Getting Your Neighbor’s Dog to Stop Barking

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Getting Your Neighbor’s Dog to Stop Barking

Emily Gojko · Sep 9, 2009

Your neighbor’s dog just won’t stop barking, and now it’s taking its toll on you. You’ve started falling asleep at work, pulling your hair out and plotting against the dog. Well, now you can stop because there are ways to resolve a dog barking issue.

Leave Your Neighbor a Note

Your neighbor may not be aware of the extensiveness of the dog barking. Perhaps he is a heavy sleeper or is not home when the barking occurs. Leave a nice note to simply make your neighbor aware of the barking. You can leave the note anonymously if you are more comfortable, but the note should be friendly and courteous.

File a Complaint with Your Landlord

If nothing has changed after the note, file a formal complaint with your landlord. You should be keeping a log of each incident so that you can include a full account of the dog’s behavior in your complaint. If you signed a lease agreement, it probably contains a stipulation regarding excessive noise, and how such a violation is handled. Make sure to read this section of your lease agreement, and refer to it in your complaint. You may also want to check with your landlord or property management company to see if there is a specific way in which noise complaints are handled. Make sure you stay on top of this with the landlord so that it gets resolved quickly.

Invest in Anti-Barking Equipment

There are many anti-barking devices out there to help stop barking, and they require no involvement on the part of your neighbor. For example, there are ultrasonic machines that emit high pitched sounds in response to the dog’s barking that help to control it. The noise is not audible to humans, and there is no harm to the dog. If you want, you can even leave this as a gift for your neighbor, though some may get offended, and it would do more bad than good. If that is not the case, however, there are other products that you can purchase for your neighbor or suggest, such as anti-bark sprays and collars.

File a Complaint with Your Municipality

If your neighbor has not responded to your note or polite anti-barking suggestions, and your landlord is moving like a snail to get the barking to stop, you can file a complaint with your municipality. Each municipality has regulations on noise. This is helpful if the excessive dog barking is late at night or really early in the morning. These are the time periods covered by most noise laws.

As a Last Resort, Call the Police

If you have been woken up again at 1:00 AM from the dog barking and have knocked on your neighbors door, but either there is no answer or your neighbor simply doesn’t care (or isn’t cooperative), then as a last resort call the police. Tell them that your neighbor’s dog is being excessively noisy, and this is not nearly the first occurrence. Let them deal with your difficult neighbor so you can get some rest. The call will also be logged, and gives you further ammunition for your complaint.

You deserve to live in a peaceful environment, so follow the above tips, and sleep easily without the excessive barking of your neighbor’s dog.

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Emily Gojko: I am a writer, marketer, and manager with a strong background in real estate development and management. I am also a native New Yorker with an obsession for home design shows, so I have personal and professional experience making the most of small spaces, and dealing with good and bad living situations.

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