jods

I suppose you can also buy a Propup Performance Pack to INCREASE the noise?

Trout

iTrader: (1)

We have two neighbours who fell out badly because one had a dog that barked. Not a lot. But just enough to wake them up in the morning and just enough to wake them up at night just after they had gone to sleep.

We have different neighbours now who have dogs that bark mentally at the fence whenever we are in our garden. It drives them nuts more than us. Our dog walks up to the fence, just out of reach and stares at them nonchalantly. He doesn't bark - just drives them completely nuts and then wanders off having looked down his nose at them. It drives the owners insane!!!

Back on topic - a dog who barks randomly and regularly is a dog that is not in control. Most well trained dogs do not bark randomly.

I am sure with a decent dog trainer your dog's bark could be under control and to my mind that would be the responsible thing to do rather then defend the barking.

PS Did he bark at the igloo

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

so from one complaint they will confiscate a family pet, bit harsh !

time for it to go, only had him a few months, I am sure we can come to a suitable solution and there are things we can do, they will also have to accept that there is going to be some noise as to be honest I think they have gone off on one when really a quiet word in the first instance would have done. I do think that they are also being a bit over sensiive as it isnt that often or for long, you are still allowed to make some noise are you not ?

Lisawrx

iTrader: (1)

Should we then apply this mentality to people who have kids? I get equally irritated by the kids around my area shouting/screaming etc. when they are playing in the garden. Should I therefore expect people to get rid of their children? Some things you just have to accept when living in a residential area.

It would be different if the dog was out for hours at a time, or late at night, but this doesn't seem to be the case. I do however agree that Jacko needs to do some work to minimise the barking as it is causing an issue. Expecting silence is ridiculous in a built up area.

Dogs barking really get on my nerves, as much as I like dogs, but I wouldn't go running to the authorities about it. Not without having a face to face word first.

We've just had a similar issue about noise, and while we have been inconsiderate (not deliberately, just not thinking) the one thing that has annoyed me is that the neighbours didn't talk to us when it was first an issue. They have seen us about plenty, even chatted, while going to the council about the issue, even telling them they had spoken to us. We were on the verge of serious action, until we got a letter from the council, and went and seen them and sorted it amicably ourselves.

To my mind, if there is an issue, you go and at least try to resolve it, if it is to the point you can't ignore it. If that fails, then fine go to the authorities.

Aaron1978

iTrader: (12)

How out of touch with reality are you, i'd love to know where this perfect area/housing estate you live is

So dogs are only for rich people are they, I've never known anyone get a dog taken off them for barking. "if you can't train it, its time for it to go" Op has stated its a young dog and doesn't do it all the time and isn't out long anyway.

I didn't know dog barking was illegal either, noise pollution is and clearly this isn't noise pollution. I would imagine your 'first hand' experiance of your parents neighbours dog would have been a lot worse than the OP has said. You'll have plenty of warning if it is getting a serious matter, so wouldn't worry for now.

Dogs bark and while agree it can be annoying if it is repeated constantly. You'll be banning seaguls next and pigeons and cats, and also chickens near your big country house.

sarasquares

iTrader: (1)

I think banning cats is the way to go as they **** in every garden but their own

Oh, and pigeons as they eat my vegetables

Spoon

First off, they could have handled it better but then not everybody likes confrontation. Ultimately, you have the letter now so are aware of the problem your dog is supposedly causing the mystery neighbour.

Nobody likes dogs barking. Stopping them boils down to training, time spent solely on the intention of stopping unnecessary barking. I've said it many times that dog owners don't spend any where near enough time on training their dogs to fit in with their lifestyle.

You need to get out and do a bit of 1 to 1. There are several ways you can try to stem barking. Never hit the dog though with even rolled up newspaper. There is never a time when you need to hit a dog.

You can try the reward method where you have a handful of treats in your hand (his biscuits will do). Stand close by and when he barks for no reason tell him to "Quiet" or whatever word you'd use, but whatever word you do say to him make sure you always and only use that. Tell the kids what it is so they have to use it too. Mixing words just wrecks the whole thing.

So, if you're close with your treat, hold out your closed hand, say "quiet" and he should stop barking to sniff your hand. Let him have the treat. Repeat this when he barks again and say "quiet" again but extend the time between your dog being quiet and handing him the treat.

If he stops barking for the treat then immediately returns to barking you can raise your voice to a mild bellow to let him know it isn't going to continue. Never lose it though, just "QUIET" will do, then wait, wait, wait and reward.

After much repetition (because that is what training a dog is) he will get it. This time of year you'll get cold doing it outdoors where it is he barks. However if he barks indoors for no real reason you can do it there too.

He will learn that "quiet" means reward and hopefully shut the **** up.

Some say he will also learn to bark more knowing he gets rewarded for be quiet but they would.

Another method is the water soak but this isn't working on reward but rather punishment. It is simple though, wet his face when he barks. Use a water sprayer (plastic bottle with a trigger). Turn the flow to wide spray so you don't hurt him with a narrow jet and just spray him every time he barks.

Whichever way you go it takes dedication and needs to be done seriously. I've taught mine to bark ("speak") but also taught them to be quiet by reward. One of mine barks once on "speak" and lots of times on "alphabet"

Good luck and out you go.

Scooby Soon!

Unless you have experienced a dog barking all the time then its very difficult to understand.

Your neighbour would have to keep a diary of the times and dates your dog barks, after about a month the council will come out with a noise meter and measure how loud it is, they will issue letters warning you etc

We are only getting one side of the story, I would imagine the other side of the story would be something like this:

Tuesday 12th Jan

7am: next door dog woke me up running round in garden and barking non stop for 10 minutes,

12pm: neighbours have gone out, dog has been barking non stop since they left.

2pm: neighbour comes home, dog stops barking as soon as they park on there drive!

5pm: dog outside in garden barking non stop again for 10 minutes

10pm: dogs back outside running around barking non stop


If this sort of thing happens every day, day in day out its enough to make you go mental!

I love dogs (would like a german shepherd) but my house and circumstance are not suitable, my sister lived in a row of terrace houses her next door neighbour had a german shepherd that barked non stop from when she left for work at 9am until 5pm when she got home. When my sister spoke to the neighbour she said things like "it definetly does not bark all day" and "dogs are supposed to bark". Everytime my sister went in the garden the dog next door would be barking non stop trying to demolish the fence.

Dogs are the same as kids, "you can't blame the dog/kids" only the parents/owners!

forgot to say the lady on channel 4 that looks a bit funny (skinny with leggings on normally) had a dog show and she could could change dogs with in a week, she was the super nanny of dog world.

Scooby Soon!

GlesgaKiss

You've got to be taking the ****. Shoot the dog with an air pistol? You sick c*nt.

The Trooper 1815

iTrader: (31)

Your answering the questions for the other party.

If the dog annoys you then it must be pissing them off. You are the only one to get it sorted.

He may bark at a convenient time for you but not them.

As already commented. drop you mobile number off and have a good old chat

Dedrater

Not trying to be condescending J4CKO, but I have got that book Scooby Soon! posted, if you want it you can have it for free, it's not the best book in the world, but it's alright.

PM me if you want it.

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Some really good advice and constructive comments there, thanks.

Our action plan is as follows,

Supervise the Dog whilst he is in the garden, did last night, was out there ten minutes, I came in for part of it and he didnt bark once (maybe he picked up the mood ).

Make the kids aware that they must bring him in if he starts barking.

He doesnt go out before 8 am or after 10pm, if desperate on a lead or we just take him for a walk.

Use the reward method, failing that the watergun, also there are collars that emit high frequency sound when the Dog barks so that may be an option. will do it inside and out, he is young dog and generally fairly trainable.



Visit the neighbour in a polite manner, express our concern at getting the letter and outline what we plan to do but get across that speaking to us in the first instance if they have any concerns in future is the best course of action, also ask them to bear with us whilst we get the barking sorted and point out that it will happen from time to time and it isnt grounds for calling the Police, suggest a time to speak about it again to get a progress report from both sides, as with most things a meeting is better than bottling things up or ignoring them.


The trouble is, I get the impression by their initial approach that they may be a little unreasonable whatever we do, I will do what I can but only time will tell.

r32

Sounds like a really good plan. Well done for taking it in such a positive fashion, I think you should be proud of yourself.

Dont be hard on the neighbour a lot of people dont like any kind of confrontation. Writing the letter must have been difficult for them. There are so many aggresive people about these days.

I'm sure your dogs going to be happier for being trained too.

FlightMan

That's all good Jacko.

I'd suggest if they don't like that approach THEY'RE being unreasonable.

Good luck.

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

I have to add, we have to listen to a lot of noise, a neighbour with a Westfield revs it all summer, other dogs, diy, kids, drum kits, cars left idling, kids playing, people having building work, neighbours kids coming home from the pub, car doors slamming at 2am, the milkman in his diesel transit but we accept it as part of living in a resedential area so I think thats why we feel this is a little unjust, but we will deal with it.

Spoon

Nothing beats 1 to 1 if you want your dog to 'get you'. Collars are a substitute for time and can be hit and miss. Citronella and noise collars are a bit like taking your car to the carwash when you could do a better job yourself. Mind you, you could always go e-collar and electrocute your dog from the comfort of your armchair.
Easy, it's be the bigger man time. Don't go round expecting the worst. Tell them what you intend to do and that you'd like a go on his wife. They might feel relieved you popped round.

rabbos

There are also collars that spray citrus when they bark. I've seen these work very well on a small herd of Shih Tzu that my aunt keeps.

Amazon.com: Premier Spray Sense Anti Bark Collar: Kitchen & Dining

Saying that, dog training shouldn't be put off - it's by far the best time to do it when they are young.

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

"I love the mental image of a "Herd" of Shih Tzu" !

Lydia72

I agree, perhaps they are Daily Mail readers and assume that any sort of confrontation these days results in stabbings/ people going Donkey Kong on each other.
We had some snotty anonymous letters about our burglar alarm being a nuisance while we were out, I couldn't understand why they didn't just knock on the door and tell us. After we did actually get burgled it was easy to work out who the writers were from their very red faces when talking about our burglary.

fivetide

iTrader: (1)

Is it only when he is out though? Is someone in your house 24/7? It seems he doesn't bark when you are with him and you let him straight in when he does bark therefore barking = owner and a fuss.

Perhaps he spends the day barking when you and the family are out so you don't hear it?

Just a thought.

5t.

Luan Pra bang

It could be that the neighbours are just massively overstating how big the problem is becuase they are a bunch of losers with not alot else to do. I have had too many experiences of idiotic petty people to rule that out.
People are generally ***** who need a good punch every now and then.

Markus

In that situation I'd take the dog, but then I do have a soft spot for weimaraners, and they are only using weim on cover as they are photogenic dogs and no doubt people will buy one thinking "oh, they are so cute" and don't realize they grow from small pups into very large, energetic dogs.

Anyway, I digress. Lily, thankfully, doesn't bark that much. She did bark this morning at a rabbit in the woods, probably thought it was going to eat her We lived in a couple of condo apartments and the neighbors were surprised to find out we had a dog as they never heard her.

I have to say that given the single complaint you have had, deciding it's time for the dog to go is a bit off. I would want to know exactly who it is who has the problem with the dog so a discussion can be entered into. Find out why they have a problem with it. As others have said, could be a baby trying to sleep, or it could be they are just moaning arseholes.

We have dogs nearby to us that bark very frequently indeed and it can become tedious, but it isn't constantly, so we overlook it.

If we did have a neighbor whose dog did bark all the time, then we would at least have the common decency to tell them to their face it's a problem. It's possible they are away and are unaware the dog is constantly barking when they are not around.

Was the letter addressed to you by name, with your address on it? if not then it's what I'd say is truly anonymous and you could, if you wished, completely ignore the fact you go it. So if someone official does appear, then you can feign ignorance. Somewhat naughty I know.

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Typically when he is in the garden and responding to things, they wont hear him when inside the house as they are over 100 feet away and our house is double glazed, when he does bark say when we come home you can hear it but its not obtrusive to anyone outside, he curently stays in a cage inthe kitchen, so no, he isnt sat there barking all day, he seems to just kip and copes very well, even seems to like the cage. My wife is around quite a lot during the day, its when we let him out they are on about.

I dont think they have kids, they dont have any garden, its a massive cottage that was one house and its not been split into two, one got the garden, the other a path, its tiny, that is of course if we are guessing correctly, I think they are probably "Dinkies", ever seen National Lampoons Christmas Vaction ?, the Yuppy type neighbours ? that is them and I am doing the Chevy Chase role

To be honest they have not complained about the lads Nitro car, but then again, the three times a year it comes out isnt too bad, occassionally people make some noise, as long as it isnt for too long, at a stupid time or too often I see no problem, the Dogs barking has obviously been consistent enough to cause annoyance and go outside these bounds, I will sort it but they have not handled it very well with their anonymous letter, perhaps a few months then an anonymous Dog Turd mail shot.

GC8

Im sure that someones already said this: but the sort of person who initiates contact in this manner and makes threats, as they have, is unlikely to resond in the manner that you have hoped.

Id simply ensure that you are acting correctly and not leave yourself open to prosecution, Beyond that Id ignore them.

Simon

GC8

Btw: Ive only just seen your months old reply to my 'MOTd? (FIAT 500)' question on the PH classic cars thread. Did you post a 'how I fixed it up' thread?

chocolate_o_brian

iTrader: (22)

+1. What a ******** comment to say

dunx

iTrader: (3)

Just had a brain-wave....

Yes me !

Keep a diary of "dog times" so that when toe-rag calls in the council you can show that your dog was supervised and hopefully silent-ish.

HTH

dunx

P.S. I feel a real **** bawling "Lucy shut the f*ck up" out of my window, at the neighbour's dog

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Dunx, not a bad idea, there hasnt been a single bark in the garden today, we let him out and listened ready to drag him in but nothing, I am not going to made to feel like I cannot let him out, they can cope with the odd bark or f*ck off whilst we get him trained better.

GC8, cant really remember, the Fiat is all tucked up at the in laws for the winter, it was Mot'd after much work, but still needs quite a bit of work, hoping this year to get the running sorted and hopefully the cosmetic side looked at, also get it to charge the battery, basically need it to at least complete any given journey without a wheel dropping off or it conking out.

Big Pete

Was going to suggest what Dunx has said re keeping the diary.

YEARS ago this went on with one of my mates, he kept a diary when the dogs were in his garden (date, time, how long they were out for etc) and when he was approached by the council he gave them the diary while requesting they produce the same kind of detail re complaint(s). They couldn't but said they would be back with this info in the future...........

Nothing happened.