My neighbor's barking dog is driving me nuts. [UPDATE]

[SueDonJ]

I was thinking that he mentioned Benedryl as a means of making the dogs drowsy, and not for poisoning - I don't think Benedryl would permanently injure a dog anyway. I guess I'm willing to give Doug the benefit of the doubt on this one... ???

Benadryl wasn't the only "solution" mentioned in this thread; somebody else talking about giving the dog stool softener. Whatever is suggested, if the dog isn't yours then you have no idea of any sensitivities/allergies it may have. But regardless, giving the dog any medical supplements could result in animal mistreatment/cruelty charges. Plus, it's not the dog's fault that the owner is a dolt!

 

[easyrider]

My neighbors all have barking dogs that I never really hear because I built this house somewhat sound proof.

If you can't speak with your neighbor and resolve this in a neighborly way my list of things that can ease the noise might help.

Vinyl framed windows with insulated glass will reduce outside noises quite a bit.

Ear plugs work pretty good too.

A fan or some other background noise to drown out the bad noise.

I always find that listening to Bob Ross paint is great background noise. Find him on youtube.

Take a shot of nyquil.

Bill

 

[dougp26364]

The issue here is if the dog eats on 2 of the 3 pieces of hotdog with pills while frozen and the neighbor's find the 3rd with the pill, the police most certainly will be called. If the dog becomes unresponsive and taken to a vet ... police again.

Or worst yet, the neighbors have a GO-PRO set up to watch the doggies play and find you drugging their family pet.

A) You don't throw a bunch of them, just one or two
B) You don't overdose the dogs by throwing an entire bottle
C) Somehow I don't think a Gopro camera is a huge concern.

 

[dougp26364]

I'd say the issue is that some people think poisoning a barking dog is a rational solution!

If I were comfortable speaking to the neighbor I'd let him know that the dog is a nuisance and if he doesn't solve the problem, then the HOA and/or the police will be notified. But we all know that some neighbors are just not approachable so if that's the case I'd get the HOA/police involved sooner.

There is a difference between sedating and poisoning. I'm not into harming anyone's pet. I have been known to trap feral cats who set up shop under my deck to have litters and take them to the humane society to deal with.

 

[dougp26364]

Since we seem to have crossed a line, I'll tell a story of a guitar player who was in a band with me.

He didn't live in a great neighborhood and had a neighbor with a rather large dog chained in front of his yard. The dog bark ALL the time. He tried talking with the guy, who was an obstinate jerk to put it mildly.

The guitar player called a lawyer friend of his who said he'd stop by and take care of the situation. He showed up in a suit with his briefcase. He went over and knocked on the door but the guy wouldn't get out of his chair to answer the door. He hollered at the guy, told him he was an attorney and needed to speak with him about his barking dog. The guy simply flipped him the bird. So he said I take that to mean you don't want to speak to me about your barking dog. The guy flipped him the finger a second time.

At that point the lawyer opened his briefcase, took out a hand gun, shot the dog in the head, then yelled at the man, "You better get out here, there's something wrong with your dog." The guy moved soon afterwards.

Now I'm not advocating this is the way to get rid of a problem dog but 25 or 50mg of Benadryl in a frozen dog bite won't poison, kill or harm a large dog. It might calm them down enough one can get a little peace and quite. It's not something I'd do myself but it's a darn sight better than giving the dog a laxative as was suggested by someone before me.

I think over the years, I've had enough of some of the self righteous on these forums. I think 11,000 posts are more than enough or a lifetime.

 

[easyrider]

I was thinking that he mentioned Benedryl as a means of making the dogs drowsy, and not for poisoning - I don't think Benedryl would permanently injure a dog anyway. I guess I'm willing to give Doug the benefit of the doubt on this one... ???

Same here.

Bill

 

[gvic]

But the airhorn..........
Someone on the HOA board of directors lives two doors away and works from home, it has to bother him.....my next plan.

Please stop "spinning your wheels" and take this approach.... File in SMALL CLAIMS COURT ..... http://dogtime.com/dog-barking-problem.html

Find out if this is an Owner or Renter and the "Owner's Legal Mailing Address" at the County Records Office. Send a "Certified Letter" detailing the violation of Law and "threathen" a LAWSUIT under "NUSIANCE ABATEMENT"..... http://www.hcdnnj.org/nuisance-abatement.

Don't waste your time with the HOA; Police and Animal Control or a Tenant. Your Certified Letter must reference the specific Law Violation in your City/County. Do not send your letter or actions to a "TENANT" ..... only to the "OWNER OF RECORD" ! ! !

If not file a Small Claims Action and show this property Owner you are "serious" about this "problem".... it was very successful for me when a neighbor(Tenant) decided to buy his kid a ROOSTER ! ! The "Certified Letter" to the Owner of Record worked for me.

 

[artringwald]

Small bites of frozen hot dogs laced with benedryl might be better. Why frozen? Because the dog will swallow it whole rather than potentially picking around the pills.

Besides probably being illegal, dogs are very tolerant of benedryl and it would take a bunch of pills to make the dogs sleepy.

 

[artringwald]

Suggest that the neighbors get bark collars that spray citronella:

http://www.amazon.com/PetSafe-Gentle-Spray-Anti-Bark-Collar/dp/B0002D31QU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1429779561&sr=8-1&keywords=citronella+barking+collar

It doesn't hurt the dogs, but they don't like the smell, so it trains them not to bark.

 

[Wonka]

They controlled the dogs better today. I used empathy with the man yesterdays, telling him I knew he couldn't stand the barking either. He did look frustrated. :ignore: My plan is to convince him the dogs need to be on a farm and he should move.

I ordered the above device, as well as another one.

One Benadryl won't hurt a dog, I've given them to mine when prescribed by the vet for various reasons. Can't even think of that here, the dogs are inside a screened-in lanai. But the airhorn..........

Someone on the HOA board of directors lives two doors away and works from home, it has to bother him.....my next plan.

I'm very surprised anyone would consider giving another persons's dog medication (over the counter or otherwise) without the permissions of the owner and consulting a Veterinarian. Who knows what other medication the dog may be taking and the consequences?

As for Benbadryl, I have a 15-month old dog that give one Bendryl daily for allergies. It hasn't affected her energy level one bit. I've take one and it knocks me out for the entire day. So, it doesn't have the same affect on other users. My dogs 48#, I'm 190. Go figure..

 

[LUVourMarriotts]

This thread reminds me of the dog in the movie Grown Ups, with Adam Sandler and Kevin James. Kevin James character had a dog that had its vocal chords clipped so they didn't have to put it down, due to neighbor complaints. It turned out to be worse, as the dog still barked, but then sounded like a dying chicken or something else pretty annoying.

Good luck!

 

[Jestjoan]

Some other fed up people here: http://www.city-data.com/forum/dogs/1693571-advice-how-get-dogs-shut-up.html

We moved.

 

[Passepartout]

Suggest that the neighbors get bark collars that spray citronella:

http://www.amazon.com/PetSafe-Gentle-Spray-Anti-Bark-Collar/dp/B0002D31QU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1429779561&sr=8-1&keywords=citronella+barking+collar

It doesn't hurt the dogs, but they don't like the smell, so it trains them not to bark.

We rescued our Lowchen from a family who acquired him in Denmark. (Dad works for Dept of Homeland Security) He began bumping into things. 'Mom' told us 'the former owners sprayed citronella in his face to stop his barking, and it burned his eyes'. Whether true or not, he still barks when startled or just to be social with other neighborhood dogs. I don't believe citronella trains anyone but the owner.

I truly believe that the only way to curb barking is through reward/punishment administered to a young animal for appropriate/inappropriate behaviour. Once a dog is over a year or two old, it's temperament is set, and if it's going to be a barker, nothing will change that behaviour but determined and pain-inflicting methods.

There is a reason for the saying, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks."

Jim

 

[presley]

I used citronella collars on my first 2 dogs. They were squirted in the face several times and never had a bad reaction. At any rate, when the one figured out how they worked, she would go bark in the other's face and then jump backward so that the other one would be sprayed whether he barked or not. They also clog very easily.

If I don't walk my dogs, they will bark too much. Although, they are never left unsupervised outside. I walk them every day. If it seems like that isn't enough, I give them bully sticks in the evenings. The barking dogs in the OP are most likely bored dogs with lazy owners. I see no reason to drug dogs just because the owners are lazy. I'd hit the owners in the pocketbook.

 

[Wonka]

Dog's are like our children to many owners whether they bark or not. I wouldn't hesitate to prosecute or sue anyone that attempted to medicate my dog without my permission. Other owner's might consider a much worse alternative.

My dog barks. Most do. Does it bark enough to annoy my neighbors? I haven't heard any complaints, so it doesn't seem to be at the level of the poster's situation.

However...I've been there. We lived on a small lake directly across from two small terriers known in the community as "Yip & Yap" and there were left outside very earning morning (sometimes as early as 4:00am).

I don't know how the owner's slept either, but they slept less when I began to call them at 4:00am and wish them a "Good Morning" every 10 minutes until the barking stopped.

 

[Zac495]

Get a lot of evidence. Tape them. Call the police. Do everything the right way. Then call Judge Judy.

 

[JudyH]

Update

While I was away on a trip, apparently the dogs got loose, and the owner was intoxicated. The big dog threatened a neighbor down the street, and the police were involved. There appear to be marital issues, as neighbors have heard fighting. The past few days he seems to have made an effort to control them more.

I can't wait for my devices to arrive. At least there are others who have witnessed the problem. I have no problems taping or calling police if need be.

 

[DavidnRobin]

If your dog(s) bark - and you have neighbors - then it is likely bothering them. And it 'head-in-the-sand' self-centered thinking that it does not bother your neighbors just because they haven't complained.

As a neighbor that has to listen to a dog barking for years (dog was left outside with no one walking him) - I can attest to this. Luckily the bastard must have finally passed since the barking has recently stopped. Although I am sure another one will appear soon - maybe a good time to sell my house as barking dog(s) certainly decreases the property values of everyone near.

When another neighbor complained a few years back - their TT response… 'he just barks at birds and squirrels' - like it was the birds/squirrels fault.

 

[balc453]

We had a problem with our neighbors dogs. Whenever we sat outside which was every evening in the summer the dogs would bark at us. We could not hear our music or converse. We finally got a ultrasonic dog bark device and within a few days they were quiet. Best 50 bucks We ever spent. We used it all summer and the next year we unhooked it and the dogs did not bark anymore. A great device.

Tim

 

[easyrider]

While I was away on a trip, apparently the dogs got loose, and the owner was intoxicated. The big dog threatened a neighbor down the street, and the police were involved. There appear to be marital issues, as neighbors have heard fighting. The past few days he seems to have made an effort to control them more.

I can't wait for my devices to arrive. At least there are others who have witnessed the problem. I have no problems taping or calling police if need be.

Did you get the ultrasonic dealio ?

Bill

 

[VegasBella]

Do not drug someone else's pet. You never know what the reactions could be. The animal could be allergic or there could be a drug combination reaction.

Benadryl® may result in these side effects:

Hyperexcitability in cats
Dry mouth
Decrease in urination
Sedation
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Loss of appetite

Benadryl® may react with these drugs:

Central Nervous System deppressants
Amitraz
Furazolidon
Selegiline
Epinephrine
Heparin sodium or calcium
Warfarin sodium

USE CAUTION WHEN ADMINISTERING THIS DRUG TO PETS WITH HEART DISEASE OR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE, BLADDER DISORDERS, OR HYPERTHYROIDISM

USE CAUTION WHEN ADMINISTERING THIS DRUG TO PREGNANT PETS

Source: http://www.petmd.com/pet-medication/benadryl

 

[VegasBella]

Dog's are like our children to many owners whether they bark or not. I wouldn't hesitate to prosecute or sue anyone that attempted to medicate my dog without my permission. Other owner's might consider a much worse alternative.

My dogs bark too. We received one passive-aggressive note complaining about one incident when our dogs were in the yard while our housekeepers were cleaning.

Our first reaction was to install video cameras. Someone who doesn't have the decency to talk to us in person is the kind of person who might throw poison over the fence and kill our dogs. And looking at this thread - there are a lot of mean-spirited and ignorant people who think it would be OK to drug a neighbor's dog. They just assume Benadryl is safe and can't be bothered to do a simple google search to find out about possible side effects.

We want to be good neighbors and we take lots of effort to keep our dogs from barking. We do not have a dog door so they can't ever go out to bark without us knowing and we keep our dogs indoors whenever we're not home, so they're never out in the yard barking. We ask our neighbors if they bark when we're not home and we have a good relationship with our neighbors so I know they'd tell us (the ones right next to us, obviously not the weirdos who left the note). And we have pet sitters stay with our dogs when we're on vacation or else we board them.

BUT even if we didn't try to solve the problem... nothing a dog owner does or doesn't do gives anyone else the right to drug a dog. And if anyone did anything to my dogs I'd sue the crap out of them and make their life a living hell.

 

[Tia]

After our barking dog neighbors moved away we got comments from other neighbors who said they were surprised we didn't give some kind of special doggy treat to eliminate it. Those other neighbors were not helpful when barkie was barking all the time, animal control wanted at least 2 barking dog logs to do anything!

I resorted to recording the dog on video, but barkies owners then complained about our yorkie barking one morning around 8am. As it turned out we had house sitters on that date who I asked and it turned out our house sitter said they were out picking up recycled newpapers that am and it was barkie neighbor barking at our house sitter. Which I then called animal control re and that is when it STOPPED, someone else witnessed their dog barking and them lying about it!!

I wouldn't assume a one time note was brought on by a one time incident, I'd bet it was multiple barking dog incidents.

 

[PigsDad]

I wouldn't assume a one time note was brought on by a one time incident, I'd bet it was multiple barking dog incidents.

Agreed. To think otherwise is simply head-buried-in-ground thinking.

Kurt

 

[bogey21]

I'm very surprised anyone would consider giving another persons's dog medication (over the counter or otherwise) without the permissions of the owner and consulting a Veterinarian. Who knows what other medication the dog may be taking and the consequences?

Agree

George