I have a neighbor that lets his two dogs out at 4:45am every morning and they bark until they are let back in. We’re friendly with him and we’ve kindly asked a few times that he wait until 7am, but that only lasted about a week. These dogs are not trained at all and they don’t get walked—they are only allowed to roam free in the yard.
We live in a tight little valley and the barking literally sounds amplified. It wakes my husband and I and it also makes my dog growl, if not bark, in our bedroom. I’m expecting a baby in December and I’m mortified that these dogs will affect the baby’s sleep schedule.
I’m getting past the point of being nice about this, so before I text him links to dog trainers and bark collars, what do you think is a reasonable time in the morning to let your dogs bark? Any tips on how to handle this situation?
Ps. This neighbor is retired and isn’t just letting the dogs out before going to work.
I personally don’t let my dog just casually bark regardless of time! No one prefers to hear that any hours of the day
I have 3 dogs that like to bark and I always bring them in if they are excessively barking at something. I do like them to bark as they alert me to strangers (they alerted us to someone breaking in cars in the neighborhood at 3 am), however I will not allow it to continue and I always check and bring them inside if they continue.
How long are the dogs allowed to bark before they’re brought back in? I think that’s the real question here.
From the perspective of someone who lives in a dense suburb… While I think it’s preferable that dogs not bark at all that early in the morning, I think one or two barks on occasion is excusable. I get frustrated pretty quickly if it’s allowed to go on for very long though…
Personally, if my dog needs outside before 7am, I either go out with him or stay near the back door so I can let him in promptly and prevent/quickly interrupt if he starts barking.
Check your noise ordinances and maybe call your local PD to see how they handle these types of complaints. I think another chat with the neighbors is still worth trying before filing complaints, though…
My dog insists on going out in the middle of the night or she’ll pee in the house. If I’m not standing right at the door to let her back in, she’ll bark to have the door opened. Unless I’m having the rare stomach emergency myself (maybe once every 3-4 months or so), she never gets off more than 1-2 quick barks before the door is opened because I make a point to stay nearby.
Most areas have noise ordinance laws. I would look into what those are exactly (for example for us quiet hours are between 10PM and 7AM on weekdays, where “excessive noise” isn’t permitted ie dogs barking for long periods of time, construction isn’t allowed to start, etc).
I’m willing to bet his violating this. You might want to record the dogs, note the time, and for how long they’re left outside barking. You should also talk to some other neighbors, which I’m sure he’s also disturbing. Maybe he would listen if it came from someone else. Make sure they document their complaint to him
We’ve we got two; a young pup and an old man. The old man has a very deep, resonating bark. You feel it in your bones. I hate it. During week, we won’t let them bark before 8AM, but even after 8, until 10-11, we try to keep them quiet. On the weekends it’s even later. Lately because it’s been hotter than Satan’s asshole, we can’t exactly walk them. Pavement is just too hot, so unfortunately we have to rely on the backyard. Too much. I miss our walks.
Of course, the pup behaves like a crackhead, so he runs around with zoomies, causing the old man to bark at him to “put him in his place”, which he doesn’t. Pup just thinks it’s all a game. Ugh.
You mentioned in another comment the dogs are allowed to bark for a good 5-10 minutes. Sorry/not sorry that would drive me batshit crazy. Like another commenter said, one or two barks is acceptable. They’re doggos, not machines. Anything more than that is not acceptable to me though.