Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
First, let me say I like dogs. I grew up with dogs and were I single and not living in a rental I would probably have one. But this situation is driving my husband crazy and therefore it is affecting me as well.
Our neighbors opened up a dog hotel earlier this year. Because of the way the properties are laid out, the building they're using is less than 100 feet from our house; much closer to us than it is to them. Our bedroom window faces it almost directly. We rent this property, and are very happy here except for this recent development. The dogs bark pretty much constantly, including in the middle of the night, and the neighbors don't seem to do anything about it. There is no zoning or noise ordinance that applies here; besides, we're not the kind to bring the law down on folks who are using their property as they wish anyhow. The landlord has spoken them about the noise, but short of shutting down their business I don't see that there's much the neighbors can do.
We got a mechanical white noise machine about a month ago and it seemed to be working. They must have had good business for the holiday weekend, however, because over the last few days I've been able to hear the barking over the white noise, and my husband has barely been able to sleep at all, as he's a much lighter sleeper than I am.
All that is a long way of getting around to my question: has anyone had a good experience with a device that prevents or limits dogs' barking that doesn't have to be on the dog's collar? We'd be able to place something within about 25-30 feet of the building without encroaching on the neighbor's property, but I don't want to use anything that would cause any damage to the dogs (much as I might think differently when they wake me up at 3am...) I'd love any advice or insight; I'm really tired of having to sleep with earplugs and dealing with a very cranky, sleep-deprived hubby!
They have to have some sort of permit or zoning requirement or something legal to be operating a Kennel so you either
"bring the law down" or you move.
First, let me say I like dogs. I grew up with dogs and were I single and not living in a rental I would probably have one. But this situation is driving my husband crazy and therefore it is affecting me as well.
Our neighbors opened up a dog hotel earlier this year. Because of the way the properties are laid out, the building they're using is less than 100 feet from our house; much closer to us than it is to them. Our bedroom window faces it almost directly. We rent this property, and are very happy here except for this recent development. The dogs bark pretty much constantly, including in the middle of the night, and the neighbors don't seem to do anything about it. There is no zoning or noise ordinance that applies here; besides, we're not the kind to bring the law down on folks who are using their property as they wish anyhow. The landlord has spoken them about the noise, but short of shutting down their business I don't see that there's much the neighbors can do.
We got a mechanical white noise machine about a month ago and it seemed to be working. They must have had good business for the holiday weekend, however, because over the last few days I've been able to hear the barking over the white noise, and my husband has barely been able to sleep at all, as he's a much lighter sleeper than I am.
All that is a long way of getting around to my question: has anyone had a good experience with a device that prevents or limits dogs' barking that doesn't have to be on the dog's collar? We'd be able to place something within about 25-30 feet of the building without encroaching on the neighbor's property, but I don't want to use anything that would cause any damage to the dogs (much as I might think differently when they wake me up at 3am...) I'd love any advice or insight; I'm really tired of having to sleep with earplugs and dealing with a very cranky, sleep-deprived hubby!
Neither am I, until it prevents me from using my land as I wish, and my peace and quiet is part of my land. I agree with CSD610, there must be some type of zoning. If not, do what you have to do!
First, let me say I like dogs. I grew up with dogs and were I single and not living in a rental I would probably have one. But this situation is driving my husband crazy and therefore it is affecting me as well.
Our neighbors opened up a dog hotel earlier this year. Because of the way the properties are laid out, the building they're using is less than 100 feet from our house; much closer to us than it is to them. Our bedroom window faces it almost directly. We rent this property, and are very happy here except for this recent development. The dogs bark pretty much constantly, including in the middle of the night, and the neighbors don't seem to do anything about it. There is no zoning or noise ordinance that applies here; besides, we're not the kind to bring the law down on folks who are using their property as they wish anyhow. The landlord has spoken them about the noise, but short of shutting down their business I don't see that there's much the neighbors can do.
We got a mechanical white noise machine about a month ago and it seemed to be working. They must have had good business for the holiday weekend, however, because over the last few days I've been able to hear the barking over the white noise, and my husband has barely been able to sleep at all, as he's a much lighter sleeper than I am.
All that is a long way of getting around to my question: has anyone had a good experience with a device that prevents or limits dogs' barking that doesn't have to be on the dog's collar? We'd be able to place something within about 25-30 feet of the building without encroaching on the neighbor's property, but I don't want to use anything that would cause any damage to the dogs (much as I might think differently when they wake me up at 3am...) I'd love any advice or insight; I'm really tired of having to sleep with earplugs and dealing with a very cranky, sleep-deprived hubby!
Um, this is the logical outcome of what happens when you choose to live in an area without zoning or noise ordinances and think that law enforcement and the government should not interfere in other people's lives. Then people's lives just interfere with each other and people can open dog hotels in residential areas.
There ARE free-standing devices that are designed to prevent dogs from barking by emitting a high-pitched frequency, but I've found them to be largely ineffective. They would be especially so when you have a constantly changing roster of animals living next door - it takes a while for the dogs to catch on that barking causes the unpleasant noise. And anyway, they don't have control over that if other dogs are barking, so why shouldn't they bark? That kind of thing.
Yeah I bought one of those sonic things to try and get my dog to stop barking at everything that walked by my patio door that faced a sidewalk, street, and bus stop at my last apartment. It did nothing. She barked through the "pain". Perhaps they have more "industrial" ones that work better than the one I tried, but that was my experience.
If there is no ordinance about this, then maybe speak to your neighbours about putting up a retaining wall or something to help buffer the noise.
Good luck! I'm a dog lover (and own two) but I could never live next door to one of those. I'd go insane and would be getting ready to move.
Thanks for the replies. I hadn't looked into it enough to realize that the sonic inhibitors rely on consistent use to train the dogs not to bark, so that probably won't be helpful in my situation; I doubt any individual dog is there more than a week or so.
My landlord suggested he might open up a rifle range and start firing away whenever anyone comes to drop off a dog. :-)
I'm hoping the holiday weekend was an outlier and it will go back to being manageable, but in the meantime I'm keeping an eye out for places to move. It's hard to find any property out here that isn't near a kennel or a musher, but we'll keep looking!
If they are zoned for it, there isn't much you can do about it.
If you are on talking terms with the neighbors, inform them that if they put solid sides on the kennels, up to a height where the dogs can't see each other, it will help reduce the barking. Not eliminate it entirely, but cut down on it a lot.
If you are in a rental, there isn't much you can do to your own residence. Double glazed windows help, as does some sound proofing and extra insulation. Shrubbery between the two properties helps a bit.... not solutions for a rental.
I don't have any answer, but I really feel your pain. I bought a couple acres and put my trailer in the middle of it (intended to build eventually), and the neighbor's barking dog was another 100 feet into his property, and that thing drove me absolutely batty. Constantly barking dog, got no attention and they left him outside all day and night, from the sound of it. I used a fan for white noise, but that didn't help when I was outside trying to enjoy grooming my horse or garden, etc.
Ended up selling the land a couple years later, partly because of that darn dog. I find noise in a city to be less annoying than a barking dog in the country.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
