My big boy is noisey.....

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pdonnadurk

Member
Feb 7, 2006
115
0
#1
OK here is the story. My beautiful but large and boisterous yellow lab is 14 months old. He weighs 92 lbs and has a very deep bark. He is super playful, very active and is extremely vocal. He sometimes grumbles and often even barks in his sleep. (It really is very cute)

Anyway it’s six o’clock this evening I am madly preparing dinner for 2 starving pre-schoolers and the doorbell rings. Keep in mind that it is a madhouse here regularly but at supper time it is downright crazy. Rudy was outside because as I said he is big and active. We have a fenced yard and an electric fence.

Well it’s the neighbor behind me who actually lives in another subdivision and he asks if there was anything we could do about the dog barking because he is “loud and annoying”. After breathing in a few times and gritting my teeth I said sure I’ll try to keep it down. I didn’t argue the point that he is inside all day and night and is only out when I am home in the afternoons and during the dinner hour. He sits with us when we watch TV at night so I am not really sure when he is allowed to bark but rather than disturb the delicate balance in suburbia I thought I might investigate what there is out there that might curb this behavior.

He is big and loud I will admit, but I love him so I wouldn’t want to do anything hurtful but I don’t want him annoying people. I certainly try to be a responsible pet owner and I understand no one should have to subjected to my annoying dog, or kids, etc but when can he bark? I think part of it is I can’t believe anyone would complain about my beautiful and charming doggie, (wink wink!). I guess given the hour and the fact that he never introduced himself bothered me. Any ideas? Thanks all!!

PS: Rudy's picture is attached!
 

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#2
Awww How dare they!

I don't know what to say because I've never been in this situation on either end. Does Rudy bark endlessly while he's outside during the afternoons? or is it just kinda sporadic barking? Its a bit hard to make your dog stop barking aside from just bringing Rudy inside.

He's a big cutie!!!
 
#3
How could someone not love Rudy??? He's adorable! Unless he barks incessantly a lot outside I wouldn't give your neighbor's complaint another thought. Dogs will be dogs and people who live in suburban communities have to tolerate all of the things that go along with that environment....kids, pets, honking horns, etc.

You are a good person for caring about your family, your dog and your neighbor. But, really, Rudy is just being Rudy and your neighbor is just being grouchy!
 
#4
Barking is a nuisance. We are working on correcting this behaviour with both of my mutts. Talk to a trainer and get some advice on how to curb the barking while he is outside.
 
#5
Awwww gorgeous doggy!!! i think the neighbour is just being grouchy, when our malamute was a puppy he use to howl/whine/wimper till the neighbours complained. But he only did this while we were at work, and the reason why he howled so much was because he lonely and not used to being alone. We were at our wits end trying to figure out what to do with his howling.

In the end the neighbour that complained finally got to meet our howling puppy and fell in love it. She offered to "baby sit" our dog during the day while we were at work. She spent about 2-4 hrs a day walking, playing and grooming him. This went on for about 6 months, we were very lucky and he finally settled in and stopped howling altogether.

Dogs get better with age as they mature, but maybe Rudy needs extra obediance lessons as well just to tone down his excitement? Good luck.
 
#7
Awww he is soooo gorgeous!

The first thing I would try is to take the visual stimulus away, i.e. put up something that blocks his view through the fence. That should take care of a lot of the barking. Dogs usually bark when something is goingo on in the neighbourhood that they can see, i.e. children playing, the neighbour's cat, etc.

I don't know how it is in the US but here in Europe (the laws vary from country to country) dogs are allowed to bark at certain times, but not after 9:30PM. So legally you should be in the green. I would still try to block the dog's view of other properties to acquiesce the neighbour(s).
 
#8
What a handsome little man!

Is he barking ALL the time when he's outside, or just when something like a squirel or a cat walks by? If he's not barking all the time, then just let him be. Who cares if your neighbors (who aren't even in your subdivision) are annoyed? They probably do things that are annoying to you (like running the lawnmower at 7am!)

If he's outside for a limited period during the day...I don't see there to be much of a problem. But if you really want him to stop barking, then I'd suggest going to a trainer...But please don't punish him for barking. Dogs use their voices to communicate with their families and the area around then. By punishing them for barking, they will learn not to communicate and may become distanced. And please do NOT debark your dog. That is the most inhumane and cruel thing I have ever heard of!
 
#10
Some dogs are just more vocal than others, like humans. My dog is very vocal. We know this, so we don't leave her outside earlier than 7 AM or later than 10 PM. In fact, she's inside of the house most of the day, especially in the winter!

There was one woman who lived across the street from me who threatened to call the police on us so many times when it wasn't even our dog barking! In fact, she made it clear that she researched and memorized all laws against dogs in the city.

She was surrounded by houses with dogs, though--a cop next door to her has two dogs, a cop behind her has a dog, and we're across the street with one dog. She called the city so many times to complain, but they didn't pay any attention because of all the connections the cops had. :smile: There's really not much they can do if she can hear dogs barking inside their houses!

And, some people just cannot deal with dogs barking anyway. It's hard when so many people live in an area and you all have to deal with one another. Like I said, I try to be respectful of my neighbors but not keeping my dog outside from 10 PM to 7 AM. Anything in between is fair game! There are things that they do that I don't like either, but I'm not going to nitpick over everything.

Anyway sorry for the long response... I don't think you were wrong for letting your dog outside. btw, he's so cute!
 
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