Dog/Neighbor Rant

[SuzySunshine]

Okay I have to vent and since I've already vented to my DH and parents, I need another avenue! As I think you all know we have a beagle who will be a year old next week, she is still a puppy and she is still learning. My DH and I were just commenting how much her training just seems to have "clicked" in the last few weeks. She still barks quite a bit but we thought it was getting better. I mean she's a beagle, when the neighborhood cats taunt her from the other side of the fence and when the neighbor's lab starts barking she barks back. Anyway, today we got an anonymous letter in our mailbox signed "Several concerned neighbors" stating she barks too much and we may not notice it but she barked for two hours the other day and for 90 minutes the day before, blah blah blah. They also suggested that we shouldn't leave her in the yard when we're not home, the ENTIRE reason we bought this house was so that we could have a nice yard and get a dog. I refuse to keep her in a two foot crate for 9 hours/day when we're at work.

We don't let her out before 6:30am and we don't let her out off leash after 9pm. I'm just beside myself I don't know what to do and it really pisses me off that they didn't have the balls to sign the letter. I called our neighbors that live next door and we eliminated probably 75% of our immediate neighbors. We think its the people that live next to us, that have a privacy fence, that no one ever sees. What's funny is that it was their fault that she started barking at 6:30 am on Monday because there was someone out in their yard. Because they have a privacy fence she can't see them but she can hear something moving around, wouldn't almost any dog bark at that. I'm waiting to talk to our neighbors that have a black lab puppy a few months older than Molly. He barks about the same and is of course much louder. They live on the other side of the suspected culprits, so it'll be interesting to see if they got one too.

Anyway, just needed to vent. For those of you that have dogs, please tell me I'm not being unreasonable. ARGH!

I think they should have said something to you in person.

That said, dogs that bark forever (if in fact yours has been) does sort of get on my nerves. Barking here and there is ok but a continuous bark fest....is a lot of barking. On the advice of our trainer, we did crate our dogs during the day. They really liked their kennels and it was sort of a little den-home for them!

Sorry! :!

[SuzySunshine]

Nellie, no reason to be sorry - I appreciate an honest opinion from someone who is willing to sign their name. Do you mind if I ask what kinds of dogs you had? Were you able to leave them in their crate for entire days? Molly would be in her crate for at least 9 hours and that's assuming I get out of work right at 5.

[Meenah]

I feel for you. We have two dogs, a miniature dachsund and a part mini-dachsund part chichuachua. I don't leave them outside for more than 10 or 15 minutes unless I am with them. Inside, when we work we have gates that keep them in two rooms and the foyer of the house. I have "pee pee pads" just in case they can't make it. Ususlly they are OK until we get home, about 6 hours. I have to admit when my neighobr leaves her dog out for several hours, I find it annoying to listen to the constant barking for several hours. Also, I think it isn't fair to leave a dog out that long unattended. I wouldn't leave my kids out alone for 5 seconds. It is difficult, and every situation is different. Try to think of it from the dog's perspective.
Luanne

Cheri,

Don't you just love anonymous letters? It's too bad your neighbors didn't come to you in person.

One of my friends has a dog who barks all the time and they ended up buying a collar that sprays citronella every time he barks. It only took a few sprays and now her dog never barks when he has the collar on. I'll see if I can find out where she bought the collar.

Cheri,
We had 2 labradors (have 1 now). They would be in the house for 9, sometimes 10, hours. I always made sure to let them out before I left and left a sufficient amount of water (about half the dog bowl). We started them both in the crate and then moved to having them in the kitchen blocked in with baby gates. That worked fine until the black lab started eating the magnets off the freezer and picking up glasses out of the kitchen sink. She had a lot of separation anxiety! Back to the kennel for her. It was cozy and she loved it -- I never had a hard time getting her in there and if she could tell we were leaving she would usually go in by herself. I think the small space was comforting and denlike for her. As long as you don't use it as a punishment, most dogs are ok with it with the exception of maybe some herding dogs. It helps to crate them at a younger age, too.

Our trainer offered some good reasons why we should keep our dogs inside that I hadn't thought of. There can be huge temperature variations, water can freeze or get tipped over early into a hot day. Even if you think your fence is dog proof, a determined dog with a full day on its hands can get creative. Sad but true, people steal dogs. If kids or adults tease your dog during the day and you aren't aware of it, your dog could be socialized to not like and want to chase/bite/attack children.

Good luck! I hope you find a solution that works for all of you.

[PrincessFiona]

Cheri,

We went through something similar with Molly when we first moved here, but our neighbors weren't kind enough to write an 'anonymous' letter. They just called the police. We literally hadn't been here for 2 days when the police showed up the first time. We weren't even leaving her out during the day....we were just letting her our for a 30 minutes or so...and never during the morning/night.

That summer I think the police came a total of 5 times, and each time our neighbors all stood out on their porches watching us talk to the police officer. I was always paranoid that if they weren't the ones to call that they thought it was some sort of domestic dispute or something.

I eventually went around and asked all of my immediate neighbors if our dog barking was a problem. One neighbor even said "I didn't even know you had a dog". Funny thing...that neighbor was talking about me and the dog behind my back and I found out about it through a friend.

Did I mention people suk?

So...we got a bark collar. It sounds cruel, but it really isn't. It gives the dog a mild shock when they bark and it is enough to remind them not to bark. We never have her wear it indoors and we limit how long she wears it...but it definitely curbs the backyard barking.

I grew up with beagles and I love them....but they can do that barwoooooooooo, barwooooooooo bark at those kitties, squirrels, frogs, other dogs, etc. I'd consider either leaving her indoors during the day (but I also could never leave her in a crate) or investing $50 in a bark collar for the days. It will make an immediate difference and it won't hurt her. It will also save you a lot of grief.

It stinks that they sent you an anonymous letter...but they were probably too embarassed to come to you in person...and...at least they didn't call the police. :|

kris

[Michele]

As a mom of a "barker" I've been told she can be really annoying. I've learned to tune it out, but friends and family always comment on it. She would go crazy being outside and I'd have been evicted. She's much better inside and we've been working on the ""shh" command.

I personally don't think crating a dog for 9 hours is cruel. And once she's older, she may be able to just be "housed."

The citronella collars are also really helpful, you just have to remember to put the collar on everyday.

I know the anonymous letter sucks....but I guess it's better than having the police called for a noise violation....

Hope you find a good solution!

[fluffhead]

The anonymous letter thing is just silly - they should come and chat with you in person.

I also have been annoyed by barkers - we had a very close neighbour in NJ who got a new puppy which barked ALL day, while the owners were at work. I was working at home, AND had a new baby, and it was horrible. I went over to talk to them, and they were extremely rude.

Eventually the puppy got used to things and quieted down.

Occasional barking is no problem, but the hours-on-end thing can really be intrusive.

[HeartRN]

Cheri--I've never owned a dog, but I love them. DH grew up with dogs and they have always been crated when his family is away, and they honestly don't seem to mind it. It sounds like you've gotten a lot of good advice here...I will be honest and second that excessive barking is annoying, especially if you have a little one, like Fluff said. We live in a townhouse community and have shared "backyards". I can't leave my daughter's window open at night or naptime because there are dog parties out there!!! Good luck! I hope you find a solution, and I agree with everybody else...the letter thing was really stupid!!!!

[Rapunzel]

We live on the second and third floors of a big old house. Our neighbors on the first floor have a labrador retriever who likes to bark. It does not bother us and here's why:

- She barks when someone comes to the door (theirs OR ours) and I like that I have kind of an "early warning system".

- If she starts barking in the house incessantly I hear the woman downstairs scream, "Bogey (her name) BE QUIET!!!" And, they manage to get her quieted down REAL quick.

- She barks outside but she only goes outside between 7 am and 10 pm and she is NEVER outside alone - they accompany her and play with her.

So, I've never, ever had to complain about this dog that I live so near to because her owners are very careful about being considerate of us. I *try* really hard to reciprocate (since, let's face it, living underneath four children can become the equivalent of having a very loud obnoxious dog living under you! ). I try to keep the noise down and they try to do the same.

I actually really do appreciate her tendency to bark at the unknown because I'm home alone during the day with the kids and often at night when my husband has night shift. I actually find it comforting to know that if someone comes up to my house at 2 am I'm going to get woken up by a very loud, deep labrador barking.

And, that's my experience.

Jennifer

[migirl]

Cheri,

I just wanted to chime in and say that crating dogs isn't such a bad thing. When we first got our dog (2 yo at the time) we weren't sure how she would do in the house by herself for 10 hours a day (which is the minimum of how long *I* would be gone for) so we got a big crate for her to stay in during the day. Of course, it helped that she had been previously crate-trained, but she took to it right away and she always went in very willingly. I've also heard that dogs come to think of them as being their second 'home' and that they like having their own defined space.

Of course, after a few months I was the one who couldn't handle having to put her in there day after day (too much mommy guilt!) , so now she roams the house while we're gone and does just fine.

I'm sorry that you have to deal with this (people really do suck), I hope you're able to come up with a good solution!

[Flynn]

Yep to everything so far -- especially Nellie's comments about a dog left alone in a backyard can pick up nasty habits from animals, people, and being curious.

Our dog is confined to a certain area when we aren't home and it's fine. We actually built a "puppy area" in a part of the unfinished basement when he was young and still potty training. It worked fantastic and now that he doesn't need it (he's six) I would do it again in a heartbeat if we ever get another puppy.

We also have a dog walker which sounds silly but I think if you are trying to groom a family member when getting a dog, any type of help in the behavior (as long as it's positive) area, exercise, classes, etc. is a GREAT investment -- it's not throwing money at "just a dog." Beagles are known for being stubborn and on their own agenda. Could you pay a 12 year old to let Molly out after school or something like that?

Just thinking outloud...

A thought on what Jennifer said regarding dog as "early warning system". I totally agree and am just fine with my dog barking when he is in the house or yard if there is someone outside, he hears something, etc. I used to shush him during these times and have since stopped. He is doing his job and I should let him! If it's someone we know coming to the door or a cat or squirrel or that sort of thing, he usually stops if I say "that's ok; that's enough." After my mom's dog stopped a 2am intruder by barking while were visiting and after our car was broken in to, I am just fine with that kind of barking!!!

[SuzySunshine]

I really appreciate everyone's comments. I think we have decided that we will only put her out on leash in the AM because one problem is once I let her out in the morngings I can't get her to come back inside by the time I need to leave for work. So we will put her out on leash in the AM so that she can relieve herself and then we will crate her for the day. We will let her run around in the back yard when we are home but quiet her or bring her in when she barks. Once we think she's ready we'll confine her to part of the house rather than her crate but right now she still chews too much for that.

Thanks again guys, its good to get honest opinions. My DH and I were just so mad when we got the anonymous note.

Thanks!