How much barking is excessive?

[User06489]

Hello,

I live in a terrace and my neighbour has recently adopted a 6 month old puppy they have got from a charity bringing over Romanian dogs.
The dog yaps a lot - very much a reactive dog, I.e if we go in our garden and he's in there he barks and growls, barks if you take your bins out, shut your door etc.
However the barking is not prolonged for hours, it's short bursts of barking but a lot. If I counted the single barks as well I would say he probably barks around 50 times a day, with some barks happening in short succession and then other hours it's quiet.

I spoke to the other adjoining neighbour to see if it was bothering them and they said it is to the extent they had contacted our neighbour to see if she was leaving the dog on its own, and our neighbour confirmed she had started leaving him for short intervals.

I don't want to go to the council, but since I have an ally, if this is too much I will mention to the neighbour. She brought it up with me before saying she is training him, but so far there has been no difference.

Yes it is - she needs to counter condition him to noises, so pair each noise he hears with a high value treat, its basic pavlov stuff - noise = treat, however it requires that the dog is supervised constantly outside, that the owner has high value treats on them at all times and the dog is ideally on a long line so they can remove the dog to inside swiftly without chasing them around/shouting, should the dog be too far over threshold to notice the treats.

This needs to be kept up for a few weeks before you'd see results, but once the emotional response starts to change it gets much easier.

I would speak to the neighbour and if she seems to be open to more advice, send her to the FB group Dog Training Advice and Support which is free, and posts are only answered by trainers/vets/suitably qualified experts, not by other members, so she will only get sensible, practical advice.

If it’s a puppy then I wouldn’t consider it too much. All of our neighbours have dogs and all of them barked a lot for the first year they had them.
Excessive is prolonged and all day long with very little break, according to my council anyway.

@WiddlinDiddlin **
however it requires that the dog is supervised constantly outside, that the owner has high value treats on them at all times and the dog is ideally on a long line so they can remove the dog to inside swiftly without chasing them around/shouting, should the dog be too far over threshold to notice the treats

Hmm no this isn't happened. When he was barking like crazy at my husband in the garden her response was just shrieking at him to sit, and it only stopped when my husband came inside. He is not on a lead, and I think their approach is to just tell it to sit/ignore the barking/distract with a ball

Yes that's definitely not what is happening. It isn't prolonged hours of barking, it's short bursts regularly throughout the day and evening.

It is a puppy, and new to them.

My neighbour had a pup who would howl (such a sad howl too) whenever they left the house. It did not last too long.

My other neighbour had a baby, who would cry all hours of the day. I would not think about going to council about it, so I would not a young dog either.

Oh I feel for you . I've spoken twice to my neighbour and written two letters to them regarding their constant barking dog . The poor animal left alone 5/6 long days from 9am to 5pm . Barked non stop . I wore ear plugs , turned tv up to volume 50 and put music on really loud . I snapped 4 weeks ago and wrote the final time and the barking has stopped . I have no idea what he has done , whether the dog is sedated or a bark collar , I don't know. The poor thing alone daily. When I first complained I actually offered to help . You need to let her know or it will get worse. My neighbour has lived 17 months attached to me and its taken this long to do something . The animal is still there as I have seen and heard it .

RSPCA would not help as they said the dog was not suffering

Not once has the neighbour apologised to me for the distress it has caused or had the decency to speak with me about the animal .

Good luck

The council would never investigate the sound of crying babies as this does not constitute a statutory nuisance under the legislation as it is sounds of daily living. However dog barking does fall under their remit as if excessive this is a statutory noise nuisance that people can be fined and prosecuted for.

My ndn dog used to bark at us in the garden. I just talked at it in a friendly tone and it eventually learnt I wasnt a problem and so stfu.

If it is the day, you ca do fuck all. Your neighbour could blast out loud music all day, it would be legal too.

You just hate dogs. Own it.

Not true. Loud music all day can still be classified nuisance. The times are guidelines.

And OP said the barking is not prolonged.

So they are moaning about the occasional barking. They hate dogs.

It sucks but the council won’t do anything.

Short bursts are fine, as long as it’s not at antisocial hours and since it’s new, it shouldn’t be happening months from now. I’d still mention it kindly to the neighbour. They’ll be just as frustrated.

Doesn't sound like the dog is barking for extended periods of time so no it's not causing a nuisance. You just don't like dogs!

Dogs bark! They are not robots and make noise. Believe me it isn't always possible to keep them silent. Nor would I wish to. As sounds like your neighbours dog makes less noise than most kids do.

Our neighbours dogs bark every time we or anyone approaches our front door, day or night, every time we go into the garden or anywhere outside. I now say in a loud voice for them to shut the fuck up. I don’t care anymore. It drives me mad that they have been too lazy to train them over the years.

@XenoBitch does anyone hate dogs? What a strange thing to say. I love most animals, but I hate noise, particularly the sound of barking.

I hate noise too... but noise in the day happens, be it music, road works, babies or dogs.
The council wont do anything. Noise in the daytime is something you have to deal with yourself. Get headphones.

I never intended to go to the council anyway due to then having to declare a dispute when I sell. My question was how much barking is deemed excessive (in case I decide to talk to my neighbour about it)? Seems the consensus is hours and hours of barking day and night none stop?

@XenoBitch The council wont do anything. Noise in the daytime is something you have to deal with yourself. Get headphones

Just to clarify, this is inaccurate information; the council have the power to act on daytime noise that constitutes a statutory noise nuisance. Separately, I am aware my situation doesn't fall in that category.

I consider anything over one bark to be undesirable. If my dog is outside and wants to come in, he tells me with a single bark. If he was arsing about and barking then he got brought in immediately. He soon learned that being noisy means play stops and doesn't bark anymore. He still barks at the doorbell, but not excessively, and that isn't audible to anyone other than the person at the door.

I'm interested in this as my dog barks in short bursts a few times a day; we are currently in a big semi detached but about to move to a flat and I am thinking how on earth am I going to get this under control as he is 7 now.

I know from reading other threads that it's not unusual to come across people who object to any dog noise whatsoever, even one or two barks. It does sound like OP would be that sort of person. BTW my neighbour leaves her dogs who can bark continuously without a break for 4+ hours, I can hear they are distressed at being left. But it seems my dog barking at the postman or whatever is going to be considered as much of a nuisance.

If a council officer sat in their car very nearby, what would the officer write in her/his observations ?

If you took private action yourself, would this ally of a neighbour be stood next to you in Court when you are submitting your noise nuisance diaries to the Judge ?

I hate the sound of barking too but I'd be more relaxed about a newly arrived rescue puppy, at least give them some time to try and sort it out.

Most (not all) dogs will eventually get used to hearing their neighbours, at least.

One or two barks is fine; I hear dogs in the neighbourhood bark occasionally like that, fully understand a few barks in response to the postman etc. My post states my neighbour's dog barks around 50 times a day.

Yes that is my feeling; I have not said anything yet for this reason. Just struggling to know how much time to give it and where the line is for how much is too much,