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You haven't been annoyed until you've been kept up all night with stupid cows. They don't have a cute adorable "moo", they can scream at night. Loud screams. Most annoying and disturbing sound I've ever heard.
Had cattle all my life ( both dairy and beef )
The only time I have ever heard cows : screaming " all night was with beef cows when the feeder calves got weaned in fall.
Maximum 48 hours, and all, is quiet until the next year.
I live way out in the boonies. My nearest neighbors are a quarter mile away on either side. We live in wolf, moose & bear country, so we all have dogs.
When my dog is outside and barking for more than a minute or two, I get up and check what she's barking at. If she's just being a freak and screaming at a bird or squirrel, I tell her to knock it off or get inside. If she's barking at a large animal or person she doesn't know, or staring out into the trees with her hackles up, I get the gun. But I NEVER just let her bark her fool head off for hours. Even singing with the wolves only lasts a few minutes.
The neighbors on one side have several dogs, and have similar barking rules as we do. The neighbors on the other side have one dog with no rules at all. Their dog barks a LOT, for no reason (we think it's lonely). His constant barking sets off the other dogs when there isn't a real threat... essentially crying wolf when there is none. If our dog starts barking and we go out to investigate and find she's only barking along with their dog, we bring her in.
Besides the noise factor, which is simply annoying, his constant barking is dangerous because we can't rely on our dogs for accurate security alarms nor can we use it to determine that something is wrong at their place that needs investigating. If my other neighbor's dogs are barking for more than 10 minutes we KNOW something is wrong over there that needs to be checked out. When you're putting yourself at risk walking a quarter mile through the winter woods in the dark when it's -40 or lower to check on a neighbor who could be in trouble, only to find out that nothing is wrong they're just letting their dog bark forever, then it's no longer just a matter of annoyance! We're just lucky that our "good" neighbors can tell the difference between our dog and the "bad" neighbor's dog, so they don't simply ignore all dogs barking to the west and WILL still come check on us if it's our dog that is barking for hours.
I say this NOT because you're a moderator and I'm brown-nosing etc, but because of the content.
RIGHT ON, my friend, RIGHT ON. I mean this--people like you, I could live close-by to your area all of my life and be totally at peace, I absolutely mean that.
Let me address it:
When my dog is outside and barking for more than a minute or two, I get up and check what she's barking at. If she's just being a freak and screaming at a bird or squirrel, I tell her to knock it off or get inside. If she's barking at a large animal or person she doesn't know, or staring out into the trees with her hackles up, I get the gun. But I NEVER just let her bark her fool head off for hours. Even singing with the wolves only lasts a few minutes.
That is responsibly personified right there. When I mentioned my dog-loving friend whom I get along with just great--he is the exact same way. I tell him all of the time "if more dog owners were like you then you wouldn't hear me complain anywhere near as much nor observe so many anti-dog laws as you do" (National Forests not allowing people to walk their dogs there without a leash, sometimes at all, among other things). Occasional barking is one thing, but letting it go on for hours is just wrong. You are to be commended, and very strongly, for how you respond. If you lived in my area, I'd be prone to even giving speeches in town meetings or whatever praising you publicly as a stand-up kind of guy.
The neighbors on one side have several dogs, and have similar barking rules as we do. The neighbors on the other side have one dog with no rules at all. Their dog barks a LOT, for no reason (we think it's lonely). His constant barking sets off the other dogs when there isn't a real threat... essentially crying wolf when there is none. If our dog starts barking and we go out to investigate and find she's only barking along with their dog, we bring her in.
Yes, I've seen that. One dog starts, the others hear it and respond, and then the entire neighborhood sounds like a dog kennel. And yes, a lot of the time, it is loneliness I think because you'll observe the dogs being in an enclosed area and never ever being walked any as best you can tell. Why get a dog if you're never going to pay any attention to it? Heck, I have a dog and I don't pay enough attention to it at times, but I do pay SOME attention to it, walk it periodically, have the kids play in its area.
Besides the noise factor, which is simply annoying, [the one neighbor's dog] constant barking is dangerous because we can't rely on our dogs for accurate security alarms nor can we use it to determine that something is wrong at their place that needs investigating. If my other neighbor's dogs are barking for more than 10 minutes we KNOW something is wrong over there that needs to be checked out. When you're putting yourself at risk walking a quarter mile through the winter woods in the dark when it's -40 or lower to check on a neighbor who could be in trouble, only to find out that nothing is wrong they're just letting their dog bark forever, then it's no longer just a matter of annoyance! [snip]
Again, right on. When persons have mentioned "guard dog" aspects as to why they have a dog, I tell them "what good is it if the dog is ALWAYS barking?" And I will only slightly disagree with you on one thing--when you say the forever barking is "just a matter of annoyance," I know what you mean, I only slightly disagree in that to me anyway the annoyance is a pretty serious matter. I get that you are saying that it's not as serious as a criminal situation occurring and you are correct, I'm just clarifying that to me even the annoyance aspect is rather significant. That noise can drive some people absolutely out of their minds, and to allow behavior to continue that is doing this and yet is easy to control and IS ALSO POINTLESS, that is just hideously rude beyond belief.
Good for you, guy. You are welcome to live around here anytime you want. All of the persons defending allowing their dog's noisy behavior could learn so much from you.
Again, right on. When persons have mentioned "guard dog" aspects as to why they have a dog, I tell them "what good is it if the dog is ALWAYS barking?" And I will only slightly disagree with you on one thing--when you say the forever barking is "just a matter of annoyance," I know what you mean, I only slightly disagree in that to me anyway the annoyance is a pretty serious matter. I get that you are saying that it's not as serious as a criminal situation occurring and you are correct, I'm just clarifying that to me even the annoyance aspect is rather significant. That noise can drive some people absolutely out of their minds, and to allow behavior to continue that is doing this and yet is easy to control and IS ALSO POINTLESS, that is just hideously rude beyond belief.
LOL - I'm autistic. Believe me, I KNOW how critical noise issues can become when others only find them a minor annoyance. Their dog's constant barking (and them always yelling at the dog or their kids!) makes it extremely unpleasant for me to be outdoors for lengthy periods, after about an hour outside the barking fries my nervous system and becomes painful enough to drive me indoors. I don't have that problem with most other normal backwoods noises... and the few that do bother me are normally not constant or frequent enough to make me violent about them.
But, hey, that's MY problem, I get it. But, the serious security and safety issues are EVERYONE'S problem and can't/shouldn't be ignored as easily as my "silly little" impairment.
First, you do not have the right, if you move to the country where nearly EVERYONE has farm dogs, not to be exposed to the sound of barking dogs. Also, we have 55 acres, don't live right in the middle but close enough, and still hear the "doggy net" on still nights and every night when the coyotes sing and the dogs sing back.
Dogs are just as much a part of rural life as cows and horses and chickens and pigs - they are an integral part of the farm team. And in most cases, their barking is part of their job, letting the coyotes know what their (the dogs') territory is and not to violate it, letting their owners know that someone is coming down the quarter mile drive so they (the owners) can get dressed for visitors or come out of the barn to see who it is and greet them, letting the owner know that a cow or horse is where it should not be or that a fox is taking off with a chicken, or barking while herding the cattle into the working pens, etc. (All experiences that I have experience with.) Teaching them NOT to bark would be contrary to their job description - they are barking for a purpose important to the operation of the farm. Even the doggie net of an evening is the neighborhood dogs keeping each other informed on conditions in the area.
If you're going to make this your hill to die on, and/or make yourself a pain to your neighbors, please don't move to the country.
There is a big difference between a dog that barks and one that barks incessantly. I did not read where the OP was referring to dogs that bark in a normal fashion or frequency but rather those that bark constantly.
There are limits to everything.
A dogs job is not barking unless they are trained to watch and alert on unusual activity. If you have so much unusual activity that the dog barks incessantly then the dog owner has a problem.
Dogs do not keep each other informed of anything by barking in the evening.
The problem that the OP seems to be alluding to is dog owners who think that a barking dog who barks all day and all night long is normal, it is not and speaks to the arrogance and inconsiderate attitude of certain dog owners.
Saying that a dogs job is to bark all the time is like saying a goats job is to eat everything so that if it does, that is ok. It is not ok and why they make fences and other exclusionary materials to keep the goats away from things you don't want eaten. Likewise, if you own a dog or dogs, they need to be trained properly.
If you believe that a dog that barks all day and all night long is doing it's job, just what could that job be?
A dog that barks constantly is like a car alarm that goes off all hours of the day and night, no one heeds the warning and it serves to accomplish nothing except to create anger with the neighbors. While you might think you have the right to a constantly barking dog, like the car alarm that keeps going off because the owner is either too stupid to figure out how to adjust it or thinks their rights are more important than everyone else's, others will sometimes fix the problem for you.
There is a big difference between a dog that barks and one that barks incessantly. I did not read where the OP was referring to dogs that bark in a normal fashion or frequency but rather those that bark constantly.
There are limits to everything.
That's pretty much it. I suppose it depends on what is called "normal." To me more than 5 minutes and I can hardly stand it, but short of that I make a point to let it go and not be so picky. The big one for me would be where someone's dog is nearby (vs "off in the distance") and can see into your yard and barks at you every time you go into your yard because they think your yard is their territory--and the owner doesn't tell them to knock it off. The same would go if you walking around the neighborhood streets or roads and every time you try & do so it sounds like a dog kennel everywhere, even if you have lived there awhile and go for such walks all the time.
That isn't CONSTANT barking, in that once you go inside or a different part of your yard it stops, but if it does it pretty much the entire time you are outside in that part of your yard, or even for 5-10 minutes continuously every time you go into your yard, to me that's excessive. Sometimes they may do that when you've first moved into the area and it doesn't know you yet and it stops after a couple of days, that's fine, other times I've seen where even after 10 years of living there it STILL does that, and to me that is offensive.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mack Knife
A dog that barks constantly is like a car alarm that goes off all hours of the day and night, no one heeds the warning and it serves to accomplish nothing except to create anger with the neighbors. While you might think you have the right to a constantly barking dog, like the car alarm that keeps going off because the owner is either too stupid to figure out how to adjust it or thinks their rights are more important than everyone else's, others will sometimes fix the problem for you.
Yes, they WILL "fix" the problem, as well they should. I'm not necessarily condoning this, mind you, but I have known of people who "fixed" the problem by either shooting the dog or taking it to the pound claiming it as a stray if the dog manages to come over into their yard and the owners of the dog aren't home. That's not something I'd be apt to encourage someone to do, yet at the same time, if they've tried reasoning with the offender and been told to stuff it, as often-times happens, then frankly I can't say that I blame them for taking matters into their own hands.
Yes, they WILL "fix" the problem, as well they should. I'm not necessarily condoning this, mind you, but I have known of people who "fixed" the problem by either shooting the dog or taking it to the pound claiming it as a stray if the dog manages to come over into their yard and the owners of the dog aren't home. That's not something I'd be apt to encourage someone to do, yet at the same time, if they've tried reasoning with the offender and been told to stuff it, as often-times happens, then frankly I can't say that I blame them for taking matters into their own hands.
You might want to tread carefully, if you're a new resident. Rural areas have ways if fixing what are perceived as troublemakers too. You don't want to wind up in Winter stuck in the ditch with several people you know blowing past, or finding the store and/or post office going to lunch, or closing early just as you arrive, or finding you're now at the end of someone's firing range with an inadequate backstop, or having 20 tons of gravel dropped at the end of your driveway, or discovering you now have 4 flat tires, and the local tow truck is out on another call. If your noisy neighbor has no track record in town of being a noisy neighbor and you come in there in your metaphoric Birkenstocks and shorts laying down the law. You may be perceived as being the troublemaker, typical suburbanites moving into the country and not knowing their ass from a hole in the ground.
The locals can make your life a lot more difficult for you as a collective, than you can make their life difficult, and for all you know the neighbor with the dog might have lived in town all his life, went to high school with the town mayor (if they have one) drives the tow truck you will have to rely on, plows the roads in winter, lays gravel in the summer, be the volunteer fireman/EMT, be the local power company electrician, municipal water guy, or home inspector.
Something that has changed in rural America where there are real farmers ( fulltime farmers who make their living farming )
As of 10 years ago, every farm had at least one or 2 dogs. I realized by the time I sold my dairy farm to my son ( 2 years ago ) not a single farmer near me had dogs anymore.
Maybe it had something to do with the liability issue as in any given day there are many people entering that farm.........milk truck, feed truck, veterinarian, breeding tech, DHIA tester, fuel delivery truck, etc )
Many farmers do not want to keep their dogs tied up and realized having a dog was a hassle . After their last good dog died, they quit replacing it.
Guess it depends on what part of "rural America where there are real farmers" who make their living farming you live in. Just about every "real" farm here has dogs - lots of Pyrenees, as well as other breeds, because Pyrs and coyotes (of which we have many) seem to have a gentleman's agreement that coyotes won't set foot on territory belonging to a Pyr. There's much discussion of that of a night, for about 10 minutes, just to make sure everyone knows what the boundaries are and that they are still what they were the night before. If the Pyr leaves (for training or breeding or whatever), all bets are off for the coyotes, no matter what other kiknds of dogs are still there, until the Pyr (or Pyr cross -we have one that seems to be a party to that agreement) returns. It was fascinating when we first moved out here, and learned who had Pyrs and who did not, to listen to where the coyote singing was coming from and where it was not, ever, and where the Pyr singing was coming from and where it was not.
There is a big difference between a dog that barks and one that barks incessantly. I did not read where the OP was referring to dogs that bark in a normal fashion or frequency but rather those that bark constantly.
There are limits to everything.
A dogs job is not barking unless they are trained to watch and alert on unusual activity. If you have so much unusual activity that the dog barks incessantly then the dog owner has a problem.
Dogs do not keep each other informed of anything by barking in the evening.
The problem that the OP seems to be alluding to is dog owners who think that a barking dog who barks all day and all night long is normal, it is not and speaks to the arrogance and inconsiderate attitude of certain dog owners.
Saying that a dogs job is to bark all the time is like saying a goats job is to eat everything so that if it does, that is ok. It is not ok and why they make fences and other exclusionary materials to keep the goats away from things you don't want eaten. Likewise, if you own a dog or dogs, they need to be trained properly.
If you believe that a dog that barks all day and all night long is doing it's job, just what could that job be?
A dog that barks constantly is like a car alarm that goes off all hours of the day and night, no one heeds the warning and it serves to accomplish nothing except to create anger with the neighbors. While you might think you have the right to a constantly barking dog, like the car alarm that keeps going off because the owner is either too stupid to figure out how to adjust it or thinks their rights are more important than everyone else's, others will sometimes fix the problem for you.
I don't recall where the OP said that the dog barks incessantly. In fact, if I recall correctly, he said that most times it's just for a short time and he can deal with that. But he also alluded to the fact that the dog barks most of the time when he is outside.
He also stated that he has chased the dog with a stick, yelled "SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP, ..." at the dog and turned his larger dog loose on the neighbors dog. I can understand why the little dog next door will make a commotion toward the OP. I also do not believe that, since the damage has already been done by the OP, that there will be any success in attempting to train the Yorkie to stop barking when the OP is outside, even if he is on his own property.
My husband can hear the GPs and yotes singing to each other. The other night, though, that was not communication, it was the most awful sound either of us heard, obviously a yote didn't get the note that the gp was on duty. Screeching and screaming and I think the neighbor's GPs joined in the foray. I normally can't hear any of it, but I did that night. My dog just goes nuts and demands to be outside. If she's on leash, she alerts to the direction; if we leave her on the porch, she stands at attention. That night, she joined in. I know there's about 8 or 9 GPs at one farm on the other side of the woods behind us, 3 gps in front of us - about 1/2 mile away, and a bunch east about a mile. I'm glad they are there and when my dog joins in the barking and baying, I praise her. She's actually quite selective in her noise - don't turn in my drive or slow down in front of the property unless she knows your vehicle. If I tell her it's ok, she'll back off and shush but if she's not comfortable, she has "that stance" with her hackles up. She's a mostly mountain cur/hound and I am her job.
On the other hand, herding your children as they get off the bus is not acceptable. I'd be real clear with the neighbor on that issue but I'd back off on the barking. I find it as annoying as you do but I'm not about to start a war with the neighbor over it. You can be assured there are others unhappy with the non-stop barking.
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