> they don't do landscaping, it is quite easy to teach dogs not to dig

Yes :)

I cant believe anyone would not let their dogs out in the garden on their own :( :(
I used to live in a built up area, and I have had complaints from neigbours about my dogs, none were upheld. I got the letters and nothing more.
one was a guy was up all night and asleep all day
The other was someone wanting to keep thier dogs outside in a kennel during the day when mine were. all other neighbours that I spoke to had no problems with my dogs, Both times I would stil let my dogs out, all of my dogs have barked, the same way as all dogs bark.
And I would NEVER be out with my dogs 24/7 as I leave the door open when I am in and it is warm. Same way I would never spend 24/7 with my kids.
Hamish, sounds like the neighbour has a grudge like the 2 in different houses reported me. You have done the right thing going to other neighbours like I did and they cant see a problem xxx

> My dogs are never allowed in the garden unsupervised.

Same here, however, for me a major factor is I don't want him injuring anybody that may enter the garden uninvited.

Last year in the next street, a couple had their dog (a JRT) PTS due to the damage it caused to a child that had decided would climb over the 6 ft fence into the garden - despite being aware a dog lived there and despite being told previously not to do that. The dog was unsupervised.

We've had the door to the garden open all day, we've been out there while Buster chooses to stay indoors in the cool, popping outside for a wee and going back indoors again.

> it means that you can't throw all the doors open and let the fresh air in on lovely days such as

Only if your dog(s) shoot into the garden the moment you open the door. My dog will not go out, other than for the loo, unless called out - why go out in the agrdne when you have a comfy sofa to lounge around on :)

> My dogs are never allowed in the garden unsupervised. 

This is generally the case here, though I do let them out while I stay in the kitchen or livingroom, I keep the back door open, as long as they stay quiet.

I can guaranteed as soon as I go upstairs to the bathroom they will find it the ideal opportunity to let off a salvo ;)

Over the years they have become very good at totally ignoring kids playing, barbecues, human chat, it is just the teasing cats and other dogs barking that may set the younger ones off.

All my doors and windows are open to the world right now and I am sat on the end of a sofa, covered in snoring dogs!!!lol  Mine CAN go out if/when they chose but they prefer to be where I am.  Saying that, the springer is outside, mooching about, eating the long grass at the bottom of the garden.

Did the laws not change recently to say you were allowed to protect your property?  Does that not include your dog?  I wouldn't have thought you would have to have your dog PTS if it bit someone trespassing on your land?

> I wouldn't have thought you would have to have your dog PTS if it bit someone trespassing on your land?

I doubt you would legally have to, but imagine the guilt felt if a child got mauled by your dog and all it took to prevent it was supervision of the dog.

I doubt if Buster would harm a child that climbed into our garden, we've had a teenager climb into our garden and let himself into our house only to be met by Buster jumping onto his back legs to repeatedly bark in his face, nothing more than just terrifying the boy into tears (no physical harm done). However, Buster had met that teenager before (who knew perfectly well he was banned from my house, yet snuck in anyway )

So, allthough I think, with 99.9% certainty, that a child would not be at risk if they trespassed on my property, I'd rather not take the chance, but that is my personal choice.
I don't think everybody should feel they HAVE to supervise their dog whilst in the garden, but it's rather unfair for those of us that do to be judged as inflicting sadness on our dogs. Just as it would be unfair, for those of us that do supervise our dogs in the garden, to label those that don't as irresponsible. A bit of respect for personal choice wouldn't go amiss.

Hi hamish.I havent read all the posts but would just like to lend a bit of support.Sounds to me like youve got an over"sensitive"neighbour,and to be honest,I dont think youre doing too badly.Id far sooner have a five minute stretch of barking,for whatever reason,it doesnt sound like Robbies yelling all night,and disrupting peoples sleep,for instance.Iknow-none better-that barking can be annoying,but even non dog owning neighbours often make rackets that annoy us,too.My -thank god-ex neighbour had a rescue lab that barked and howled nonstop when left alone-which was often,anytime up to 2 in the morning,paperthin walls,incredibly loud noise,they knew about it too,just didnt care.Robbie wouldve been a dream come true for me!I hope you manage to sort something out.

Thanks for all your replies on this subject, our neighbour has always been a pain in the **** ever since we moved here moaning about anything that she can, i am just gonna carry on doing what i am doing with Robbie and not have much to do with her as she is always right and you cannot even discuss anything with her anyway, nobody else likes her round here and now i have asked the other neighbours and they don't hear Robbie bark excessively i know he cannot be that much of a problem as they would be complaining aswell, they have gone on holiday at the moment but when they come back if she starts shouting over to him again i am gonna go straight round to her and get this sorted out once and for all as i feel shouting over each others gardens is just yobish behaviour and i am not gonna lower myself to her standards.

I don't know what your street or area is like, but when a neighbour's German Shepherd was barking 24/7 and keeping us awake, all their neighbours said they couldn't hear it - it's just the way sound bounces around.    The same person was really nasty about us wanting them to stop the noise, and yet she complained about a Dobermann up the street from us who she said kept her awake!   I actually had never heard the dog bark !!  

My answer to her was, if her dog was quieter, then she'd be able to tell the Dobe's owners that their dog was keeping her awake     :-)    

We got some peace after that :-)

If my dogs are in the garden, it's much harder to hear them bark than if they were next door, owing to the way sound bounces around the back gardens and houses.     I tend to allow them 2 woofs then they get called in.   Surprising how quickly they learn to be quiet if they want to sunbathe :-)     Even the gobby one who barks at us if we sneeze, or go to the toilet, or make a cuppa.

Now if anyone knows how to get her to shut up, I'd be grateful.   Tried teaching her to speak on command, it was bedlam as the other two, who were put in the workshop in the garden after other disastrous attempts, started barking and wouldn't stop :-(

Dill, the speak command never worked for us either.  What I did?  I put a house line on our gobby girl and clipped it to my belt loop.  Everytime, she barked, I would yank it and say "Quiet".  Now, it works perfectly when she is on it but she ain't daft! She knows that when she's not on the leash I can't do much!lol  But, she knows what I want, whether she does it or not is very questionable.  And it beats me yelling like a loon and her not having a clue what I am saying.  At least now I know she knows the command and is choosing to ignore me!

Daisy _ idillic place for dogs ! sounds like an idilllice place for humans can I come over ?:)

Cracar,

The speak command worked really well for my oldest bitch - and still does.   But she was an only dog at the time so it was easier to teach.   Once you have more than one dog it goes oear shaped as the other interfere :-(

A long line wouldn't work, nor the anti bark spray collar - these dogs aren't stupid, they know when they can get away with it :-)