Aggravating neighbor dog and bark boxes

Dani

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So, my neighbors are great neighbors in most every respect. The one way they aren't is they have a yap dog that is a constant source of major aggravation every time she is out in the yard and I am out there. Even in the middle of the night she will sometimes stand right outside my window and bark...probably at deer or raccoons or something but it is the middle of the night. I can be outside for HOURS and if she is outside, she will not shut up. I can spray her with water and generally she will go away, for a time. If Belle is in the yard with me then it is a very short time that she will go away. The neighbors know that she is a pain. They have used bark collars but they are never put on tight enough and the batteries are forgotten to be charged. That dog is a neurotic barker and to top it off she is MEAN so there isn't anything about that dog that is a saving grace. I don't want to cause hate and discontent with the neighbors because they are GREAT and have done a lot for me. So I deal with it and pray that a great horned owl is feeling really hungry some night.

I have contemplated getting a motion activated sprinkler since she does not like getting wet. While my neighbor would find it highly amusing the first time he mowed the lawn, he would not find it amusing any other time after that.

It is quite aggravating that I can't sit outside and enjoy the day without having to put up with her constant yapping. I know she won't live forever but I imagine she will live a loooooong time just because she is so mean. She is about 9 years old now. I've put up with her for about 7 years. I would love to find something that doesn't require constant doing on my part (like spraying her) so that I can actually spend a pretty day outside without listening to her.

Another neighbor mentioned something this morning about a bark box. Supposedly every time a dog barks, it emits an ultra sonic noise that goes only as long as there is a barking dog. Supposedly it trains the dog to not to bark. I have read that there are some dogs that will bark at the noise making box though and I think it's possible that this particular dog might fall in that category. Has anyone ever had any experience with this kind of thing? Any particular brands to recommend?

Dani
 
I've never had to use one - lucky enough that "neighbor" means the house down the road

but they use the same technology as the no shock collars - so I do not see why they would not work at close range

I remember seeing some that were disguised as a bird house - the stealth option
 
I would buy them a bark collar. I lost track of the one I had lending it out to too many people. It was a Tritronics (old school), but was based on the bark vibration, not the bark sound. This ensured only the collar wearer would be corrected when they barked and not be corrected by another dogs bark. It worked very well and quickly taught the dogs to stop. Of course this was with younger dogs, not a 9yo ankle biter.
 
Dani,

"There are no bad dogs, there are only bad Owners". Dogs usually bark only when they want something (often it is that they want attention).

Barking dogs are one of my pet peeves because it is usually completely avoidable. It sounds like unfortunately you live in an area where there are no covenants etc. against dogs barking continuously. I have heard stories about bark collars working and others where they didn't work. 'Sounds like Dave D. found a brand that works. I would give it a try assuming you can sweet talk your neighbors into putting it on their dog--a difficult conversation to have, but overdue and well-deserved to assert your rights.

If you don't want to assert your rights (remember you are in the right here, they are in the wrong) or if your otherwise-kindly neighbors refuse to help, then try this other approach. I worked with a guy who was having many sleepless nights until he had success with the other approach--the device that makes a noise bothersome to dogs in frequency that dogs hear but humans don't. We have both moved away (several times) and I have lost track of his whereabouts but if you used Google Reviews etc you will have best chance of success. Maybe buy a device with money-back guarantee???

BTW when I had the worst neighbor's barking dog situation it was a case where neighbors left the dog outside while they were away. Or sometimes when they were sleeping, I assume they really did sleep right through it. They didn't believe their dog was barking. So I set my videocamera (8mm at the time) on a tripod and let it run for 1/2 hour, far exceeding the 15minute legal limit in our town. I didn't waste my time showing it to the neighbors/owners. I showed it to town Animal Control and Animal Control handled the remainder. Animal Control's policy was FirstTime= written warning, 2nd time= fined, 3rd time = animal removed. So you might want to shoot some video and show it to your neighbors. Just tell them you have something you would like them to watch. You don't have to say anything else. They might be ticked off for a while but if they are truly nice people you will not have to say or do anything further on this matter. And it won't cost you a dime.

Best of luck to you. You have our support. Please keep us updated.
 
I feel your pain and would assume animal control would be an anonymous solution.

Side note, my mom breeds papillons, little rats, so imagine 20 of those yappers going off at once. Needless to say I was out of the house ASAP. Only "real dogs" for me now
 
Dani,


My sister has a few dogs, one is chihuahua which I despise because the of the fact that she will not stop barking the entire time when I stop to visit. They have tried just about everything and nothing seems to work. I have no good advice but do have empathy for you.


Perhaps get a raptor license?? [whistle]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnZ2g5tskpA
 
I hate neurotic barky dogs. Luckily, the only ones in our neighborhood are far enough away that we barely hear them.

My thought: If they were truly good neighbors, they would have found a solution to this problem, which they seem to be aware of, a long time ago.
.
 
The sonic bark thingees seem to work, it looks like a key fob and is supposed to emit a painful sound that dogs can hear but humans can't.
It has helped here with a mouthy pekingese.
Doesn't mean it will work in all circumstances with all dogs, but it might be worth looking into.
 
I would really like to avoid getting animal control involved, though I have looked up the "rules" for barking dogs. Here, they have to bark nonstop for 30 minutes (she is just getting warmed up at 30 minutes) so she certainly qualifies. They really are good neighbors, despite this dog. Animal control wouldn't be an anonymous solution because it would be immediately obvious who called them. We have large property sizes in our neighborhood (mine is one of the smallest at about 2 acres) and my house is the only one close enough for this dog to bother. So I am the only person really who hears this dog....most everyone else is either deaf (or close to being so) or too far away to really hear her.

I have no problems with their five other ankle biters but this one dog is neurotic and I am not sure there isn't something mentally wrong with this dog. She is mean and she will bite. The closer you get to the fence, the more vicious she gets. I say hello to all of the dogs over there, they are happy to get belly rubs, except for her. I've never tried the treat thing...bribe her into shutting up.

They did use bark collars on this dog but they were never put on tight enough and the batteries were always forgotten to be charged. I will look into the ultrasonic collar that it doesn't matter how tight the collar is and see if that will work. I'll even offer to buy them a years worth of batteries for it.

I picked up one of the birdhouse looking bark boxes to see how it works. What I've read is that it can take a few weeks to train a dog that the noise won't come on if they don't bark.

And believe me....I have contemplated many times seeing if there is a falconer nearby that needs to work out their birds.
 
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At one point my neighbor (who I get along with really well) had 6 cars in front of his house. It was just the two of them and each of them had their own car, then one of their kids left one there, then he got a collectable car, then his dad died and gave him his......on and on.....it was ridiculous. So I started with mild sarcasm...."Hey Jim, how's the hot car lot going?"..... Then I left a note on one saying "I'm interested in the Explorer, how much?" and left a fake name and number... and when none of that worked, I was able to refer back to my "gentle attempts" to get my point across. "Hey Jim, I tried to get my point across with humor, but seriously, this place looks like a two-bit mechanic, can we clear some of this out?" He made it happen.
I'd suggest the same with the dog.
 
Check this out:
https://www.amazon.com/instecho-Barking-Ultrasonic-Deterrents-Birdhouse/dp/B07H3MPMD3/ref=sr_1_5?ascsubtag=c321f33a9f25450ae35bcf0944801f11ca735ff7&keywords=sonic%20birdhouse&qid=1560188139&s=pet-supplies&sr=1-5&tag=lifehackeramzn-20

https://www.amazon.com/Vicvol-Ultrasonic-Deterrents-Silencer-Repeller/dp/B07QJX2V9V/ref=sr_1_3?ascsubtag=35f33aa6a158d38abb48e7984997c1e908081085&keywords=outdoor%20bark%20controller&qid=1560188192&s=pet-supplies&sr=1-3&tag=lifehackeramzn-20

I'd get both! You'd then have a non barking dog that was deaf too!
Good luck...
 
On the collar not being put on right... The solution there is getting a collar with a snap closure, once it is set, it is perfect every time. It used to bug me with training collars to get the right hole and not too tight or loose, with a snap you set it and clip it on right. There are a ton of options for replacement collars with a snap buckle.

Good luck! we had a neighbor yapper that really was frustrating me several years back, the neighbors were weird (speaking in tongues weird), so I didn't push it with them, but should have.

Can you teach Belle to run her off reliably? I'm serious if she has the right personality. Reward for what she apparently sometimes does already. One of our dogs would have loved that job (Pete), he lived to do useful work like that on command (also chase cats, kill rodents, etc...). Teach her to "get the barker" and run it home.
 
Thanks Paul for the suggestions...both the discussion and the links. I ended up picking up one of these last night and will be giving it a try. I hope it works and doesn't end up bothering Belle.

PetSafe? Outdoor Dog Bark Control | dog Bark Control | PetSmart

Tod, I didn't know that about snap closures for those kinds of collars. I'll look into that for my gps collars. Sadly, I wouldn't be able to train Belle to run the damn dog off. I have never seen any dog run her off since she is behind her fence. The best I can get Belle to do is really infuriate her and allow Belle to run up and down the fence line, but the yapper tries to run and keep up with her (which of course she can't, which I think makes her even more mad).
 
Do what you think you need to, but I would stay away from the surveillance state option and go with something like you mentioned with a bark box, or just try a non-adversarial approach the way the car guy did. I fear we are all going to regret the constant video taking out there one day, and you will lose the possibility of having a friendly relationship with your neighbors should you go that route, or any trust between you. Same with animal control or your local government, you can generate bad feelings over something you should all be able to work out. A constantly barking dog is a pia, and you shouldn't have to deal with it forever. You are probably not the only person that is sick of it. You want to resolve the problem with as little collateral damage as possible, it makes for better living.
 
Dani, I feel your pain. Back when I live up on the Tug Hill Plateau of NY, my nearest neighbor was hundreds of yards away across and old field. He had a HUGE barking dog. Barking all night long. All night. Called him at 3am to ask him to get it quiet. Response was "what barking" and he called the sheriff on me for harassing him. Not one gov't. agency/person was willing to help at all. One night in mid-winter, I looked out, and it was dragging its chain in our driveway (yup, it lived off a chain). It was the perfect situation to end that problem forever (VERY rural area). I simply could not do it. So we sold the house and moved 20 miles away. I swear I could hear that dog barking from there! It was among the most frustrating situations in my life. I was on the road a lot back then; I'd call home and my then wife would be in tears, even trying to sleep in the basement. No good. We even recorded its barking. No one cared. As I said, I really feel your pain.
Gary
 
Sorry About the aggravating barking dog Dani. It reminds me of King and Queens show when Doug and Kerrys new neighbors move in with a barking dog.
 
Dani, after reading everyone else's comments I can see you have plenty of friends in this forum that have experienced similar problems. Whether it is an HOA rule or other local law you are very fortunate to have a regulation that is on your side (it sounds like Gary Tanner did not. Gary is a better man than me. After getting worse than no help from local authorities I probably would have given that lost dog a treat. One that would make the dog very sleepy. For a very long time. Then no more sleeping in the basement. Fair enough.).
Make a video proving beyond any doubt to your neighbors (or anyone else if this needs to be escalated) that the dog barks for more than 30 minutes. The video will speak for itself. Next time you talk to them about how nice the weather is and how good everyone's gardens are growing you might want to just mention : "Oh Btw I would like you to take a look at something I am going to send you by e-mail. " After they read the email/video at home they might be ticked for a couple days. But they will get the message and eventually cool down. If not, then they are really not nice neighbors even though they helped you in the past. It's the future that counts, right?
Have you ever been to Assertiveness Training at work or anywhere else? There is a difference between being appropriately Assertive vs. inappropriately Aggressive. Seriously this is not a time to shy away from what is fair and right. You have every reason to bring up a friendly discussion on this. You're not being rude or a jerk..it's your neighbors who are. Or maybe they're just dense. Either way there are reasons for laws like your 30minute one. The laws make sense. There is nothing wrong with using the laws.
Keep us posted!
 
I have kept quiet but I have to admit I am one of those bad neighbors. Our 1 year old chocolate lab barks at our neighbors and I have had a visit from a neighbor complaining. I live in a development,. He is at the door constantly to go out but barks if the neighbor comes outside to grill or the other neighbor has a smoke on their deck. As soon as he barks we are running outside to bring him in. But it sucks living in fear of your neighbors complaining every time your dog wants to go out. Current plan is to fence and shield the yard with tress to try to stop the barking.

Rick
 
Richard,

I am going to comment on your situation and offer some (IMHO) wisdom. My intent is only to offer a helping hand, I harbor no malice.

There are two components, namely (A) the "trigger" (B) the "response".

My advice would be to address component (B) the response, by training your dog not to bark at your neighbors.

As an example; say the issue is your dog peeing on the carpet. Is your plan to shield the carpet from the dog with a layer of plastic? Or do you train your dog not to pee on the carpet?

Just an example and I am NOT meaning to make fun of you.

If this were my Lab, I would correct/scold/bad dog, bad dog, and physically hold my dogs muzzle closed as soon as the barking at the neighbor started. I would then go back inside, while leaving my dog outside. Immediately repeat as needed. It might be every two minutes at first, or it might be the next day. Eventually my dog would learn, barking at the neighbors is not acceptable behavior, no different than any other unacceptable actions.

I sincerely hope this helps.
Obviously this is no help to Dani.
 
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Thanks y'all.

David, while I agree that it is a good thing to have laws to fall back on I am not to the point of feeling the need to call the law on those neighbors. I did on other neighbors whose big shepherds got out frequently. They tore up another neighbors cat so badly it had to be put down. They would run the neighborhood in a pack of usually 3-5. With my woods between us and them, they would come over to my fence and were a nuisance but one day they came over and tried to kill my dog through my fence. It happened one day when the whole lot of 7 of them were out. Five minutes earlier and Belle and I would have been in the front yard where I don't have a fence and they were in MY woods. I was beyond furious as I have always been helpful with those neighbors, had talked to them politely about their dogs, let them know when one of them got out but they hadn't made changes to the fence and I came very close to killing some dogs that day. I took a very deep breath and I called the law that day because I can't afford to have to protect myself and my dog without going through every channel I could, before it comes to me killing a dog (even in self defense). There are laws against that too and it can get ugly even when you know you are in the right. I am not sure my job would be there for me, even if it ended up in my favor, if I hadn't exhausted every legal way of protecting myself first. I even let them know that I called the law on them and why. We had our discussion AFTER I calmed down from my major pissed-off-ness and very shortly after, they had a much better fence and I haven't seen those dogs out again.

That was a matter of safety and protecting myself and my dog if it ever came down to it. I have not yet exhausted all routes with my neighbors' yap dog and we will have a long discussion when I figure out the best way to approach them. I don't need to video their dog. They are well aware of it. So, I will be contemplating the best way to approach them without causing hate and discontent. There is no need for the law at this point on this dog, with these neighbors. That is my opinion of course. It is also my opinion that despite this dog, they are still good neighbors. Clearly, many here disagree with me on that and I am okay with that. This is just one facet of my neighbors, not the whole picture. I truly believe there is something mentally wrong with this dog. She isn't "right" in many ways. Doesn't make her any less annoying or mean. It doesn't make me detest her any less.

I have been blessed with relatively quiet dogs so far in my life. Not sure why, but I have. So, I don't know how to begin training a dog to be quiet. I am willing to give the bribery thing a try with her as well as try other methods. But there are more methods available to me before I get to the point of calling the law. It is nice to know that there are laws I can fall back on and perhaps I am being overly patient to the point of insane, but these are really good neighbors and I would like to maintain a good relationship with them.

I put out the bark box yesterday afternoon and I could see that it definitely got all of the dogs' attention when she barked the first time. It sent three of the dogs back to the house, not her of course. We shall see if she learns to associate the noise with her barking and it makes her stop. After the initial startling first few minutes, she spent some time barking at the box (which I read some dogs do and it is something that I figured might happen with her) but I will give it a few weeks and see how things go with her and the bark box. The first day I do at least know she heard it. It was like a physical kick to all of the dogs when she barked the first time.

We shall see.....fingers crossed....

Dani
 
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