I HAVE 2 LABS (ONE FEMALE AND 1 MALE) I GOT THE FEMALE WHEN SHE WAS 6 MONTHS AND SHE HAS BEEN A BIT STRANGE OF ADULTS, BUT LOVES CHILDREN, (SHE WAS IN THE KENNEL FROM SHE WAS BORN). THE PROBLEM STARTED WHEN I STARTED BACK AT WORK THE FEMALE WAS BARKING AND I TOLD MY NEIGBOURS THAT THIS MIGHT HAPPEN UNTIL SHE GET USED TO ME NOT BEING THERE FOR 6 HOURS AND SO A FEW WEEKS PASSED AND MY NEIGBOUR CAME OUT AND STARTED TO SHOUT AT ME SAYING THE DOGS WERE BARKING ALL THE TIME AND THEY WERE SICK OF IT. SO I TOOK THEM TO THE VET AND THE VET GAVE ME THINGS TO TRY AND I NEVER HEARD FROM MY NEIGBOURS FOR A MONTH OR SO THEM ONE DAY I WAS IN BED AND DUE TO SICKNESS I WASNT AT WORK AND THE CHILDREN OF MY NEIGBOURS WERE BANGING ON THE FRONT DOOR AND PUTTING THING THROW THE LETTER BOX. SO MY PARTNER WENT ROUND TO SEE THEM AND THEY TOLD HIM THAT THEY BANG ON THE DOORS AND WINDOW TO GET THEM TO BE QUIET. MY NEIGBOUR ALSO SAID TO ME THAT THEY BARK AT TIME WHEN IM IN THE HOUSE AND KNOW THEY HAVE NT BEEN BARKING. I HAVE STOOD OUTSIDE MY HOUSE FOR A FEW HOURS AND THEY ONLY BARK WHEN I GO TO THE FRONT DOOR. NOW MY NEIGBOUR HAS CONTACTED THE COUNCIL AND GOT THEM INVOLVED BUT THEY TOLD ME IT WASNT A PROBLEM THE ONLY BARKED ONCE THEN THEY WERE THERE BUT I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO! I KNOW THAT MY NEIGBOUR HATES DOGS BUT THIS S A BIT FAR TO TAKE THINGS.

Guest ...please DO NOT write completely in capital letters , it makes it very hard to read!

If the neighbours have gone to the Council but you are SURE that your dogs don't bark much then you have nothing to worry about. The council will ask them to keep a diary of noise for a few weeks before contacting you. They will also monitor the noise for themselves. If you are sure about your dogs then it will soon be proved that they dont make a noise

Melody :)

what delightful neighbours! i would be more annoyed about them banging on my door and putting things through the letterbox - that will surely make the dogs worse - i know if my neighbours did that my dog would go loopy!!

you probably already do but it's a really good idea to leave toys for them while you are out - i had the same prob with my pup, now i leave him with a kong (rubber cone that you can put treats in) filled with either his food, frozen yoghurt, anything i know he likes! and it keeps him entertained.

well best of luck with them and let us know how you get on.

Oh, i wish u lots of luck with this one.

My advice, apart from making absolutely sure that your dogs dont bark, is to go to the council, and make a complaint about these neighbours harrassing you.

I have a very similar story, i had neighbours who hated me, (because of my age, and because i had dogs, and because i am very heavily tattooed).
They would call the council over the slightest noise, throw things at my windows, rattle my letter box, stand outside my windows shouting and whistling, to get my dogs to bark.
On top of that, they (two ppl in particular) accused me of training my dogs to chase cats, training my cat to kill squirrels, they also accused me of theft (of a broom, and of a handbag) and worst, the accused me of being a prostitute, and of being a drug dealer/addict!!!!!!

I suffered this harrasment for a year, before i finally went to the council, and complained. The reason i left it so long, was because the ppl harrassing me were OAP's!!! I was terrified, and very ashamed to admit, that a young person of 22 was scared and intimidated by two ladies in their 70's!

I have to say the council were understanding and told me not to worry about the complaints, or the petition that had been handed round asking for my eviction!!!! however they did NOT stop these ladies from carrying on, so i moved in the end, it was that or wait for them both to die!

If you go to your council, and also try to be extra reasonable with the annoying neighbours, the council will rapidly see who is the reasonable party; and who the trouble makers are. That doesnt mean they will stop them, but it does mean they will take complaints from these ppl less seriously, or ignore them!

Em

I do feel for you, there is nothing worse than troublesome neighbours :(

I agree with all the above suggestions and there are three things I would do.

It is likely that the neighbours now have to keep a diary of times that the dogs make a noise, they would look very silly if you were leaving the dogs (temporarily) during the times when you are out, with a friend/family member and could prove this (smuggle the dogs out :D)

While your dogs are with someone else leave a voice activated tape recorder where it will pick up the rattling of your door - proof that the neighbours are harrassing your dogs :)

Keep your own diary of when you are there and when not (and the dogs) and what the neighbours do and when (CCTV is cheap and effective here)

Hope this helps in some way,
Regards
Dill