Noise complaint, Help needed please!!!

[Tori]

Sending out an S.O.S......

There i am, merrily opening my post only to find a noise complaint letter from the council.

OK so I'll be the first to admit that my dogs have their moments....As I'm sure some of you have experienced cockers do have a tendency of barking at something they think they hear 5 miles away But i hate the sound of dogs constantly barking and make measures to make them quiet the minute they start. 
I've contacted the council to try and find out more information ie time and days of complaints but all they say is that they have sent out diaries for the complaintives to fill out and if they receive them back they then come out and make volume/sound checks.

If i explain our house set up....I live in a semidetached house in a small village, neighbours either side and at the back of us.  We get on really well the the family we're joined to (they have a small old terrier x who occasionally barks at their door to be let in), the otherside who we share the driveway with is a family with two youngish children (we do NOT get along!) and an older couple at the back (don't mix with). 
Now the only time i think people can be complaining about is the weekends (spoken to the nice neighbours who say that they're are quiet when we're at work and i know they don't bark at night).   If the weather is nice we like to do what everyone else does and leave the back door open.  If the neighbours are making nose then that can set Otis and Laney off, but believe you me that i don't let them continually bark!  I'm out there telling them to be quiet with a water spray and rolled up paper....If they really won't stop they i call them in the house, but i feel that isn't fair on them.   Other than that the other time is when we get in from work, then it is Sasha and Jessica who bark intially.  At this we don't make eye contact with them or acknowledge but i like to let them out ASAP due to Sasha's water problems and cause she's worked up she will run up the garden barking with Laney and Otis chasing her barking as well, when this happens we do the same as i just said above.

I've tried the water spray, rolled paper, aboistop collars (slight improvement but far from perfect plus they are very expensive and could only afford 2 )
To be honest i don't know whatelse to try, hence my plea.........I'm even contemplating buying a shock collar which is one thing i said I'd never do
I'm just so angry as its not as if we ignore them and let them get on with it, plus our neighbours b**ts ....sorry mean children (no offence meant really to all the parents out there  ) delight in winding them up by kicking balls at our adjoining fence then shout at them to 'shut it!' when they bark back 
I'm also scared about how far it can go......can they make you get rid of your dogs?

Please please please....any advise will be gratefully received

Tori

PS; Sorry for the ramble.

[Cob-Web]

My advice - don't panic 

From what you have described, this is not unreasonable noise, and so you don't need to use all the various interventions that you have listed; as you have already discovered, they won't prevent dogs being dogs 

I was reduced to tears by my neighbour recently after years of problems, she has never been a dog lover and made her views clear before we even got Molo as a puppy; rather than carry out her repeated threats of calling the Council, she satisfies herself by shouting abuse over the fence   

After a number of fruitless conversations with the council, I eventually discovered that they consider this kind of letter, telling you that someone has complained about you, to be a courtesy    It does not mean that the complaint will be upheld or is even reasonable; and in your case (like mine) it seems as if you just have intolerant neighbours who delight in winding the dogs up (the brat next door to us bounces on the trampoline adjacent to the fence while shouting at the dogs )

The Council can't make people get rid of their dogs; but they can enforce noise abatement notices if a person refuses to comply - but not in this case, it really only happens when dogs bark for hours at a time (often when they are shut outdoors)    Are you an owner/occupier or a tenant ?

I know how upsetting this can be; it was only when my other neighbour took me to one side and told me not to be so paranoid that I eventually realised how stressed I had become  Now I am a lot more relaxed about her shouts of abuse. I do bring my dog in if they get over excited or spot the neighbours cat on the shed roof as they go mad then - but I would rather keep them in for 10 minutes than use punishment methods for something that it a perfectly natural behaviour for a dog 

[Tori]

Are you an owner/occupier or a tenant ?

We own.

The children are demons from hell!! If not kicking things at fence then messing around with friends up and down our shared driveway.   CAn you believe that their youngest (girl about 8yrs) shouted at my harmless 3 legged cat to get out her garden on sunday then THREW!!! her drink bottle at her when she didn't!

I tell you the air was blue from my end!  Pheobe is so sweet and friendly plus cause its her hind leg she missing isn't always the quickest cat on the planet......   Hope she poo's in her sand pit!!! (sorry parents )

I'm trying not to panic really but i just hate people thinking bad of us!

Liuke i said i hate barking myself......any suggestions would be gratefully recieved 

Tori x

[michelle123]

Tori, I dont know what to say, but I think that Rachel's comments should hopefully put your mind at ease.

Since getting Charlie, I am paranoid about the noise - he has a very loud and high pitched bark which then sets Blue off.   The many squirrels and birds that land in our garden tease them all day long   

I hope that matters come to a satisfactory conclusion, it does sound as though you are taking measures so hopefully the powers that be will accept that.

  to you. x

[Cob-Web]

I'm trying not to panic really but i just hate people thinking bad of us!

That was my biggest worry too - logically, I know that my dogs aren't unacceptably noisy, but it doesn't make it any easier to deal with when they have clearly disturbed someone 

I did try to talk to my neighbour-from-hell; have you tried that?  I didn't have any luck, she shut the door in my face, and I then considered going to dispute resolution, and ask them to invite her to come along too - but realised that I was actually hoping she would refuse so that I would feel less guilty and have something to fall back on if she ever does complain to the Council 

If the barking is unacceptable to you, then why not have a couple of one-to-one sessions with a APDT trainer to learn positive methods to divert their attention and manage this element of their behaviour? But if you are confident that it is your neighbours intolerance, not your dogs that are the problem, then it probably won't make any difference how much training your dogs have, your neighbour will still complain.   



To give you hope that circumstances might get better, though, my neighbour-from-hell has not yelled at my dogs for at least a week - not since the staffie bitch that belongs to her b'friend escaped from her garden twice in 24 hours while she was in season. She (the dog) is not allowed indoors when he visits and she got so bored/lonely that she climbed onto the trampoline, jumped the fence and ended up in our garden  Sadly, the second time, she got stuck in the wrought iron gate she tried to squeeze through while everyone in the house was out; other neighbours heard her screaming and called the fire brigade to free her    Fortunately, the dog was fine but funnily enough, the neighbour has kept a very low profile since then 

[djangonut]

Everyone with more than one dog can get paranoid about the noise they make and worry about the effects on neighbours.

I think that if dogs bark for 24/7 then the neighbours have a case.  But if like most of us the dogs just get high for a few seconds (sometimes seems longer!) when the postman comes or at meal times,  then there is no case to answer.  Everyone has to have a life.  Just wish your neighbours would get one.

John

[Dog Mad]

Hi,

I've been in the same position as you, a few years ago now.  I had a letter from the council, saying the same thing.  I spoke to the council and they told me not to worry and that the person had been asked to keep a diary.  I never heard anything again.

It is so annoying the fact that you don't know who complained, I would just try forget about it for now and wait to see if you hear anything else from them.

Debbie

[doughy]

My neighbour from hell reported me to the council because of my cocker barking but didnt bother to mention her 17 year old son playing his music til what ever time to all the neighbours in a 5 miles radius of our house !!! Needless to say I bought him a collar that lets out a high pitch squeal when he barked and that seemed to do the trick !!! I couldn`t bare the thought of an electric collar ! Hope this helps in some way I think I paid about £18 for the collar

[Roslyn McConnell]

Could you take some video evidence of the kids tormenting the dogs?.........Im sure that would class as anti-social behaviour, altho can an 8 year old get an ASBO? 

A couple of kids a few doors down used to throw stones  at my poor wee doggie and try to wind him up.......I wanted to throttle them but instead I went out with a big smile of my face and said 'Oh dont do that sweetie, my little dog is out here, he wouldn't mind you throwing over a few biscuits tho' the fact that I had caught them but was being nice confused them, plus it helped buuld up a relationship between them and the dog.

I know this doesnt help with the barking but it might stop ur doggies getting teased.

There are also cds you can by of everyday noises such as kids playing outside, you could try playing them at a low volume and rewarding nice, calm behaviour and the gradually increase the volume so they get used to it?

I've never tried this myself tho so cant say how successfull it is!!!

x

[bev6951]

I think cob-web has given you some really sound advice here. I genuinely wouldnt worry too much at all about the letter if the barking is as you say it is, it sounds like she doesnt have a leg to stand on if it came to noise testing. I know its easier said than done but dont worry, I wouldnt bother with anything else other than bringing them in for a few minutes like cob-web said she has done and then let them back out, after all they are only displaying natural doggy behaviour and it doesnt sound too pest like at all to me 

[Cazzie]

I think cob-web has given you some really sound advice here. I genuinely wouldnt worry too much at all about the letter if the barking is as you say it is, it sounds like she doesnt have a leg to stand on if it came to noise testing. I know its easier said than done but dont worry, I wouldnt bother with anything else other than bringing them in for a few minutes like cob-web said she has done and then let them back out, after all they are only displaying natural doggy behaviour and it doesnt sound too pest like at all to me 

I agree  Just hire a pack of children for a week  That'll shut them up 

[*Jay*]

My neighbour took me to civil court!!! I have 6 dogs and he complains that they make too much noise walking about and he sometimes hears Dallas whining before we go out for a walk. This neighbour has previously made several complaints to the dog control people about the "noise" my dogs make, none of which were barking  .  Luckily the judge type person is a client at my work and has 2 dogs herself  . Our latest hearing was Tuesday past and in the space of 5 weeks, he said that one of the dogs yapped for 5 minutes on a Friday morning, and one barked twice late on a Wednesday evening. If you could have seen the look that the judge gave him  . I explained all the measures that I took to keep the noise levels to a minimum and she was more than satisifed.   Its extremely stressful though and I'm soooooo glad that I'm moving!

Good luck and I'm sure if recordings are done that it wont go any further.

[MegandMolly]

I agree  Just hire a pack of children for a week  That'll shut them up 
[/quote]

I've got 3 you can 'borrow'!! PM, I'll start packing a bag for them!

[Cazzie]

I agree  Just hire a pack of children for a week  That'll shut them up 

I've got 3 you can 'borrow'!! PM, I'll start packing a bag for them!
[/quote]

Cool  Not that my neighbours complain about the dogs 

[Tori]

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR LOVELY AND HELPFUL WORDS 

You have all been fantastic and settled my panic loads.

I have taken alot of the advice on board and as many of you have said, my dogs are not excessive barkers, in that they do it 24/7, just at the 'normal' things really and under provication from the brats.

Since the letter i have been putting the aboistop collars on Laney and Otis and have bought another one today for Sasha.  Jessica doesn't really need one as she only barks when i first get home for a min and when she's gets shut out accidently and even then it only a quick woof 

I actually think they might be working Yesterday, when i got in from work Otis and Laney were wearing them and i almost PMSL cause Sasha had a bit of a barky moment and because he was standing next to her Otis was getting sprayed......You should had seen his face!   I took the battery out of it before i let them in the garden as a experiment and for the first time he and his mother didn't go belting up the garden barking out of excitment!!

And today when i got home form work they didn't bark at all!!!

Obviously its really early days and the real test wil be the weekend, but i am starting to feel really positive and relieved....i soooo didn't want to have to resort to a shock collar as i really don't agree with them personally.  I'm going to try the sound CD's too or take on board Dunbarney's idea and hire MegandMolly's children  ....I'll PM you my address to send them......Do you think they'll mind slepping the the shed???

Once again thank you all   I'll keep you posted on the success of the collars this weekend  all things crossed.

Tori xx