For those of you that have barky dogs

[Anonymous]

You know that your dogs bark. What are you thinking when you allow them to bark and bark outside (when you live in a neighborhood, for example?)

We live in a mostly tight-knit neighborhood. Let's say out of 10 houses, 8 have dogs (us included). At least two of the homes have dogs that bark and bark and bark, often late at night or early in the morning. Are the owners simply letting them out to do their business and not aware of the barking (hard to imagine, but why on earth would you not do something about it at 5:00 in the morning?) Another neighbor just leaves their dog outside the whole day, which breaks my heart (when I'm not irritated by the dog's constant barking.)

It's just so rude, and I've started daydreaming about getting a slingshot, but I would never want to take it out on the dogs. Please enlighten me if you have a dog that barks a lot. Is there anything I can do or say to engage my neighbors on this?

[Anonymous]

Every once in a while my dog barks at a fox if she sees one while out on a walk. I don't "let" her bark, she just does it. If it is early in the morning, I do turn her around toward home to try to stop the barking, and it mostly works, but there isn't much more I can do.

If you don't like being around dogs, or neighbors in general, you are going to need to leave suburbia.

Dogs left outside all day barking their head off are another matter. i would take that up with the neighbor.

[Anonymous]

Some people do not think continuous barking is a problem. I ran into this problem when I lived in a condo building and my upstairs neighbor would leave dogs alone in their apartment to bark for hours. Not just their dog -- they'd have friends or family visit with dogs and they'd leave the dogs in the unit while they went out to dinner or sightseeing. These dogs were particularly bad because they were being locked up in an unfamiliar apartment with another dog. It was super annoying especially when it would happen on weekdays because I worked from home and I found it very distracting.

But when I approached my neighbor about it (in truly the friendliest, most polite way I could) they told me that's just "what dogs do" and if I didn't like it, I should live in an apartment building that allowed dogs.

Jokes on them because actually barking dogs are considered a noise violation, so I just started calling 311 when they'd leave dogs in their apartment. I also made recordings of the barking to be able to prove it often went on for hours. Magically, they stopped leaving dogs to bark in their apartment.

People are just really selfish. That's it. That's the whole explanation. But check your local regs to see if barking dogs can be reported as a noise violation!

[Anonymous]

I had major surgery Thanksgiving week and am home from the hospital but still pretty mobility impaired. My husband is taking care of the dogs, and yes, he thinks it’s perfectly ok to leave them barking outside at 10 pm while he gets his stuff ready for the next day.

I don’t agree with him, but when I tried to get up to let the dogs in a couple days ago, I slipped and almost fell on our stairs. So I am really sorry OP, but there’s nothing I can do about it right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Every once in a while my dog barks at a fox if she sees one while out on a walk. I don't "let" her bark, she just does it. If it is early in the morning, I do turn her around toward home to try to stop the barking, and it mostly works, but there isn't much more I can do.

If you don't like being around dogs, or neighbors in general, you are going to need to leave suburbia.

Dogs left outside all day barking their head off are another matter. i would take that up with the neighbor.

OP is clearly not talking about not allowing dogs to bark at all -- most dogs will bark sometimes if they perceive danger or surprise.

The issue is people who let their dogs "bark and bark." Like not where the dog gets excited about a fox sighting for a minute and then settles down, but when the dog is barking for attention or to be let inside or because they are stressed or afraid, and the owner just ignores it (or leaves the house) and does nothing.

A dog barking for a minute or two would only annoy me if it were in the middle of the night and extremely loud (like loud enough to wake me). And even then I'd just figure the dog was startled and be grateful for the potential security alert.

[Anonymous]

Can't control a sentient life form

[Anonymous]

We received an anonymous, one-page handwritten note on our door from one of our neighbors letting us know our barking dog was bothering her (I assume it's a woman based on the penmanship). We live in a suburb in NoVA, on 1/4 acre lots so a barking dog can be heard over a several-house radius.

There are certain things our dog will bark at, usually a fox and occasionally one neighbor's dogs (they bark back). She sometimes barks for several mnutes, but we didn't think that much of it. Now, when she's out, especially in the early morning or later at night, we're more of her barking and are working on her recall, which had been lousy but it's getting better.

I appreciate the neighbor letting us know the barking was bothering her and I hope we've been doing a better job. Maybe she'll leave another note complimenting us, but I won't expect one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had major surgery Thanksgiving week and am home from the hospital but still pretty mobility impaired. My husband is taking care of the dogs, and yes, he thinks it’s perfectly ok to leave them barking outside at 10 pm while he gets his stuff ready for the next day.

I don’t agree with him, but when I tried to get up to let the dogs in a couple days ago, I slipped and almost fell on our stairs. So I am really sorry OP, but there’s nothing I can do about it right now.

Yeah, this is an outlier situation ...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some people do not think continuous barking is a problem. I ran into this problem when I lived in a condo building and my upstairs neighbor would leave dogs alone in their apartment to bark for hours. Not just their dog -- they'd have friends or family visit with dogs and they'd leave the dogs in the unit while they went out to dinner or sightseeing. These dogs were particularly bad because they were being locked up in an unfamiliar apartment with another dog. It was super annoying especially when it would happen on weekdays because I worked from home and I found it very distracting.

But when I approached my neighbor about it (in truly the friendliest, most polite way I could) they told me that's just "what dogs do" and if I didn't like it, I should live in an apartment building that allowed dogs.

Jokes on them because actually barking dogs are considered a noise violation, so I just started calling 311 when they'd leave dogs in their apartment. I also made recordings of the barking to be able to prove it often went on for hours. Magically, they stopped leaving dogs to bark in their apartment.

People are just really selfish. That's it. That's the whole explanation. But check your local regs to see if barking dogs can be reported as a noise violation!

I had a very similar neighbor who also laughed when I mentioned their barking dog to them.

I was friendly with the management staff at my apartment and on one very long & loud barking day after the dog was left along for 9+ hours I asked if one staff member would come up & have a listen.

They couldn't believe how loud that dog was and acted quite appalled when I said it was being left alone all day.

Didn't have any issues after that.

[Anonymous]

My husband does it. I honestly think he doesn't hear it. He doesn't hear them barking downstairs if he's watching tv upstairs either, and there's no door or insulation involved then.

It infuriates me and as soon as they bark I pull them inside, but I'm not the one working from home.

I will say they don't bark at nothing though. They bark at the leafblower from the neighbor's lawn care service, bark when they chase the foxes out of our yard, or bark when someone is walking their dog in front of our house. When the "danger" passes, they are quiet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Every once in a while my dog barks at a fox if she sees one while out on a walk. I don't "let" her bark, she just does it. If it is early in the morning, I do turn her around toward home to try to stop the barking, and it mostly works, but there isn't much more I can do.

If you don't like being around dogs, or neighbors in general, you are going to need to leave suburbia.

Dogs left outside all day barking their head off are another matter. i would take that up with the neighbor.

OP here. I clearly was not talking about your dog.
I also happen to really like my neighbors. And dogs! I am just so triggered by barking that goes on and on with no-one doing anything about it.

[Anonymous]

My dog likes to play in the yard. My neighbor installed a little free library on his little strip between our driveways. People are constantly bringing their dogs to the LFL and in my yard. My dog thinks: hey! these intruders are walking, peeing and pooping in my yard! BARK BARK BARK

I try to stop it but my dog's not wrong either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can't control a sentient life form

This nonsense is the exact problem. People want to "have" a dog. They don't want to train it, be in relationship to it, try to understand it, or help it to understand the rules of being in proximity to people. They just want a magical specimen of "the perfect breed" who will require no human input or proper handling.

Then they puke up ridiculous excuses like this for why their dogs are awful to be around, as if nobody could've possibly done better.

It's possible to do better, and you have to actually try. Dogs don't train themselves to human standards. Doesn't mean they can't be trained.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some people do not think continuous barking is a problem. I ran into this problem when I lived in a condo building and my upstairs neighbor would leave dogs alone in their apartment to bark for hours. Not just their dog -- they'd have friends or family visit with dogs and they'd leave the dogs in the unit while they went out to dinner or sightseeing. These dogs were particularly bad because they were being locked up in an unfamiliar apartment with another dog. It was super annoying especially when it would happen on weekdays because I worked from home and I found it very distracting.

But when I approached my neighbor about it (in truly the friendliest, most polite way I could) they told me that's just "what dogs do" and if I didn't like it, I should live in an apartment building that allowed dogs.

Jokes on them because actually barking dogs are considered a noise violation, so I just started calling 311 when they'd leave dogs in their apartment. I also made recordings of the barking to be able to prove it often went on for hours. Magically, they stopped leaving dogs to bark in their apartment.

People are just really selfish. That's it. That's the whole explanation. But check your local regs to see if barking dogs can be reported as a noise violation!

I had a very similar neighbor who also laughed when I mentioned their barking dog to them.

I was friendly with the management staff at my apartment and on one very long & loud barking day after the dog was left along for 9+ hours I asked if one staff member would come up & have a listen.

They couldn't believe how loud that dog was and acted quite appalled when I said it was being left alone all day.

Didn't have any issues after that.

Amazing how people will find a solution when they realize there are consequences, innit? Well played, PP. Sorry they made you work so hard for it though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We received an anonymous, one-page handwritten note on our door from one of our neighbors letting us know our barking dog was bothering her (I assume it's a woman based on the penmanship). We live in a suburb in NoVA, on 1/4 acre lots so a barking dog can be heard over a several-house radius.

There are certain things our dog will bark at, usually a fox and occasionally one neighbor's dogs (they bark back). She sometimes barks for several mnutes, but we didn't think that much of it. Now, when she's out, especially in the early morning or later at night, we're more of her barking and are working on her recall, which had been lousy but it's getting better.

I appreciate the neighbor letting us know the barking was bothering her and I hope we've been doing a better job. Maybe she'll leave another note complimenting us, but I won't expect one.

Want a cookie too? Did you mommy not praise you enough? You want a compliment note from your neighbor for doing the job they had to point out was your job?

Sweetie, you should be thankful your neighbor did you the solid of writing a note explaining the problem to your stupid self instead of immediately reporting you for the noise violation you're responsible for. You're already welcome.

And if your dog has no recall, they shouldn't be off-leash. Yes, even on your own property. Walk the dog out to do business so it's under your full control until you have proper recall dialed in (which is puppy-level training).