What is normal for dog barking? Should I submit my log to the council?

[Carlie97]

After almost a year of next doors dog barking every five or ten minutes, especially when the neighbours are home which is all the time really, I hesitantly submitted a complaint to the council. The council sent me a log to complete over two weeks and the neighbours were informed a complaint had been made.

Immediately following them receiving my complaint, I felt the neighbours made somewhat of an effort in making sure the dog shut up as soon as it barked. Still annoying at the dog barking so frequently but I was grateful they were shutting the dog up on the first bark or so.

That effort continued with the barking becoming less frequent and them shutting the dog up as soon as it started. The past few days however have been shit. Sunday, the dog barked fourteen times in the morning alone, including barking at me in my own garden without it being told off for barking at me or otherwise distracted. This morning was hell. The dog barked from around 8am and was every 20 mins or so until around midday, then started up this evening again until its last bark just twenty minutes ago.

The neighbours are telling the dog to be quiet when it starts but is this adequate training for the long term? I'm anxious it isn't. Is my life still going to be filled with barking every ten to twenty minutes each day, even if it is for one or two very loud barks (some go on for much longer). If I submit, theres a possibility I'll be sent sound recording equipment or perhaps an officer will come round to listen.

Oh I can empathise. One of our neighbours lets their dog out throughout the day, from around 6am until 11pm, and the dog barks the entire time it’s outside. It drives me nuts!

That’s not actually true. Noise can be a statutory nuisance and then the council can enforce. The log will help the OP.

I wonder whether your neighbour is on this thread👀

I have a dog that likes to bark but I’m extremely conscious of neighbours and sleeping children so I don’t allow it. The fact they can keep it quiet sometimes shows it’s trainable so it’s definitely worth sending the log in.

I'm not sure I understand what you would like the neighbours to do.
You say they 'shut the dog up' as soon as it began barking, but you were still annoyed at that.
Do you want the dog not to bark at all?
It is quite common for chihuahua's to be yappy.
I'm interested to know what you want the council to do?
Fine them if their dog barks at all?
What level of dog noise could you live with?
Can you move? Although there's no guarantee you wont end up living next door to another dog unless you move somewhere remote, a fair distance from any other houses.

@NightText

NightText · Yesterday 23:37
@MyCottageGarden are you an EHO/Technical officer? Your understanding of what constitutes of statutory nuisance seems different to mine, although it's been a while since I was in an EH dept.

Looks like there is at least 3 of us on this thread then...

@Carlie97

Are you prepared to go to Court if necessary ?

That sounds like an improvement then. It does sound like you might be noise sensitive as well. I sympathise, I am also. I’m in a terrace and I can hear the neighbours often - one side in particular. Music in the garden all the time. We all have dogs on this side of the street, and the opposite gardens mainly do too. A fair few kids dotted about, some football kicking teens and bike enthusiasts. So it can be noisy, which can be annoying. But that’s life when living near people. I’d definitely say put in the log, see what happens. But it might be that other noises then bugs you.

@Carlie97 what noise does your household generate on a day to day basis? Do you have children playing the garden? Or teenagers playing their music all day long in their bedrooms? Or host lively parties? Have you considered how you may be impacting your neighbours? Or are you hyper focused on the sound of your neighbour's barking. Have you ever spoken to them and asked them that the barking bothers you or did you go straight to the council.

You must have thin walls. Are any rooms in their house not sharing a wall with yours. Thinking about their options. Stopping a dog barking at all is not v realistic. I hear my neighbours but the sound is going in all directions.

My dog barked almost non stop indoors for an hour yesterday from 3pm (behaviourist was here and dog was excited). Then she barked almost non stop for an hour from 9.30am this morning because the vet was here. She's going to be barking again from 12.30pm because my cleaner is here.

I've never had complaints and I live in a terrace.

I can sympathise OP, that sounds excessive. It’s all very well telling someone to move, but really we do all have a level of responsibility to not allow our own behaviour to negatively impact others - which includes not making unreasonable amounts of noise which disturb neighbours and impact their ability to peacefully enjoy their own home. What constitutes ‘reasonable’ is obviously the million dollar question so I would submit the log and I hope the council are helpful - I know how much it can put you on edge with noise that is so outside your control.

Well lucky you for not having any complaints. More than two hours of excessive barking is antisocial. Perhaps your neighbours are anxious about complaining. I wonder if the behaviourist is for the barking? If so, at least you're trying to manage it.

I can’t imagine much will happen. We had a barking and howling husky next door that was shut in the porch for the vast majority of its day. Council and SSPCA not interested. Thankfully the dog was rehomed.

Of course you can take you noise log and do it yourself legally, you can take the matter to a Magistrates' Court yourself under Section 82 of the Environmental Protection.

You will find all the necessary info online.

OP don't be misled by people who claim that noise nuisance is defined as between 11 pm and 7 am. There is one law that says that, but another law that recognises that noise nuisance (or any other kind of nuisance) may exist at ANY time of day or night. The key is that it has to be unreasonable noise, and the type of noise you are experiencing does appear to be just that. If you have any doubts about how to proceed, including bringing pressure to bear on a council if it doesn't want to act, contact Sanctum Consultants (they have a website), who can give you cheap legal advice about your rights and how to word letters, etc. It worked for me.

I want the neighbours to bloody train the dog! Today the dog has barked 20 times since 9.30am. They might shut it up, or try to and fail, when it barks now which is an improvement on how it used to be, but they need to train it so it doesnt react at everything. It's sat in the window bottom right now yapping at a van thats stopped outside our houses. It's like this all day. I'm so tired of hearing the fucking dog and the voices of the fucking neighbours. If the neighbours cared they'd have come round, apologised for the barking and be telling me what theyre doing to improve the situation.

Thank you very much.

Could I ask the council to act as a mediator and suggest that the barking is still so frequent, although it's appreciated their shouting at the dog has stopped and the length of time the dog is left to bark for, perhaps training to address triggers for barking would be beneficial? I feel they need it spelling out to them.

From what you have described, I don’t think this barking will meet any councils threshold for being a ‘nuisance’.

Years ago, we were fostering a dog who could be barky at times and a neighbour complained. We spoke to the council and they said that the noise had to be constant for half an hour + and occur many times a day, on many days and/or at night for the noise to be considered a problem to them.

We ended up keeping the dog and got a trainer and behaviourist, but he is still a barky dog, despite lots of effort, as he is anxious due to being mistreated before he came to us.

In your case, it seems that the dog can be quieter if the neighbours put the effort in so I would try to have a word with them about them keeping trying as it’s impacting you. It does sound like you may be especially sensitive to noise and possibly struggle more due to your bad mental health though. Our neighbour also had mental health issues.

I think you are getting very hopeful as to how a Council may help.

I suggest you submit your noise log and take it from there.

Thank you everyone. If the council could help, I genuinely dont want the dog taken off them, even though I never hear them show it any affection, but I don't see them all day, everyday with it, it's just what I hear through the walls. I'm so frustrated with the frequency of the barks. It's like the soundtrack to my life!

I would be very very very surprised if the Council takes the dog from them.

Pretty sure they do not have the powers to do that under any Environmental Protection Act, as it is a living animal / creature in it's own home
and the RSPCA etc. will not be interested.
whereas Council do have the power to remove music system and have done so in the past.
( Ealing Council's Party Patrol, don't know if it even still exists )

They won’t take the dog off them based on what you have said, so hopefully your neighbours do look after the dog well.

No one is going to remove a dog because it’s barking. Neither will the council act as mediators. I think you need to lower your expectations here OP.

Hmm. I’d put your log in and see what they say op. It doesn’t sound bad enough to be noise pollution to me but your area might think differently. We have lots of dogs round here, including mine. They all bark occasionally at something - mine bark at food time - never for long though and generally in my detached house not outside. Never had a problem. I do think a bit of barking, like kids screaming in their gardens (which drives me nuts, lol), lawn mowers etc, is generally the price you pay for living near people.

Hi, I agree and certainly don't bother with a dog barking through the day at certain things but the dog barks and everything. I can hear the neighbours talking to the dog sometimes and it starts barking. Anything outside. If I come home or leave its barking at me. If I go in the back garden its barking. If a vehicle pulls up outside it barks. If someone walks past on the opposite side of the road it barks. The postman, any deliveries and the bin lorry and it goes absolutely mad and barks for half an hour.

Please tell me if im being oversensitive. My log today is;

0847
0946
1028
1029
1041
1050
1101
1105
1121
1140
1159
1222
1240

The neighbours have gone out now and the dog settles and is quiet. Dogs usually get anxiety when the humans go out! It's opposite for this one.