Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To speak to neighbours?

57 replies

SpeedbirdSquawker · 25/06/2023 18:40

I live in a terrace with a small back garden.

I have had to speak to my next door neighbours three times now as their dog is left barking loudly and continually. Sometimes it's 20 minutes while it's out in the garden, sometimes they go upstairs and leave it shut downstairs where it barks for an hour or more. Sometimes when they go out the dog barks for hours and hours. It's been a nightmare and taken it's toll on my mental health. They thought nothing of letting it out to wee at 6am or 11pm and it barking for 20 minutes without being told to stop or brought in the house.

Each time I speak to them, they are apologetic and it goes quiet for a while. This time we were doing really well and each time the dog barked, they shut it up within a few minutes. All had been well for the past few months.

Now they've got a new puppy. A husky by the looks of it and it howls. A lot.

This morning I was woken up by the puppy howling at 5.30am. I went to sleep in a different room and again was woken up 4 more times until I finally admitted defeat and got up.

Today has been a nightmare. Half of the day has been barking and howling by the puppy.

I know the puppy has to be trained (they obviously didn't train their older dog not to bark) and so I was wondering would I be being unreasonable if I went round and asked them what they were doing to minimise the howling and barking?

The puppy has been with them a week.

OP posts:
Original poster
SpeedbirdSquawker · 02/07/2023 14:23

The puppy (and older dog) are still barking throughout the day, all day. To be fair, she does tell the dogs to be quiet pretty much straight away, but says it in such a meek manner without any authority in her voice that the dogs are barking again within five minutes. There's no real training going on and it's absolutely doing my head in! It's affecting my mental health.

I know that at least she doesn't let them bark for ages like she used to with the older dog without shutting them up, but without any training, my weekend is going to be filled with dog barks all day, every day isn't it? Even eating a lovely meal at home or having a bath is filled with dogs barking every five minutes.

Should I maybe give the puppy time to settle before going and having a word and asking what her plans are to train them to not bark unnecessarily?

I dread weekends and coming home from work just to hear the dogs barking and spoiling what should be my time to relax.

OP posts:
eatdrinkandbemerry · 02/07/2023 14:26

Try living next door to a selfish drummer and parents who think it's selfish drummers right to bang the fucking thing day and night!
Sometimes asking isn't enough and the problem has to be escalated to the local authority to try rectify!

kweeble · 02/07/2023 14:53

I’d complain to the local council and the RSPCA if they’re neglected

olympicsrock · 02/07/2023 14:54

Give them a chance - it’s early days. In another week or will if there is no improvement I would say something…

loobylou10 · 02/07/2023 15:37

It's not early days for the dog that barks all the time though is it? Selfish selfish people.

TheHappyCarrot · 02/07/2023 15:49

Maybe knock every time the dogs make a noise, they need to be inconvenienced as well so they know how annoying it is.

WiddlinDiddlin · 02/07/2023 15:57

They need to train their dogs properly - which doesn't involved telling them to shut up with an authoritative voice at all, but managing them so they do not need to bark or howl in the first place.

There should be NO howling/crying from the puppy, puppies should not be left to bark/howl/cry - its not beneficial, it is not a matter of them 'getting over it' or 'getting used to it' - puppies are not ready to be left alone, not until around adolescence and even then... maybe not, not reliably or for a useful time frame.

However, getting this across to them is likely to be difficult. I'd perhaps print out some useful links... the Dog Training Advice and Support group on FB is free and has a ton of resources that would point them in the right direction... if they want to be pointed that way. There is also a related book available on Amazon (possibly kindle unlimited too).

Original poster
SpeedbirdSquawker · 02/07/2023 16:07

Hello everyone. Thank you for your advice.

Something has got to give. I have just tried to have 45 minutes sleep as i'm unwell at the moment (damn endometriosis) and was woken three times in half an hour. I've given up.

OP posts:
Marshmallow2023 · 02/07/2023 16:57

I absolutely sympathise. I think unless you have lived next door to a barking dog it’s very hard to explain the toll it can take. I had a neighbour who was awful and it got to the point he would go out, leaving the dog outside all night where it would bark for hours. I would strongly suggest speaking to them, you’re not being unreasonable. Start to keep a noise diary in case you need to report to the council.

Original poster
SpeedbirdSquawker · 02/07/2023 19:57

@Marshmallow2023 Thank you for your post. I have spoken to them three times in the past after just letting the dog bark and bark without them shutting it up. They would literally get home and go in their bedrooms and leave the dog barking downstairs. It was awful with the thin walls. There was barely a moments peace.

Now at least they shut the dogs up when they start barking, but the dogs aren't learning not to bark so much. Today has been relentless.

OP posts:
itsmylife7 · 02/07/2023 20:02

You've been kind and they're aware of the issue.

I'd now put an official complaint in.

Having had a neighbour like this I really sympathise with you.

Sunnydaysaredefhere · 02/07/2023 20:06

Ime shouting Shut Up from an upstairs window works. It allows other neighbours to hear you are distressed and they are doing fuck all to be a decent human being. I habe 4 ddogs. Neither side ndn ever hear them. Start a complaint with the council. Oh and I have a husky. They don't have to be a nuisance.

Sunnydaysaredefhere · 02/07/2023 20:07

Unless that husky is well managed sadly they won't have it long. They are a breed unto themselves. Not for a terraced house...
Ime.

WhimHoff · 02/07/2023 20:13

Have you raised it with them recently? I would flag it often in the hope they train this one from the start.

I would speak to them but also start a log of when it’s happening.

One of my dogs can be barky so I have sympathy with you and no idea how they can stand it. (And I’m lucky mine don’t bark when left, only at squirrels/people walking past the house when they’re in garden)

topnoddy · 02/07/2023 20:30

Report report report to anyone and everyone you can !

PrtScn · 02/07/2023 20:54

Sunnydaysaredefhere · 02/07/2023 20:07

Unless that husky is well managed sadly they won't have it long. They are a breed unto themselves. Not for a terraced house...
Ime.

Yeah, or they'll just not care. A guy in the next street to me had a husky that would wake me up 5 days a week at 5:30am howling, must have been awful for his immediate neighbours. I heard him once complaining to the shopkeeper that the council had informed of a noise complaint made against him. Think he did eventually have to rehome it.

Original poster
SpeedbirdSquawker · 02/07/2023 20:55

Thank you everyone for your advice.

I think that if they are shutting the dogs up when they bark, if I complain, would that look petty? I know that their comeback will be that the new dog is just a puppy and is just learning, but they've never trained their older dog and that is a nightmare for barking. It's the frequency that the dogs are barking that is pissing me off massively. I don't think there's been half an hour today without one or both of the dogs barking.

@Sunnydaysaredefhere I would love to do that! She is friendly with their next door neighbour on the other side though and I'm sure they think i'm complaining for the sake of it. That neighbour lets her screaming kids out at 6am in the yard though! I don't think I want to make complete enemies of those neighbours.

I have never, ever seen them walk the older dog, nor this puppy yet, but that might be because it's not had its inoculations yet.

My life has become mealtimes, relaxing in front of the TV, whole weekends of dogs barking so loudly that it sounds like they're in the room with me.

OP posts:
Original poster
SpeedbirdSquawker · 02/07/2023 20:58

Would they train the pup by rewarding it when it stops barking? All she's doing is telling it to stop, then when it does, just walking away or ignoring it.

OP posts:
Sunnydaysaredefhere · 02/07/2023 20:59

Legally your council has to deal with the ddogs and anti social barking. Let them. They will send you a diary form to fill in for a fortnight. Feel no guilt op. They don't...
Do it tomorrow.. Or everyday will be Hell.

Original poster
SpeedbirdSquawker · 02/07/2023 20:59

There's lots of loud 'good boy' on repeat x 10 when the pup goes to the toilet outdoors and lots of barking. This has become the soundtrack to my days. This is performance parenting for pets!

OP posts:
Soapyspuds · 02/07/2023 21:01

High frequency sound app. When our neighbours dog kicks off I switch it on and when they stop I turn it off.

Works very well.

fluffyegg · 02/07/2023 21:05

I feel your pain , selfish people , my old neighbour was similar and it does effect mental health not being able to relax in own home .
Are you neighbours renting or own home ?
If renting complain to landlord if own home report to council they will send you a diary to keep before they proceed with anything . They usually sent out neighbours a letter about the complaint first and that did the trick with us . We had to declare it when we moved though so be aware of that .
Hope you are ok x

Original poster
SpeedbirdSquawker · 02/07/2023 21:10

Hi @Soapyspuds Do you play that through your phone?

I tried one with the older dog but it didn't work.

OP posts:
Original poster
SpeedbirdSquawker · 03/07/2023 07:34

The puppy has been howling for an hour and a half this morning. Neighbour is home, just in bed, I expect. This is a nightmare.

The council will be hearing from me later.

OP posts:
Original poster
SpeedbirdSquawker · 03/07/2023 08:04

I ended up banging on the wall. I'm not well, and wasn't yesterday. Two days of howling/barking dogs wasn't going to help my recovery. I would go round and talk to them before banging on the wall, but it obviously makes not a bit of difference.

There's silence at last.

OP posts:
Swipe left for the next trending thread