Barking Dogs?

Question

My neighbor has a dog that barks all night long, for hours and hours - what can I do to stop the dog from barking without having my neighbors be angry with me?

Answer 1

You could at least definitely report it to the local police for disturbances. Other than that... I would invest in some ear plugs...
there probably isn't much you can actually do, until they either move, or the dog dies.

Answer 2

Dealing with bad neighbors is a nightmare - there's really no way to do it without pissing them off. You could try offering to split the cost of a no-bark collar with them. Personally, I'd move before I'd live next to a neighbor like that, but sometimes that's not an option. Sounds like you've taken the high road so far in a very frustrating situation. Some people advise poisoning the dogs, which is ridiculous - it's really not their fault. Killing a pet dog is a felony in most states, especially if it's on your neighbor's property. Bad neighbors are big on retaliation. If you kill his dog, who's to say he won't burn down your house? And his next dog might be worse. If you're intent on committing a crime, kill your neighbor instead. (Just kidding!)

Most areas have noise or nuisance laws - sometimes calling the cops can help, sometimes it can make it worse. If you report it anonymously, they won't take you very seriously. Animal control will only seize the dogs if they are abused (ie, no shelter, no water, no food, etc). Get witness statements from your other annoyed neighbors. If the cops won't help, I'd try calling your local TV station and see if they want to do a human interest story on lousy neighbors. Make a video tape and show them how annoying this is.
Show them as much documentation as you can, pictures and a log of how many times you have called the cops and gotten no help.

Hmmm... Make an audio tape of the dog barking, call your neighbor (from a pay phone!) and play the tape really loud at three in the morning?

Answer 3

Call your local police station or city hall and ask them what the laws are for noise pollution. Call the police and tell them that this dog barks incessantly and they will talk to the neighbors without giving out your name.

Also (I've done this) try sending them an anonymous letter. Make it really nice but stern. I did that with neighbors that had 4 American Foxhounds (large hunting dogs). They had them in small kennels and they would bay (not bark) constantly. Within 2 weeks, the dogs were gone. I just said in the letter that is was unfair to keep those kinds of dogs in the city in such small kennels and that the noise was bothersome.

Good Luck.

Answer 4

Leave an anonymous note on their door letting them know that it is disruptive. I used to leave the backdoor of the house open so my dogs could go out in the backyard while I was at work. They don't bark when I am home, but apparently they were barking at things on the other side of the fence while I was gone. It was disruptive to the neighbors but I had no idea it was happening. Someone left a nice note on my door one day, and we no longer let them out while we are gone. Problem fixed. If you are uneasy about speaking with them about it, just leave a friendly note.

Best of luck!

Answer 5

With few exceptions, all dogs bark. Barking is a natural behaviour and it is a way of communicating. While the messages can range from loneliness to hunger or playfulness, most often barking is used as an alarm or alert signal that indicates to the other pack members that a stranger or intruder is approaching

Most people have a feeling of security and comfort knowing their dogs are “on the job”. Some people even encourage their dogs to bark and growl when the doorbell rings or someone knocks. They feel this is acceptable behaviour, however, when the dogs become uncontrollable, with barking that is excessive, they become a nuisance. Life is miserable for neighbours who must listen day after day to barking dogs.
Excessive barking often begins in puppy-hood, when the pup who is not yet house-trained is unwisely shut behind closed doors. Improper confinement will definitely cause a barking problem, and dogs that are tied or tethered will eventually become frustrated and begin to bark to communicate their displeasure. We must always remember that dogs are pack animals. It is not natural or normal for them to be alone, however, millions of dogs must learn to cope confidently while members of the family go out daily to work.

Chewing, uncontrolled barking, house-training problems and destructive behaviour have put many dogs out of their homes, and all of this could be avoided if we simply communicated more effectively with our canine companions. They are part of a pack or family, similar in behaviour to their ancestors, the wolves. Wolves travel, hunt, sleep and eat in a group environment, therefore, we must modify this instinct. We must, in our human packs, make our dogs feel comfortable and secure about being alone in the “den” while the other pack members are away.

Because most barking takes place when you are away from home, you have no choice but to believe your neighbours when they complain.

Barking is actually quite common and not that difficult to rectify. Let us consider the encouraging owner who inadvertently praises and teaches his or her dog that its barking is the greatest thing, which makes the dog feel its owner is happy and pleased when he barks.

The easiest way to teach the dog to bark is command him to “speak”. So while the dog is barking at the door, the owner may use the command word “speak”. The dog will associate barking behaviour with this word. Now, your golden moment has arrived. You are going to teach your dog the word “quiet”, or “enough” or “shush” (your choice!). We do not teach the word “No”, because “No” means “Never, ever do that - ever".

When you command your dog to be “Quiet” and he keeps barking, you will have to teach him the meaning of the word “Quiet”. Hitting your dog or using other physical measure or mechanical or electronic aids are unkind and unnecessary. You may hold your dog’s muzzle closed (gently and kindly), or you may have to use a water pistol. Another method is to make a sudden sharp sound (rattle a pop can with some coins in it, or bang on a pot) to divert your dog’s attention from barking. When your dog has ceased to bark for at least three to five seconds, praise him in a quiet, calm voice, perhaps saying, “Good, quiet. Good!”. Avoid stroking, patting and hugging your dog at this point, as you may over-excite him again, and he may miss the point of the whole exercise.

Before you leave your dog alone, remember the following points:

Provide adequate exercise.

Leave the radio or television on.

Provide your dog with proper chewing material - rawhide, nylabones and Kong toys stuffed with yummy stuff are good (beware of using real animal bones - they can splinter).

Crate train your dog.

Unplug your phone.

Place a “Do Not Disturb” sign on your door. This may prevent trades people from knocking or ringing the bell, which would set your dog off on a barking cycle.

Shut the shades or drapes so your dog cannot see outside.

Make your departures calm. Tone things down and be matter of fact. Over-emotional, guilt-ridden departures (and entrances) put your dog in a state of anxiety.

Answer 6

Have the dog whisperer come to her house and teach her how to train her dog properly. It's probably because the owner doesn't give the dog enough attention and take it for walks to wear the dog out.

Answer 7

Go here for an awesome dog training program http://OnlineDogTraining.enle.info/?05t1

Since it is obvious that you do not have a clue about obedience training, your services should be for free. You cannot train even an adult dog for 8 hours a day. About the most that can be done at any one time is 10 - 20 minutes and that is with an adult dog and not a puppy. The attention span on this baby is extremely short and training session should be no more than 10 minutes and twice a day. Additionally, there isn t going to be much learned if you will only be training for 5 days. Obedience training is cumulative and is done over a much longer period of at least several weeks to several months.
What you can charge is determined by your experience, reputation, and accomplishments and in a case like this, should also include guaranteed expectations. Just working with dogs over several years, is not the experience that is necessary to be a dog trainer. There are too many people who are putting that title to their name and fleecing the public. Don t be one of them.

Answer 8

Ask them about the dog and barking. They should appreciate you coming to them instead of the police. you know???

Answer 9

tell the neighbors that their dog is bothering you so it won't be your fault

Answer 10

Ouch! What a crappy position to be in. I don't know that there is anything that you can do that won't piss them off.

Your only choice may be to confront them about it.