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Original poster

My neighbour has just complained about my dog barking - what can I do?

32 replies

Pipsquiggle · 23/11/2021 11:02

Just met my neighbour for the first time. She moved in with her family in late summer. She seems very nice.

They go to bed early and get up early. She has said that they do hear my dog barking when I let her in the garden at 10pm-ish to go to the loo. She does bark a bit but she's not out for too long - 5 mins.

She also said during the day, when I occasionally let her out in the garden, she sometimes barks - but this is probably due to traffic / people that goes past our house.

I will let my dog out at around 9pm so hopefully that should stop the evening disruption.

I want to be a good neighbour - what practical tips can you give me to stop my dog barking? She's 7 months old

OP posts:
TheChip · 23/11/2021 11:04

Could you stay in the garden with her? Or would a quick walk work?
Is the barking excessive or is it just a quick bark to say let me in?

Pinkandpurplehairedlady · 23/11/2021 11:05

I stay outside with mine and then they go straight in if they bark. They’ve got better over time as they know barking means going inside.

Santaischeckinglists · 23/11/2021 11:08

Please stop engaging with your ndn about your ddog.
Or she will have you doing backflips with ddog on your nose before long..
Ime it is easy to train ddog not to bark on going out.
Especially at such a young age...
But your ndn is being unreasonable.. Fair enough if it was midnight and you had shut it out for 20 mins..
So open door slightly with ddog on lead.. If it barks bring it back and close the door.. Repeat until ddog doesn't bark.
I spent ages with ddog 1 after witnessing my dgm's absolutely psycho beast hurling itself at windows and doors at the slightest noise.. Bonkers thing..
Ddog 1 passed on great non barking habits to our other 3 ddogs. Ndn says they never hear them.

AwkwardPaws27 · 23/11/2021 11:10

My dog barks in the garden, especially at night as we get lots of foxes. During the day he would run down the garden and bark if I just open the door.

We take him out there on the lead which seems to stop him barking at night. During the day I walk him partway down on the lead, before letting him off - again, this seems to interrupt the pattern of door-run-bark.

Repeated behaviour tends to get repeated in future so you need to try and find a way of breaking the pattern.

AwkwardPaws27 · 23/11/2021 11:11

@Pinkandpurplehairedlady

I stay outside with mine and then they go straight in if they bark. They’ve got better over time as they know barking means going inside.
This too. During the day, if he barks, he goes straight back on the lead. Gives him an incentive to be quiet and get more sniffy time!
Clymene · 23/11/2021 11:13

There is a Facebook group called dog training advice and support which has a whole unit on barking.

I really recommend joining it and reading the unit (and the rest of them - they're very good). Your puppy can be trained not to bark as a pp said. It's much easier to train her now rather than wait for the behaviour to become ingrained.

Clymene · 23/11/2021 11:15

And it's fine to engage with your neighbour. Barking dogs are bloody annoying.

LightDrizzle · 23/11/2021 11:17

You need to take the dog out for a walk or stay in the garden with it.

5 minutes is a long time for barking, particularly at night.

It just comes with the privilege of owning a dog (thinks back to standing in snow in nightie and coat with a torch when training puppy)

Stellaris22 · 23/11/2021 11:19

I understand where you’re coming from OP, our neighbour complained (followed me to work once to complain) and I did feel guilty so worked to control barking.

If ours starts barking in the garden I call her in, mostly she’s quiet now. Annoying thing is her dog barks a lot more than ours ever did, it’s just ours is a basset so loud. I think her bark/howl is beautiful which doesn’t help!

I would reward yours when they are quiet and distract when she’s barking, but it doesn’t sound excessive and like yours is just being a dog.

As a pp said, try and stop communication with them if you can. You’ll never hear the end of their complaints otherwise.

KurtWildesChristmasNamechange · 23/11/2021 11:24

We get foxes and mine will do one quick woof if they catch the scent, especially at night. I never let them out later than 10pm so I don't think the one woof is massively unreasonable of a dog catching a scent. More than one and they're straight back in.

There are a lot of dogs in my area barking at all times of day and night, so I like to think mine are pretty good in comparison!

Cowpad · 23/11/2021 11:26

First I think you are a really nice neighbour:Having a good communication and making an effort to sort the problem .My puppy barked at night.it is normal,but it will stop when they are older.However,I think it might help if you would either go out with your puppy or take her/him for a short walk to have last wee before bedtime.maybe bring some chocolates to your neighbour with an apology and reasure them,that you dont like the barking either and you take every step to stop this behaviour.Puppies do grow out of these behaviours unless you "reward" bad behaviour.good luck with puppy.

theremustonlybeone · 23/11/2021 11:28

If you have a dog who you know barks when in the garden then you supervise him. 5 mins is a long time to leave a dog to bark at 10pm.

Given you have highlighted your dog barks at lots of general noise you need to get training. A barking dog is a nuisance.

My dog if left to his own devices in the garden would bark most of the day. So he is supervised and any barking and he is brought back in.

WeAllHaveWings · 23/11/2021 11:31

A dog consistently barking in the garden even if only in 5 min sessions is anti social regardless of the time of day. 5 minutes of barking at 10pm is totally unacceptable.

There are lots of resources available to show you how to train the dog not to bark but it will require a lot of time and consistency. The dog doesn't know the time of day so you need to train them to stop barking day and night. Until you have trained them you need to accompany them on a lead in the garden and nip any barking in the bud as soon as they start.

And yes, engage with your neighbour if your dog is causing them problems. People don't mind dogs that don't bark, leave shit lying about or approach them uninvited. It is not a lot to ask/expect.

KurtWildesChristmasNamechange · 23/11/2021 11:34

maybe bring some chocolates to your neighbour with an apology

If you do this you'll start a precedent of always having to adhere to whatever they want. I remember there was a thread on here and it had started along these lines until eventually the ndn was making all kinds of demands regarding the dog.

It's nice to communicate but there's no need to act like your dog has just done a heinous act.

theemmadilemma · 23/11/2021 11:41

You need to be supervising your puppy in the garden. You shouldn't need to be told your dog is barking in the garden. You should know and already be bringing them in.

After 10pm I'm at the door to whip straight out if there's a sound from them. During the day, they might be out there, but only IF I can hear them and pull them in if they are misbehaving.

Winniemarysarah · 23/11/2021 11:41

I’ve got two dogs and they get shouted to be quiet the second they start barking, they very rarely bark now. If it’s genuinely only the odd bark during the day then I wouldn’t be too bothered about that, I’m wondering if it’s barking more than you’re realising/registering though if you’ve got what you say is usually a nice neighbour complaining. I do think the nightly 10 o clock barking is unacceptable. I know it’s technically classed within sociable hours but it is very annoying and not neighbourly. Some dogs bark really loudly and no one on here would be saying it would be acceptable if a neighbour was letting their child out at 10pm every night to scream and shout for 5/10 minutes, or if a neighbours w. I’d combat this by taking your dog for a quick walk round the block for the bedtime wee.

Chloemol · 23/11/2021 11:42

I go out with mine.

But I think your non is being unreasonable about noise at 10pm

Franklyfrost · 23/11/2021 11:53

It would drive me insane to be woken every night by a dog barking so it’s really great she’s asked nicely and you’re considering how to train the dog. No tips but a thank you for not being a precious dog owner :)

Floralnomad · 23/11/2021 13:05

Assuming you are not letting your dog stand outside and bark for 5 minutes at 10 pm I would just ignore her and carry on as you are . Your neighbour is being ridiculous, she lives in a residential area where people have dogs.

Original poster
Pipsquiggle · 23/11/2021 13:37

Thanks for all the tips so far - that's what I am after.

Just for clarification, I met her for the first time this morning as I was coming back from walking my dog. She was on a jog - so we met outside by accident and she introduced herself - which was nice.

I invited her back to my house and we had a lovely chat about loads of things - her house needs renovating, we did ours up last year so I was just showing her what we did. The dog barking did come up so I just want to make sure I am doing what I can - they do have a dog so understand and I am glad she now knows that I have a puppy who will hopefully grow out of it but training will hopefully help

OP posts:
icedcoffees · 23/11/2021 15:15

Mine used to be a nightmare for barking in the garden when he was younger.

The only thing that worked was putting him on the lead and supervising him every single time he went out. He soon learnt that when he was being sent to the toilet, that meant "toilet and come inside", not " pretend to go to the toilet and dick about for ages" Grin

Cowpad · 23/11/2021 15:34

@Pipsquiggle

Thanks for all the tips so far - that's what I am after.

Just for clarification, I met her for the first time this morning as I was coming back from walking my dog. She was on a jog - so we met outside by accident and she introduced herself - which was nice.

I invited her back to my house and we had a lovely chat about loads of things - her house needs renovating, we did ours up last year so I was just showing her what we did. The dog barking did come up so I just want to make sure I am doing what I can - they do have a dog so understand and I am glad she now knows that I have a puppy who will hopefully grow out of it but training will hopefully help

Sounds,you and your neighbour are both very chilled people and dont make a mountain out of a molehill.It helps,they have a dog too and therefore understand "teething problems" with a puppy.
FrownedUpon · 23/11/2021 15:38

It’s so annoying listening to other peoples barking dogs. No one wants to hear it, so it’s great you’re trying to do something about it.

Ignore the person saying don’t engage with your neighbour. Always best to resolve these things in a friendly manner.

Artichokeleaves · 23/11/2021 15:38

I've got a total yappy monster who cannot be trained out of barking his head off at birds or other dogs barking or anyone he can hear going past, however as soon as he starts I go and get him. He never manages more than a few before I've retrieved him. It's a pain but I know he's going to do it and so wouldn't turn him out and leave him, especially early morning and night. Five minutes is a long time to be barking.

WeAllHaveWings · 23/11/2021 18:08

I have a puppy who will hopefully grow out of it but training will hopefully help

They dont grow out of it, if anything it becomes an ingrained habit if you allow it. Training or not giving them the opportunity is the only way to stop them, if they are 7 months old it is already a habit that needs to be corrected.