.

I also don’t understand why, after you had one badly trained barky dog, you ever got a second?

Where should they piss then? Of course I walk them. They still need to piss and shit no? Also I bought them both together (cue the sibling rivalry gang).

OP posts:
neslop · 15/06/2023 22:10

Can't work out if you're saying the neighbours are scared of the chihuahuas or the chihuahuas are scared of the neighbours? Either way, I don't think your proposed sausage solution is likely to work! 😂

NobblyBob · 15/06/2023 22:11

OP have you tried posting in The Doghouse? You'll get pummelled here, these threads are full of people shaking their fists behind their net curtains every time a dog barks in their vicinity 😂

Setyoufree · 15/06/2023 22:12

Another vote for the doghouse section. I think if you Google it, you can train your dog to bark on command. Which sounds like it wouldn't be helpful but what it really means is you can train them to NOT bark. But yes, you do need to really focus on getting it sorted

IBetGordonRamsayDoesntHaveTheseProblems · 15/06/2023 22:12

Can your dogs see the neighbours through the fencing - even slightly?

If so, I'd be putting up additional privacy screening so the dogs can't see the neighbours. It's amazing how much of a difference it makes when the dogs can't see the 'threat'.

And fetch them in the moment they start barking. Mine is also territorial but even he has learned to save his barking for special occasions because he knows it means he'll be brought in immediately.

therescoffeeinthatnebula · 15/06/2023 22:12

NobblyBob · 15/06/2023 22:11

OP have you tried posting in The Doghouse? You'll get pummelled here, these threads are full of people shaking their fists behind their net curtains every time a dog barks in their vicinity 😂

I imagine the OP will get more practical advice there, yes, but I would also be surprised if the advice was for her neighbours to feed her dogs sausages...

Multipleexclamationmarks · 15/06/2023 22:13

I would not want to feed your dog sausages or anything else.
I would not want a voucher.
I would want you to do everything in your power to keep your dogs from being a nuisance.
I expect dogs to bark sometimes, that's fine but if even you think it's awful it must be bad.