Constant Barking

[Leigha]

I can empathize... I'm lucky that my neighbors are more understanding. Ours have had to be outside more since Dixie doesn't tolerate them in her line of sight. But, our dogs and the neighbors' will run the fence line barking at each other. I'm pretty sure they're playing an weird game of tag, but they'll bark back and forth at each other. Bruiser sounds like he'd eat her if he caught her, but I think that's just how he sounds--because the whole time he's smiling and wagging his whole body. He barks at her to make her run more. Well today I noticed they were running back and forth but not barking at each other. The neighbors got tired of the grass by the fence dying when their Great Dane ran it, so they put up plastic sheeting that's about 2 feet high about 3 feet away from the fence. Something about the plastic sheeting being their keeps Bruiser from barking at her even though they still play the running game.

I am sorry you have turds for neighbors though, it really does make it tough when you're trying to do right by everyone involved.

[emmabeth]

Honestly if someones dog was barking outside for over 30 minutes I would complain too...

Why didnt you go get your dog and bring him inside?

[Sarah83]

Honestly if someones dog was barking outside for over 30 minutes I would complain too...

Same. Especially if that dog was known for nuisance barking. You letting him bark for 30 minutes doesn't really show them you're working on the issue so can you blame them for being "hard nosed" about it?

I've been on both sides of this issue, I've had a dog who barked at anything and everything and nothing and I've lived close to nuisance barkers whose owners just didn't seem to care that their dogs were barking for 20 minutes non stop. How do you put up with the constant barking? Shadow used to drive me mad with it never mind the neighbours! We managed it so that he wasn't barking for more than a minute or two at any time. It meant that if kids were playing outside the house the dog wasn't outside or in a room where he could see them or the curtains were closed. He was in the house if we went out, he was brought in if he barked while out in the garden and he wasn't allowed out alone after around 9pm or before 7am to minimise the risk of his barking upsetting people.

[Mattie]

Today was a beautiful day here in the city close to the 60's and we have taken 2 60 min walks... so needless to say he is a bit more tired then usual. Until this evening when kids were riding their bikes down the back side of our fence.. then Jake went on a barking/yelping spree for a lil over 30 mins. Which was NOT GOOD. As the neighbors came over to complain, and threatend that they will be calling animal control in the AM tomorrow.

We are honestly trying to get this under control and explained this to them... they seem to be very hard nosed about the entire situation which is unbecoming. I wanted to keep you all updated and will continue to do so in the next few days.

Allowing him to bark for over 30 minutes is not trying to solve this, many on here have multiple dogs and we manage not to let them bark for more than a minute or two, we don't have the threat of our dog being pts if we don't stop them barking, you do. If you don't take action NOW you are not going to have a dog.

What is your objection to Jake being inside?

[Lauram]

I have been reading this post carefully and like a few others are curious as to why you can't bring him in?

Your dog could be taken from you and PTS, they are beautiful looking dogs. When they start barking why can you not just get them in? Time alone in the yard is no different to time in the house they don't get anything from it. We have a mulitdog household and out of respect for our neighbours do not LET them bark in the garden, this means keeping them in when school kids are going past and simply not letting the worse ones out at all on their own. If we are in the garden then they dont bark, or if they do it is quickly stopped.

With dogs there are some things that simply not acceptable, why should your entire neighbourhood suffer because of your dogs? There is nothing worse than constant barking and with the barking/yelping you described going on for 30 minutes straight people who live near you must be ripping out their hair. As responsible dog owners we absolutely should not allow our dogs to become a menace in the community.

[dixie's mom]

they showed something on tv called barkoff it lets you control your dogs barking ! no collar ! just a puslar sound !

[Fundog]

Something similar was recently discussed on the "training tools" page-- the majority consensus was that since dogs can hear things we can't, we have no way of knowing if the sound is painful to the dog's sensitive/acute hearing. At the very least, I can say that very high pitches that I can hear are extremely annoying, even grating, and will cause me to react aggressively. I can only imagine how it would make a dog feel. (think: fingernails scraping a chalkboard: uuuh, shudder!)

[emmabeth]

I read reviews for that or a similar product on Amazon... it uses an unpleasant sound which some dogs found very upsetting and other dogs totally ignored.

In many cases the dogs were also being punished by the device being set off by car doors slamming people passing by, other local dogs barking.. and so the unit was ineffective at best and cruel at worst.

The answer to the OP's problem is NOT to let the dogs outside unsupervised and to bring them in the second they bark. In addition to this providing sufficient mental and physical exercise should solve the problem.

[OceanStar]

Back to give you all an update!

So far we have had lil change as far as barking goes for Jake. Animal control has issued their last warning for us.
Since I have last posted we have had the police at our home twice being called by the neighbors, for Jake and his
barking. They have record of everything that is happening. Two days ago I had let Luda outside in the back yard to go
potty without Jake sniffing his butt the whole time. I happened to go out with him, and sure enough I heard the neighbour
come out and had a video recorder standing there taping, he thought I had let Jake out! So I waited a good hour and then let Jake out to do his business and the man came out again with his camcorder and was recording Jake. Threw a rock at the side of the fence. (It is a six foot privacy fence) And Jake started barking, ran over to the fence line to sniff and freaked out barking and the collar was shocking him. I went over the the fence on the berm an looked over he was still recording, I asked why he threw the rock, he claimed he didn't.

Yesterday he did the same thing again, I was shocked. Not sure what to do. When we had appeared at court, it was mentioned that our other neighbour on the other side of them had also been experiencing the same thing. The problem neighbours calling animal control for their dog barking. I took upon myself to go and speak with her and see what has happened in her case. All the exact same things, she said they cannot afford a shock collar and dont want to do that to their dog. I certainly dont blame them! The husband and or wife constantly calling Animal Control and the Police.

They have been keeping Inide (their dog) locked in the house and only let her out to go potty, she never has free time in the backyard. She too has noticed the neighbours recording her dog outside too. Also happened to notice it was been done to both of us.

Does anyone have any advice on what the next step is to help control this situation for all parties?
When and if animal control show up here again stemming from a call from the "evil neighbours" they will be
removing Jake from our home.

[OceanStar]

I read reviews for that or a similar product on Amazon... it uses an unpleasant sound which some dogs found very upsetting and other dogs totally ignored.

In many cases the dogs were also being punished by the device being set off by car doors slamming people passing by, other local dogs barking.. and so the unit was ineffective at best and cruel at worst.

The answer to the OP's problem is NOT to let the dogs outside unsupervised and to bring them in the second they bark. In addition to this providing sufficient mental and physical exercise should solve the problem.

They are both getting outside of the house walks everyday 7 days a week. It seems we have discovered that
the neighbours seem to be harrassing Jake into barking as well. And Jake has the right to be in his back yard.

[OceanStar]

Today was a beautiful day here in the city close to the 60's and we have taken 2 60 min walks... so needless to say he is a bit more tired then usual. Until this evening when kids were riding their bikes down the back side of our fence.. then Jake went on a barking/yelping spree for a lil over 30 mins. Which was NOT GOOD. As the neighbors came over to complain, and threatend that they will be calling animal control in the AM tomorrow.

We are honestly trying to get this under control and explained this to them... they seem to be very hard nosed about the entire situation which is unbecoming. I wanted to keep you all updated and will continue to do so in the next few days.

Allowing him to bark for over 30 minutes is not trying to solve this, many on here have multiple dogs and we manage not to let them bark for more than a minute or two, we don't have the threat of our dog being pts if we don't stop them barking, you do. If you don't take action NOW you are not going to have a dog.

What is your objection to Jake being inside?

We have no issues with Jake being in at all. But why cant he go outside in his own backyard for chirst sake?
We own this house and pay our HOA fees, we have more then a right to let our dogs in the back yard.
And it doesnt help when he is being harrassed by that man.

[Noobs]

Oh my. You should videotape HIM throwing rocks at the fence!

[OceanStar]

Oh my. You should videotape HIM throwing rocks at the fence!

It is very disheartening that it has come to this, and we have begun to tape him. Now catching it is going to be the task
at hand. We have NEVER had any problems with these people before hand. We have always been kind to one another.

[Mattie]

We have no issues with Jake being in at all. But why cant he go outside in his own backyard for chirst sake?
We own this house and pay our HOA fees, we have more then a right to let our dogs in the back yard.
And it doesnt help when he is being harrassed by that man.

We can only go by what you have posted and from your posts it sounded like you didn't want him inside.

You need to video your neighbour throwing stones at the fence to make your dogs bark and also need whitnesses to this who are willing to go to court if necessary. If possible get someone from Animal Control or the police to see this.

Leaving him outside to bark at the moment is signing his death warrant, you don't want to loose him but you will if you continue to do this. Just because it is your right to do this doesn't mean that this problem will go away, you need to take action and not let him bark. He is your dog, we can't tell you what to do only make suggestions but don't blame your neighbour if your dog is taken from you, you have allowed him to bark for 30 minutes and said so in a previous post. I would object if my neighbour's dog was barking for 30 minutes. It doesn't matter why your dog is barking, unless you can prove your neighbour is the cause taking the view that it is your right to leave him outside will end in him being put to sleep.

[Sarah83]

If you're going to talk about rights then your neighbours have the right to not have to put up with your dog barking for 30 minutes. They also have the right to be in their garden making a noise regardless of whether it makes your dog bark. Mine used to bark at kids kicking a ball against the fence, he used to get brought in since they're entitled to play ball in their own garden. If I had neighbours behaving like this my dog just wouldn't be out in the garden to be honest, especially not alone. Rupert goes out on a long line so he can't kill my neighbours chickens, Yorkshire Terriers, cats or the sheep around the corner. I have every right to let him out in the garden off leash but I'd be risking his life if I did so since my right to own a dog can be revoked if my dog causes problems and farmers have the right to shoot a dog threatening their livestock.

If you think your neighbours are purposely baiting your dog to bark then get it on video although I'm not sure how you're going to video them baiting your dog with a 6ft privacy fence in the way. Have you told the authorities that your dog is being wound up by these people? If so what have they said to that?