AIBU to ask my neighbour to stop his new dog barking so much?

[Doggodoggo]

My next-door neighbour got a young dog recently. I don't know the breed or how old it is but it is already massive and very very loud! He lets it out in the garden multiple times a day where it barks its head off constantly. He is a single man who works full time from home so I suspect that every time he has a work meeting/call he just lets it out in the garden where it barks non stop. He doesn't seem to take it out very much, maybe once a day in the evening. He also doesn't seem to have much control over it as it often lies in the road and won't move!

I had some sympathy at first as thought perhaps he would be training it not to bark all the time or the excitement of being outside would wear off. But it's now really stressing me out. He's recently started putting it out in the garden at 6.30am and it is barking non stop and waking me up which is so frustrating as I work US hours due to my job so end up working late in the evening, go to bed fairly late and don't need to be up until late. I'm losing so much sleep and it's stressing me out.

Now every time I hear the dog it makes me tense and anxious. Its a horrible noise, so loud and intrusive. And this is from inside the house so it will be even worse in the summer with windows open or being in the garden.

I don't know him very well but he seems fairly friendly and nods hello if we pass each other.

I don't know anything about dog training but I'm worried it's just going to continue like this as he doesn't seem to be doing anything to stop it barking. I'm so stressed out I've even been thinking of moving house if it doesn't improve.

AIBU to speak to him and ask him if he could somehow reduce the amount of barking? Especially at 6.30am! Or do I just need to suck it up and accept it as part of having neighbours?

RSPCA? The barking is distress. He isn’t taking care of the dog properly.

I would 100% ask him to stop putting him outside at 6.30am and letting him bark. I'd have to think about how to approach this though as I guess he will get defensive. Since the day I got my dog, if he barked once he was brought back inside so now he rarely barks in the garden if at all. Id be mortified if he was annoying my neighbours like that.

@SpiritAdder don't know about RSPCA, that seems a bit excessive. The dog doesn't seem distressed, he sounds like he's having a great time running around and barking at everything!

@amber763 it's good to know that it is possible to train a dog out of barking in the garden. That gives me some hope! Do you think i should just mention the 6.30am barking or that it's disturbing me all day as well? Im just not sure how much is reasonable to put up with. But ive lived here peacefully a long time and now feel really stressed out every day.

No not the Rspca, a dog barking in its garden does not mean it is not being taken care of.
The dog sounds like it's being well taken care of. Its being let out regularly, and taken for daily walks.
Not being let out, and not being taken for daily walks, would point to him neglecting the dog.
Where I live a few ppl keep dogs living outside in their garden and never let in the house.

I also know a couple of ppl with dogs that never take it for a walk ever. Not for YEARS.

Yes a neighbour getting a new dog can take time to adjust to it, the noise is annoying for anyone who lives next door to a dog. My next door neighbours dog annoys me and im sure my dog annoys her, sorry but that's Life. The dog is not barking all day, it is barking like any other dog does and an owner cannot shut their dog up from barking.

Your annoyed a lot I get it, but there's nothing you can do unless you go and live somewhere remote with no other ppl around.

Ok, I guess we have different standards. I don’t consider this to indicate a well taken care of dog at all:

He doesn't seem to take it out very much, maybe once a day in the evening.
He also doesn't seem to have much control over it as it often lies in the road and won't move!
He's recently started putting it out in the garden at 6.30am and it is barking non stop

Dogs are social animals they can’t be left alone from 6:30am all day long. They also need to be taken for a walk more than an occasional evening walk. They also need some training, and not to be left so unsupervised they lie in the road refusing to move. What if they bit a child? Or chased a squirrel and caused a car accident?

It can’t hurt to have an animal welfare officer knock on his door and give him a stern talking to.

Editng to add that barking nonstop is not normal for dogs nor is the never taking them for walks.

Its not an 'occasional' evening walk, it's a 'daily' evening walk- that's very different. Plenty of dogs only go on one walk a day.

There's also nothing to say that the dog is being left alone from 6.30am. The op says the owner works from home, so quite the opposite.

Edit- also not sure why you are presuming the dog is unsupervised when lying in the road- nothing mentioned here suggets that.

The rspca would be a massive over reaction.

The dog is a pack animal and being on its own, even when your nieghbour is on work calls is causing the dog stress, that is why its barking.

I think you would be mad to contact the RSPCA at this point. You need to talk to him and ask him to not let the dog bark outside at 6 30am.

Pack theory has been discredited. The dog isn’t stressed, the owner works from home so is with the dog plenty of time.

This is learned behaviour. The dog associates the garden with having a good barking session. It requires training not to bark. If my dog barks in the garden she’s allowed two barks and then she has to come in. It’s not difficult, dogs catch on very quickly.

Have a friendly chat with your neighbour @Doggodoggo . He might not realise how much his dog is annoying you.

She said maybe once a day in the evening.
Maybe indicates it is not daily.

There is plenty to indicate because she has said the dog barks nonstop. If it were only the usual amount of barking, I don’t think OP would have started a thread and be feeling so stressed and anxious.

I assumed a dog left lying in the road was unsupervised because who in their right mind would allow their dog to do that?! Unless they want their dog to be run over?

I don't think he's left alone all day. He spends a lot of time in the house and then gets let out regularly, which leads to about 10+ minutes of constant barking each time. He doesn't sound distressed but I don't know much about dogs.

I enjoy being in my garden and often work out there in a summer house when it's nice, or sit out with a coffee in winter. I've stopped doing that now as I cant bear the noise. Its hard to describe how loud and nerve jangling the barking is. But it's loud even from inside and I have double glazing and the windows closed!

I live rurally in a small village. I deliberately moved here because I like peace and quiet! I've never had any issues with neighbours in the 20 years ive been here.

I don't think it's an rspca issue. I'd talk to your neighbour, letting the dog bark constantly is not ok, and letting them bark at 6:30 am in the garden is antisocial. I'd be very surprised if you were the only disgruntled neighbour. If that doesn't work I'd try the council re nuisance noise, particularly for the 6:30 am barking. I have a big dog and he knows if he barks in the garden he's brought in.

I'm really glad to hear that you can train the dog not to bark and it's hopefully not too difficult. I guess it will just depend on the neighbour's attitude and how he reacts when i speak to him. He always seems quite stressed but I think he has a stressful job. I don't know how he can bear the noise either!

Sorry i said maybe once a day just because he might take it out more but I don't see him.

It is a quiet rural lane. He just cant seem to direct the dog where to go. It lies down at the side of the road and won't move.

It’s never the dog’s fault, always the owner. It’s very easy to bring your dog inside if it barks. Good luck with chatting with your neighbour.

thks for the extra info OP. I guess depends if you are up to talking to him. Note that if the dog does end up neglected, and you do call animal welfare your neighbor will know it was you that called them if you’ve already complained to him. You will lose future anonyminity.

I’ve recently had to complain about the same issue but it was to environmental health at the council. They took it seriously and told me it is classed as anti-social behaviour. It helps to keep a record of the times and periods for which the dog is barking and if your complaint is supported by other neighbours. Don’t know what happened but the barking stopped!

The rspca will not care not one tiny bit.

As long as the dog has food, water and shelter they will not give one tiny fuck.

You can try talking to him op otherwise it’s a official noise complaint.

Good luck with this, OP.

My NDN has two dogs. They bark CONSTANTLY when outdoors, often for an hour at a time. I understand that NDN can't take them out regularly, because one dog is too big and strong for them while they are recovering from surgery, but the barking is infuriating, and all of the neighbours complain about it.

I tried anti-barking devices attached to the fence, but even they didn't work. Occasionally, I shout, "Shut up!" after long and unbearable periods of barking. Sometimes I send a message and ask for them to be taken in because I am not well and need to rest, which usually shuts them up most of the time when they're indoors.

Ignore the 'go and live somewhere remote with no other ppl around' snark.

It's anti social behaviour, and your LA Environmental Health department are your friend. They can take action if it's depriving you enjoyment of your home.

Sadly, my advice is don't approach him directly as people can be defensive, entitled dickheads.

EH will probably send a letter to your neighbour saying there have been complaints & ask you to keep a diary . If it is ongoing, they may install some monitoring equipment.

I worked in EH for years and it generally did the trick. Most people don't want to upset their neighbours. The constant jolt of dogs barking is horrible if you WFH.

Well you hit the nose on the head with the defensive entitled dickhead bit. I went round and was really friendly and said I had been struggling to sleep because of the barking. He instantly got massively defensive. Said there's nothing you can do to stop a dog barking. It disturbs him when he has work calls so he has to put it outside. He's not interested in doing anything different. Went on about how stressful and important his job is and he cant have a dog barking on his calls. He said you cant train a dog not to bark.

No apology or sympathy for me. Just played the victim like he was having a worse time than me because the dog was making his life hard.

Now report to the council noise team as you’ve asked and his well stupid.

Dogs barking is really awkward with neighbours. We asked ours nicely to please do something about his 2 alsations and it’s caused a lot of tension. He barely says hello now and the wife blanks us.

Wow with the RSPCA comments. My dog is walked every day 2 or 3 times, played with and not left alone very often but she does sometimes bark in the garden because she’s excited and wants me to play. I call her in if she’s really barky because she’s a big dog and loud. She also lies down in the road ( a quiet lane) because she’s doesn’t want to go the way we are walking - it’s a retriever thing! She’s 100% loved and cared for though.

Dont be ridiculous. My dog barks when i let him in the garden. He has loads of walks and enrichment!