AIBU to apologise after DH barked at the neighbour's dog?

[Greyblankie]

Last year the neighbour behind us got a small dog. It yaps.

Anyway DH has been complaining to me about this irritating dog ever since she got it and admittedly it is very annoying but what can you do? It’s during the day and it’s not constant.

He’s been away with work for 3 days and has come back grumpy and tired - last night he went outside to check on his plants and the dog started yapping. DH went absolutely bonkers, started running up and down the fence barking and snarling like a dog until the woman came out and hastily took her dog back inside. Mortified!! I know he was tired but Jesus he was acting like a psychopath

Hes back at work today and she’s sat outside in the sun - do I pop my head over and apologise/explain or leave it and assume we’re no longer on good terms 😬

Your DH is a grown adult, not a child. You do not need to apologise for him.

Yappy dogs left to bark are a menace. I’ve got a spaniel. When she is out in the garden, she knows that barking means she goes inside. In fact, she’s been freely in and out of the garden all day today and hasn’t barked once.

Our NDNs have a yappy Yorkie. Its outside barking is largely ignored by the 2 adults in the house. I have had to train my spaniel to ignore the little runt.

I think best approach is for DH to go around and explain he was tired, sick of the noise and snapped, and offer a simple apology

Apology for what? He's allowed to act eccentrically in his own garden if he wants to.

And maybe now she's got the message about how annoying her yappy dog is.

My DH has been known to growl back when next door's dogs bark and growl at us through the fence. Not quite so spiritedly though.

As others have said, I’d have my DH’s back on this one. I’d be looking more to help him with stress and the noise than worrying about offending the woman with the yapping dog.

"DH went absolutely bonkers, started running up and down the fence barking and snarling like a dog"

This kind of public tantrum would make me worried for a grown man.

Meh, she probably should've stopped it yapping before it got to that point. I imagine she's got the hint that the dog yapping is annoying for neighbours. I wouldn't be apologizing tbh

Just letting off steam.

It was in his garden.

yappy barking dogs are hideous for neighbours.

TeamDH

OP has said that her neighbour doesn't leave her dog to bark.

I have an absolutely lovely neighbour that my dog stunningly over-reacts towards. Whenever the neighbour is within 100 yards (which isn't too often, and they live a few streets away), my dog goes into full alert mode, not aggressive but more like a panicky meerkat trying to tell his pack about an intruder.

Turns out that this lovely neighbour once bent down and woofed close to my dog's face, because my dog had barked at her as she walked past the garden gate.

Like an elephant, my dog has never ever forgotten this single episode. So you may find that your DH is doomed to an odd relationship with this dog for ever more. Not sure who should be apologising to who, really. Hopefully your neighbour is a cheery sort and you can laugh it off between you.

She shouldn't be letting her dog yap for long periods though.

Is it normal for grown men to have running, barking tantrums in their back garden?

I saw a video on TikTok this morning which is of a man appearing to lose his shit and copy a dog barking while running around. I thought it was set up but now I wonder if that was your husband and has someone else filmed it…. Or is that TikTok video the inspiration for this thread? 🤔

The man looked like a complete maniac. 😬😂

Do you let off steam by running up and down barking?

That's amazing, I wish I'd seen it! I think I'm team DH here, sorry OP. Yapping dogs are a pain and I think I might have been tempted to tap right back at it too if I'd reached the end of my tether.

You, DH and neighbour may all just have to be very British and carry on regardless, pretending it didn't happen.

Never apologise for a man.

Oh God, you're right.
Someone/Some AI has seen the video and though I'll drum up some click bait on MN.

What are your qualifications to give this assessment?

Since DH had time to "run up and down the fence", the yapping dog isnt brought in immediately it starts yapping, is it?

Good on DH showing the neighbour how un-neighbourly it is having that sort of noise along your boundary. Long may it mean she keeps the dog under control.

I definitely wouldn’t apologise - why should you ? I’d just act as you normally would around your neighbour. There’s a funny side to what your DH did -he was tired and perhaps over-reacted - but living close to a dog who barks a lot is very annoying.

ColossalTit by name...........

Just leave it hopefully she’s got the message now. I have a dog if she starts barking in the garden I take her in straight away

I know several people who bark back at yappy dogs to make a point. Running up and down is a bit too much but I'm lazy. I dont see why anyone should apologise. Except maybe the neighbur with the the dog, depending how frequent the barking is.

That's a leading question....

Woof! 😆

The OP does indeed state that the neighbour takes the dog in. But she also describes the yapping as “not constant but regular”. That’s enough to be a nuisance.

But that doesn’t take away from the fact that the DH is more than capable of apologising for his own behaviour if he sees fit. It’s not the OP’s responsibility.

Edited for typos.