I have had my pup for 2 weeks now and she is great, however, our neighbours have complained about her barking.(We have an old dog and the two have been 'sorting themselves out' quite well, but need the space of the garden to do so!). We have told our neigbours that they will both settle down; our old dog has never been very noisy. I don't think that are being very noisy, and pups sleep most of the time! Should I be worried or see how it goes.?

No you shouldn't be worried, you are right they will settle down after a period of adjustment. I think it's very mean of your neighbours to complain so soon, afterall it's only been 2 weeks. If I were you I'd find something that they do that is noisy and moan about that to them, see how they like it. Our neighbours have a noisy lawn mower and are always banging about doing DIY so if they EVER complained about us being noisy, I'd give them the round 100 alright.

Sorry don't agree, think you should go to see your neighbours and apologise to them and say how sorry you are they have been disturbed, then try to explain that the dogs will settle after they get used to the excitement of one another and could you prevail on them to bear with you for a few weeks.

Thanks for that, (both comments,) my husband did explain that it would take a few weeks for them to settle down. We don't want to 'fall out' with our neighbours as we live in a 'nice' area. We are now letting each dog have a separate turn in the garden when they are in. Our neighbour said that our dogs were the only ones that bark in the whole area!! Which is untrue as there are lots of dogs in our area that 'have a go' when they feel the need!! I don't think that the neigbours like my kids either!!!(that's another topic!)

I have neighbours exactly the same!
Here is the story!
They play their music really loud nearly all the time!
They complain about our puppy barking!

I don't see how a puppy barking is worse than playing loud music??!!

MaxStaff

With people like that, I'm afraid that in their view any noise they like is fine, but any noise they don't like should be stopped. :rolleyes: They're selfish and unreasonable. No idea of fair-play, or give-and-take.

I totally agree with you! It is very unreasonable.
I really don't understand some people. Inconsiderate!!!!!!! ******!!!!

My pup doesn't make that much noise, just every now and again that all famous staffy whine come cry - that is when my partner or I go out he cries behind the door.

MaxStaff

when my dog at my parents house got older and our other dog and cat died she used to bark when we left her, not constant barking but the neighbours used to make comments all the time, it wasnt them who noticed as they are going deaf it was someone staying with them, we tried everything to calm the dog down, radio, tv etc long walks before we left her. But then the neighbours started lying in the school holidays when i was with her all day they would say they heard her barking.
My mum didnt say i was there but did make some comment about how his grandkids love to sing in the bath as we hear them everytime we went in the bathroom, and another comment about how the youngest doesnt like having her hair washed does she? the way she screams i mean.
After she said that they stopped moaning about the dog.

Now i live with my Boyfriend and we have a 4 month old puppy, we get up about 7:30 -8am well i sometimes get up later as im lazy lol and Leo doesnt make a noise at all, the neighbour leaves for work at 7am and leo is silent all night, yet yesterday she made some comment about "whats that dogs name? i hear him in the garden in the morning" which is clearly rubbish as he doesnt make a noise and isn't even in the garden at that time of the morning!

Just ignore them

well this is a good subject...........been putting up a new 6 foot fence today as my neighbours have complained that our cavalier puppy watches them through the fence when they are having lunch !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! how odd I though as they have grandchildren who call my dogs over to the old fence and try to give dogs treats....can't really win sometimes so now they can't see me and I can't see them :) yipeeeeeeeee

We have a 'big' fence, ( so my dogs can't 'watch' people eating food !!!!weirdo's next door to you!) My husband has to go to work at 6am every morning so the dogs don't need to bark to be let out. My neigbours don't make much noise (they are cat people- and the cat does not do out!) so our 'normal household noise must deafen them!<<<<<<oh well! I suppose the real answer is to go and live in the middle of nowhere!ps I like cats.

Now let me guess Dylandog, are your neighbours OLD by any chance? Not being ageist in any way (oh alright spose I am) but have noticed that the older people get the less tolerant they become. My Mum is terrible for this, she hates her neighbours kids and reckons they are incredibly noisy and boisterous. I was around her place the other day and saw them playing in the garden and they are just NORMAL kids! My Brother-in-law is unfortunate in the fact that he lives in a road predominantly inhabited by OAPs, his kids are the most well behaved polite kids you could ever wish to meet but they are always getting told off by the OAPs and they have even rung the police on occasions because a ball went in their garden. Not only that they are mean and nasty to them and use foul language at them too! This is after B-I-L's wife (a nurse) climbed through a bathroom window to help one of them who had fallen in the bath as well. Sorry just had to rant, must be getting old! :D

have never fallen out with them in 18 years and don't want to but when she asked me if I can stop her looking at their food as it makes her feel uncomfortable I was a little cross !!!!they moved THEIR patio table next to the fence and the hole in the fence was hardly big enough for a pup to reach ...anyway not doing falling out new fence is up she can now be a LADIES A LUNCH any time and their grandkids can't look over either OHHH might even be able to sun bathe in peace now ...ALTHOUGH HAVE NEVER COMPLAINED ????????

Sorry Harriet, but my neighbours are brilliant. She's 81 and her husband was 85 (he died last week :( ) Her son, 50-ish, lives there too. They always make a fuss of my dogs and complain about the neighbours on the other side of me. You know the type - power tools out 'til late, kids screaming in the garden, complain to the authorities because an 11 week old pup dared to bark at them.............;)

I love my "elderly" neighbours. Don't think much of the other 'younger' ones.

Some people just don't like any noise a dog makes. BUT will put up with noisy kids (or husbands )

Funnily enough when people have come to me with problems with neighbours it is usually younger people who complain, it's they who what perfect quiet when the come home from work at the weekends

We had someone wanting to chop down trees & bushes so that the birds did not wake them in the spring/summer & complained about the sheep bleating in the fields. LOL why move to the country in the first place. Fine for their neighbours to put up with their late night parties & very loud children

Don't get me wrong, there are many oldies out there who are lovely lovely people. We have an old guy up our street who is wonderful, he's 89 and rides his bike down to Sainsbury's and back several times a week (14 mile round trip) I have offered to take him in the car but he refuses saying it keeps him ticking over. Also keeps a great garden and comes round with runner beans etc when he has excess. There is a big village green right outside our houses with kids playing ball all the time but never once has he moaned.

I have just observed that with any of my friends with kids living near old people they tend to have problems, not that they have thug kids or anything, just normal kids. Most councils recognise this generation problem and tend to group the oaps in complexes together for this reason, but the problems still occur in the private house sectors. I expect some complaints are justified, but can honestly say my Mum is well out of order moaning about the kids next door to her they are lovely.

I think your neighbours are being totally unreasonable.I too go to great lengths to make sure mine aren't disturbed which means a lot of the time my dogs are left inside while i nip out.we got a new pup last thurs and like your two mine have been having little play fights on the garden, and making little growly noises as they are both only pups.my next door neighbour who does diy and mows her lawn at very early hours of the  morning shouted "shut up" to them yesterday when they had been playing for about 5 mins!!I know how annoying constant barking can be from a dog left alone all day, but we go to extreme lengths to ensure one of us is at home with them at all times.I even turn down work as a supply teacher if my hubby is working a longer shift.Anyway i would carry on as you mean to and try to enjoy your dogs, there's no pleasing some people!!:(

Dylandawg - maybe a silly question, but how many neighbours do you have, and how many complain?

I only ask because 2 years ago my next door neighbour complained because my dogs were 'continually barking'. I went in to the council office with 2 other neighbours to try to find out when they were supposedly barking. My 2 'good' neighbours were able to back me up in that my dogs only barked when they saw something they didn't recognise as 'belonging there'. In fact we started laughing (with the council worker) about noises dogs make. The outcome was that my dogs are allowed to make noise, so long as it isn't excessive or loud. Barking for a reason is acceptable.

If you have more than 1 neighbour and the others don't complain then I would go back to the original moaner and ask what their problem is. It may be that they don't like dogs in general, in which case you lose no matter what you do.

As you have said pups will be pups and need to play. The older dog also needs to show the pup its place in the pack. This can take a bit of time. Ask the neighbour to be patient. Things should settle down soon.