Separation Anxiety - barking

Sunnyday

wageslave wrote: »

I leave the back door open for the dog to come and go in the garden. I have did this since she was a pup.

We used to do this with our pair of GSD`s since they were tiny

They only had acess to the back garden though - is there a way that you can do this so that yours can only get into the back garden or can`t see people walking past?

SD

ailuro2

As someone who has worked shifts I can answer the bit on what level of dog barking is acceptable... but you're not going to agree!

Once something/someone has woken you up in the middle of the day, anything that keeps you from dropping back to sleep can be extremely irritating, so even a little bit of barking can seem unacceptable to the person who is sleep deprived.

I'd suggest having a word with all your neighbours and trying to work out what is making your dog bark - is the area currently targetted by cold callers - are they knocking on the door and disturbing the dog?

If you don't want to approach the neighbours then set up a webcam and leave it running all day to see if you can see when the dog is barking.

Tropez

People seem to complain about all sorts.

If the dog was barking non-stop then that would be an issue in my minds, but barking when strangers pass by the house is perfectly normal. I still remember walking along one day and these two giant St Bernards (I believe they were anyway) jumped up at the gate and barked at me. Scared the crap out of me quite frankly because when they're standing on their hind legs they were as tall as I am, maybe even taller - but the owner had put up a very high gate, clearly aware of what they might do, and so I didn't think there was an issue.

I suppose what you might want to find out is how many passers by there are during the day, on average, and that would give you an idea of how many times the dog is barking. If we're talking about only three or four passers by and a couple of minutes of barking each time, then where is the problem? Unless of course the person complaining is working night shifts, then I would understand how any form of dog barking is irritating to them.

ali-t

Blocking the dog's view may help to stop the barking, if you can board up the gate, block the fence panels etc

wageslave

It is a very quiet street if there are more than half a dozen people walking by in an afternoon I would be amazed but I will check it out.

The dog isn't bored, she in nine years old and this is her house/garden and she is doing her doggy best to protect the homestead while her pack is elsewhere.

I do understand why neighbours would be annoyed by a dog barking which is why I am perfectly happy to keep her in until lunchtime. Is a dog barking half a dozen times a day unacceptable in law?

I understand that any noise can drive you barking mad:cool: but all of us have to accept a reasonable level as part of living amongst others. I do understand my neighbours POV but the dog has to live too. Or doesn't she?

Does anyone know what the legal position is?

Tropez

wageslave wrote: »

It is a very quiet street if there are more than half a dozen people walking by in an afternoon I would be amazed but I will check it out.

The dog isn't bored, she in nine years old and this is her house/garden and she is doing her doggy best to protect the homestead while her pack is elsewhere.

I do understand why neighbours would be annoyed by a dog barking which is why I am perfectly happy to keep her in until lunchtime. Is a dog barking half a dozen times a day unacceptable in law?

I understand that any noise can drive you barking mad:cool: but all of us have to accept a reasonable level as part of living amongst others. I do understand my neighbours POV but the dog has to live too. Or doesn't she?

Does anyone know what the legal position is?

The legal position is that a dog's barking is only a problem if it is barking excessively or causing a nuisance by barking at night. What constitutes excessive barking is generally defined as "constant" but you're basically relying on other people's interpretation of the word and the law.

The issue of dog barking comes under Environmental Health and in the vast majority of cases if the Environmental Health Department receive a complaint they will assess the situation and try to resolve it amicably for all concerned. If the situation cannot be resolved then the Environmental Health Department are able to issue a notice under the Environmental Health Act of 1990 in which they can give 21 days for the owner to resolve the issues or face financial penalties and in the worst cases, and as a last resort, have the animal removed from the owner. However, I would urge you not to worry about any such notices being served - they are very much a last resort and the law allows for dogs to bark because it accepts it is their way of communicating.

What you may consider is contacting the local environmental health office yourself and asking them for assistance. They can offer various suggestions to help you limit your dogs barking, although whether they will have the time to help when not dealing with an actual complaint I'm not sure.

The important thing is not to let yourself get stressed by the situation. Dogs can sense stress and will become stressed too, particularly if you're exhibiting signs of stress when you're leaving for work. Perhaps set up your computer to record noise whilst you are out, or use a Webcam or borrowed CCTV system to record video and (if possible) audio while you are out. Do this for a week or so and you'll have an idea of just how much your dog is barking and then you will also have something to work with should you wish to contact specialists to help you deal with the situation.

MyRubyRed

We had a similar problem when our retired neighbour complained to Environmental Health about our Samoid (dearly departed now) dog barking when folk walked past our window. The Environmental Officer came to our home to investigate. Whilst he was there the dog did bark on occasion but the Officer determined that the noise could not be construed as excessive and our pet was not causing a nuisance. In essence he was doing what all dogs do at some point. He also understood that we really did not want to stop the dog barking. We lived in a quite high crime area and my husband worked regular 12 hournight shifts leaving me and two small kids home alone. The dog offered a level of protection from would be burglars. He dismissed the complaint. I would give them a call as from my experience they are reasonable and sensible folk

Incidentally the neighbour subsequently raised a further complaint about the neighbours on the other side of him because he could hear the children practicing the piano................................

wageslave

Tropez wrote: »

The legal position is that a dog's barking is only a problem if it is barking excessively or causing a nuisance by barking at night. What constitutes excessive barking is generally defined as "constant" but you're basically relying on other people's interpretation of the word and the law.
/QUOTE]

She doesn't bark constantly and certainly doesn't bark at night.

She isn't a young dog and yes I have been stressed.

I said earlier I was willing to try collars. I lied. I am fooked if I will subject my dog to any kind of upset in the twilight of her years. I will move house first.

If you had asked me a fortnight ago I would have rolled my eyes and said I couldn't stand the dumb dog, now it seems I love her.

She is mine and her welfare is my responsiblity

I don't mind keeping her in in the mornings, that seems like common courtesy to me.

Is a dog barking at passers-by weekday afternoons unacceptable?

Or more importantly illegal?

Tropez

wageslave wrote: »

She doesn't bark constantly and certainly doesn't bark at night.

She isn't a young dog and yes I have been stressed.

I said earlier I was willing to try collars. I lied. I am fooked if I will subject my dog to any kind of upset in the twilight of her years. I will move house first.

If you had asked me a fortnight ago I would have rolled my eyes and said I couldn't stand the dumb dog, now it seems I love her.

She is mine and her welfare is my responsiblity

I don't mind keeping her in in the mornings, that seems like common courtesy to me.

Is a dog barking at passers-by weekday afternoons unacceptable?

Or more importantly illegal?

If she isn't barking constantly and she isn't barking at night then there really is no legal issue here and you shouldn't worry. The council have an obligation to follow up on noise-pollution related complaints but there is nothing they can legally do unless the barking is somehow excessive - the definition of what constitutes excessive is a gray area however.

As the complaint appears to be a recent one the most likely reason is that somebody has moved to the area and is either very fussy or is working night shifts and having their sleep interrupted by your dog and has chosen to complain about it. The government actually advises that they should approach the owner of the dog first before making a complaint but there's not much that can be done if they decide they don't want to.

All dogs bark - well most of them anyway - and you have no reason to be concerned or stressed if someone has complained over a little bit of barking. No one can punish you or take your dog away unless they can prove that the complaint has merit and the only way that will happen is with an investigation by environmental health and even if EH conclude that there is a problem, they will help you long before they consider punishing you. Just try and remain calm and take it in your stride - stressing makes the dog stressed and will just contribute to barking while you're away.

wageslave

Thank you Tropez, I hope you are right.

Since we (woman and dog) have lived here a long time we think it is a recently retired neighbour who has complained.

I do understand a dog barking is annoying which is why I am more than willing to keep her until lunchtime but the bliddy dog has a right to some life too.

If she wants to lie beside the hedge and frighten the life out of half a dozen pedestrians of an afternoon, can she?

I seriously dont want to be first labrador owner in the UK with an ASBO.......