5 Things to Do When a Neighbor Complains About Dog Barking

Are neighbors complaining about dog barking? Do NOT get defensive! The following are ways you can peacefully diffuse this potentially hostile situation.

183

The natural thing to do when a neighbor complains about dog barking is to get defensive. “My dog? Causing a problem? How dare you?!”

Don’t go there. Defensiveness exacerbates hostilities, escalates tension, and encourages your neighbor to make a mountain out of what you perceive to be a molehill. Remember, it’s all about perception, and your neighbor’s perception is his reality. Instead of being defensive, try these things:

1. Listen intently to your neighbor’s complaint.

Unless one of you plans to move, defusing the situation beats all-out war. Set defensiveness aside, and listen to what your neighbor says. Assume there’s some nugget of truth to his complaint. You need to find it, so you can figure out what to do with it. He says your dog barks all the time, underneath his bedroom window, and wakes him up. That may be an exaggeration, but chances are your dog is barking some of the time, especially if you leave her out in the yard, or if she has free backyard access through a doggie-door.

2. Empathize and apologize for your dog barking.

Without admitting guilt, empathize with your complainer. “It must be frustrating to have to listen to barking dogs when you’re trying to sleep.” Be sincere. Tell him you’re sorry he’s being disturbed by barking. Reassure him that you don’t want your dog to be a nuisance, and you want to help find a solution to his concerns. Ask him to bear with you while you work on the problem. Bake him chocolate chip cookies.

3. Investigate your dog’s nuisance behavior.

Ask questions that won’t make your neighbor defensive. “Is there a time when it’s most annoying?” “Are there other dogs that are barking too?” “Other than giving up my dog, what would make you happy?” Set up a video camera or voice-activated tape recorder to document your dog’s activities when you aren’t home. Alternatively, take a day off and watch your own house from a distance, to see what goes on that might make your dog bark. Check the neighborhood to see if there are other dogs whose barking might be blamed on your dog. Ask other neighbors if they hear your dog, and if so, when and how much.

4. Respect all community dog laws.

Make sure your dog is currently licensed, and obey all local animal control laws. Maybe your neighbor is complaining because your dog runs loose and he feels threatened (even though you know your dog is a pussycat), or because you don’t clean up when you take her for walks. Those are legitimate grounds for complaint (as is excessive nuisance barking) even if your dog is a pussycat. You don’t want animal control to find you in violation of anything. Obey leash laws and scoop laws, and respect your neighbor’s discomfort with your dog – don’t let her off-leash even if you’re just walking out to your car. If she runs over to happily greet him, you’ll fuel the fires.

5. Take action to modify your dog’s behavior, and your own behavior.

Make changes to accommodate your neighbor and protect your dog. If his complaint is early-morning noise and she’s barking when you let her out at 6:00 am while you shower, alter your routine. Get up earlier and go out with her. Let her eliminate, then play with her. Keep her quietly occupied rather than leaving her to find her own entertainment. If it’s random throughout-the-day backyard barking while you’re away, bring her in and close the dog door. She doesn’t have to be outside all day. If things get ugly, leaving her out unattended exposes her to great risk from an irate neighbor. If necessary, pay someone to let her out for a noon potty break. If the complaint is about barking even when you are home, behavior modification is in order. (See “Modifying Your Dog’s Barking Behavior“.) If it’s something other than barking, determine how you can modify the situation to mitigate the problem. Some examples:

-Your dog charges the fence. Your neighbor fears for his children’s safety. Make the fence solid, or put up an inner fence so there’s an “airlock” between dog and kids. See, “Solve Fence Aggression with a Better Designed Dog Fence,” for more info on fencing.

-Your dog came over and attacked his dog. You think your dog was just playing, but whatever. Vow that your dog is never off her leash in your neighborhood. Even just walking to your car.

Keep your neighbor informed of your efforts to address his concerns. Document your actions in a journal in case you do have to face animal control. Ask your neighbor to let you know if he sees improvement – and document that. Save receipts for anything you buy to modify your dog’s environment. If you see your neighbor deliberately antagonizing your dog, document that with a video camera. Keep your dog safe. Be considerate. Keep baking chocolate chip cookies.

Previous articleOn-Leash Training Blossoming into Off-Leash Reliability
Next articleRescue Hoarding
Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, grew up in a family that was blessed with lots of animal companions: dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, goats, and more, and has maintained that model ever since. She spent the first 20 years of her professional life working at the Marin Humane Society in Marin County, California, for most of that time as a humane officer and director of operations. She continually studied the art and science of dog training and behavior during that time, and in 1996, left MHS to start her own training and behavior business, Peaceable Paws. Pat has earned a number of titles from various training organizations, including Certified Behavior Consultant Canine-Knowledge Assessed (CBCC-KA) and Certified Professional Dog Trainer - Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA). She also founded Peaceable Paws Academies for teaching and credentialing dog training and behavior professionals, who can earn "Pat Miller Certified Trainer" certifications. She and her husband Paul and an ever-changing number of dogs, horses, and other animal companions live on their 80-acre farm in Fairplay, Maryland.

183 COMMENTS

  1. Help. My neighbor has started complaining about my 6 month old Cowboy Corgi.I have a 6 foot stockade fence. This woman has a pool…4 kids… and 3 pitbulls. Its usually full on party music too. My pup barks then runs away. My girl is learning. She doesnt quite understand the barking and the noise. She gets barked at she barks back. What can i do to make this woman understand…..kids scream dogs bark thats life. We are not outside very long. She is becoming very hateful.

    • I have 2 dogs and kids.
      My kids don’t scream and my dogs don’t bark.

      Shut ya dog up or get rid of it and let the kids enjoy their pool in peace next door.
      Just because they have a party now and then (probably once a month) is not the same as your dog barking EVERYDAY

      • “I have 2 dogs and kids.
        My kids don’t scream and my dogs don’t bark.”
        Good job demonstrating you weren’t capable of fully reading the previous comment. Pam’s neighbors have children who scream and three dogs who bark, and clearly they regularly have parties otherwise it wouldn’t be worth describing as “usually full on party music.” A dog barking in reaction to kids yelling or other dogs barking =/= “your dog barking everyday” in response to nothing. Congrats on your kids and your dogs but you’re obviously not her neighbor. Grow up and don’t take your own beef out on someone else with a legitimate issue via making baseless accusations and assumptions.

          • I’m agreeing with the Dog LOVERS! Young kids do scream and get excited fact, dogs do bark fact! Stop waking people up partying or blasting your music, maybe that’s to blame for the Dog barking! Dog’s bark for a reason, that’s how they communicate! You’d soon be grateful to the Dog if it was barking at an intruder or burglars

          • I agree with you that barking is for communication, but the question is, some dogs bark at unnecessary things, when master comes home, when people walks by the road, when stray dogs walk by the yard, they need more training, patience, ther think their territory is the whole world!

          • “comprehension” issues, ironically.
            Dog lovers are the most arrogant people. Most of us are on this particular page because you bought an animal you’re incapable of training, madam.

        • @ “f”
          “””””””Dog lovers are the most arrogant people.””””””””
          And here YOU are calling dog lovers “arrogant people”
          GET REAL you Condescending Hypocritical “arrogant” & Opinionated t***!
          You obviously haven’t a clue about “love” or “dogs” have you …
          IDIOT

      • My neighbors dog climbs on the fence and looks and barks at the kid or anytime I open the door to go outside. These dogs are out all day? I plan on talking to them because I want to have a get together in the back yard but don’t want the constant dog peeping over and barking to ruin it. And it’s Rottweiler.(I am sure it can’t be dangerous)

      • Shut up ! Dogs bark . They are allowed to bark when someone gets to close to the house . As long as the dog stops barking when the person passes no harm done . My dogs are absolutely allowed to bark if I had you as a neighbor I would allow them to bark at you a minute or so . If her dog barks on occasion that’s not against the law . My german shepherds bark if someone comes to close to my privacy fence . If I hear my dogs barking more than 30 seconds I go see what the problem is and usually bring them in that’s the responsible thing to do . My dogs are not allowed to bark in morning or after 9 pm not even once that’s being respectful . I feel sorry for your dogs . I don’t complain about the other neighbor dogs barking non stop this is what dogs do 🤦‍♀️

        • I agree. I have a neighbor who sleeps with her windows open 365 days a year. I have lived next door for 10 years. I have always had dogs. They bark. Up until last summer, if I apoligized for my dogs barking, her reply was always, “oh, there no problem, I love dogs” Now if they bark once she yells and screams out the window for them to SHUT UP. I have a fenced in yard that my dogs can no longer enjoy, because I am constantly on edge waiting for a bark. I have purchased anti barking collars, and I yell, “No barking” as soon as they bark. I have 2 little dogs, 10 pounds each, and a 9 month old lab pup. I broke down and purchased a shock collar for my puppy today. I’m sorry, but this is breaking my heart. To the pers Maybe if you on who said to get rid of the dog, shame on you! Dogs are not disposable! Maybe you should be the one to leave. When my husband shot himself a couple of years ago, my dogs licked my tears away. They neighbors reaction? “Oh, that’s just all I need” Never, are you ok can I do anything for you. I will NEVER give up my dogs. I try to be a very good neighbor, no one else in the neighborhood has a problem, just her. She will be carried out on a stretcher before my dogs go anywhere. Sounds harsh. I just had another smal stroke because of the pressure she puts on me.

          • If this lady was fine with your dogs for ten years and now she’s having problems with them, that sounds like a behavioral change for your neighbor, and that could be a result of a health issue. Are there any friends or family members you can talk to? She might need help.

        • Pity everyone doesnt have your attitude I agree with you 100%
          We have dogs on our private property who bark only if someone comes to the door or with excitement if we return after being away for a while they never ever bark at night NEVER and are all kept indoors in our bedrooms and sleep with us I have been down to the environmental section of the council and they reassured me that my dogs barking during the day is not an issue and is actually allowed because of the time and length they are barking at/for …some people just complain as it’s a polished way of bullying and sometimes it can be done to cover up jealousy when they are annoyed over you getting a new car or they see a workman doing some home improvements to your property I’ve been there we had some work being done on our property and our neighbour sent a text to ask if we could hold off on the hammering that he was tired and was going to bed this was at 7:40pm on a summers evening in June the bathroom walls needed to be slabbed before getting plastered the next day even the workman said he was ‘out of order ‘ and questioned his mental stability

          • I wouldnt put a barking devuce on my dog unless she started doing it incessantly, all dogs have times when they bark its their communication, excited, warning you, etc. Maybe they dont like your neighbour, they’ll pick uo on yoyr anxiety over the neighbour too, I have a control freak if a neighbour who used to have a jack russel evety time she went oyt swimming 3times a week it would bark for the whole time she was out. Unfortunately their is practically no sound proofing in our party walls so it sounded really loud, I didnt complain because its not her fault the landlords haven’t done anything about it. However since covid she has become mentally ill from being restricted to home & has started banging on my bedroom wall on the odd occasion my dog barks in the morning (after 7am) to be let out for a pee, so its a short bark not for hours on end. Banging on the wall is totally unacceptable, the problem is with her, she needs help for her mental health, before I movrd here she had made unnecessary exaggerated complaints to the landlord about all three of the previous tenants, her own teenage son constantly woke up the neighbours revving his car up at night & in the early morning, & her own voice was so loud you could hear her in the livingroom. Shecneeds to be rehoused in a bungalow down a long track with only sheep for neighbours 😂

        • There are responsible Dog owners and then there are the others. I am retired and have a Neighbour with a Dog. It barks when people walk by and then it is quiet. Unlike the one next to him. It barks near my back yard, not just for a minute or so but goes on for quiet some time for a couple or so of times a day. I think it comes down to in having consideration and respect for your surrounding neighbourhood. It is Not ok for a Dog to bark encroaching on other peoples
          Piece and quiet. It is Not ok to say that is what Dogs do.

          • thank you. i have no problem with dogs occasionally barking during the day, but my Mexican neighbors have a sheep dog with a deep bark from 12 – 7 am. It is driving me crazy. It gets nearby dogs going too. After it started barking at 3 am continually, my brother drove over there at 5:30 am. The Mexican owner said he owns a farm (only like 3 acres and he got houses all around him) and it’s okay in the country. If it were the city, it’d be different. And the neighbors said they’re okay with it. His wife just sent me a hostile text saying not to come onto their private property at 6 am anymore. i’ve extended as much courtesy as I can, and i need some sleep. I’ll be contacting the neighbors to get the real story, document the barks and actions taken, as well as contacting the police station.

          • You want peace and quit move to the country where there is no people dogs maybe a bear . Dog bark and have a right to be outside in there yard. I have a neighbor who is going to court very soon. HE IS RIDICULOUS.

        • I wish all dog owners were as responsible as you are. A 30 second dog bark is nothing! My problem is my neighbor got his dog and all was well when he was home. Now he has a girlfriend and quite frequently leaves on the weekends. The dog barks on and off at different times of night. Last night it was from 10-11 PM. I’ve heard the dog bark and wake me up at 1:30 AM! It’s a Pitbull so his bark is very loud! I rarely see the tenant, so I’ve left him notes. He seems like a nice person, and I do like his dog. I understand the dog is protecting his domain. But this excessive late-night barking has to stop! Last note I left I told him I’m contacting the landlord! I’ve had enough!

      • Well that was impressively unhelpful, madechi. Sure, your perfect kids and dogs never make noise…..riiiight. Everything else you said after that is dismissed as idiocy, since it’s impossible to get past your first supremely stupid remark. lol

        • I love dogs. I mostly do residential installs and repairs for income..
          …. But then there is those times when I get a house with a dog that doesn’t shut up.. Cannot even have a conversation with the customer without the dog yelling over our voices…
          … or maybe it is the neighbours dog barking for an hour through the fence at me … Barking about nothing..

          Almost 100% of the times this happens , you can bet it is a small dog…
          So then 1 day I changed my modo to… I love dogs, except small dogs…
          Then later I realized that is not fair to the small dogs…
          It’s the dog’s owner that I dislike…
          Customer’s dog is barking every second…. owners might even tell the dog to be quiet… the dog doesn’t listen , cause it thinks it is boss and never had to listen its entire life with consequences… The customer goes to pick up dog, but the dog runs in circles so they can’t…
          It entirely the dumb owners fault for never training the dog as a puppy..

          Yes, dogs bark when someone’s at the door… After the dog sees the owner allow you inside and the dog does his greating (sniffing you) , all barking should stop..

          Other than that, a dog should only bark when a threat or excitement happens,, and again stop seconds later…

          Yes, I agree with RW… Owners don’t deserve to have a dog that hasn’t had 1 minute of attention and training… The owners only taught their dogs to be rude to everyone and everything… Not acceptable. Period.

          HOw about I be your neighbour and yell at you over the backyard fence everytime you try to enjoy your yard ?
          Would you like me ? No? Oh, why not ? By your reply, you should embrace me yelling at you for hours…

      • Maybe we should keep your mouth shut . Locked up and only allowed to pee between the hours of 7 and 10 again ridiculously uncalled for. I am putting up cameras and I will catch my neighbor provoking my dogs. To court we go.

  2. Neighbors are generally assholes…everything they do is OK and everything you do is not. So I say fuck them and ignore it. Dont apologize for your dog. Do what you can but forget about baking cookies, and let them reflect on their own assholeness towards you and the ones you love, including your pup.

    • You are proof of that! People like you are the reason that others act like they do. You think all neighbors are assholes or at least potential assholes so anything goes right? Hopefully someone moves in nextdoor to you and has 4 large outdoor dogs and a small yappy one that they don’t care anything about and leave them outside all day and most of the night and never interact with them. You willsee what a true asshole is.

      • My point was – jerk – that no matter what you do and how considerate you are, most all neighbors will find something to complain about, so an apology tour of the neighborhood is not required, especially in this lady’s situation. What she said in her comment is not reason enough for complaint from her obvious ass-holey neighbor with the loud kids. She should not apologize to her, why should she?
        Before you comment, read the entire thread.

        • Did you hear what you just said? So I happen to be that neighbor that is actually a very kool guy.. I have three kids that are now grown and all but my youngest are on own now.. we’ve lived in this home for 20 years and have never had issues with barking dogs that don’t stop! About four months ago a new person moved into the house next to us and have a dog that they have let out in backyard since day one.. the dog will bark continuously until they let it in. Sometimes for more than ann hour.. x four or five times they let it out, and that’s just about the whole day.. This has eliminated the enjoyment of outdoor activities for my family. We own two dogs of our own that go outside on a regular basis and do not bark. This is because I taught them not to.. my first move was to call the police and make a noise complaint. Only because I know all to well that me going over and talking to them about it is the wrong choice because years back I had done so. Only to be met with an asshole like yourself that got all defensive and started cussing me out.. So anyways I’ve called the police a dozen times with no effect. My local animal control does not deal with noise complaints, they are the ones who told me call the police. I don’t hate dogs.. I’ve had dogs my whole life. But I’m definitely not going to lay down and let this ignorant person keep me indoors. Anyone who thinks approaching an owner of an annoying dog next door… Don’t!! My next step will be to find the landlord of the “TEENAGERS” that are renting it . If that don’t work I will be having a small claims court case in the near future.. I should be allowed to enjoy my property without being annoyed by an animal that does nothing but bark…

          • How did you teach your dogs not to bark? Seriously. I have a neighbor who has singled out my dog from among many in the neighborhood as the sole cause of her unhappiness. We have a fenced yard and all the other neighbors just turn their dogs loose and they come up to our fence and bark at our German Shepherd and she barks back. I’ve consulted with trainers who had no solutions and I refuse to strap a shock collar on her or have her voice box cut out like some people do. I would love to know how you did it.

          • Exactly if my neighbors complained about my dog/s or kid/s. I would immediately address the issue no questions asked. Ppl who think that neighbors who complain are just complainers are truly ill mannered ppl. Excessive dogs barking for hours is so nerve racking like I never would have believed. I have a neighbor who moved in 2 years ago and their dogs bark for 3-4 hrs a day sometimes the whole day non stop. I would have never believed dogs could bark for that long at a time unless I experienced it. You can’t use the phone without it in the background, watch tv, eat a meal, talk with your family or friends ect. It is a 247 nuisance in your ear all day and really takes it toll. And on top of that they are the type that play loud music partying from 5 pm until 2 am with music as loud as a club thurs-Sun. Finally a notice went out to them from the owner and the extreme loud music stopped but the dogs haven’t. I can’t think of any other word for these ppl other than barbaric. The kind that when you approach them nicely about the complaint they want to fight. As I said if it were me being complained about my dog or kid. I would take immediate action because I am a f person with manners and respect for others peace period.

          • Jesus you are insane. No one is keeping you from enjoying your yard. You can still be in your yard, you just have to suck it up and deal with some annoying barking. You are being a selfish, pussy. You don’t own the neighborhood and if you aren’t threatened, then you shouldn’t be calling the cops. The court system has better things to do then dogs barking. You clearly have way too much free time and are insanely controlling.

          • You are anything but “that Kool guy” .There is always a reason for a Dog to bark. If you thought your dogs then politely ask your neighbor if you can do the same or teach her how to deal with her dog. I know people like you, selfish and crazy that think they are perfect and there is no flaw in their act. Wake up man, it is just a little dog no one died because a dog barked.

          • Yeah I see your side but what if those “teenagers” don’t have parents so they had to get a cheap place at a young age so they could afford to keep their dogs that they love dearly even though they bark because they have anxiety when their away from their owners but the teenagers have to work two jobs to keep afloat and the dogs cant be inside the whole day. Also they both have PTSD because of traumatic events during childhood so they emotional need the dogs. Are you going to call the cops on them so they’re dogs are taken away or th