Barking bloody dogs

[Hotdays2]

Really fed with barking bloody dogs in our neighbourhood. A few houses along a woman has a dog boarding place and many of the other neighbours seem to independently have dogs. When one sets off, it turns into an absolute cacophony of barking and often outright howling. Putting out the washing just now and next door seems to have a dog that they’re looking after which is non-stop barking at me. They don’t normally have one, so can only presume they’re dog sitting for family on holiday. Everyone seems to go out and leave their dogs in the garden to bark, and apart from our good next door neighbour, I never hear anyone telling their dogs to shut up or bringing them in.
I don’t have a dog, why should the summer months be ruined by others people’s lack of consideration/responsibility dog owning?

Genuine question for dog owners - if you have anxious barky dogs, would you let them stand up at the front window at night, going nuts every time someone walks back? Or would you just close the curtains?

I mean it’s not like it’s a super dangerous street or anything.

It's not dog bashing to not want dogs left outside to bark and bark. Dogs should be left in the house if you're going out and brought in the house if you let them out in the garden and they keep barking. I've owned dogs and have neighbours that own dogs and none of us would just leave them outside to bark and bark.

I recently lost my barky dog. As a pup she was never allowed in the garden off lead. I could tell before she would bark so I could distract her or bring her in. Then I would go out with her but off lead. Eventually she was ok. Dogs continually barking is a noise nuisance.

That's interesting, I'll try suggesting this to my neighbour, that it only goes in the garden on a lead. See if that makes any difference.

Do you mean barks a couple of times (really hard to stop as they can react to something and it takes a minute to tell them to stop) or just bark the whole time they’re outside?

I have two dogs, one is prone to bark if someone goes near our garden, as soon as she does she gets told quiet if she barks again I take her in the house till she calms down. I hate it when people let there dogs bark without dealing with it

Have you gently tried talking to them about this? It sounds really unpleasant for you and also really stressful for the dog. I have a yappy anxious small breed and he seems to see it as his role to defend the house (he’s about 1kg wet through so the idea is hilarious!), and honestly this would be so stressful for him as well as for neighbours. It might be more well received if you phrased it along those lines? We pick him up immediately which makes him feel safer, less anxious and of course also stops the yapping. If we didn’t, he wouldn’t stop (and we have tried absolutely everything). That sounds like the dog is finding this dog flap as stressful as you are. I would never have one for a reactive dog, it’s not in their best interest.

My friend has a beautifully behaved dog. It never barks, even when an aggressive dog (on a lead) lunged at it. My friend had trained it not to bark. She recently had her son’s dog to stay while he went on holiday. She let both dogs out into the garden. Her son’s dog barked. She went into the garden, put the lead on it and brought it in. By the end of the week the dog went outside without barking.

This

I love dogs. I have one myself. If my dog takes himself outside and starts to bark I go and stop him and bring him in. This seems beyond the capabilities of other owners in the street.

It’s not dog bashing, it’s owner bashing. Too many are irresponsible. It’s unfair on neighbours and it’s unfair on the dog.

I mean that it barks every morning when they let it out. It last less than a minute but it's loud and very early (mostly between 5 and 6.30), so it's waking us. It's not barking at anyone walking past, and I doubt it's seeing something bark-worthy in the garden every morning, I suspect it's just barking for the sake of it, if that's a thing.

That's interesting. Thanks for the tips. Sorry to hijack @Hotdays2 .

No, they dont both start barking just because theyre outside. Normally theyre quiet, but they do bark in respone to something, and when that happens one can be shushed and will nip it, and the other is brought in immediately.

I dont know how to deal with your neighbours dogs as both the dogs and the neighbours will be different to me, but i dont let mine out til 9am weekdays as i wfh.
Id add as well that mine isn't a serial barker, she just barks if shes startled by something or someone rides past the wall on a bike so being outside isnt the "trigger" so to speak. 9 times out of ten shes quiet.

It is a thing, and that is very early to be let out of it’s going to do that 😭

Ah @Verv we'd be delighted if our owner had a 9am let out time. We don't expect the dog to be silent, we just don't want to hear it that early.

Thanks @Nina1013 sounds like they need to look at something specific related to 'barking for the joy of being alive when all your neighbours are asleep'. Interestingly, it doesn't seem to bark when they leave for a walk via the front door with it on its lead.

It’s becoming quite horrendous in my street. 10 years ago there was only a small dog that I could hear for a few minutes a day. Now there are so many dogs. My next door neighbour has a dog that barks during the night for extended periods of time.

@UnsocialMedia is your owner out at work during the day or home?

It could be excitement at seeing its owner (if it sleeps downstairs) which would be easy to manage with fuss and good morning prior to opening the door. Distract with a treat just before opening door, etc.

My dog barks very rarely but all the other dogs in the road love a good cacophony. What amuses me is the little dogs all yapping away and then the giant German Shepherd two doors down lets out a huge, deep, ‘BOOF,’ and they all shut up!

On the odd occasion my dog barks it’s because something’s wrong (in his opinion). We do leave the back door open in summer when we’re home but would never shut him in the garden.

It really depends on the breed and temperment of the dog. Its instinctive for them to warn owners of 'threat' aka Pigeon etc. And sometimes telling the dog off just heightens the dogs anxiety as it thinks you are worried too. Ive found with mine ignoring her and actively behaving as if i havent even noticed her barking has helped her not too bark for too long, but i did prewarn my neighbours before trying this. There is a training technique called the 3 bark rules that lets the dog do its job but it knows to stop. Maybe suggest that. I personally get annoyed when my dog barks so would not inflict that on my neighbours.

I think someone is at home most of the time. We don't hear the dog at all when it's indoors, only when it's let out.

I'm afraid even three barks is a right royal pain in the arse at 5.40. The obvious answer of course is that they shouldn't let it out until a sociable hour. Grr.

I love dogs. I don't have one because I can't give it the time it would need, and because I don't want the responsibility frankly. There are too many dogs around now, and too many irresponsible or selfish owners.

Pil come to stay here with their dog occasionally. He is a good boy, except he loves a morning garden bark. The routine would be that he'd get let out first thing, run down the garden barking his head off, do a wee, have a sniff and bark in various directions, mil screeches to be quiet, he ignores her and barks until he's ready to trot inside. Except, knowing he does this, we make sure he gets put on a lead first thing when he's here. Mil doesn't like it, but between the dog barking and her shouting at him it's a merry racket at 7am that I'm not selfish enough to subject my neighbours to.

You're correct, it's all about training. Basically, dogs do what they are allowed to do. The reason one dog is quiet is that it was taught at an early age that barking without a good reason isn't acceptable whereas the noisy dog barks endlessly because it's never been told to be quiet. It's also likely that the quiet dog has more stimulation i.e. it's exercised well and has lots of positive interaction with the owners. A bored dog, on the other hand, will find its own entertainment and very often this takes the form of fence running and barking for no reason.

Whilst I've been typing this, a dog that lives up the road has barked three times. My dog went outside to investigate, but finding nothing amiss, has come back inside and laid down again! The man who owns the barking dog has just taken his dog back inside. This is standard practice where I am lucky enough to live. There are many dogs living on my street but excessive barking isn't an issue.

My dog can be a barky arsehole love him but he’s big and loud. When we go in the garden he knows if he woofs he’s in so he’s great with me. Partner however seems to think everyone loves to hear him roofing so I’m usually out bringing him in and having ‘words’ with other half lol - inside is where he’s a loud boy he hears things, we’ve got film on the windows to stop him barking at everything outside but he still hears car doors etc and he’s loud and shrill and it’s doing my head in. Nothing worse tbh. Neighbours say they can’t hear him thankfully it’s just me he is driving insane. He’s a good boy otherwise just LOUD!