Please help..All you kind doggy people

[EasyToEatTiger]

Today my dogs were in the front garden barking along the boundary. I know this isn't great. They can't get out and we've been here several years, near a school and it's been ok, apart from annoying mostly for us. Today a neighbour went ballistic, waving his arms around and shouting at the dogs and running up and down the railing. My dd was terrified and saw from an upstairs window, and my husband heard the shouting but didn't see anything. The shouty man later came to the door, saying my dogs are all mad and our cockerel keeps him awake at night. Sometimes. We lived in London with dogs without complaint. I have despatched 3 cockerels, so now the noise is considerably less. I tried to placate this man, but I feel violated. I am deeply upset that someone should wind up my animals, and then blame me. I am not sure what to do or how to react. I am well trained in looking after dogs. I am still only an owner and not a professional. The boundary running is tiresome and something I am dealing with. It is not often that the dogs have access to the front garden. Do I simply gaffa tape everyone's mouths up?

oh dear ...

His tone was threatening. If anyone had come out of the house, I think he would have started a fight. It is very strange to go ballistic in front of dogs, and to terrify them in their own territory. I wasn't there when he did this. My dd saw and heard everything and my husband heard shouting. I think it might be worth lodging it with the police.

Really?

Your dogs are annoying. Don't get any more cockerels.
Hth.

You clearly have no idea how annoying barking dogs are to people who are not the dogs owners. I would have complained too.

His aggression was not great but if your dogs bark when people pass by then let them out in the back garden, not the front. I am a dog owner and mine would go bonkers if a pack of dogs sounded off as I walked him past.
The cockerel? I don't know, but tbh it wouldn't bother me.

How did you despatch the cockerels??

I took ours to someone who could stun them before killing them. Did I spell it wrong? Oops

No...

Just hoping you're not planning a similar fate for your dogs, now that someone has complained about their noise as well.

Hope you made good use of the cockerels and made some tasty pies or coq au vin after they were despatched.

Said cockerels were all called Coq au Vin, I still feel violated by someone losing their rag and shouting at my dogs over the boundary fence and wanting to start a fight.

Jesting aside, I thiink I am a responsible dog owner, I deal with eadh of their issues individually, and I seek advice to deal with problems/training/behaviour that arise. I am not sure what responsibility I can take for a man screeching at my dogs over the boundary fence and then blaming me

If he didn't swear at you or threaten you its very unlikely the police will be interested.
I hope you're ok, these things can be upsetting sometimes.

You cannot possibly be held responsible for some random neighbour baiting your dogs. My dog would bark too if someone made a lot of noise at him, but not if they were just in their own garden, he's used to that. My children sometimes make a lot of noise in our garden. If one of my neighbours shouted and threatened then I would go ballistic. Obviously you can try to keep them away from that part of the garden. Would it be possible to put up a fence so they can't see anyone?

God your neighbour sounds awful. Has he always been like this?

He's new to the area. Oddly, the boundary railings are listed. I am growing a hedge and it may take some time to get big enough to be effective. The dogs are actually rarely in the front garden. The back garden has been trashed, and it is fairly obvious that they are rarely in the front garden. If this man loses his rag in public in front of someone elses house, I rather shudder to think what he is like behind closed doors. My daughter saw and heard everything.

Luckily no-one went outside to confront this man. I have looked up our local council about noise. The behaviour of this man was wrong on so many levels, and Yes, I did find him threatening.

I have two dogs and sometimes if they are out in the garden they bark. So I bring them in. It's not rocket science. Barking dogs are annoying.

Mine bark at lots of random stuff - birds, squirrels etc so if Ieft them out when they bark I am sure I would have annoyed neighbours.

Our neighbour's all seem to do them same. We sometime ps here other dogs barking for a few minutes but then it stops so I assume they get brought in too.

The neighbour should not have shouted at anyone, especially the dogs! He should have approached you calmly and discussed a solution.

Having said that cockerels are a nightmare, do you still have one? Does it crow from first light?

Also the dogs should ideally be brought in when they bark whichever garden they might be in.

He didn't wind the dogs up. They were running the boundary and barking.

I am a dog owner, and other people's barking dogs can drive you mad. You feel violated because he lost his temper about your barking dogs?????

What Bertrand said.

Your dogs were barking along the boundary which you know isn't great and it's annoying mostly for YOU? Really????

As someone who lives next to a woman who thinks it's ok to let her dogs bark along our shared boundary I can assure you it's most definitely annoying for other people. My neighbour's dogs are in their garden for hours and hours (I suspect sadly in lieu of walks). One of her dogs barks loads at anything and everything. One of my dogs barks in retaliation, but not at anything else. As soon as my dog does that I bring him in. She doesn't do the same with her dog. It is infuriating beyond belief. At 6am on a Saturday morning when her dog is barking close to my bedroom window, I could cheerfully throttle her. I've tried talking to her nicely but she doesn't seem to understand how stressful it is (especially as I work from home and can hear her dog barking through the day). The trouble is, when neighbours are inconsiderate like that, a lot of people don't want to complain, but then they snap and go overboard - sounds like that's what your neighbour did. And he has my every sympathy.

Who shouted first, the dogs or the man?

Barking dogs are awful, can you keep them in the back garden instead?

Cockerels are incredibly antisocial things to keep unless you live miles from anyone, can you get rid of number 4 too?

Sorry you're upset OP, neighbourly confrontations are awful, but it sounds like you're very definitely in the wrong and he's had enough.

I'm glad I'm not your neighbour. Have some consideration and bring your noisly animals into your house.

I found your post all a bit confusing OP. Firstly you say your dogs are out in the front garden barking along the boundary and then you say the man shouted and wound the dogs up.

Sounds to me more likely that the dogs' non stop barking was what wound the neighbour up and he just lost the plot.

If my dog is out in the back garden and she starts barking I bring her in. I don't want to listen to her barking and I'm damn sure my neighbours don't want to.

Unless you live miles from anyone keeping cockerels is completely unreasonable. My next door neighbour keeps hens, they make the most awful noise in the morning and if my bedroom was overlooking their garden I'd be talking to the council about it. Cockerels, I know, are far noisier.

You don't have to gaffer tape all their mouths shut. You just have to stop them being a nuisance to everyone around you.

You sound very inconsiderate.

Praps he reached the end of his tether with the incessant fucking barking. I sure as hell want to shout and wave my arms about when my ridiculously selfish and inconsiderate next door neighbour makes our life a complete misery leaves their dogs to bark in the garden. If you were a responsible dog owner you would get your dogs in when they bark. Every. Single. Time.