Her Dog Can’t Even Step Outside Without The Neighbor’s Dog Barking Nonstop, But They Refuse To Do Anything About It
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When you have a dog, there are a few things that you need to accept. Firstly, that dog needs training. And until your dog is trained, you have to accept that some of your things are going to be ruined. They might go to the bathroom indoors and mess up your carpets or possessions. They might even chew or scratch something to pieces. And they’re almost certainly going to be excitedly jumping up at visitors – or you when you return home – and barking through the window at folks going past. All these behaviours can be prevented going forward with proper training, but that takes time, and there can be a lot of messes in the process.
The person in this story loves their dog, and lets it roam in the garden when it needs to use the bathroom. But there is just one problem. Every time their dog goes in the garden, their next door neighbour’s dog is let out too, and the two dogs just stand there and bark at one another the whole time. And while some people wouldn’t be bothered by this, it’s really starting to affect this person, to the extent that they’re trying to do something about it.
Read on to find out what’s going on here.
Problematic neighbours
I’m looking for some advice because I genuinely don’t know what else I can do about my neighbours.
Basically, their dog and my dog have had issues through the gardens, and it’s got to the point where my dog can barely go outside without their dog being let out and the two dogs barking at each other.
It’s becoming really stressful because I can’t just let my dog out to go to the toilet without worrying about it.
Let’s see what this person has done about the situation.
I’ve actually tried really hard to resolve this.
I’ve apologised for my own dog barking, and I’ve contacted them twice suggesting that we simply text each other when we’re letting the dogs into the garden so we can avoid them being out at the same time. I also suggested making some sort of timetable.
I have a dog flap, so I can manage when my dogs go outside. They don’t have one, but obviously I can’t control when they choose to let their dog out.
I’ve basically said just let me know when you’re going to let your dog out/when you need your dog back in and we can work around each other.
And this dog owner previously thought they had a good relationship with the folks next door.
I’ve also looked after their dog before when they were away and generally tried to be helpful.
The man was actually quite nice and reasonable with me about everything until this woman moved in, and since then the dog seems to be getting let out constantly and the whole situation has become much worse.
I’ve tried communicating twice and offering actual solutions, but it’s not working anymore.
They’re renting the property, so I’m wondering what people would actually do in this situation.
This sounds really stressful, and like it’s making this person and maybe even their dog’s life miserable.
The two dogs don’t seem to get along, and that’s fine. Dogs barking at one another is just a part of having a dog sometimes.
But it’s clear that the neighbours aren’t seeing eye-to-eye on this.
Let’s see what folks on Reddit said about this.
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This person couldn’t see what the problem was.
While others suggested that the dogs’ view of one another be blocked.
If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a person who is told their fence doesn’t meet community guidelines, but then they find a way around those guidelines in their own handbook.
Meanwhile, this Redditor suggested a more fun alternative.
It’s clear that the dog barking is a problem for this dog owner, but not for the neighbours. Perhaps this person has noticed a change in the behaviour of their dog – maybe it is more anxious or stressed now that it’s having to deal with a barking dog next door every time it goes outside. Maybe it’s socially anxious, or maybe the woman has a sensitivity to the constant barking sound. But that doesn’t change the fact that for some people, dogs just bark when they go outside, and that’s a normal thing.
The fact that the neighbours don’t seem to be bothered by the barking will be making their neighbour’s suggestions seem unhinged, which is probably why they’re not replying. But it’s clear that a real conversation needs to happen between these neighbours, and if this person doesn’t want their dog barking at the neighbour’s dog any more, some thicker fences could be put up to obscure any view of the neighbour dog – because if they don’t know each other is there, they’re not going to bark at one another.
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