Neighbour issue - thoughts pls?

Ladies,

We recieved a letter in our mailbox from one of our neighbours today about our puppy.. this is the letter below:

"To the neighbours
Is there anything that can be done with your dog barking. I arrived home at 3:30 and he was barking and he was still going at 5:45!
He barks constantly. i know he is only young but I find it near impossible to study with this contant barking and it is extremely annoying.
Your thoughts and actions on this would be appreciated"

Now, I completely understand that a dog barking would be annoying. However neither DH nor I are home during the day to disipline him with this so what are we really meant to do? We can't let him have free reign of our yard yet (which would quiten him a bit) as he can escape because he's little but once he is big enough not to be able to escape he will be let out of his kennel.

But what does this neighbour really expect, a puppy at only 4 months old to be completely trained!?!

We spent a considerable amount (in excess of $300) to buy a crate to teach him at night he must be quiet which works as we were around to tell him off etc. We could have easily done the standard thing and left him outside in his kennel and after a few nights of barking all night he would shut up, but instead we spent the money and time to teach him so our neighbours would sleep.

But what about other noises in the neighbourhood? The STP has a stupid very loud phone that goes off all day that no one answers. does she complain about that? How about her hubby using power tools and a sledgehammer to destroy concrete for hours on end (one day when he was doing this I couldn't hear our puppy bark over top of it). What about the neighbours that let off fireworks for 2 hours solid on the weekend and pointed them in our direction scaring our poor lil puppy?

Because I'm annoyed and angry I don't want to go over there because it would most likely do more harm than good but what should we say to this woman? Like she said herself he is young, I don't know of any puppy that is trained in everything by this age

Is he inside during the day? Maybe leaving the radio or something on for him may stop this, our friends had the same prob with one of their dogs barking and a dog trainer recommended they do this.

He has a few toys in his kennel including a special chew toy that is hollow that gets filled with treats he has to work to get.. he's not an inside dog. he was never meant to be one, we have allowed him to sleep inside in a crate at night but there is no way that he is trusted during the day or night by himself alone roming free, he would destroy anything and everything he could lol.. and putting him in a crate indoors all day is very unfair, at least in his massive kennel he can be in the sun and see the yard and can walk around etc

Outside, he just needs a few more weeks of growing and he wont be able to escape from outside, the only gap he fits through is a gap between our gate and house (as our house is brick they couldnt attach it to the house but close to it) and nothing we put there seems to stop him given enough time so we cant let him have free rome of the yard just yet until hes too big to fit through it

Radio just isnt an option outside.

a dog barking every day all day would drive me batty too. not the same as a sledgehammer or party every weekend or so... or a phone ringing ...

sounds like your dog is lonely and really if you arent going to be there for the dog should you have one. ?

her letter doesnt sound bad to me either - at least she came to you first ...

do you have someone who can perhaps come over and take the dog for a walk or something???

Its a tough one- I can see how it must frustrate both sides. I guess its nice that she spoke to you first rather than just going straight to animal control as alot of people would. From her point of veiw she probably doesn't care that its a young dog or the trouble you're going to- all she would care about it the noise and it disturbing her when shes trying to concentrate.

Would it be possible for one of you to come home at lunch time- just over the next few weeks, just to get him out and have a run around and hopefully burn off some of that energy and get rid of the boredom for a bit? Maybe you could also write a note back and just say sorry and all the trouble you are going to- she might be a bit more understanding if she knows you are actually trying. It would be good if you could get it sorted between you rather than her getting so mad one day she brings animal control into it.

Good luck!

Tricky one, Stacey.  I agree that a note back saying sorry bout the noise and explaining how you're doing everything you can to stop it happening could help - your neighbour probably doesn't realise the effort you're putting in.    What about creating a tethered run to see puppy through this phase?  If he were tied with a decent-length lead to something that runs say the length of your yard, maybe he'd burn off some energy and not be so bored?  I'd be chicken about leaving a puppy inside too.  Hope it all works out for you. 

Katie84 wrote: Hey guys, Lurker here. I was just wondering - I have a neighbour whos little jack russel barks CONSTANTLY. I mean, wakes me up at 6.30 am EVERY DAY. I'm convinced it is having a personality crisis with a rooster! I have been trying to think of ways to say something to the neighbours for MONTHS but just can't find the words... I mean, we live in a driveway with 20 other houses down it (yay Auckland house-cramming) and there is just no way to block it out. The question is this - should I write a note as Kebacat received? I am afraid that I will alienate my neighbours and make them mad, but I work late afternoon shifts and a dog with a rooster complex is driving me batty. Any thoughts? Now I'm off to introduce myself, as I feel bad for not doing to earlier :)

To be honest, I would write a note to the neighbours, I don't think there is anything wrong with it or with the one Kebakat received as it is a perfectly reasonable complaint. It's good that you are wanting to make the effort to talk to the neighbours first too!

A dog is a huge responsibility! At the SPCA, puppies are not allowed to be adopted unless someone is with the puppy ALL day. That applies to pups under about 8 months as I recall from when I worked there.

Kebakat - is there a neighbour who wants to earn a little cash and take your pup out during the day? Or can you employ a dog walker? It would be an alternative to you having to come home.

we got a nasty letter from dog control about complaints that our dog was barking, so i think your neighbour was doing a good thing to come to you first. maybe explain what you have explained here, that when he is a little bit bigger he will have the run of the yard, and include a box of choccies with it, she might be placated a bit.

But a word of warning, even having the yard to run around in may not stop your dog barking, ours had a big backyard to roam in during the day, but all that space isnt company for the dog.

Hope you get this resolved soon - you could always say that you will be home during the day soon enough with the dog

I don't believe it is mean at all to leave a puppy during the day. All throughout my childhood we had various dogs as pets. They all started out as puppies. They were ALL left during the day in their kennel and coped just fine. Since I work for the Council I've been enquiring with the senior dog control officer. He said that as a puppy it's to be expected and nothing more than we are doing would be expected of us. We are on the Council's list for the preferred owners of dogs.

She sounds like a looney.....(the moany neighbour..)
I hope you didn't take offence to my comment, it is just I say that, as we breed off our dog, and I'm really not that keen on letting pups go where there is no one home all day. That said, Ours is a jack Russell, and they are DEFINATELY dogs that need company, lol, or else they can be very crazya nd destructive...(great pets, though, very loyal!)