Neighbour problems

People don't like to admit how bad pups/dogs can be. When we got our dog it was fine when you were in the house but the second you left even to just go into the front garden it would bark or cry. Now my wife used to say oh its because the dog knows we are in the front garden etc. I thought to myself god if I can hear the dog in the front of the house what would it be like when left alone for any longer periods, which to get fair when it was a pup it was never left on its own for me then a quick walk to the shop or what ever. Anyway one day I left my phone with a sound recording app to record when noise was made. Out of a 20 minute trip to the corner shop and back the pup had been barking so loud and there was only 25 seconds of non recorded sound time :p

We were really lucky for 2 reasons one we had really understanding neighbours and secondly it was only a phase which lasted a few months. If we had less understanding neighbours I'm surely we would have complaints for sure.

Sorry for the long winded story just thought I would share my tales of woe. One thing I would say is that best approach on these matters is be up front with your neighbours and speak to them about the issues if any. That's what we did and ours were very happy we had apologised even before they said a thing to us.

Most people forget how loud they are.....that's why we move to a detached house to save our neighbours as the kids are worse then the dogs :p
 
OP's next door neighbour :mad:

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I have lived next to a nuisance dog, while the owners were in it was okay but when they were out at work it would bark and bark. You should consider that your dog is much more annoying than you think, as they do not like being left alone in the slightest.

You could set your phone to record and go out, then return after say 30 minutes and see how much noise it has been making.

With regards to the gate, get one of those springs on it so that it will pull itself shut.
 
we had this access issue at my old place, we passed through someone's garden to get our bins but they locked their gate so you always had to ask permission. It wasn't really a problem as it kept it secure behind us and they were fine about it.
 
Aldav said:
What you can do about the gate will depend on whose land the gate is on, and whether there's any form of common right of access. If permitted, put up a fence, and maybe a lock on the gate.

As for noise, a puppy can still be loud, and if barking extensively, could potentially be a nuisance. What you can do will depend on what that letter ssid. If it was a noise abatement order, then your best bet by far is to abate the noise. Failing to do so is sn offence and could land you with a fine of up to £5000, though that scale of fine would be extreme.

Noise can be a "statutory nuisance". Your neighbour could initiate a compkaint, but it will be council environmental healthnofficers thst investigate abd determine the outcome. They will collect evidence, which could include a log from your neighbour detailing times, durations, etc. But the EHOs have to decide on the totality of their investigation, not just your neighbour's log, if any. That might involve sitting outside listening for frequency of noise incidents, how long it lasts, how loud it is, in order to assess whether it meets the criteria for statutory nuisance.

Part of the problem is that dogs that bark a lot tend to do so when left alone for protracted periods, which might be when you and your family are at work, school etc. If so, you'd be unaware of the severity because it doesn't happen when you're there. Also, puppies tend to be more insecure that adult dogs and particularly susceptible to barking.

I had that experience with a neighbour at my work apartment. The damn dog could bark and howl for two hours straight, non-stop, then take a break and be okay until something set him off again, which might be movement outside, or the phone ringing, or post being delivered, a visitor ringing his bell or even a plane going over. At which point, it'd bark or howl for another two hours. As I worked long but odd hours, I could be sleeping when the neighbour was out. Or trying to.

I don't think the neighbour understood why I was complaining until I invited him in for a chat when the rest of his family was out, and after about 15 minutes, his dog started up, howling. At which point, I showed him the log I had of times, durations, etc and he realised that 7 or 8 hours of barking and howling per day was not acceptable. Also, probably not good for the dog to be that distressed.

Nobody, or at least nobody sane, cares if a dog barks for a few minutes when someone's at the door or delivering mail, but hours and hours of it, day after day, really is an utter nuisance. And as for the howling ..... :(

There are a variety of things that could be done. Perhaps, lock the dog out of rooms, if any, with adjoining walls. Perhaps, leave a radio on when out. The noise distracts some dogs. There are also devices you can get that are triggered by dogs barking. Some emit and ultrasonic noise that dogs don't like. It barks, it gets an earful. It barks again, it gets another earful. Apparently, that sort of reverse Pavlovian technique works and is usually only needed for a week or two to break the habit.

Other types of device go on your dog's collar and again are triggered by barking, but instead of ultrasonic noise emit a burst of a citric smell. When the dog breathes in to bark, it gets the citric smell which stops the barking. That's what my neighbour used and again, it was only needed for long enough to break the habit.

Just remember, if your dog barks when left alone, it might be driving your neighbour crazy, and you simply don't realise how bad it is. For the sake of neighbourly relations, I didn't want to cause a stir, but if necessary, I was quite prepared to use the noise nuisance route, and if that didn't work, private legal action through the courts. As it happened, it wasn't necessary once my neighbour realised how bad it was. A couple of weeks of citrus aversion therapy cured it of the habit.

If your dog is being a right pain when you're not there, dealing with the noise might go a long way towards encouraging your neighbour to cooperate over the gate issue, too.
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I wish I could upvote this post like on reddit :)

Very well said. There is a neighbor above me that has a small dog. They leave it all day when they go to work. On the odd day that I am off midweek, you can hear the dog barking for literally hours on end. The poor thing can bark and cry for 4-5 hours without a break.
 
ColdAsIce said:
I wish I could upvote this post like on reddit :)

Very well said. There is a neighbor above me that has a small dog. They leave it all day when they go to work. On the odd day that I am off midweek, you can hear the dog barking for literally hours on end. The poor thing can bark and cry for 4-5 hours without a break.
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My neighbors dog was like this as a puppy, except they worked nights and the poor thing howled from 11pm till 6am.

Wasn't fun.
 
Evian said:
Nope, He opens his gate, Passes through my garden, Opens my gate to get out with the bins which goes on to the street through a driveway, It's a semi detached house.
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Right so he has to use your drive to access his? In which case you shouldn't be leaving a dog there in the first place.

If not then padlock the gate as he has no need to use it.
 
Malevolence said:
That his problem then, not yours. If, like you say, you own the property then simply tell him to stop traipsing through your garden and to find another way of taking his bins out.
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Not if he has access rights because it is a semi detached house.

In which case the OP is at fault and irresponsible here for leaving a dog unattended in there while others have access too.
 
dowie said:
Not if he has access rights because it is a semi detached house.

In which case the OP is at fault and irresponsible here for leaving a dog unattended in there while others have access too.
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I'm not so sure thats correct. Unless the dog was dangerous, as that would be default constitute preventing the person having access.
Iirc (having had access rights over land someone else owned) the person with access rights has the restrictions placed on them and not vice versa, although its always possible these can be written from either view point.
BUt saying that my understanding is that normally the landholder is granting the access for a consideration. If someone built a semi which included having to give access due to placement the landholder still probably has most rights.

Eg I was responsible for ensuring that I caused no damage, left nothing within the area I had right to pass. It was in order to access my driveway I had to drive down a small part of a driveway owned by someone else. It was in the deeds i was allowed to do so. He could do what he wanted as long as he did not obstruct my access or cause a hazard.
 
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