Nasty neighbours complaining about our pup barking (v v long!)

[Solo2]

Our next door neighbours (detached from our property with a grassy road/lane inbetween) phoned tonight to complain about our golden retriever barking. He was indeed barking tonight as he was completely freaked out by horses that have only just been put in the field backing onto our garden. He was terrified, weed in the kitchen (a first), wouldn't eat his supper (unique for him!) and barked in terror, whilst i did my best to distract him and manage the phone call.

However, as I was desperately apologising and explaining about the new arrival of horses, our neighbour said that this wasn't about tonight but was about him barking ever since we got him?!???

I suggested she might mean the terrier about 6 doors away further down who barks all day and I think is left in its garden unattended, poor thing. She said it definitely was OUR dog and perhaps he was barking when we were out.

I reminded her that I'm NEVER out (this is true) except briefly twice a day for the school run. I work from home and Rollo never ever barks then and also always naps whilst I'm on the school run as each school run is after a dog walk. Bear in mind that he'd be locked in our kitchen with the radio on and it's simply not possible to hear from our neighbours house anything inside our detached and completely separated property anyway. He never barks when the doorbell goes or when people call round.

I said we'd specially bought a goldie because they don't bark much, that he rarely rarely barked, which is completely true. He barks occasionally at around 7.45pm for a few minutes after his long and last walk, when he sees lights in darkness in the garden. He occasionally barks (as I've posted on here) for maximum of 10 to 15 mins ever (and v rarely nowadays) once in his crate for the night (but obviously he's also in our home and you just can't hear him outside or in another home, I'm sure of this). In the summer, he sometimes barked on and off for 10 to 15 mins if we were in the garden and he was in his fenced off part of the garden and wanted to be with us.

He's also barked if the neighbours are riding a motorbike along the side lane (illegal), if they're trespassing in the field backing onto our properties but again this would be maybe 3 to 5 mins barking. That's all.

We have a horrible, horrible history of trouble with these neighbours and I've been to the police about them in the past. We're not on speaking terms and the woman has accosted me in the street and been verbally abusive. Things had calmed down for the last 9 months or so and they've never ever complained in the last 7 months since we got Rollo.

As you can imagine, I'm in a state of high anxiety about this. I feel vulnerable and threatened by these neighbours (I'm a single mum, they're a couple and have already proved to have different 'moral' standards to me, to put it nicely and are quite threatening). Have I done everything I should have done in these situations?

This is what I've done tonight: called the environmental health noise pollution department and asked their advice, explained the situation and got them to make a record of my call; called our dog trainer who came straight round and immediately helped me to desensitise Rollo to the horses; called a family member who's a solicitor to ask advice.

Obviously Rollo IS going to bark from time to time. Obviously he may bark more for a while as he gets used to horses near our garden. Obviously I can't keep him shut int he house all the time as he toilets in the garden. I'm not supposed to be giving him attention when he barks but now I'm scared if he barks at all say at night, I'll HAVE to go down to him and undo all the crate work we did.

Please can people give me their thoughts on all this because I'm majorly freaked out tonight?

There are ways to sort out the barking. Solo you are way over thinking this and getting in a state. Just take control of the situation. If the neighbours are being unreasonable then take no notice. You have heard from the noise pollution that there is not a problem with the occasional bark. If your neighbours are exaggerating then let them fret about it - to be honest some people you just can not please.

However I would not want to be woken every morning by my neighbours dog barking even if it was not long in duration. Take Rollo out for his first wee on a lead. As soon as he wees take him back indoors and give him his breakfast indoors. Yes I did read that you scattered food - well you can do that in the kitchen or give him his breakfast in a kong both will keep him busy.

You will need to continue to train him with the houses but if you are consistent it will not take long. Also the area he has fenced off in the garden make smaller and bring closer to the house. He will feel more secure and hence less likely to bark.

Right, no idea if this works for dogs but it's meant to work for kids. Bear with me while I try to explain.

Trainer has said ignore the bad behaviour so rollo isn't getting what he sees as a reward, ie attention. That's fine, I can understand that point of view.

But with kids if you ignore bad behaviour they also say you have to praise good behaviour a lot. So how about trying going out in the garden and making a real fuss of him, telling him how good he's been, etc. Obviously only when he's not barking. Then if or when he starts barking you stop praise and turn away and ignore him. Now I appreciate this might be a real balls ache time wise for a week but if it works then long term it could be worth it?

Or the other end of the spectrum is the opposite of whatyour trainer says and to squirt him with a water pistol every time he barks..........

Please, please, PLEASE don't squirt your dog with a water pistol to stop him barking. That is aversive training, it is cruel and in the long run it will create more problems than it solves. Lots has been written on these boards about why it is a bad idea. The concept is explained well here.

You have had some good advice on here and from your trainer. You are doing all the right things with the training, it just takes time.

Sorry, I didn't know the water pistol thing was so badly regarded. It was recommended to me as a technique by the rgt when I got my dog if I needed to discourage my new dog chasing the cat. I never had to use it though as she was always fine with the cat.

Dark outside and a brightly lit kitchen....Is he barking at reflections in the glass. I have a dog who does this, will move and bark at his own reflection. Curtains for the glass.