NEIGHBORHOOD DOG’S EXCESSIVE BARKING

 Here is my article on Neighborhood Dog’s Excessive Barking.

One of the main reasons human’s started keeping dogs was because they would bark, and alert them to potential danger. For centuries man has selectively bred certain qualities into dogs, and to this day alerting is still seen by most dog owners as a positive thing.

Dog’s know nothing of property lines nor posted signs. To a dog, what land they can see or have accessed belongs to them- and should be guarded from strangers. Responsible dog owners work with their dogs, and train them not to bark excessively.

Most dogs who bark to the point of being a nuisance are not getting their mental and physical breed specific needs met- this isn’t a dog problem, it’s an owner problem. You will want the law on your side, regardless of how you handle this. Be sure to keep a log with the dates, times, frequency, and duration of the barking.  Your local town clerk should be able to tell you if your area has a noise ordinance (which is a law), and what that entails. If broken- the police will respond to a noise ordinance issue, and this may resolve the situation.

You could talk to the neighbor about their dog barking, they may not be aware it is actually a problem. If they are cooperative, you could go with the owner and meet the dog personally with some high grade food treats- which to a dog can make a stranger into a best friend pretty quickly. Once the dog sees you are nice, and not a stranger anymore- they often completely stop barking at you.

There are more laws now about chaining a dog outside, and the length of time that can be. The dog warden for your area will have that information. Sometimes getting animal control involved is the best thing for the dog, as the lucky ones may be re homed to someone who will give them a better life- but there is also a good chance the dog will end up getting euthanized because of behavior issues, or just lack of space at the facility.

If other neighbors are also complaining to the owner about the barking, this peer pressure can quickly get positive results in your favor. Getting a petition signed by everyone in your neighborhood can also be very effective in stopping unwanted barking. A privacy screen set up on your property to block the dog’s vision can help to minimize excessive barking. Try contacting the Homeowner’s Association if you are in one, they usually take noise seriously.

I, unfortunately, have dealt with some pretty uncooperative neighbors in the past - I found if their dogs are barking at me, it was usually because the neighbor’s want them aggressive to keep people away. What I do is find out the dog’s name ( usually the owner is swearing and screaming at the dogs, so name is pretty easy to hear), and when they start barking at me while I’m in my own yard- I say in a sincere friendly voice “Hi (dog’s name), what a good watchdog you are! “ and then go about my business. In a few days the dogs just ignore me while I’m gardening in my yard.

Remember anger usually reflects anger back- so do NOT glare at the dog, nor send hateful energy their way, as these things will only make the situation worse because the dog will believe you truly are a bad human, and that you definitely shouldn’t be where you are.

More articles like training the Quiet Command, Bite Prevention, Fear Aggression, Reactive Dogs, and Pup Basic Manners Training are available at my blog. The blog is open to the public, and free of charge.

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