I have a slight problem with my neighbors

You always seem like such a nice person, and I can understand where you are coming from. Since you don't want to talk to the neighbors, how about a nice note? If you don't want them to know who it came from,don't sign it. You can keep the note nice. Also, I do not think it would be rude for you to hush the dogs, maybe if the neighbors see your discomfort with them barking while you are trying to enjoy the outdoors, they will bring the dogs in. I know when my neighbors dog barks (and it's ALOT) I always give a quick "Ike, hush up" If that does not work, you can always walk into the loce police,and ask if they could give a visit to the neighbor.

This is a hard situation. Living in the city one sort has to put up with ALOT of unwanted noise, a pitfall of city life. I know because one of our back street neighbours also have a dog that constantly barks when your trying to enjoy yourself outside. If you know your neighbours and they seem resonable I would go talk to them about their dogs. I would tell that they are lovely but they sure do bark ALOT,lol. If they are rude about it I would go to City Hall and see what your noise by-law says. In our City any noise at any time that keeps a person from enjoying their property can warrant a complaint.A few years back a neighbour down the street complained about another neighbour whislting in his yard and found it an aggravastion, that person won his complaint against his neighbour, crazy and silly I think but it was in the by-law. Personally I would try and talk to your neighbours first. Good Luck.

It seems strange that the dogs would bark at you for 2 years. Can you look at it from the dogs' point of view? What are they getting out of the barking? Do you then pet them or talk to them? (reward) Or are you a little afraid? (another kind of reward, makes them feel powerful) Do you have a chance to watch the Dog Whisperer on National Geographic? I think Cesar Millan has a very good handle on what makes dogs "tick". Another thing that I really like about his attitude is that he encourages everyone to remember that dogs' behavior is easy to change, by the way that you behave. One thing that you could safely try is to go out in the yard, don't make any eye or voice contact with the dogs. Maybe wear earplugs, in fact, so the dogs' barking doesn't affect you (you can get little foam ones at the sporting goods counter for about a dollar). Then ignore them. It would be interesting to see what their response was. If their barking truly doesn't seem triggered by anything you do, then perhaps they are just a nuisance and will have to be dealt with by their owners. Here in our apartment complex we have some dogs like that. Just go nuts when they see someone just walking by. Good luck!

I agree that it can be a bit annoying to have to deal with the constant barking, but probably the dogs keep barking because you are a stranger and they are only doing their job, perhaps if you spent a little time outdoors on a regular basis, they would start to recognise you and would stop barking everytime they saw you. If you know the neighbours then you could chat with them just for a bit regularly that would also help.

The first step would be to talk to your neighbors and let them know of the nuisance and see if there is anything they can do to quiet the dogs. If the barking continues, check with your town or city hall and see what bylaws or ordinances are on the books with respects to pets, dogs, barking, or noise in general. If the home owner and their pets are in violation of the bylaws, you can bring it to the attention of the authorities. If the dogs continue to bark unchecked, the town or city may require the owners to muzzle the dogs when they are outside. Hope things improve for you!

I had this problem with our neighbors and I asked them to help. their answer was tough, well that didn't help. I understand the dogs are only doing what comes naturally so I did the same thing. I started watering my lawn with the hose and when the dog barked I sprayed the water at him. It didn't hurt him but rather gave him a little shock. It only took a week or so of this and now he just stands by the fence with his cute look on. Much quieter too.

The dogs are greeting you, pay attention to them and they will quit barking. Make friends with the dogs also. Get treets for them and it is ok to tell them to hush. I have dogs and do not let them bark and bark. They will bark at the neighbor when they see him, but they don't keep it up. Clear it with your neighbor before giving treets, good luck.

I would talk to your neighbors first, tell them your situation, if they have any common sense they should understand that trying to enjoy time in your yard is hard with dogs barking all the time. I can understand that dogs have to go out, and should spend some time outside, but if they bark all the time that's not fair to you or any other neighbors. My wife and I have 4 dogs, and they can be annoying, and when we notice they aren't going to calm down we let them in the house. We have also taken some precautions though, we have a privacy fence up between us and our neighbors, and have also put in a bark control device that goes off when they bark. They still bark, but usually it doesn't last long. The bark control is at www.ultimatebarkcontrol.com and I don't see any reason you couldn't use it for the neighbors dogs, or you could put up a privacy fence. I know you shouldn't have to do either, your neighbors should be understanding, I was just suggesting it. We're smack in the middle of the city, and try to keep our dogs annoyances to a minimum. I also know that within our city limits, constant dog barking can be considered noise pollution (like loud music constantly playing) especially at night, and you can call the cops to pay them a visit. Honestly, it's happened to me once, the cops showed up to say someone complained and I took care of it. We were watching a movie and didn't know they were being a pain. Ever since then, we do a much better job of keeping tabs on them. I bet a visit or two from the cops will get them thinking they better get it under control. Good luck! Jim

You deserve to have peace and quiet in your neighborhood, especially right outside of your home. I would try to nicely speak to the neighbor about how the dogs bark all the time and that it kind of bothers you when you are outside. I would tell them that you know dogs are going to bark but maybe they can get one of those silencers for their dogs. Thay have silencers that dogs can wear and it makes them not bark all the time. I would at least recommend it to them and see how it goes. I know you don't want to cause a problem but you have to say something or they probably won't do a thing about the problem you are having with it. They have to know and I sure hope it goes well for you. I hope it doesn't cause a conflict for you.

I feel your frustration!! I have dogs on both sides of my yard and they both bark constantly when I am outside working in my yard...I, too , didn't want to upset my neighbors..they are friends and I really love their dogs..but one day while gardening I had the choice of ruining my hearing by turning my Ipod up as loud as possible to drown out the barking...Or actually being pro-active and trying to put a stop to it on my own...I opted to keep my hearing and go for the "dog speak"...I know the animal's names so I began by going over to the fence and calling them me..I gave them a nice petting and talked to them and then walked away...of course they began barking immediately at which time I sternly addressed them with their name and a command of "no bark,no"....it took several times before they got the message and in the mean time the owners came out and apologized and started to take the animal in...I asked them not to because that isn't the answer..it will only happen again when I am outside next...so they agreed ...I explained that I would like to be able to hush them when I am in my yard working and they were very cooperative...It doesn't stop them from barking everytime someone is outside walking by or whatever...but after just a few times they both seem to understand the tone of my voice and they stop barking as soon as I make my request!!! The funny thing is that they want that "petting" first..so I oblige them with a short pet...and a no bark, no with their name attached...we have a much quieter yard these days..so I say...HUSH those dogs...find a little routine that works for you...and go for it!!!

No, it is not rude to hush the dogs. You have every right to go outside in your own backyard and enoiy the fresh air. If the dogs are causing you problems, you need to shush them. If that doesn't wor, it is time to go to the neighbors and polietly tell them about your issue.

too bad you can't just tell those dogs to quiet down and when you do, they'll just be more agressive and tend to get more noisy.. the best way to stop the incessant barking would be to talk to your neighbors, tell them frankly but politely how their dogs make you uncomfortable.. if you say it nice enough they usually won't even think twice on doing something about it... if they are such insensitive people as to ignore you then don't worry, there are ways to quiet those dogs down (PERMANENTLY) ((LOL))... to stop those earbleeds, try this: if the owners aren't looking (or anyone for that matter) or isn't just around the neigborhood, chuck some chocolate over the fence to where your neighbor's dogs are, and if they eat it then throw-in some more chocolate the next few days whenever you get the chance... soon after that, don't be surprised to see your neighbor digging a hole in their lawn ;D and you'll be getting your well-deserved peace and silence for the upcoming spring.. Logic: Chocolate contains a substance/ingredient known as Theo bromine and these are bad to almost any domestic pet, specifically dogs.. Even small amounts of Theo bromine can cause vomiting and restlessness in pets. Larger doses can be fatal. i know this can really be mean, but i'm not saying that you should do it first-hand, it just serves as some kind of last resort when all of the other responses above won't effect or when things just have gotten terribly wrong between you and your neighbor...

There are a few ways to handle this and all of them include talking with your neighbors. It may be the dogs are not use to you and so they see you as a stranger. If they get use to you they may stop barking at you. This one here just takes time. You could talk to your neighbor and see if they are willing to try some training with thier dogs to accept you. This is sometimes hard to do though depending on the type of dog and it's instincts. The other option is a privacy fence between the two. This would either have to be set up by your neighbor, by you, or with a 50/50 split. The dogs may still bark on occasion, but if they can't see you then they may not bark as much or they will give up alot quicker. This is why I prefer cats :D Nothing you have to worry about with them, lol.

It sounds like you are going to have to talk to your neighbors anyway. You don't have to "complain" really. Just talk to them about it. Yeah, I know, dogs bark, but constantly is very annoying. And them doing that is disturbing not only you, but probably other people close by. If that doesn't work and it is still really bothering you, move on up the chain to the police or the dog warden.

I think you need to approach your neighbours and talk to them about the barking problem. Don't do it in a confronting manner but just start chit chating with them. Bring up the dogs and mention how beautiful they are but it is sometimes annoying when they start barking alot. Maybe the neighbours will be able to tell you how what to say to the dogs. Maybe there is a certain command they use to stop the dogs from barking and they will let you know. If this doesn't work, I would consider calling animal control. I don't know if they can do anything but they might have some suggestions.

I would tell them to hush...it's ok--it's just me. If you did this often they should learn that you are normal and you are not going to bother them. Hopefully, they will get used to your commands. I also wouldn't worry with the neighbors hearing you. It could be a positive thing for them to reinforce commands to the dogs if they do hear you! Good luck and enjoy spring. It's your house and your backyard!

I had the exact same problem when we first moved to our current home. We don't have a fence but our neighbours have a chain link fence and they have two large dogs that would constantly bark at me too whenever I'm there. I used to be afraid of them so I would quickly go back to the house. But after awhile, it was starting to really bug me cos' I need to be out in the yard to do gardening and all and I do like spending time outside to play with my son and to enjoy the nice weather in spring. So, I decided to befriend the dogs. I would just go near the fence and talk to them in a nice voice. I would do that every time I see them. Eventually, I got close enough for them to smell me and get familiarize with me. After awhile, they stopped barking like mad at me every time they see me. They would bark when they spot me but as soon as I acknowledge them, they stopped barking. I don't know if these dogs are friendly enough for you to try that.

I used to live next door to a neighbor who had to pit bulls. They liked to bark at me. One day I finally had enough and i just called them by name and said stop, very loudly. The neighbor came out and told their dogs to be quiet. After that I would just tell the dogs to be quiet whenever they were noisy. Didn't take long before I had some peace and quiet.

I think that its completely within your rights to tell the dogs to quiet down. It's your yard and you have the right to be comfortable in it. I understand that you don't want to complain to the neighbors but that would probably be the only way that you can get the dogs to quiet down. Hopefully the dogs will listen to your neighbors and stop barking. Or maybe if you talk to the dogs they will get used to you and stop barking.

ouch, a tough spot. I guess I would tell the dogs to quiet down - *hey dogs, hush now - its just me trying to enjoy a peaceful afternoon in the garden - quiet now, good dog... but I would say it when the neighbor is out there and say it loud enough for them to hear, but not abruptly which may be construed as anger. Maybe the neighbor will get the hint and do something to curb the barking issue. If that does not work, I dont know how to handle it...maybe when you strike up a conversation with the neighbor ask them.... how do you deal with the dogs barking so much? doesnt it drive you nuts? or do you not hear it when you are in the house? oh, because it sure is distracting when I am trying to enjoy some time outside.