kaywoman68 Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 (edited) I have just been called home from work by OH saying we have received a letter of complaint about our dogs from DAS I have asked for specifics and it has been happening for 4 - 5 months from 5:30am - 6:30am (same time start and finish) I used to get up for work at 6am for work at 7am (recently it's been earlier so get up at 5am, leave for work at 6, start work at 6:30). OH is currently workin in the same area so we are not at home from 6am. We feed them breakfast and leave a few treats before we walk out the door. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be working Recently I was talking to a neighbour and was apologising for the noise and she was telling me she hardly hears them......hmmmm...... Not sure which person has complained but the 4 - 5 months is definitely exaggerating. I can't believe that if the barking is bothering them this much, they have waited this long to put in a complaint. Not to mention, OH was working another job and didn't get up till 7am to let them out for the toilet..... DAS has said there's no supporting evidence at the moment so i'll try to keep them quiet and see how it goes......will most probably be an inspection from the ranger. Not sure if they'll make it at 5:30am though.....I certainly dont like being up this early in the morning. Unfortunately, this job fits really well with my schedule of uni and studying and I really dont want to give it up. The hours are really really flexible (working for my mum). Any ideas are greatly appreciated. We let them out as soon as we come home and we know the barking can be an issue (hence the feeding and treats). I mean, I wouldn't want to be disturbed by dogs so early in the morning. Hell, if i had a choice, i wouldnt' be up till atleast 10am)..... Edited November 29, 2006 by kaywoman68 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 (edited) Sorry to hear about the complaint letter! Sucks! I'd definately be taking them for a walk before you leave, yeah it'll mean you have to get up earlier but a calmer mind can mean a calmer dog during the day. Is there anything you think they'd be barking at in particular? My parents are curerntly trying out a new no-bark collar on the market called JetCare, it's available from K9 Force, it shoots a jet of AIR when the dog barks. Mum and Dad have a Labrador who over-protects the yards boundaries and this is working great. If you think it's boredom barking, are you doing things like Big Bones, Sandpits & Paddling pools etc? Edited November 29, 2006 by sas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nellie Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 Walking before 5:30am sounds truly awful and I wouldn't wish it on anyone - but when we had a complaint from a neighbour we made sure we walked our three monsters religiously every morning before work and, touch wood, it seems to have made a difference. If nothing else it would mean that the were tired for that 1 hour your charming neighbour has complained about. You should definitely contact DAS though with details of when you changed your hours to make it clear that the 4-5mths thing is an exaggeration. The other thing someone wise said on here once is that excessive barking to some people is completely normal and reasonable barking to other people. Orson and Oi always welcome to come and annoy my neighbour ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaywoman68 Posted November 29, 2006 Author Share Posted November 29, 2006 It's not boredom barking because they dont do it during the day. That's what my neighbour has been telling me and she's home most of the day. I just can't believe that the noise has supposedly happened for 4 - 5 months and no-one has bothered to come over to talk to me about it or even leave me a letter in my letterbox. Instead I get a letter from DAS. Sorry to say this but I'm having trouble getting up at 5am myself, let alone earlier. For the last few months, each day had a combination of 2 - 3 things (morning job, uni and afternoon job). I dont finish work till 6pm so on a typical day where I have both jobs, I work from 7am - 6pm. I'm exhausted working 2 jobs, uni and having to drive around. I know it might not sound much to some people but to me, it's very draining. I try to take them for a short walk every night but otherwise we'll be at home playing fetch, tuggies etc...... Paddling pools is not a very good idea with Stage 2 water restrictions in the ACT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nellie Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 Can't blame you having trouble getting out of bed that early! What about a sandpit with hidden treats? Would that keep them entertained for a littlw while to distract them from the fact that you have left for the day? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaywoman68 Posted November 29, 2006 Author Share Posted November 29, 2006 i'll put more treats out to see if it makes a difference. If water restrictions aren't a problem, i would put water in the wading pool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwaY Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 Are they barking at all the other dogs in the area getting woken up at that hour of the morning? I mean many people get up around that time to go to work, so woule let there won dogs out etc. Or the birds wake up and they interest them etc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaywoman68 Posted November 29, 2006 Author Share Posted November 29, 2006 The neighbours behind us have pet pigeons and there's quite a few starlings (minor birds) nesting under the roof. Anyone want to suggest a solution so I can desensitise their instinct to bark at birds and the like. Cockers were originally bred to hunt woodcocks I sometimes hear other dogs but my dogs seem to be doing it a bit. Leaving them inside is not an option. Last time I did that, i had a huge hole in my wall. Never again The hole happened when there was ONE dog....imagine 3!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 (edited) I'm positive that a morning walk will make a world of difference to them so would getting a regular evening walk. If I have a foster that is playing up during the day (barking/digging) I have no choice but to get my butt out of bed at 5am and take the dog for the walk because it's not really the neighours I'm concerned about but the mental well being of the dog (but yes I don't want pissed off neighbours), I also have to go back and revisit where I've fallen down in my leadership skills if I feel the dog is stressing during the day and not just acting out of boredom. I leave the house at 6am and get back at about 5pm. I hate mornings, my OH physically pulls me out of bed in the morning by my legs but if I have to take the dog for a walk to calm it during the day that's what I have to do, actually makes me feel a lot better during the day as well. As for the paddling pool, we do No-Frills water or from the rain water tank if there's anything in there, yep, overboard probably but it's an activity the (our) dogs really enjoy. Playing in the house or backyard doesn't do the justice a walk does. Ask you neighbour to do a bark diary as they're home all day. Would you consider the bark collar I mentioned? Edited November 29, 2006 by sas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaywoman68 Posted November 29, 2006 Author Share Posted November 29, 2006 We're looking into getting citronella collars but at this time of year, the budget is quite tight, as most people should know. We just took them around the block and we heard atleast 12 dogs bark. The neighbour (who's home most of the day) came over a little earlier and said it wasn't them who called up. They have received a letter too. She says if it bothered them then she would come over and let us know. According to her, they dont bark during the day (some exceptions of course). She says sometimes their barking doesn't disturb her but not enough to file a complaint without talking to us first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fido666 Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 Perhaps employ the services of a dog walker? Yes I know, too early for most but you might get lucky. My OH walks the dogs for up to 1 hr each morning. it helps to tire them out for the morning at least. We haven't had any complaints but I know they go nuts at birds sometimes. Cheers, Corine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diamonds2009 Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 If one neighbour says it isnt that bad and another one says it is enough to make a complaint direct to council there must be a reason behind it. I used to have a pomeranian and a chihuahua and everytime someone walked along the fence on the other side they would bark (too close to their property i guess). I got a letter of complaint from my council saying the barking was excessive & that I would have to get rid of them if it wasnt fixed up within 28 days. I thought that this was a bit over the top since Id been off work sick (the neighbour didnt know this) and I hadnt heard barking at all unless it was 'necessary' ie someone coming to the house. Well I did a test of sorts. I pretended to go to work so the neighbour would think I wasnt home but I stayed near enuff to see if my boys were in fact barking. They were, but only when the neighbour went and provoked them. I soon found out that the neighbour wanted to sell his house & didnt want the dogs barking everytime somone was walking around the fence line. So he went out to upset the dogs enuff to cause complaints and so that I would have to get rid of my boys. Maybe if you pretend to go to work so that your dogs think you arent there, you will be able to see for yourself a) if they really are barking that excessively & b) what is causing them to bark Good luck with it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpha Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 (edited) I agree with diamond 2009' comment about other reasons, especially if the time frame for how long it's been going on is exagerrated. From my experience with an 8 month on going complaint...it is usually something else that they cannot control ( maybe you leaving for work early and them hearing your car annoys the neighbours but they cannot complain about that) Are the dogs actually barking? You know this for a fact? Our neighbours were just watching our movements and listing our dogs as barking when they thought we were'nt home...we had friends park down the road and listen or I doubled back and parked down the road. It was'nt happening. Watch out for the "not bothering us" reply as they are ones who hide behind the anominity offered by local governement. If it's not at diary stage with two or more diaries ( I am in Vic but guess its similar elsewhere) they CANNOT investigate, ipso facto, council cannot hang about your area waiting for the dogs to bark...that is harrassment and acting outside the scope of any guidlelines they have. Check your local regs and see what the procedure is. Because the diaries our local govt had were not for the same periods or even close, they could not investigate but we requested them to so to put an end to the matter as once investigated the matter cannot be raised again as a complaint. If they are barking, are they barking at you leaving or after you are gone? Morning walk is probably the go if this is the case. I would be wary of neighbours who protest to much about it no being them...maybe I am just cynical Edited November 30, 2006 by Alpha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 An ounce of prevention will work better than any cure. Lets start with the basics (as others have suggested). How much meaningful exercise do your dogs get every day? Do you do any kind of training with them. If it's boredom barking, the only real solution is to eliminate the boredom through physical and mental exercise. Citronella collars don't have a perfect track record - borrow them before you buy - DAS rent them I believe???? Don't forget there is always debarking. Definitely a last resort but it sure beats having your dogs baited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaywoman68 Posted November 30, 2006 Author Share Posted November 30, 2006 An ounce of prevention will work better than any cure. Lets start with the basics (as others have suggested). How much meaningful exercise do your dogs get every day? Do you do any kind of training with them. If it's boredom barking, the only real solution is to eliminate the boredom through physical and mental exercise. Citronella collars don't have a perfect track record - borrow them before you buy - DAS rent them I believe???? Don't forget there is always debarking. Definitely a last resort but it sure beats having your dogs baited. We used to go training (passed beginners and puppy classes). We were doing Intermediate but since I have been finishing work late and starting work earlier, it's been very tiring to get to training with them (mainly the travel time that's the concern). We've been taking them for a walk for half hour every night and we play with them in the afternoon too. We also try to go to as many dog outings as possible and socialise them with other dogs in the neighbourhood and surrounds. They've got a very busy weekend ahead of them on 9 and 10 December (2 outings). I used to take them to work with me sometimes to play with my mum's dogs but not recently because I have been getting out of my morning job late and having to rush to my other job (no time to drop them home). It's not boredom barking because it is only happening when I let them out for the toilet and leave them when we go to work. The neighbour who's home most of the day has clearly said they dont really bark during the day. The complaint has clearly implied it's in the morning and sometimes at night (but when I walk my dogs, i hear dogs barking all the time). I rather not have to put them through debarking unless it's absolute necessary it's only in the morning this is happening. If anyone needs debarking, it's the people that live behind me. I hear them having arguments all the time in the late hours Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gsdog2 Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 Kaywoman68 you have my complete sympathy as I received one of those dreaded letters from our local council a few months ago. My problem was slightly different as the barking was caused by the neighbours cat coming into our yard, and our neighbour also has a "thing" about GSD's. After our neighbour complained to the council they had to keep a diary of when our dogs barked (which is really just their word against ours). The diary was submitted to the council who then visited the surrounding neighbours (they had to have a minimum of three complaints) and not one other neighbour complained! When I received the written complaint from the council I contacted the inspector and explained my side of the story and asked him what I could do. His suggestion was to trap the cat (which I did) and also put some sort of screening on the fence closest to the neighbours to stop the dogs vision into the neighbours yard (not that it was needed as there is a hedge there already). Can your dogs see through your fence? Basically what I am trying to say is contact your council inspector, plead your case to him/her and ask their advice as to what you should do. After all, yours are not the first barking dogs they have had complaints about. If you're seen to be trying to do the right thing by your neighbours and also your dogs, hopefully the council will be more sympathetic towards you. Also, I notice you say your dogs only bark in the morning when you leave, so it's sounds like some sort of separation anxiety. If that's the case I would be asking DOL's for advice on how to handle that first and you may find the barking stops at the same time . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaywoman68 Posted November 30, 2006 Author Share Posted November 30, 2006 It does sound like it can be separation anxiety but I dont hear them when I pull out of the driveway. I drove past 3 times and I only heard them bark once! Possibly dont like the sound of the car. possible it's the birds which I really can't do much about it.... The thing is I'm not sure what they want me to do about it. I mean, sure they want them to be quiet early in the morning when everyone is sleeping but they just woke up and they would be excited about a new day (dont know how that one works cos i hate getting up early in the morning ) If someone can find me a job in Canberra that lets me sleep in later, has unlimited flexibility with the work hours and still get a really decent pay then please suggest it....i'd love to hear it. I agree with diamond 2009' comment about other reasons, especially if the time frame for how long it's been going on is exagerrated. From my experience with an 8 month on going complaint...it is usually something else that they cannot control ( maybe you leaving for work early and them hearing your car annoys the neighbours but they cannot complain about that)Are the dogs actually barking? You know this for a fact? Our neighbours were just watching our movements and listing our dogs as barking when they thought we were'nt home...we had friends park down the road and listen or I doubled back and parked down the road. It was'nt happening. Watch out for the "not bothering us" reply as they are ones who hide behind the anominity offered by local governement. If it's not at diary stage with two or more diaries ( I am in Vic but guess its similar elsewhere) they CANNOT investigate, ipso facto, council cannot hang about your area waiting for the dogs to bark...that is harrassment and acting outside the scope of any guidlelines they have. Check your local regs and see what the procedure is. Because the diaries our local govt had were not for the same periods or even close, they could not investigate but we requested them to so to put an end to the matter as once investigated the matter cannot be raised again as a complaint. If they are barking, are they barking at you leaving or after you are gone? Morning walk is probably the go if this is the case. I would be wary of neighbours who protest to much about it no being them...maybe I am just cynical My other neighbour (on a corner block) has their main bedroom at the back of the house which is next to our garage. Could be a possibility I'm not sure.....They are also trying to sell their house..... I forgot to print out the letters today but i'll definitely print it out tomorrow and put it around. They either will say something or say nothing OH took them outside for a short play in the backyard and a guy peered out (his house is to the left of the house whose backyard backs onto ours). I'm just wondering how many people have received letters and if my house is the one specified as the nusiance house...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diamonds2009 Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 I'm just wondering how many people have received letters and if my house is the one specified as the nusiance house...... The council should only have given letters to the properties on the immediate boundry of the 'nuisance house' ie if its yours then it would be the left & right neighbours and the ones over the back BUT in saying that if you are on a large block where there is possible two or three over your back fence (even if it is not their full block) they will also get letters... so possibly 5. Not sure about where you are but that was the case with my complaint but luckily I had really good neighbours that stood up for my boys & said they werent a problem, the council then told the neighbour that complained that there was no case against my dogs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTD Posted December 1, 2006 Share Posted December 1, 2006 Hi, sorry to hear of your problem. I'd suggest to anyone thinking of debarking to take it very seriously I know of a debarked Cocker and honestly when he does attempt to bark it is an awful sound that he makes . I agree with talking to the dog control officer and explain things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dog_Horse_Girl Posted December 2, 2006 Share Posted December 2, 2006 i'll put more treats out to see if it makes a difference.If water restrictions aren't a problem, i would put water in the wading pool. Stacey, I don't think you'd be breaking restrictions by filling a wading pool. If you are then so am I! I've got two clam shell halves and I fill one with water a couple of times a week so the dogs can paddle. Have you got somewhere to suspend filled Kongs from, such as a pergola or sturdy tree branch? Even a strong clothesline will take the strain from a dog trying to remove the filling from an upside-down kong...just above head height means a LOT of work! :p A digging pit is also excellent...put some cooked chicken or some cabanossi in the sand (the night before...just make sure it's after their last turn out for the night ) along with some squeaky toys...and other goodies. This will keep them occupied for a while too. As for your neighbours, why not door-knock at the weekend and just ask everyone for their help in stopping this "problem barking". Ask each of them to keep a record for you so that you can work in some solutions and ask them to be a little patient because you rescue dogs from the pound and *sometimes* this can upset the pack order for a little while as the rescue dog settles in. If all else fails, try borrowing a citronella collar or more than one from ARF...I think we have them available for fosters, might also help to use them on Orson and Oi if you think it's your two barking. HTH. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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