[i<3MYdogz]

Hi,

I'm new to this forum, but I'm hoping it could help. I currently have four dogs, two German Shepard-Lab mixes(ages 3 and 4), one German Shepard-Rot mix(age 1), and one Basset Hound-Lab mix(age 8months).

My neighbors, which are vacationers, have filed a complaint to the county that my dogs keep barking day and night, which to me is a bit of an exaggeration, but anyways the complaint has been made. I really don't want to have to get rid of any of my dogs and I'm not to happy with the idea of leaving a mussel on them all day long.

I can afford to put them in any kind of doggy day care as we just spent all of our savings trying to cure my youngest of Parvo. First case I've ever seen where the dog survived but shes running around and happy as we speak.

I'm not sure what to do, and i have a feeling the county is going to make us get rid of out youngest two. I'm heart broken just thinking about that as these dogs are like my children. Anything you can provide me that might help would be so appreciated.

Thanks,
Samantha

 

[spotted nikes]

Maybe try citronella bark collars?
Keep dogs inside unless you are walking them (leashed). Have them sleep inside in your bedroom on doggie beds.

You cannot leave them muzzled all day. They could still bark with a basket muzzle, and the mesh/material ones that fit snuggly, are only meant to be used briefly, like for a vet exam or grooming procedure.

 

[Amaryllis]

A muzzle won't stop barking and would be dangerous to leave on all day, anyway.

Okay, let's be honest here: are the dogs barking all day? It's not fair to the neighbors, vacationers or not, to have to listen to 4 dogs literally barking all day. That would drive me nuts, too, and I love dogs and generally don't mind barking.

If they aren't barking all day, get a cheap webcam or video recorder and provide proof that the dogs do not, in fact, bark all day.

If they are barking all day, you need to do something about that. Training, crating, separating, stuffed kongs and such to keep them busy, shutting them up on the side of the house away from the neighbors. Something. It's not at all right to make other people listen to your dogs bark for 8+ hours a day.

Congrats on the parvo pup, though! I have heard of pups surviving parvo before, but it does take dedication on the part of the owner and a lot of luck.

 

[rhflan]

I think that the first step would be to figure out (perhaps via the county's website) what the procedure is in cases like this. Do they typically force you to get rid of a dog? Do they give you a certain amount of time to get the issue under control? Does the party making the complain have to give proof?

 

[i<3MYdogz]

The first time the neighbors had came to us with a complaint about the dogs barking we made a deal with them that they would call us whenever they are coming up so we could keep our dogs in the house when we are at work. The problem is, the woman next door goes up to our windows (We share a property line so our side windows look straight into their house) and tries to talk to our dogs, which makes our dogs bark. Which is the same case if we leave them outside. We've tried telling them to quit talking to our dogs, but she still does.

I don't think they bark day and night. When were not home we leave them inside. When we are home, we stop them every time we hear them barking or let them back in the house. Ive never had any other complaints about our dogs. These neighbors seemed to have been after us since we first moved in. I know that sounds a bit dramatic but its true.

 

[Amaryllis]

Then provide proof of this. Prove to AC that the dogs do not bark as much as reported. Then prove to the police that your neighbor is trespassing on your property and harassing your dogs and end that problem, too.

 

[i<3MYdogz]

Yeah i just got off the phone with the county and that's exactly what they said. I am going to start noting every time they bark and what they are barking at. They also gave me a good idea about the dog collars and also chicken wire around the fence to stop them from digging.

 

[Amaryllis]

Good!

AC is well aware that some complaints are just escalations of neighbor disputes. It's always better to keep calm and find out what's what and what you can do about it. Plus, it's puppy season and I doubt the shelter wants two more dogs to take care of.

 

[i<3MYdogz]

That's true. Plus there's no way I would give them to a shelter. The two that i would have to get rid of wouldn't last in a shelter because one is still getting over Parvo and the other is scared of pretty much everyone =( I just hope if it comes down to it i can find them good homes to go to.

 

[xxxxdogdragoness]

I hate neighbors which is why I don't like in the city anymore. When I did though, there was the rule that dogs couldn't bark after a certain time (I think I was like.... 10pm or something like that) during the day there was nothing anyone could do & I had a cattle dog (Izze) at the time that barked at anything & every suspicious sound & did so til she passed away. I would set a camera & record the neighbor teasing your dogs for proof. Is the window where she does this a room that you can keep the dogs out of? Sothey can't even see her?

Sounds like you have ass hat neighbors, news flash to them..... DOGS BARK so I'd tell them to mind their own business & invest in a pair of ear plugs

 

[Bordermom]

I would invest in a video camera to document her coming to the windows, as well as help prove that they dogs are not barking non-stop day and night. Be sure they're not doing so of course!

We had a neighbor with a dog who would bark up to 20 hours at a time - really. It got so bad we had the HS officer's direct number and knew the bylaw officer for animal control by name. Every saturday this dog would start barking and by 2-3 in the afternoon the bylaw truck would come along. To their credit, they would park down the street, roll the window down and listen, then drive past the house and park on the other side down the street, then same thing in the alley before writing a ticket and sticking it on the door.

Can you legally have four dogs? You may want to check into that as well and know your rights. Having information like the vet bills, and other things that show you are a good owner will help too.

 

[i<3MYdogz]

I wish there was a better place i could keep them. But the windows are in our livingroom and that's the biggest room we have. It wouldn't be fair to put four huge dogs in a small bedroom for 10 hours of the day. I don't even like that i have to keep them inside but i just cant afford to get a ticket for them.

I will definitely invest in a video camera because i know my dogs do not bark as much as they are saying.

I'm also working on a project for my backyard to keep the dogs away from the sides of the fence that are close to my neighbors, which is going to be tricky as we share a fence with three of them.

I want to get the collars that send off a high pitch when the dogs bark. Do those work? IS there a better solution? And where can i find them for cheap?

Thank you all for your help!!!

 

[HollowHeaven]

If your neighbor's are bothering your dogs through the windows, can't you just shut the blinds? Get some blinds and/or some curtains if you don't have any, leave the TV or a radio on for them so they will be less bothered by what's going on outside.

 

[Willowy]

If your neighbor's are bothering your dogs through the windows, can't you just shut the blinds? Get some blinds and/or some curtains if you don't have any, leave the TV or a radio on for them so they will be less bothered by what's going on outside.

Yeah, that. Of course dogs can go behind curtains, and tend to break blinds, but you could get some of that sticky translucent privacy contact paper (I found it at Ace Hardware) and cover the problematic windows, or at least the lower half of them. I did that because I live near the park and don't want people to look in, but I also don't like sitting around in the dark . But it also keeps dogs from seeing who walks past so there's a lot less barking.

 

[i<3MYdogz]

I have curtains up, but that get around them. With one of the windows, the screen is on the inside and they have actually ripped the bottom half off. I have to resort to putting things in front of the windows so they cant even go near them.

I do leave the radio on for them and it does seem to help with the the issue i am having with them chewing up my couches, Cd's, cords, etc. But i don't know how it does with the barking. (^^ which is why i HATE having to leave them inside. There's just to many dogs to be cooped up in a house all day)

Oh and to everyone who asked, i found out that you are aloud to have 4 animals between dogs and cats. For every cat that you have over, you need to get rid of a dog and for every dog that you have over you need to get rid of a cat. I only have four dogs so they closed the case against the amount of dogs on property.Now its just the issue with the barking and i think im going to try the collars.

 

[Willowy]

Those ultrasonic collars are a scam. If you absolutely needed a bark collar, the only really effective ones (well some dogs do respond to a citronella collar but it's iffy) are the shock collars. Better than getting rid of a dog but don't just jump into using them.

Try the contact paper. It could be a very simple solution to the problem.

Oh, and it's good to keep your dogs inside when nobody is home. Lots of things can happen in the yard--people could throw poison over the fence, tease your dogs mercilessly, steal them, etc. Much safer indoors.

 

[HollowHeaven]

Here's another solution, consider how much exercise and stimulation your dogs are getting daily.
This is seriously one of the biggest factors in behavior with dogs. Too little exercise can cause all sorts of issues. A bored, hyper dog will bark, chew, etc.

 

[Nev Allen]

Don't bother with the high pitch electronic collars. If you fit one to each dog, if one dog barks all will get an earfull. Dogs get used to citronella after a while.

I would first set up a camera - you could use your web cam - and see exactly how often the dogs are barking and what sets them off.

If it is only because your neighbours are coming to a certain window, put a shutter on that window, or block access to the blinds, do whatever you need to do to prevent your neighbours setting your dogs off.

If it is your neighbours and you get video of them teasing your dogs through the window, you can take that to them and tell them to stop, because you now have a defence against them reporting you.

Neighbours can be a*holes but if they see they have been trumped they will probably back off and leave you alone.

 

[GottaLuvMutts]

A friend of mine tried a citronella collar on her dog. The dog was too smart for it; he turned his head to the side and barked madly until the thing ran out of juice. Then he was free to bark whenever he wanted.