How to Stop the Neighbors Barking Dog

Earplugs: Self-explanatory!

Noise-Canceling Earphones: They can be used to listen to music without other sounds interfering; they can also be used for pure, sweet silence. The good ones are a little pricy – two or three hundred dollars. But if they keep you sane, they are cheap at twice the price!

White Noise Machine: If you hate things on or in your ears, a white noise machine may be the answer. This machine generates a “neutral”sound, like static on television, that absorbs other sounds. Some people find it very soothing!

Radio or CDs: Some people can fall asleep to music; others can’t. You might be able to train yourself to fall asleep to music over time, by experimenting with type of music and volume levels.

Air Filter: This is my personal favorite, because it also cleans the air, making it easier to fall asleep because you’re breathing more comfortably! Make sure you get one that makes noise – it will sound like the white noise machine.

There is another solution,which I have used occasionally with some success. My neighbors’ apartment is situated so that, when they go out and leave their incessantly-barking Papillon, he is stationed directly over my bedrooom. He barks every second until they return, but since they usually take him along, and since I know that they adopted him from a rescue organization, it’s not worth my time and energy to fight them. Even if they tried to train him not to bark, this little dog was severely neglected as a puppy; he’s probably not going to improve. So I did the unthinkable; I slept in the living-room! You can’t hear the barking from the other side of my apartment, the futon and couch are comfortable enough, and it was kind of fun in the way that building a fort in the backyard was when we were kids. If the idea of changing your sleeping venue doesn’t chafe you, sleep someplace else!

If you’ve tried the easy solutions and they haven’t worked, it’s time to move on to new strategies.We all know the accepted wisdom about stopping your neighbor’s dog from barking.You go to your neighbor, present your complaint calmly and ask him solve the problem. If Leave It to Beaver is anything to go by, your neighbor will blush, offer you cake and coffee, and immediately shut the dog up for good. In the event that your neighbor tells you to go to hell and slams the door, you now have a barking dog and a neighbor who hates you. Let’s go through a few possible scenarios, so you can pick out the one that fits your situation best.

We’ve discussed the LITB (Leave It to Beaver) scenario: the next-best one is that your neighbor really does feel bad –the dog is driving him crazy too! And he wants to solve the problem, is motivated to train the dog, but doesn’t exactly know how. You can refer him to this book! If you really like him, you can buy him the book (or loan him your copy), and even help work with the dog. All this scenario takes is patience on your part; although if you aren’t sure which way your neighbor will go when you approach him, there are a couple of things you can do to optimize the situation. Before you start this list, if you already know your neighbor and he’s a Nazi or a gun-freak or a dope-addict or a wife-beater, don’t put yourself at risk by trying to make nice. Just skip directly to Step #8. If you don’t know your neighbor, contribute to world peace by giving him the benefit of the doubt.

1. Start a journal. Write down the date and time of the barking whenever you notice it. When you talk to your neighbor, write down the date and the general way the conversation went. You’re practicing prevention measure for if things go awry and you later want to take a journal to court. Don’t skip this step! It’s a pain in the ass, and hopefully you’ll never need it, but if you do, you’ll certainly be glad you have it. Courts love people who bring in facts; names, dates and relevant details. If you do ever have to go to court, we want you to win.

2. Cool down. If you go over there mad, you’ll be shooting yourself in the foot by putting your neighbor on the defensive. Go over there with the plan to be really nice, like June Cleaver. If he’s a jerk to you you’ll have plenty of time to be hateful later.

3. If you and your neighbor aren’t already acquainted, don’t put a lot of stress on your name or address. In fact, see if you can say something like, “Hi! I’m Jean, and I live a couple of houses over...” (waving vaguely in the wrong direction). Ideally, so he won’t hear your last name until you can be somewhat sure he won’t look you up in the phone book and mail you a dead catfish.

4. Bring cookies. Or beer, but only if you know he’s a beer-drinker (check out his recycling bin for his favorite beverages). I know, he should be the one buying you bribes. Let’s agree that life is truly unfair, and move on with what might actually work in your private war on noise. With people as with dogs, a treat goes a long way towards smoothing feelings and working towards a happy outcome for everyone. When you give him cookies, you are training your neighbor to quieten his dog!

5. Smile and be friendly. (Did I mention that?)

6. Only state your problem once and be specific. If the dog barks all day but you don’t care except between 10 PM and 7 AM , ask your neighbor if there’s a way to solve the problem during those hours. Don’t ask for more than you need: you may just overwhelm him. Let other neighbors contact him if they want different quiet hours.

7. Offer to help. Say, “I know this great e-book on how to teach your dog to stop barking. Would you like the URL?” And if you really like dogs, offer to help train or walk the offending dog while your neighbor’s out. Obviously, don’t offer more than you’re willing to give, in case he takes you up on it. Now you’re not just being friendly, you’re establishing that you are willing to go out of your way to help your neighbor meet his obligation as a pet-owner. If he doesn’t meet you half-way, he’s going to know he’s a jerk, and so will anyone else who takes part in the situation if it escalates.

8. Assume a best outcome until your neighbor indicates otherwise.

9. If your neighbor isn’t responding to your friendly, cookie-laden persuasion, you don’t need to threaten him or start a fight. Don’t even bother to tell him that you’re going to file a complaint with the city (although that’s what you’re going to do).Leave as gracefully as possible and start working on the legal remedies available to you. If your neighbor’s dog is barking within 25 feet of your yard, buy an ultrasonic dog-bark-stopper, read the directions and install it carefully. If this solves your problem, throw a big party! If the dog is barking near another neighbor, take what’s left of the cookies over there and form a alliance whereby you will purchase and install the device in his yard. If these solutions don’t work, read on.

10. If you live in a complex or condo association, good managers will address pet problems between neighbors by contacting the offending neighbor themselves. Some will investigate the complaint so that instead of just saying, “your neighbor says”, they can say with first-hand knowledge, “Your dog is barking every day between noon and 6 PM.” Some cowardly, lazy, bad managers will try to tell you that it’s your problem, but they’re avoiding their duty to keep the place noise-free. In that situation, you’re probably screwed as far as the managers go, although in some places you can take them to court for failing to provide for your right to quiet enjoyment of the premises, and in some places they can be made to pay you money for your loss. But that completely depends on the housing regulations in your county,so don’t try to force the issue with your landlords unless and until you know you can win. (Don’t forget to document your discussions and save your dated and signed correspondence with your landlords too. Doas much as you can in writing and make copies so you have solid pieces of evidence that you tried and tried to resolve the problem.And no matter how mad you are, make sure only to write down things that won’t backfire on you in court!)

11. By the time we get to this step, we are assuming you have tried to make nice and have failed due to your neighbor being a jerk. We are also assuming you’ve logged all your interactions with your neighbor and the days and times the dog has been barking. This is when keeping a journal starts to pay off for you. Call your local animal shelter or the non-emergency police line to find out what agency takes and follows up on complaints. Towns have different rules and complaint procedures; find out the particulars and set about your business. Some people give up at this point, because it’s a hassle. Some places make you show up in person; others have special forms to complete. Be persistent and patient. Some towns investigate after a first complaint, but many others wait until three complaints have been lodged.

12. Sometimes you can do everything right and everything fails. This is an ugly fact of life. Landlords and judges can be unfair: entire neighborhoods can be composed of endlessly-barking dogs. Do everything you can, but once you’ve done it all, it may be time to sigh deeply and move on. But first, read this book thoroughly and try everything!