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I live in a duplex ang my new neighbors, who are really sweet, leave their dog in the backyard during the day. Since I stay at home with the kids we spend a lot of time out back. The dog barks the entire time we are out there and it starts to wear on me. Can we make friends with the dog so it won't bark as much? Any suggestions would be very appreciated.
There is a thread in another forum (I forget where ) about barking dogs, but I can give you our solution....
We had a neighbor who has a couple of large labs that stayed in the backyard and were generally quiet. I think they were kenneled most of the time, but when they were out of town for a day or two they would have someone take care of the dogs and would leave them out of the kennel. The dogs would then bark at anything that they could see through the fence...includings us. They also took to barking at night, I think it was more about being left alone than anything. It was not a mean bark, but very annoying. We ended up using a water hose and spraying the dogs whenever they barked. After the second time, they made the connection. The third time their bark was reduced to a 'wuff'. They don't bark at us now .
Btw, we did tell the neighbor about it, and although he was surprised they were barking (he obviously was never around when he wasn't around ), he did not have an issue with the water. Seeing as it is winter now, though, you might want to consider the temperature. We did not soak the dogs or anything, just a quick squirt.
My neighbors' dogs only bark when they hear the hosepipe running!!! - they love water and want to be sprayed, even in the winter (crazy dogs...). They also go wild at the sound of a leafblower or lawnmower... but don't generally bark at us just talking or playing in the yard. However when all the neighbors are working on their yards on a Saturday, the barking can make me go insane.
I have told my neighbor about the barking - we are good friends - and she apologized, and gave me a key so I can put the dogs in her house whenever it becomes a problem.
So I have a solution in a way, but it's a hassle....
Maybe you can ask your neighbor if you can meet the dogs so that they're familiar with you. Probably not the best idea but it's worth a shot. My neighbors dog always barks at us when she's outside and we're in the front yard. They don't keep her out long, though.
While a talk with the neighbor about his barking dogs should be the first step in resolving the problem, most town ordinances have provisions on the books dealing with excessive barking as a public nuisance.
When we first moved in, all the neighbor's dogs barked non-stop at us and our dog. It took a few weeks, but they stopped. I guess they got used to us. Thank GOD, the ones next door to us had a dog that barked, literally, all night for a while.
Plus, they are new neighbors. I'd think the dog may be stressed because of new surroundings and may be trying to form a new "territory", if that makes sense
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