How to Deal with the Neighbor’s Barking Dog

Dogs barking is natural. Whether you love dogs or can’t stand dogs, we have to admit this fact. Especially in the suburbs, similar to the noise of traffic when your house is near the highway, the barking of dogs is inevitable. However, you do not need to bite your teeth to endure if every time you step out into the yard, the neighbor’s dog barks loudly, or every night howls, making your life affected a lot. Being calm, tactful, and reasonable are effective tactics when dealing with a dog that barks at your neighbor’s house, but you also need to know that you can seek legal help if necessary.

Table of Contents

Negotiate amicably

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Find the right time to visit your neighbor’s house. You need to set the stage for the conversation to be pleasant without causing the neighbor to take a defensive stance. The best way to do this is to meet at a time when they don’t feel surprised. During the first meeting, remember to find a convenient time for both parties to talk. If they happily agree, you can solve the problem in a day.

You can try going to your neighbor’s house on Saturday morning, when you hear them working in the garden. Don’t enter their home uninvited, and try not to startle or surprise them. Start a conversation with a few polite questions, then ask if they have time to talk about the dog.
If your neighbor is angry or threatening, give up trying to deal with it on your own. Go to the police station and report a barking dog and a neighbor threatening you because of your polite and simple request.

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Let’s say your neighbor doesn’t know about this. Maybe they don’t know that their dog barks or don’t know what to do with it. A friendly reminder, accompanied by a tactful mention of dog care techniques, may even be enough to mention a good dog trainer you know. The neighbor may not know their dog is causing trouble, perhaps barking when they have left the house to go to work. ^{[1] X Research Source}

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Let the neighbor solve the problem on his own. After the first conversation, the neighbor may feel guilty and want to take action immediately. Letting them handle it on their own will help you maintain your neighborly relationship. Maybe they have a strategy to teach the dog to stop barking but haven’t had time to implement it yet.

Give your neighbor time to change. Adjusting the schedule and training the dog to stop barking takes time.

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Talk for the second time. Chances are the neighbor is either reluctant (not actively taking action), or defiant (annoyed by someone else’s suggestion to do something). This prompts you to take further action. However, you should stay as humble as possible. Talk during the day and in public, such as Saturday mornings while working in the yard, to stay safe and let everyone know. ^{[2] X Research Source}

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Comment on strategies to prevent dogs from barking. There are many ways to stop your dog from barking, including daily practice and training sessions. Explore a few options and politely suggest to your neighbor. ^{[3] X Trusted Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Go to the source} Try to treat the issue as a negotiation on mutually acceptable terms. This will protect you against the law if it turns out to be an irreconcilable disagreement. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

If your neighbor is willing to follow through on your idea, and you are also willing to contribute the cost/effort, you can offer to pay for a bark collar, or help them find a good trainer. But of course you are not obligated to do so.

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Make friends with the dog. You may find that getting to know this animal is easier than getting to know your neighbours. Ask for the dog’s name and ask its owner to introduce you to it. If the dog is used to you, it probably won’t bark at you anymore. The next time your dog barks, try calling his name in an assertive voice. If the dog’s owner allows it, give him a nice toy or food to show him affection and calm him down.

If you’ve built a close relationship with your neighbor and their dog, you can even ask them to let you walk the dog during the day – for example, if the dog barks in the afternoon, when the owner it goes to work. ^{[5] X Research Sources}
However, how you choose to handle it is up to you. You don’t need to do this if you don’t like dogs, don’t want to take on the responsibility of looking after them, or you’re busy taking care of your own dog. You don’t need to offer to help your neighbor’s noisy dog at all.

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Submit a final complaint. If your neighbor ignores your offer, see them again. Let them know that you have talked about the dog barking a few times but there is no improvement. You can talk to them privately, but also let other neighbors know if necessary. At this point, you probably don’t need to threaten to call the police, unless they are violent or threatening.

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Follow the progress of the event. Continue collecting evidence in the meantime. Give your neighbor time to find a solution, but you also need to prepare for the next step if this doesn’t work. Take detailed notes on how often the dog barks and how long it lasts, or talk to another neighbor who is as disturbed as you are. If the dog’s owner seems unwilling to deal with it, you also have the evidence to continue working. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

Claim your rights

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Learn the rules. Reporting to the authorities is the last resort to deal with dog barking, because this will take time and effort to come to an acceptable solution, and will certainly also make the neighbor relationship at least would also be uncomfortable – and more likely to become openly hostile. However, if you’ve run out of options and/or can’t find any other solution, you need to know your rights and how to assert them. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

Some places have specific rules about dogs barking, while in others it’s considered a nuisance or a violation of the noise rule. Each region has very different regulations, so contact your local authorities for information. ^{[8] X Research Sources}
If you and your neighbors live in the same neighborhood, there is probably a rule about barking in the nest. Likewise, if you and your neighbor are both tenants (especially if you’re both renting from the same landlord), review your tenancy terms. ^{[9] X Research Source}
Some places have out-of-court mediation services (binding or non-binding). You can contact your local government, attorney’s office or small claims court to ask about this. ^{[10] X Research Source}

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Call animal control. There’s no longer a dog catcher coming in unannounced and taking a problem dog, but your local animal control service can step in for you. Contact them to see if they deal with annoying barking, or if you should call the police first.

You may have to persistently call repeatedly and/or provide proof that your neighbor’s dog is a nuisance to give animal control a basis for action. ^{[11] X Research Source}
Call animal control immediately if your dog’s barking is in pain, is trapped in a cramped place, is shackled, or cannot reach drinking water. Contact the dog’s owner first if you feel comfortable. Do not ignore a dog that is suffering because it is not properly cared for.

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Call the police. Calling in the police can cause a sudden escalation of tension, or it can quickly resolve the issue. How different the results are depends on your preparation in advance.

Once you understand the dog/noise/disturbing behavior regulations in your area, call the police on a non-emergency number to report a violation.
Unless the area police only use an emergency number (113), do not call this number to complain about dog barking. You may be considered to have missed another emergency call.
Many police departments and other services require you to demonstrate that the barking must reach an unacceptable level before they can act. This is when your evidence (notebooks, audio tapes, statements from other neighbors, etc.) is valuable in support of your claim. ^{[12] X Research Source}
Once the police are involved, your neighbor may feel surrounded and will try to attribute the problem to a disagreement between neighbors that you are to blame first. This is why you should never give them weapons against you through threats, shouting, swearing, or approaching the dog in any way, etc. ^{[13] X Research Source}

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Pursue legal action. If you have to go to court to prove a noise/disruption violation, take the evidence you collect with you. Be calm and speak clearly about your case.

You can also take your neighbor to court for small matters because he or she has deprived you of your right to enjoy your home and land. You won’t make a lot of money from the lawsuit (and maybe even lose money because of the lawsuit), but if you provide strong evidence, you can force the neighbor to silence the dog. ^{[14] X Research Source}
If you find your local area lacks regulations on annoying dogs, you can write a petition and send it to your local leader.

Deal with dog barking to a minimum

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Consider the situation. Unless you live far away from a residential area, there’s no way you can stop a dog from barking at one point or another. Barking is a dog instinct; they bark to show fear or anxiety, to get attention, or because of pain or illness, and for many other reasons. ^{[15] X Trusted Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Go to source}

Before you decide to take action, you should think about whether the level of barking you want is reasonable and achievable. If the dog only purrs a few times when someone or another dog walks past, whines when it’s about to return to the house, or barks while playing with its owner in the yard, the noise may soon subside.
However, if the barking is persistent (barking continuously for 10 minutes or more), the barking sounds like the dog is injured, sick, or makes you feel threatened, you will have legal reason to act.

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Consider using soundproofing materials. There are many ways to silence your neighbor’s dog and other annoying sounds. Installing soundproof windows can be an expensive option, but you can save money on your air conditioning or heating bills. Alternatively, soundproof curtains can be a less expensive option. Soundproofing also has the benefit of reducing noises that you have no way of stopping, such as late-night traffic and honking horns.

You’ll find a significant reduction in dog barking after taking steps to reduce noise entering your living space.

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Install an ultrasonic anti-barking device. There are devices on the market that emit loud, high-pitched sounds when barking is detected. The sound is beyond human hearing, but annoying enough for dogs to teach them to stop barking. Basically, this device works the same way as an ultrasonic dog training whistle, and actually using a dog training whistle can also work.

If you can convince a neighbor, you can suggest that they use a dog collar combined with an ultrasonic device or a collar that emits an unpleasant odor, or a whistle from a compressed air tank.
The effectiveness of these devices remains questionable, and while they’re not harmful to dogs, they can be irritating to humans to some degree (even if the dog drives you crazy!) ^{[16 ] X Trusted Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Go to source}

Advice

Always show proper respect when dealing with your neighbors, no matter how rude they may be. Escalating tensions will not solve the problem and may even provoke a backlash.

Warning

Never ignore the neighbor and handle the dog yourself. This can get you in big trouble with the law, especially if you hurt your dog.
Do not threaten to report to the police, as this action causes hostility between the two sides. You always have the right to call the police if other methods don’t work, but don’t use this as a threat.
Don’t wake your neighbor in the middle of the night to complain about the dog. They may get angry and won’t want to deal with it.

Steps

Negotiate amicably

Claim your rights

Deal with dog barking to a minimum

Advice

Warning

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