Hi All

Our neighbour has put in a complaint to the council about our westie Robbie barking in the garden, she shouted over the fence last week that as soon as they go into their garden he starts barking at them, i agree he does bark but i feel he is protecting his property if he hears a strange noise which i feel is a dog. She has started to shout over at him as soon as he barks or mumbles in the garden now even if he only barks once or twice she shouts over 'quiet or shut up' this then stirs him up all the more as he doesn't seem to like her voice.
If his barking becomes what i feel is persistent i bring him in and then allow him back out once he has quietened down i certainly wouldn't leave him out there to bark for a long period of time but i feel as a dog i don't want to keep bringing him in for 1 or 2 barks at a time. Does anybody know how the council deals with these matters and if your dog is allowed to bark in your own garden for a short period of time without neighbours having grounds to complain, he is never left outside when we are out and i know he doesn't bark when we are not in as other neighbours have confirmed this they have also said he isn't a problem and that they don't hear him but its only 1 set of neighbours that are a pain in the arse.
They have a dog themselves but it is a whippet so hardly barks at all and they feel that our dog needs 'training' to not bark, they are not the sort of people you can talk to without things getting nasty so don't think this will be sorted out in a reasonable matter, but i have no intentions of punishing my dog and not letting him out in the garden just because she feels he shouldn't be barking at all. Never having this problem before i don't know what is classed as barking problems or not, i don't feel he barks excessively and i feel he is only protecting his property as he is never ever left to bark for more than 5 minutes at a time because i make him come indoors, anybody else had problems like this with neighbours??

I think 5 minutes barking is quite a long time. My girls do bark at strange things but I do hush them after a couple of barks to be honest. I think that's enough to give me a warning and I would not let them continue to bark for longer that that. We have two dogs in two houses on our cul-de-sac and they are out a lot and bark persistently...any little thing sets them off and they seem unable to spend more then 10 minutes outside without yapping. It does not bother me but I do sometimes wonder why the owners do not try to train them to hush.
Sorry not the reply you wanted maybe.
Aileen

My dogs do bark at my neighbours dog but as soon as i hear a bark i call them inside. there is no way i would let one stay outside barking for 5 minutes. My neighbours dog does bark at me and my dogs and I find it really irritating. He barks when I come home or go out or if he hears me in my garden and they don't do anything to keep him quiet. I hate it. I won't risk my dogs upsetting other neighbours by barking like that. Your dog does not need to protect his territory by barking randomly in the garden.

You do not need to punish your dog. If I hear a bark I just call my dogs in and scatter a handful of biscuits on the floor. #the first ones in get most of the biscuits and the stragglers miss out so they all race in now. a couple of them run in as soon as someone barks to be sure they are in the best position for the biscuits. I let them straight out again and they are usually quiet. If they start again I do another handfull of biscuits. the 3rd time they have to stay in for a while before I let them out again.

local councils usually ask that people keep a log of the noise... I would strongly recommend that you start one - when he goes out, when he barks, how long for, what your neighbour does (they shouldn't tell your dog what to do) - I had neighbours who used to slam doors to set the dogs off... so I'd make a note of what your neighbour does, when other dogs bark etc.... the council often cruise around to see if they can hear the dogs barking if they get a complaint - it's all very general but a few barks will not be a problem - usually it's continuous barking for an hour at a time, but it's what the 'woman/man in the street might find annoying'.

if no one else complains they're unlikely to take any action - it seems like you're doing your best and your neighbour isn't helping... you could try bringing your dog in when she's around or even asking her not to speak to the dog but leave it to you to control the barking... why are they even saying anything would be my approach?  Mind my neighbour threw buckets of water and set off air horns to 'get my dogs to be quiet' (yes really! - although the air horn she had to creep up to my fence as the dogs were so quiet in order to set off the horn and of course make them bark!)  All designed to be unpleasant, so if your neighbour is doing it deliberately then sorry but it's a tough one.  I moved.

Oh yes, been there, done it, got the T-shirt -and moved away from neighbours because of it. The sad thing is that it often doesn't matter whether you are right or not, the neighbour can keep making your life a misery. A good friend of mine is currently considering moving for the same reason.

The way it works: if somebody makes a complaint to the council, the council HAS to tell you via a letter. The person is then given a sheet of paper to fill in with all dates and times of barking heard, for how long etc, over a period of time, usually around 2 weeks. When the council receive that paper back (and of course, not all bother to send it back, and some -like the neighbours we have -outright LIE on it and overstate the barking) they look at it and if there appears to be excessive barking, they will ask the person who complained if they want listening equipment installed to prove this. Our neighbours initially refused as they knew full well they would be proved to be liars, but the council said that after the third complaint (obviously how things are done can vary between councils) if they refused the listening equipment again they would not accept any further complaints. So it was installed -and no, you do not get told about it. In our case it was proved the dogs did NOT bark too much. Dogs are by law allowed to bark, but it cannot be for prolonged periods of time (such as in for several minutes) or at anti social hours (between 11 pm and 7 am). The recordings aren't just listened to by one person, it is an entire group of council people who review them, and then inform the complaining neighbour of their findings. Again they do NOT tell you the outcome unless it was found your dog/s did bark too much. We phoned the council up again and again, and they did eventually admit they had found no problem, but it didn't help. The neighbour made complaints 7 times, and listening equipment was used 2 or 3 times. The council still told them our dogs did not bark excessively. (And we had about 9 then.) So the neighbour instead reported us for having excessive dog poo in the garden -again that got them nowhere. They then tried to MAKE the dogs bark by banging on doors and windows when we were not at home -which I found out when I once was at home and they didn't know. That was when we decided to move! But it made us prisoners in our own home for over 2 years as we could NEVER leave the dogs alone in case the neighbours tried to make them bark. Horrible people. They even had a barking dog themselves!

In your case it does not sound like excessive barking at all, but you can't do a thing about your neighbour complaining. :(

> he is never ever left to bark for more than 5 minutes at a time because i make him come indoors,

I have 6 dogs of a breed that if not curbed likes the sound of it's own voice.

I certainly would not allow more than a single bark or two without bringing the offending dog or dogs straight in.  I make sure the neighbours can hear me call the dog in and say 'no barking allowed it's rude'.

They are not allowed to bark at normal neighbour noises (people in the garden etc).  Still trying to 'train' a couple of mine not to bark that the teasing cats belonging to a few houses down who enjoy sitting in the rear of my garden that the dogs are fenced off from, have managed to get the younger ones to finally ignore the wood pigeon on neighbours bird table and in the past squirrels sitting on the fence.

I certainly would agree with your neighbour that the dog needs training not to bark, as barking at the neighbours is unacceptable.  Strangers at the front door gate is another matter, but even then I only allow a bark or two and they are brought in back door closed until visitor dealt with.

Call him in the moment he starts bark, your neighbours have the right to enjoy their garden - only wish people with kids playing football could be expected to do the same but children are children and animals are expected to be controlled. Might seem unfair but when your neighbour has enjoyed peace for a while you may be able to talk to them and come to an understanding.

I certainly would not allow more than a single bark or two without bringing the offending dog or dogs straight in.

I would honestly say that is preventing the dog from acting like a dog and is excessive in the other direction -no more than two woofs?  That in itself can cause stress for dogs.

2 woofs x 6 is a lot of woofs.

Barking is only for warning, and neighbours going about their normal business is not reason enough to bark.

I can't stand it, so certainly don't expect my neighbours to put up with it.

Well,
I have a neighbour who's dog likes the sound of his own bark.
He goes at any noise, I only have to step into the garden and if he's in his he'll start and does go on for a good few minutes each time. Mine ignore this one, but its bloody annoying and all the neighbours around are sick of this dog!
I hate mine barking in a garden beyond play, if its a warning then I stop it when I'm home after a couple and pull them in, sometimes the word 'enough' is enough and they stop..
Personally I wouldn't be allowing a dog barking continuously for 5mins, a few good continues barks and I'm on it, I don't want to hear it and no one else will either..
Probably very different when you are more urban then rural location..

I just wouldn't allow continuous barking from Robbie if I'm honest regardless what time of day it is..

I hate my dog barking in the garden - I don't want to stop her alerting me that there is someone there  but she can see the road from parts of the garden and tells me when someone is going past too.  I don't let her out first thing in the morning nor after 9ish in the evening unless on the lead and I can control her.  The trouble is she will bark at strange things in the sky - low flying planes, helicopters etc at birds sat on the telegraph pole, cats!  So I often have to get up and bring her in - as quickly as I can.  Earlier this evening it was cows poking their heads over - non of us are used to that and I took some time to calm her and send her in the house.  I wish there was a magic wand I could wave over her head to stop her. 

To be honest I have never found that requiring a dog to be quite stops them alerting you if something is wrong, of if a neighbourhood dog is barking an alarm bark they join in but ignore a normal let me in, or I'm fed up sort of bark.

Like many others I have been there. I got a letter from the council about my dogs barking. I went in to the council office with a couple of my neighbours (I didn't tell them why we were there) and when I told the lady in the office why I was there my neighbours both started laughing. One even said she never heard them, although our houses are joined together (semi-detached houses) and the other said that she was happy to hear them as she knew I was around.

I was told to make a diary of any noise, no matter what it was. I did this for 2 months as it wasn't just about my dogs barking but I decided to take note of his power tools in action after 10 at night. :-( He was told that he didn't have a case and that he would have to shut up. Mind you, I did mention that my brother is a solicitor. That seemed to get someone's attention :-) Neighbour eventually moved, not me. I now have the best neighbour anyone could ask for.

> Dogs are by law allowed to bark, but it cannot be for prolonged periods of time (such as in for several minutes) or at anti social hours (between 11 pm and 7 am).

The neighbours I had where I lived before reported me because my dog had barked TWICE during the night, both times because I had made toast after midnight and it set off the newly installed smoke alarm (I had lived there for 5 years previously with no smoke alarms in the flat - illegal - and when they put some in they were too sensitive) (and no, I didn't even slightly burn the toast).

They were also upset by the fact they had to pass my front door every time they went up to their flat and my dog always barked at them. I often heard them swearing and even shouting at my dog to shut up, but legally that wasn't a reason to complain. I probably should have complained that they decided to take over cultivating MY window box without permission, which I'd bought and previously filled with plants at my expense, in front of MY front window (to make the property look good - they were trying to sell) and of course it set my dog off, seeing someone moving about outside my front room window.

Dogs barking for prolonged periods during the day (20 minutes constantly or more) or barking at unsocial hours, are considered a nuisance. I had a letter from the council and kept a strict diary, including noting when I was out with the dog. The next stage is that the council install a noise detector in the complainant's home, which is where a diary is important. I never heard back from the council after the complaint was made... and eventually moved out anyway. I doubt that the council would have upheld it, as I was very much aware of any barking, shame I didn't get cleared of the accusations. I later heard that after I moved out, it still took them 18 months to sell their flat, so I hope karma bit them in their most sensitive and ouchy places.

To be honist if I was your nabour I wouldn't be happy either if I couldn't go in my own garden with out being barked at for 5 minutes, normal playing noise no problem, a few warning barks fine but not for 5 minutes. Everyone has a right to enjoy there garden with out being harrassed by nabours both human and canine. I'd try to work with your dog to teach it to ignore the nabour as your dog doesn't need to protect the territory from you nabour in there garden. My girl has been doing the same with our new nabours, she doesn't like strangers and had taken to barking at them if she saw them. I explained and apologised and have been either calling her in, distracting her or telling her enough every time she has started barking at them. Now she mostly doesn't bark at them unless they approach her. She will often stretch to watch them over the wall and either doesn't bark or has one quiet bark as she gets down. They said its fine and don't seem upset or bothered by her, I guess as I apologised and explained why she was doing it and they can see I'm working on it with results they were happy to put up with it.

We had a nabour once who's Jack Russel would bark at night every so often but it was lituary only 4 or 5 barks max then it would be quiet so it didn't bother me. The nabour on the other side however had a westy that barked loads, use to drive me nuts some times, especially at 1am and the barking would last from 5mins to 20+ minits. But we were friendly with the nabour and they told us they can't all ways hear them and if it's bothering me (I hadn't Actualy said anything about the barking to them) to tell the dog to shh. In the end I had there dog trained to my whistle, she would come out and bark, I'd whistle and she would go inside. Still ment I had to get out of bed but better than nothing.

To be honist if I was your nabour I wouldn't be happy either if I couldn't go in my own garden with out being barked at for 5 minutes, normal playing noise no problem, a few warning barks fine but not for 5 minutes. Everyone has a right to enjoy there garden with out being harrassed by nabours both human and canine. I'd try to work with your dog to teach it to ignore the nabour as your dog doesn't need to protect the territory from you nabour in there garden. My girl has been doing the same with our new nabours, she doesn't like strangers and had taken to barking at them if she saw them. I explained and apologised and have been either calling her in, distracting her or telling her enough every time she has started barking at them. Now she mostly doesn't bark at them unless they approach her. She will often stretch to watch them over the wall and either doesn't bark or has one quiet bark as she gets down. They said its fine and don't seem upset or bothered by her, I guess as I apologised and explained why she was doing it and they can see I'm working on it with results they were happy to put up with it.

We had a nabour once who's Jack Russel would bark at night every so often but it was lituary only 4 or 5 barks max then it would be quiet so it didn't bother me. The nabour on the other side however had a westy that barked loads, use to drive me nuts some times, especially at 1am and the barking would last from 5mins to 20+ minits. But we were friendly with the nabour and they told us they can't all ways hear them and if it's bothering me (I hadn't Actualy said anything about the barking to them) to tell the dog to shh. In the end I had there dog trained to my whistle, she would come out and bark, I'd whistle and she would go inside. Still ment I had to get out of bed but better than nothing.

To be honist if I was your nabour I wouldn't be happy either if I couldn't go in my own garden with out being barked at for 5 minutes, normal playing noise no problem, a few warning barks fine but not for 5 minutes. Everyone has a right to enjoy there garden with out being harrassed by nabours both human and canine. I'd try to work with your dog to teach it to ignore the nabour as your dog doesn't need to protect the territory from you nabour in there garden. My girl has been doing the same with our new nabours, she doesn't like strangers and had taken to barking at them if she saw them. I explained and apologised and have been either calling her in, distracting her or telling her enough every time she has started barking at them. Now she mostly doesn't bark at them unless they approach her. She will often stretch to watch them over the wall and either doesn't bark or has one quiet bark as she gets down. They said its fine and don't seem upset or bothered by her, I guess as I apologised and explained why she was doing it and they can see I'm working on it with results they were happy to put up with it.

We had a nabour once who's Jack Russel would bark at night every so often but it was lituary only 4 or 5 barks max then it would be quiet so it didn't bother me. The nabour on the other side however had a westy that barked loads, use to drive me nuts some times, especially at 1am and the barking would last from 5mins to 20+ minits. But we were friendly with the nabour and they told us they can't all ways hear them and if it's bothering me (I hadn't Actualy said anything about the barking to them) to tell the dog to shh. In the end I had there dog trained to my whistle, she would come out and bark, I'd whistle and she would go inside. Still ment I had to get out of bed but better than nothing.

To be honist if I was your nabour I wouldn't be happy either if I couldn't go in my own garden with out being barked at for 5 minutes, normal playing noise no problem, a few warning barks fine but not for 5 minutes. Everyone has a right to enjoy there garden with out being harrassed by nabours both human and canine. I'd try to work with your dog to teach it to ignore the nabour as your dog doesn't need to protect the territory from you nabour in there garden. My girl has been doing the same with our new nabours, she doesn't like strangers and had taken to barking at them if she saw them. I explained and apologised and have been either calling her in, distracting her or telling her enough every time she has started barking at them. Now she mostly doesn't bark at them unless they approach her. She will often stretch to watch them over the wall and either doesn't bark or has one quiet bark as she gets down. They said its fine and don't seem upset or bothered by her, I guess as I apologised and explained why she was doing it and they can see I'm working on it with results they were happy to put up with it.

We had a nabour once who's Jack Russel would bark at night every so often but it was lituary only 4 or 5 barks max then it would be quiet so it didn't bother me. The nabour on the other side however had a westy that barked loads, use to drive me nuts some times, especially at 1am and the barking would last from 5mins to 20+ minits. But we were friendly with the nabour and they told us they can't all ways hear them and if it's bothering me (I hadn't Actualy said anything about the barking to them) to tell the dog to shh. In the end I had there dog trained to my whistle, she would come out and bark, I'd whistle and she would go inside. Still ment I had to get out of bed but better than nothing.

To be honist if I was your nabour I wouldn't be happy either if I couldn't go in my own garden with out being barked at for 5 minutes, normal playing noise no problem, a few warning barks fine but not for 5 minutes minutes all the time for no real reason. Everyone has a right to enjoy there garden with out being harrassed by nabours both human and canine. I'd try to work with your dog to teach it to ignore the nabour as your dog doesn't need to protect the territory from you nabour in there garden. My girl has been doing the same with our new nabours, she doesn't like strangers and had taken to barking at them if she saw them. I explained and apologised and have been either calling her in, distracting her or telling her enough every time she has started barking at them. Now she mostly doesn't bark at them unless they approach her. She will often stretch to watch them over the wall and either doesn't bark or has one quiet bark as she gets down. They said its fine and don't seem upset or bothered by her, I guess as I apologised and explained why she was doing it and they can see I'm working on it with results they were happy to put up with it.

We had a nabour once who's Jack Russel would bark at night every so often but it was lituary only 4 or 5 barks max then it would be quiet so it didn't bother me. The nabour on the other side however had a westy that barked loads, use to drive me nuts some times, especially at 1am and the barking would last from 5mins to 20+ minits. But we were friendly with the nabour and they told us they can't all ways hear them and if it's bothering me (I hadn't Actualy said anything about the barking to them) to tell the dog to shh. In the end I had there dog trained to my whistle, she would come out and bark, I'd whistle and she would go inside. Still ment I had to get out of bed but better than nothing.

To be honist if I was your nabour I wouldn't be happy either if I couldn't go in my own garden with out being barked at for 5 minutes, normal playing noise no problem, a few warning barks fine but not for 5 minutes minutes all the time for no real reason. Everyone has a right to enjoy there garden with out being harrassed by nabours both human and canine. I'd try to work with your dog to teach it to ignore the nabour as your dog doesn't need to protect the territory from you nabour in there garden. My girl has been doing the same with our new nabours, she doesn't like strangers and had taken to barking at them if she saw them. I explained and apologised and have been either calling her in, distracting her or telling her enough every time she has started barking at them. Now she mostly doesn't bark at them unless they approach her. She will often stretch to watch them over the wall and either doesn't bark or has one quiet bark as she gets down. They said its fine and don't seem upset or bothered by her, I guess as I apologised and explained why she was doing it and they can see I'm working on it with results they were happy to put up with it.

We had a nabour once who's Jack Russel would bark at night every so often but it was lituary only 4 or 5 barks max then it would be quiet so it didn't bother me. The nabour on the other side however had a westy that barked loads, use to drive me nuts some times, especially at 1am and the barking would last from 5mins to 20+ minits. But we were friendly with the nabour and they told us they can't all ways hear them and if it's bothering me (I hadn't Actualy said anything about the barking to them) to tell the dog to shh. In the end I had there dog trained to my whistle, she would come out and bark, I'd whistle and she would go inside. Still ment I had to get out of bed but better than nothing.

To be honist if I was your nabour I wouldn't be happy either if I couldn't go in my own garden with out being barked at for 5 minutes, normal playing noise no problem, a few warning barks fine but not for 5 minutes minutes all the time for no real reason. Everyone has a right to enjoy there garden with out being harrassed by nabours both human and canine. I'd try to work with your dog to teach it to ignore the nabour as your dog doesn't need to protect the territory from you nabour in there garden. My girl has been doing the same with our new nabours, she doesn't like strangers and had taken to barking at them if she saw them. I explained and apologised and have been either calling her in, distracting her or telling her enough every time she has started barking at them. Now she mostly doesn't bark at them unless they approach her. She will often stretch to watch them over the wall and either doesn't bark or has one quiet bark as she gets down. They said its fine and don't seem upset or bothered by her, I guess as I apologised and explained why she was doing it and they can see I'm working on it with results they were happy to put up with it.

We had a nabour once who's Jack Russel would bark at night every so often but it was lituary only 4 or 5 barks max then it would be quiet so it didn't bother me. The nabour on the other side however had a westy that barked loads, use to drive me nuts some times, especially at 1am and the barking would last from 5mins to 20+ minits. But we were friendly with the nabour and they told us they can't all ways hear them and if it's bothering me (I hadn't Actualy said anything about the barking to them) to tell the dog to shh. In the end I had there dog trained to my whistle, she would come out and bark, I'd whistle and she would go inside. Still ment I had to get out of bed but better than nothing.

Terriers as a type tend to be gobby, and because the sound is quite high-pitched it tends to be more irritating to the ear than a deeper bark would be. Even so, if my larger dogs start barking in the garden they're brought in straight away; if they bark territorially at one of the neighbours in their own garden they (the dogs, not the neighbours!) get scolded as well as brought in, because it's inappropriate. Two or three barks as an alert is acceptable (and a brief conversation during the Twilight Barking) but not for minutes on end.

Can't you try a different approach. You say he doesn't like her voice but has he ever me her ?. Could you talk to her and let her meet Robbie ?. Get him used to her voice so if he barks when he hears a noise from her garden she can talk to him and calm him.
I know I can let my terrier out into the garden and he'll be fine. He'll only bark if somebody comes to the gate (which rarely happens), a bit like if somebody knocks on the door. I'd hate him to annoy neighbours though.

I have to agree that I would also find it irritating- 5 mins is a long time and if it is virtually every five minutes the dog goes out that is a lot of barking. I have also lived next to a fence runner and it is very wearing. This sort of barking is insistent and perfectly signals the frustration the dog feels. I don't think it is good to let the dog indulge in this either as the more he does it the worse he'll get- it is anti-social and it is a bit like a canine addiction. Of course many dogs, and especially terriers, are prone to fence running but it doesn't mean we should just let them do it- I like Brainless' policy "two barks and you're in".

Try teaching him to do a quiet on command. I'd also work hard on using distraction- a game of tuggy or similar, so he begins to associate going out into the garden with a more social type of adrenalin release.

> I certainly would not allow more than a single bark or two without bringing the offending dog or dogs straight in.
>
> I would honestly say that is preventing the dog from acting like a dog and is excessive in the other direction -no more than two woofs?  That in itself can cause stress for dogs.

But dogs that bark at every little noise usually do so as they are nervous or worried. I can't see that it is good for the dog to bark themselves into a frenzy when ever they hear something. Surely it is better to teach the dog to be comfortable with the noises he hears from the neighbours garden so he no longer feels the need to bark. A dog that is continually barking and reacting to every noise outside will have higher levels of stress hormones circulating in his body and that is not good long term.
I don't think anyone is suggesting that dogs should  not be allowed to bark at all but that it should be moderated both to help the relationship with the neighbours and for the good of the dog.

ETA if the dog in the OPs post is taught to be quiet it will result in much less stress for dog,owner and neighbour and the dog will then be able to enjoy much more freedom to use the garden. a much better situation than the current one I would have thought.

I have two dogs that bark 'territorially', although Bramble is now getting quite deaf so doesn't bark much now unless he copies Tara. We have a gravel driveway that runs down the side of the garden used by two neighbouring houses, so Tara, in particular, barks at any car or person. It isn't helped by the neighbour at the road end of the driveway having Norfolk terriers that can see the road from their garden and bark at every vehicle or person. Tara hears them barking and reacts :) Fortunately the road is very quiet so the noise isn't constant :) Like others, I make sure that she either stops barking or is brought indoors. My neighbour the other side of us has two dogs. When they go out, they leave the dogs outside and the Great Dane will bark constantly until they return, particularly when it is dark - this can be up to 5/6 hours. Fortunately, the dog is usually several hundred feet from our house and the other side of farm buildings so the noise inside our house isn't noticeable with the television on - and they don't go out too often. The summer evenings will be the worse when we have all the windows open at night. As it doesn't happen every evening (and we already have a problem with these neighbours), I don't want to complain, although if they mention that Tara barks at them when they walk past our field, I might be tempted :) :)

NY,

Yes, I think some dogs can bark because they are nervous, but others just get into a habit...it is self-rewarding and the dog possibly enjoys the buzz. Fence running can be a classic example of this- the habit is triggered by the barrier of the fence, and the dog works itself into a frenzy of high-pitched barking and running up and down. The whole business of noises the other side of the fence then cues ever greater displays of OTT behaviour, so that every time the dog goes out it is primed and ready for more.

Far from removing stress by allowing the dog to exhibit the 'natural' behaviour of repetitive barking, I'd argue we are allowing the dog to develop an addiction to its own stress hormones- and that can't be good. Alarm or watchdog barking should be finite and serves no useful purpose if it is directed at non-threatening or' irrelevent' stimuli, such as one's next door neighbours and their pets- that is unless they have harmed you or you are planning to hunt and eat one of them.

Well said FreelancerUK. You said what I was trying to say much better. I know barking is a natural dog behaviour but it is not good for either the dog or neighbourly relations if allowed to carry on to excess.

After all a man who patrolled the edge of his garden shouting threateningly at anyone who dared walk within 200yds of his territory would soon find him self in trouble, and it would serve no useful purpose. Far better to stop the self rewarding games and teach the dog which noises are irrelevant to him.

I have four dogs including 2 Mini Schnauzers who are apparently known to be yappers - but only my latest likes the sound of her own voice. She used to bark at every single noise when I got her age 18 months, and it took months (and a change of diet) to stop the barking. When the dogs bark, I shush them after a few barks as one thing I hate is dogs barking senselessly for no good reason. If my older dogs bark, I always investigate as they rarely bark without good reason - to me this is the sign of a good watch dog.

I am amazed when out walking how often dogs are left to bark constantly in gardens - if they were mine it would not be allowed, and if I was a neighbour it would drive me mad

5 minutes is too long to leave him barking and it's unfair to your neighbours.  It's your responsibility to manage the noise and his training.

Terriers like the sound of their own voices - I have one too - and they need to be taught that alerting is you fine/acceptable/even desirable, but constantly 'shouting' isn't ok.

I tend to allow a couple of barks then recall mine in for a thank you treat.  I'm effectively saying that it's good of my dog/s to tell me about whatever problem they've observed.  Depending on what they're barking at (has it gone or is it likely to get them barking again) then they are either released to go back outside or asked to stay indoors for a few minutes.  When I have the chance I'll pop a lead on and go back out armed with treats to practise shushing if it's the sort of problem that might reoccur.  For instance we used to practise this when the cows walked past for milking....

Whether Robbie is a problem barker depends on your perspective and the fact is that your neighbour believes he is means that you ought to take action.  There is no need for him to bark at her - she's not an intruder and is no threat to your property and is presumably a regular noise that he needs to get used to.  Dig out some of his favourite treats and see what you can do to desensitise him.  Bright dogs are rather amusing though once they get the hang of the 'recalled if noisy' message.  My terrier type now just barks and then runs to the back door!! 

But dogs that bark at every little noise usually do so as they are nervous or worried. I can't see that it is good for the dog to bark themselves into a frenzy when ever they hear something. Surely it is better to teach the dog to be comfortable with the noises he hears from the neighbours garden so he no longer feels the need to bark.

First of all I don't agree with that assessment at all, secondly -who said anything about "barking themselves into a frenzy"? Allowing more than TWO barks is surely not a frenzy!

I do actually know people who found their dogs were a LOT less stressed after they'd moved away from neighbours and were ALLOWED to bark now and then and weren't constantly brought indoors or told to shut up. And in my personal experience, it actually reduces barking long term as if the dogs are left outside, they get used to whatever it is they are barking at, and then stop. Such as when we got new neighbours (only have one, not too close) -they barked at the new people for a couple of days if they appeared in their garden, then stopped as they got used to seeing them around. The new neighbours have dogs themselves, and initially mine barked back when they hard theirs -now they do not. I was in the bathroom the other day with the window open to the back garden, heard the neighbours dogs bark a lot, mine were all quiet despite being outside. Then the new neighbours brought two horses, and for a couple of days the dogs barked at them, now they ignore them. When the cows are let out for the first time each spring they bark at them, then start ignoring them. However my other set of dogs that use the front garden and don't spend all day outside, they do NOT stop barking at such things as they don't get the chance to get used to them, as they are not outside all day and are brought indoors when they bark.

To quote a line in an article by a fairly wellknown trainer: If you want your dog never to bark can I suggest you get a cat or a rabbit instead?

We have two patterdales living across the way and they are a right royal pain in the backside. They never get walked and must feel like they are in prison as the garden isn't very big at all.

They attack anything that walks past their fence ( interesting when you are walking three Labs past on your own :-() I dread to think if they ever escaped what carnage would ensue.

They also bark at anything for long periods of te as they are left out all times of the year. They are currently winning their heads off and I am very close on putting a complaint myself. It is highly irritating and causes alot of disturbance.

It is not acceptable even for five minutes. People should stop dogs barking after a few barks as it is very anti social.

It doesn't take much , just distraction and reward for stopping the barking and any dog will learn that a treat is better than barking at something.

he is never ever left to bark for more than 5 minutes at a time because i make him come indoors,

Goodness I'd be complaining too if a dog was barking for 5 minutes!  I've never allowed my dogs more than one or two barks to alert me that there is something strange around. 

If he doesn't like your neighbour's voice then I would introduce them.  I wouldn't allow my dogs to ever bark at my neighbours, but you have a terrier and will need to put some training in to rectify this.  :(

Sorry, I wouldn't want to be your neighbours either.  I am quite sympathetic because your neighbour are MY neighbours.  We have new neighbours on one side.  They moved in last summer and this late winter rescued a dog.  Well, you feel like a rotten person complaining about a barking dog when it's a rescue and you support rescue but he has a sharp, high pitched voice that drives me nuts.  Rarely do I hear them work with him to quiet, all I do hear is them saying "Sparky, quiet."  and of course he has no idea what that means.

I know, I'm not making sense yet, I'm getting there.  :)  My dog is not used to people being out next door and working in their yard, the last people didn't do much, which is why these people have so much to do.  Plus my dog got used to being the only dog around and now he is surrounded on three sides by three intact males when he was the only intact male.  Except Sparky was neutered about two months ago.

Oban rushes at the fence with a huge, big, scary voice when they surprise him out there.  Sparky is extremely annoying but he doesn't sound scary like my dog does.  It's SO embarrassing.  BUT, I do not allow it to go past one or two woofs and I do not allow him to continue to think it's his job to guard the yard.  So I laugh at him.  "Ho, ho, ho, you big dummy.  You made a mistake.  That is nothing to bark at."  This works.  I have to repeat it and we are not there yet but it works.  It is NOT my dog's job to guard the house and our property.  That is MY job. 

Sometimes I will throw in some Rally and Obedience work, it takes his mind off what is going on next door and it, I hope, shows him it's good if they are there because when they are and he listens to me he gets yummy rewards.  Extra high value rewards.  I don't go out without them.  Fringe benefit to the training is they and all their commotion are good distraction training.

Sparky and Oban have had several nose to noses through the fence and I think they might become friends.  On both sides we humans have spoken too, petted and treated each other's dog.  We greet each other's dogs in a friendly fashion.  I suggest you try this with your neighbour.  You be extra friendly to their dog and ask them over to meet and greet with your dog and provide extra yummy treats for them to give to him.  Not for them to treat him at will.

It's going to take some time for you as Robbie has learned bad manners and got away with it.  I urge you to try, for Robbie's sake.  For my part, besides these neighbours we have a church, a community centre, a park with a playground and a trail access point all abutting our property.  There is constant coming and going of strange people.  Now that it is warmer there are lengthy conversations amongst the church goers out in their parking lot.  Oban has learned to ignore all these, he can darn well learn to ignore the Sparky people too.

Good luck.

OP, I wonder if perhaps you've over-estimated how long Robbie's barking for? 5 minutes is an awfully long time (especially if you're on the receiving end!) but in reality it might be much shorter. 30 seconds continual barking would be a pain, but 30 seconds intermittent barking would be a different matter. If your neighbour decides to put in an official complaint they'll be asked to keep a diary of the noise with accurate timings - if you start doing the same you might be able to prove they're exaggerating the problem. In the meantime, I suggest you call Robbie indoors after 10 or 15 seconds of barking - that's plenty of time for him to alert you to a perceived danger and shows that you're trying to stop the situation escalating. If the neighbour makes an official complain then it'd have to be disclosed when either of you wants to sell your property and it can reduce the value of your house.

>  never ever left to bark for more than 5 minutes at a time because i make him come indoors

Is that solid barking? If he barks like the westie near me then it goes something like this:

Yak yak yak, yak yak. Yak. Yak yak. Yak, yak yak. and so on. Roughly about 13 yaks in 5 seconds.
He may have a few pauses every so often, lasting (and I've counted) usually a 5 second pause every 30 seconds.
So that's 50 seconds of barking per minute at 13 yaks per 5 seconds = an average of 130 yaks in 1 minute, which is 650 yaks in 5 minutes. (The westie near me will do this for several HOURS on end.)

If it's 'only' 5 yaks per 5 seconds (with 2 x 5 second breaks per minute), then it's 'only' 250 yaks per 5 minutes!!

Or, if it's 'only' 2 yaks per 5 seconds (with 2 x 5 second breaks per minute) then it's 'only 100 yaks per 5 minutes.

> Then the new neighbours brought two horses, and for a couple of days the dogs barked at them, now they ignore them

Oh definitely - there are horses on two sides of us, but they come and go as they get moved around our neighbour's fields. Tara often barks to start with but soon remembers that they are just horses and not burglars :) She has had horses 'next door' all her 11 years, but still has to have that initial bark  :)

We're quite happy to let the dogs have a little bark. Anyone can get into our property by climbing over a gate/walking in from next door's fields etc, so it is good to let strangers know that there are dogs around. There is a travellers' camp a few miles away and they have been responsible for burglaries next door and elsewhere locally. Tara does bark more here than at our old house, but I think it is because it is so quiet most of the time, so a car/person walking down the road etc is something to bark at :)

Hamish75,

Terriers can be the worst group of dog for yapping and they do love the sound of their own voice, they are not always as easy to control as many other breeds, many neighbours cannot stand dog barking, children can scream and shout for hours in the garden and people won't say a word even if they find it annoying, but if a dog barks a few times, it is often made a fuss of.

You have neighbours who are not tolerant and who expect your dog to behave like their Whippet. I don't know if your 5 minutes of barking was an exaggeration often we round up figures, I somehow doubt you would let your dog yap for a full 5 minutes it would drive me crazy......... so unless you have the nature of not caring hopefully it is not really for 5 minutes, whilst you are there listening to it.

When you see your neighbours are in the garden if I were you I would make sure I am out there too, that way if your neighbours are shouting out which quite rightly encourages a dog to bark, you can correct them by saying that it only makes things worse and to leave your dog to you. ;-)

I wouldn't let them hear you calling him in all the time either, as it will give them satisfaction and it is just as annoying hearing someone continually calling their dog, I would use a clicker or I would go out and pop him on a lead and bring him in, I know you think that is unfair as it is his garden soooo....

The other option is to choose to stay out in the garden with him, distracting him, get him to play games, help you to dig up weeds etc, if he starts a bark a quick shhhhh... and come here, to do something with you instead, dogs need to be socialised with all noises in their own garden to avoid them becoming a nuisance keep your voice calm and happy and sit down on the grass with him.

When people have a problem with your dog it just gets worse, and often they will tell lies to make things sound worse so nip this in the bud, be on alert to make sure he does not bark more than a couple of times, keep him away from fence barking, it's not wrong for a dog to bark, it is instinctual and if you have a burglar we'll all be glad of it, you just need him to understand that the neighbours/ the birds/ the lawn mower/radio/BBQ smoke and neighbours laughing, chatting/ the children playing in another garden etc are not things to bark at and he will only learn that if he feels you are happy and comfortable around those things and ignore them too, he learns that by being with you when they are happening and by you not giving a reaction, just happily getting on with things showing you're not bothered.

Wishing you luck :-) and try not to worry as your dog will pick up on that too and he will become more anxious than ever.

I wish our neighbours dog barked for 5 minutes!

I've known her scream for 3 hours have a 30 minute break, then start again, and that's a regular occurrence when they've been out at work all day, come home for an hour and then gone out all night.

They have no curtains or carpets (minimalistic decor)and we live in a semi detached. It sounds like she's in our front room.

I complained to them, in a nice way, so they built a run for her in their garden, at the top, just over the fence from my back door. Their garden is in excess of 70ft.

Now she screams all day and all night, in the garden by my back door.

My house is up for sale, I can't stand it any more!

I have 4 dogs, one a terrier, they're allowed to give warning barks and have been trained when we say "enough" they stop.

I wish people were more considerate of their neighbours.

Hi All

Thanks for all your replies sorry not been on here earlier been away with work. My friend who lives near us has said that she has never heard Robbie bark for 5 minutes and that i have over exaggerated with the time i have put on here, she said that other day she timed him and he barked on/off for 40 seconds before he was made to come in, the other neighbour who lives the other side of us has said that he and his wife have never heard him barking excessively and that he said the amount Robbie does bark he feels is nothing, he said all dogs must be allowed to bark for a certain extent but it is by no means excessive which is nice to know. There whippet the other day was barking and they didn't tell him to shut up i know the neighbour said they were playing with him out in the garden but he said it was barking for a couple of minutes and they made no attempt to tell him to be quiet, he said its only fair that if they complain about Robbie how should they then let there dog bark, i don't really want to get into a slagging match about this as i really cannot stand them anyway but i can see what he is saying.
Its so awkward and i know dogs barking are a problem but its mainly the time it takes me to get down from upstairs if i am up there when he starts to get him in which i thought was 5 minutes but i guess that was over the top in time length, to be honest i cannot stand him barking for too long myself as it drives me mad, he also mutters a lot when birds fly overheard is this a terrier thing as both my westies have done this??
Thanks again for everybodys replies think this is gonna be an ongoing problem now because as soon as Robbie is in the garden and he lets out 1 bark or mumble she or her husband shouts straight over to tell him to either be quiet or shut up, now i am home i will be going round there to see them if this continues as i feel they are just making the matter worse by doing this and it doesn't seem fair that robbie gets told off for just 1 bark!!!

Terriers are often barky and most have a strong watchdog tendency so will alarm bark at all kinds of things unless taught not to from an early age. As I said before, terriers are often highly energetic, fizzy type personalities which, dare I say, can get addicted to looking for a spot of 'bovver', a bit of scrapping and so on. Barking is probably very self-rewarding for your Robbie- he can quickly get himself revved up and into a lather.

You are quite correct, your neighbours shouting at him will achieve nothing and probably make him much worse- loud, shouty human voices will just add to the stressy factor. I'm not clear if it is any noise that triggers him (you mention grumbling and sighting birdies, another terrier trait) or your neighbours and their dog in particular?

Have a careful think and ask yourself honestly if your Robbie is getting enough brain work? I'd focus on trying to tire him out with some interactive play but also exercises that require him to think and direct his energy rather than doing the canine version of headbanging. Scent work is one idea. It won't be easy because as JG and others have said, many terriers do like the sound of their own voice, but really it is a release for their natural fizziness. However, it is the insistent, high energy, yipping and yapping that drives people crazy- it's just a highly intrusive and provocative noise, designed to carry and penetrate (think what terrier were made for). I think this may be why even 40 secs of barking is driving the neighbours mad. Lower styles of barking just don't get to you in the same way.

Terriers really are like the super bright kid at the back of the class who fidgets and cannot keep still and constantly chatters and laughs to classmates, ignoring any attempts to keep him quiet and always in trouble of some sort. Your challenge is to harness his energy.

Try to get the neighbours on side, if they feel you are honestly trying to help matters they may soften.

Meant to say also that when your neighbours shout, Robbie may think they are joining in a high energy barkathon or, if he perceives them as a threat, their displays of aggression trigger more barking in him- hard to say but either could apply.

My dogs are never allowed in the garden unsupervised.  I don't want dog poo there, which I haven't seen being done and so haven't picked up.  I don't want my dogs learning to fence-rush, barking at neighbours or noises.  I don't want them re-landscaping the garden and digging holes everywhere and I don't want them snacking on flowers and grass and sticks when they feel like it. 

I've never seen anything good come of dogs allowed unsupervised access to gardens.  My dogs stay indoors all day and have appropriate supervised toilet breaks/play breaks outdoors. 

If someone shouted at them over the fence, I'd pretty quickly be shouting back at that person and I don't think they would attempt to shout again...

I feel it seems unfair that a dog is never allowed in the garden unsupervised it never gives them time on there own away from the owners, Robbie loves laying out in the sun and generally pottering about the garden especially when the weather is nice. I have always felt that a dog should be able to come and go in their own garden back into the house whenever they please, but i certainly wouldn't leave him out in the garden when i was out.

Our crew have free range when the weather is fine and warm enough with the back door open all the time.

I have never felt the need to restrict or supervise them as they are sensible enough to be able to play, mooch about or sun bath without me with them all the time.

They are fine about woofing at things as have a woof when a dog is being walked past but it is normally about 5 seconds then they go quiet.

We have a reasonable sized back and front garden all fully enclosed and secure, one of the many reasons we bought the house having the dogs in mind :-)

>My dogs stay indoors all day and have appropriate supervised toilet breaks/play breaks outdoors.

I'm sure I can't be the only one who thinks this sounds rather sad.

Yes I do. My girls and boy love the freedom and they don't do landscaping, it is quite easy to teach dogs not to dig ,and they often snack on grass and herbs.

> My dogs stay indoors all day and have appropriate supervised toilet breaks/play breaks outdoors.

>I'm sure I can't be the only one who thinks this sounds rather sad.

No, you're not the only one - I feel very sorry for these dogs too!

We've gone for a dog-friendly outdoor space, split up into areas with different surfaces, dog beds etc. Ours potter about as they wish; they can all go indoors or outdoors freely, depending on the weather. I won't be opening my garden to the public any time soon ;-) but it suits us and our dogs just fine.

Oh, and yes of course we encourage civilised behaviour too.

We too have two Patterdales ( as well as 5 other dogs ) and they are the most vocal. Not at neighbours, but at every pigeon that dares to land on the fence, or at each other when they run around playing games, running in circles chasing and rolling around the lawn. To stop them playing would be cruel and the barking at each other is part of that game, it would be impossible to teach them to play silently. Yet we have had our neighbour phone up using every F word about the noise. The dogs are allowed to play for a short while at various times during the day, although the bark games do not go on for too long, we have no intention of stopping their playtime. We are in a rural location and our neighbour is not too near to us, so we allow playtime but would not allow them to actually bark AT someone for any length of time.
Dogs playing is not much different to kids screaming and playing, I agree  that I would not like kids shouting abuse at us and for this reason I do not allow the dogs to bark at someone, but silent dogs - no way.

> I've never seen anything good come of dogs allowed unsupervised access to gardens.  My dogs stay indoors all day

Poor dogs :) My dogs have as much unsupervised time in the garden as they like. We have a very large garden with lots of different areas - lawn, flowerbeds, shady tree areas, woodstacks, hedges, field etc. We get lots of wildlife in the garden - pheasants, rabbits, deer (in winter) etc and horses in the adjoining neighbour's fields. That is the reason that we bought the house - it's an idyllic place for dogs. Both my dogs are now elderly although both fit and active and there is no better feeling for us when the dogs have wandered off out of sight and we know they are having a lovely sniff somewhere :) :) Yes, my dogs often eat grass, the younger one helps herself to the horse manure pile when it is fresh and new or rabbit droppings, she has returned with the head of a deer in her mouth, the older one chases the pheasants when he feels like it (they run off a little way but know he won't harm them) - I could go on. They have a lovely life and doing what comes naturally to dogs.

> My dogs stay indoors all day and have appropriate supervised toilet breaks/play breaks outdoors.
> I'm sure I can't be the only one who thinks this sounds rather sad.

Very sad - it means that you can't throw all the doors open and let the fresh air in on lovely days such as this.  My dogs have freedom to go in and out as they please until this time of the evening - when I really don't want to wake up the children who have gone to bed with Meg who is likely to have a woof at something this time of the evening.  Still have the door open for the pup though - he rolls around on the lawn, explores plays then comes back in and wees on my floor the little monster!!!  Too busy to go outside!