My dobermann is 4 years old and we have neighbours either side, but they are old people (very quiet), basically it has always been very quiet, a young couple have bought the house on one side of me and they have 2 children (1 of 5 and 1 of 3), lots of screaming and playing in the garden.  They moved in last September, but have only recently started playing loads in the garden (obviously with the weather).  The small boy screams constantly and my dog gets very distressed and keeps barking.  I thought he would eventually get used to it, he has got better but it is giving me a headache!!!!  Any help please!!! 

Have you spoken to the neighbours, and explained why your dog barks.
My dog Blossom started barking all the time when out in the garden after new neighbours moved in. They had placed a large plastic slide that Blossom could see, she hates large plastic items, Any way  after a while they decided to move the slide and Blossom stopped barking.

The next time I saw them they said the barking had been driving them up the wall, so they where pleased that it had stopped.

I know its easier to  move aslide but if they seem friendly I would approach them good luck

Unfortunately young children do scream when they play. :-( It really grates on my nerves, but there isn't much you can do except ask the parents if they could try to stop it, or keep it to a minimum. It won't work though. I have had problems like this with my neighbours son. As he is getting older (now 5 years old) it is getting better, but I still prefer the noise of a dog barking. At least they shut up when told ;-)

We have a normal average semmi  but have 7 next door neighbours. THe 6 to one side are starter houses so the owners are always changing. Many of them I have never even seen because they never come out. Suddenly now the sun has come out we have lots of kids and dogs living next to us who we never knew were there!   It is the same in all the parks suddenly people arrive! It is hard for dogs who have lived in a people less world for the past  9 months to find out this country is actually so overpopulated! 

Fortunately at the moment the kids in these houses are very well brought up... we have had a family before who placed a climbing frame by the fence so the kids could climb up and chuck stuff nto our garden and shout F8888 off etc ( whibk is why the previous owners of our house moved )    At the moment we just have to listen to a very sweet sounding child with an almost tuneful voice singing Bob the Builder 24/7.

Well hopefully your dog will soon get used to it... distract him and tell him no because he should learn to ignore this. I don't know why people let their kids make so much noise..it isn't nesessary. Some parents seem to think it is normal. We always asked ours to keep the noise down but they have a very quiet nature anyway...and then at school all the teachers constantly complain because our kids are too quiet and polite to fit in with the resy of the class. Crazy. All through school teachers complain that ours are too well behaved!  It is not seen as normal so kids have to be wild to fit in and make lots of horrible noise so that we all know they are so special and should be admired!

Well sorry I can't hlp but it is aways nice to have a little rant! ;)   good luck. :)

Luckily my dogs are used to my kids making lots of noise when playing, so they ignore the neighbours kids screams (well, the old dogs deaf & can't hear them anymore anyway!!!)
But I've had my headaches from neighbours dogs barking which then used to set mine off. I would simply tell my dog 'no' and bring him in, he soon learnt that if he wanted to stay in the garden he had to be quite.
We can't controll the noises our dogs are going to hear, but we can control the reaction our dogs have to those noises, it just takes some patience (which is hard to do when your dog is barking & driving you nuts!!).
He'll soom learn that the kids sceams are nothing to do with him, but he has to be shown this (ie, bring him in when he barks) and make sure your not getting tensed/stressed out by the sreaming, it will  be hard to teach him to ignore it if you can't.

I would also suggest politely speaking to the neighbours, maybe along the lines of ' I hope you are not disturbed by my dog barking, but it's the children being noisy which starts him off...' maybe they will take the hint? Certainly we would prefer neighbours to tell us if we were bothering them. Our dogs tend to bark if they hear other people so I don't leave them outside on their own because I don't want to cause a nuisance.

Same problem old lady moved now we have a young family and our Border is baking a lot. Its a no win currently, since he was a pup (hes 13 months now) no one. Last weekend was a BBQ and he went spare. All I am trying to do is stop him barking with a shock, usually a water pistol, but its a shame as he is just protecting his home.

I agree totally, its like I have always taght them to say thanks for having me etc.. THis weekend I had three "boys" and 1 girl for an evening when my son and mates  came home. When they left Matt said "thanks for having me" and we all cracked up. All the boys and Helen are 23 now!!! And they went to primary school together. Its great having kids with good manners they grow into young adults with good manners. Well done you.

> I agree totally, its like I have always taght them to say thanks for having me etc..

My children have always been taught manners and any noise they feel they need to make has to be kept to a minimum or they are not allowed to play in the garden. My neighbours little boys are excessivly noisey, one has autism and the other has learning difficulties, it would be unfair for the parents to stop them playing in thier own garden because they get excited and can't controll the silly noises they make :( The little boy with autism will bounce on his trampoline all evening, singing and squeeling and making odd noises at the top of his voice, this is his favourite thing, he doen't enjoy much else :( . I think it is a lot better for them & my dogs that my dogs learn to accept that children can be noisey and it is not something to get stressed over or bark at.

I've often found it strange, that no-one does actually say anything to neighbours with screaming children which can go on for hours, but if a dog barks it is whisper, whisper and frowned upon, even if just for a few minutes. :-D

I would sit in the garden with him, and try to distract with play, look and act totally relaxed at the noise, do some gardening and get him to come and investigate at your digging, talk calmly to him or if hot play splashing water games with him, if you try your hardest to distract him, he will eventually not worry about the screaming, a dog does not understand the high pitched screams and shouts, they don't understand if the noise is friend or foe or something hurt, and quite rightly they bark or just plain join in with the noise.

I never allowed my boys to scream and shout was always aware of neighbours, but most allow their children to run riot with no thought for others peace and quiet or property. :-(

Agreed we all have to live at let live. I dont get to hyper with my dogs as we leave the house at 7am daily and do not get home until 6pm and the dogs are with us all day, so I think therefore they can put up with a bit of noise. But for myself I  do feel a bit guilty so I do try and keep them playing in the garden and will not let them just stand and bark ( Jake is the barker, the Border) the cocker (whistler) is bomb proof.

I agree with Carrington, people do seem to be much more permissive with their children.  My friends and I were not allowed to scream and shriek like they do now.  My MIL hypothesizes that so many Mums work now they don't like to spend the little time they have with their children in making them into good citizens.  With a park behind us, a church beside and renters of two families with children on the other side noise setting the dog off is a worry to us as well.  Actually, it's not the children on the one side, it's the adults when they get drinking.  I truly believe most of them have damaged hearing, they are so loud when they just talk to each other.

> I've had my headaches from neighbours dogs barking which then used to set mine off. I would simply tell my dog 'no' and bring him in, he soon learnt that if he wanted to stay in the garden he had to be quite.
> We can't control the noises our dogs are going to hear, but we can control the reaction our dogs have to those noises, it just takes some patience

Have to agree.  Mine have had to learn to ignore next doors grandchildren (and now great grandchildren) playing footie etc, their two Jack Russells who have clear sight of the road barking at every passerby so setting mine off (mine are bigger so their voices carry further) and to ignore the families of Squirrels, five of whom were stat in my guttering yesterday sending the Terriers frantic while mine lay stretched out with slitted eyes watching.

I have one neighbour who hates dogs with a  passion, I keep 2/3rds of my garden as a buffer between the dogs and his garden), and in his view dogs should never be allowed to bark at all.

I have to be very careful.  He even complained to the Council that I put puppies out in the garden in all weathers at 7am.  Needless to say the Council were very understanding that pups have toileting needs and can be a little noisy for brief periods, and that it was only for a week or two from weaning to when they learn that it does not get them attention to act like demented seagulls..

To the OP I would be very wary of speaking to them about the noise the kids make, as they are likely to retaliate and complain about the dogs barking, and I think (unfairly) the dogs barking will be seen as more of a nuisance than the noise of kids playing.

doesnt it just bug you though that people's kids are allowed to run around screaming the place down yet one bark out of dog and you are the dog owner from hell....

Maybe you could introduce you dog to the family and their children.  Let the kids give your dog some treats.  Once the dog realises who they are and are no threat then maybe your dog will not bark so much on hearing the kids playing. Shame that you will have to take your dog in doors all the time or put up with him woofing all the time. I'm sure the family would like to meet your dog too.

Thank you for all your posts.  I have been bringing him in when he barks, then letting him out and if he barks again bringing him back in, but the thing is, when it is hot I want to use my garden and have my door open.  They have just installed a trampoline - so my dog goes up to my sons bedroom and looks out of the window, and can see them bouncing about.  It is amazing the children are exactly the same ages as mine when we moved into our house (2 boys also), but I am positive mine didn't scream, they played etc (I did actually have a headache on Saturday, and it wasn't through my dog barking).  The lady next door has actually spoken to me and she says her children are more noisey than my dog.  I think my dog is getting very excited, specially when he hears the ball being kicked and he knows eventually it will be over in our garden, but definitely it is improving and he seems to be slowly getting used to them, at first he was barking each time they went into the garden but now it really is only if the young boy screams or cries.  I will may be give them some treats to give him but it is a bit difficult as we have a 6 foot fence!  Anyway I will keep on with him.  I must be getting old, wanting my peace and quiet on my swing in the garden!!!!

I would be very wary of speaking to them about the noise the kids make, as they are likely to retaliate and complain about the dogs barking, and I think (unfairly) the dogs barking will be seen as more of a nuisance than the noise of kids playing.
lol.. tis reminds me of my neighbours. When my two were young pups ( under 5 and 3 months ) my neighbour was cross and complained about the noise of their footsteps in our house.  We live in an old semi so the sound travels. So I told her in all the years they've been there we've never complain about all the noise they make and we hear EVERYTHING. And their son screaming and charging around the house year aftter year  and that it is like living next door to a herd of big fat elephants!  lol. They have never spoken to me or caused me any problems since. :)

I agree with Tenaj and I'm afraid it is something that you'll have to learn to adapt to. I have a 3 yr old Dobe bitch and she has gotten used to the kids playing 5 doors away. They used to bark and tease her over the fences though thankfully they have given up now. I have found that bringing in your Dobe as soon as she barks, will teach her to not go OTT, as they do. We don't mind the warning bark she gives and we say thankyou to her, or for the protection barking she gives when someone is wandering up the private lane(we have a low fence and they don't come back) but as for OTT barking, all I have to say is "house" and she comes in with her head down. It has taken me 2 to 3 years to get her to this stage as she's only doing what comes naturally. She's quite amusing now, as she will give a quick look down the garden and watch the the open kitchen door to see if I am there and if she can get away with just one more bark.

I like my dog to bark a bit when he hears the neighbours (not excessively of course). ONe day i might be glad that he has alerted me to something outside as opposed to him thinking he has to be silent in the garden

That's OK Freds Mum and I'm all for the wanted warnings, but I'm afraid a Dobe doesn't just bark...they call Satan himself from hell!

I have new owners next door to me , and i think they think my dogs are dodgy as they call their little boy away from the fence all the time ..its a big fence too....My two biggies, as i call them, do not make a noise just sniff at the fence and the little one just yaps when she is first let out ...Their boy screaches and screams and my dogs just ignore it .. but me i feel like shouting to them, to shut him up...but then i stop an take stock and remember what it was like to have young babies about .. let them cry and all that malarki ...maybe thats why my dogs don't care about kids being kids and pushing mummies boundries ...and the best place to put an excited child is in the fresh air to tire itself out ....

Reading this thread reminded me of my old neighbour.  Our old dog would sit out in the garden for a while then bark for our attention.  I would whip him in pretty quick.  O

Pressed the wrong button there!  to continue --  one day our neighbour was on the phone before I could get outside asking me to get the dog in because her son was sleeping.  Later on they got a little westie who yapped and yapped.  We never brought up the fact that she had asked us to get our dog in that day - it always remained in the background as an embarrassing incident - we never asked her to stop her dog barking.  I did teach her son some tactics to stop the dog barking when he was interested in training but I think they quite liked the fact that the dog barked at everyone who passed the house.  It was wearing on a summer's day when sitting outside.  Now we have new neighbours and I have to take my present dog out to the toilet on the lead last thing at night to prevent her barking.

What tactics did you teach the boy to stop the dog barking?
I would like to teach our dog not to bark at passers-by. Our front window faces right on to the street and he barks at cats, dogs and noisy people in the street, so at the moment he is not allowed in that room on his own, which is  a shame as he likes to sit there in the sunshine that streams through the window.

By doing what your doing and allowing him to be there when he is quiet.  One of mine loves sitting in the window, but she knows I will only allow it if she does not react to the passersby.  I get a lot as there is a Bus stop right outside.

I have been trying to teach the command 'quiet'.  Not easy - the books say to teach it with 'speak' but my Meg thinks that means to run to the window or door to see who is there - some wrong association there with barking.  However now I just make a gesture with my hands (that I tried with the command quiet) and she lowers her bark to a grumble.  Outdoors nothing stops her short of having her on a lead and taking her in.  Sometimes saying 'find' distracts her to come back to look for a biscuit.  The secret is I think not to let her get too worked up in the first place.  I will have my work cut out if and when we move - cat on one side, children on both.

I have exactly the same problem with one of my girls last thing at night. However, she is a little madam and just legs it up the garden and hides behind a tree if I try to catch her and put on her lead.....so like a lunatic, I dash round behind her with a water spray-does the trick tho'

Haven't tried that one - don't fancy the 'dashing' bit though - I am likely to fall over in the dark!!  It's really odd tonight because my dog is in the kennels - I am feeling really bad about it - she really didn't want to go.