I have complained about the noise of my neighbour's dog. Is it going to get worse?

[Chefpig]

My next door neighbours are an elderly couple, but fucking hell, they're noisy.

They have two dogs. One of the dogs barks at intervals of twenty minutes. There's always at least one of the couple in the house when the dog barks and so they're very much aware of the barking and they regularly shout at it. Barking is throughout the day and up until gone 11pm, when it wakes me up. It's just been barking for half an hour non stop now. Doing anything relaxing, eg reading, having a bath, etc. is bound to get interrupted and working from home is a nightmare. I know meetings will get interrupted by the constant sound of barking and them shouting the dogs name or 'for fucks sake' at the dog.

I won't go round as they're very much aware of the barking and I've shouted through the walls numerous times. Today, all through my breakfast it was barking with the woman home and apart from the odd shout of the dogs name, it was not shutting up.

I've finally flipped and submitted a noise complaint through the council. I'm in rented accommodation. Has anyone ever done this? What was the outcome and was the any retribution from the neighbours? I love my house so much I do not want to move.

OP, your initial post was very polite, no swearing, explaining the problem and asking advice.
As the thread has gone on, and advice, options and opinions have been given - some of which dont match your own thoughts - your posts have become increasingly aggressive, the last couple including swearing, and telling someone to shut up.
Just go and speak with them. If that doesn't work keep a noise diary and then re-submit your complaint.
What have you got to lose by having a conversation? - you never know, they might surprise you, and say they will do their best to keep the dogs quiet, and if not go back to the Council

Don't post on a public forum asking whether you're being unreasonable unless you're prepared for people to tell you that you are in fact unreasonable.

No, your neighbours shouldn't let their dogs bark all day, but you are completely unreasonable to have never attempted a civil conversation and gone about it by banging and shouting at the walls and then claiming you don't like confrontation (unless behind a screen or a wall, obviously!) None of that stacks up.

I see you have decided to attempt a conversation, and hope that it's helpful and you manage to be a bit less rude and unpleasant to your neighbours than you have been to people here.

It’s a possibility, might not be the case but you sure don’t have any empathy for the next door neighbours regardless.

Your language was horrible in the whole post, you didn’t come off as a reasonable person at all.

I do not bang on the wall so I don't know where you've got that from. I can't be arsed to read your post because you couldn't be bothered to read mine properly.

I don't bang. I don't know where you have got that from. Yet another person who can't read properly.

Shouting through the wall then, it's the same thing, probably worse actually. As far as the dog is concerned, you're joining in his game.

Honestly, the attitude you've shown on here, I'd be tempted to bark at you if I had to live nextdoor to you.

I'm rolling my eyes at you. I think the neighbours should just shut the dog up and stop being antisocial twats, then the issues would be solved.

In my experience (not personal but people I know) the first thing they ask is if you've spoken to the neighbours so you may as well do that bit now then resubmit the complaint afterwards.

Thank you, @ShakyFridge. I will see how I get on with talking to them.

Roll your eyes all you want, shouting at a barking dog is a well-known training no-no. To the dog, you are joining in with the barking.

You don't need a degree in canine behaviour to understand that loud noises e.g, shouting, trigger most dogs to bark.

Barking is a self-rewarding behaviour, meaning it's more difficult to train than other behaviours, not impossible, but not as easy as training a sit or stay. Joining in with the barking adds to the reward.

If you can manage to have polite conversation with your neighbours you could advise them to wait for a lull in the barking, give a treat and add a command. After a few weeks, the dog will understand the command means to stop barking and wait for a reward. You should also tell them you will no longer be shouting as you now realise this is making the issue worse.

Why should the OP? It’s up to dog owners to control their dogs. 🤷‍♀️

They will know it’s you because you shouted via the wall. Hopefully this doesn’t start a neighbour war because you don’t want to start that it’s horrible living in one.
next time just go speak to them and buy them those anti barking collars

You’ve never even spoken to them to know they don’t give a shit or are ignorant.
you literally have made up what you think they may be like based on no facts

I had this, albeit different in that the dog was being left alone 8hours a day and barked non stop. I did speak to my neighbour and was told that the dog would settle eventually. I pointed out it needed training to do that. Nothing changed. I reported to council, I was initially told that dogs are allowed. I said I was aware, but that they had to be under control. I quoted their own policy back to them from their website. I confirmed I’m a dog lover and hearing a dog being distressed was awful. I had no issue with the dog, just with it being allowed to bark constantly. They really tried to put me off my complaint, but the poor dog barked for 8 hours a day non stop, while I WFH so I had to be articulate and assertive.

Despite having a diary, the had me download an app and start recording through the wall. After a week I chased. After a month I chased. They rang me and acknowledged the problem and said they were working with the owner. Gave me all the same spiel the owner had 2 months prior. I pointed this out and said it was no different 8 weeks on. I stayed on their case and got the local councillor involved. He came over and had a cuppa with me and was mad that the dog barked the whole time. He was a dog lover too. He chased the council too. Every couple of weeks the guys parents would take the dog for a few days and gave us all respite (it affected 4 neighbours) but it would start again as soon as it came home, I think they did this when the council were on their case.

Eventually when the parents were collecting the dog one time, a neighbour spoke to them and said how we were being driven demented. They could hear the barking on their way up the drive and the neighbour said it went on constantly. I will never know if it was that encounter, or whether the council finally did something but the dog left after that. I hope the poor thing found a better home.

So yeah, long battle, lots of constant pressure and read the council website to quote their own policies back to them. And involve a councillor. And lots of evidence. It’s not easy. Definitely try speaking to them first, but make it clear you can’t live with the current set up.

Sorry, that was long!

Except I do because they shout at the bloody dog all the day long. They shout at it for weeing in the house and barking. Any decent person would train their dog not to bark. The dog must be so unhappy.

You're making yourself look thick.

Barking dogs are a nightmare for neighbour.

If you think the dog may be being abused or neglected, maybe report to the RSPCA and then perhaps a welfare officer will visit. They may be able to advise on how the owners could manage better.

I feel more sorry for the dog than any of the humans here tbh.

Well now this is turning into a case of possible animal neglect. Does the dog ever get walked or let out into the garden?

I reported someone who's husky lived in their bathroom.. Their dc knocked at ndn to use the loo.

Rspca did nothing. It was long clawed and riddled with fleas..... Passed on via their dc to the ndn....
Our ndn threatened me whilst drunk recently for reporting their ddog barking. It's being locked out again. In this weather.. I just turn the radio up now.
Sometimes you can't manage a conversation with cunts.