Barking dogs spoiling your sleep? Here’s what to do

If you’re a pet owner you will know just how much joy your animals can bring to your life. They are there to greet you when you get home, get excited over the smallest things, and just love you unconditionally.

But not everyone feels the same way you do. Especially neighbours. Especially if you dog misses you when you are gone. Especially if your dog barks all day (or whines) because it’s missing you. Or when another dog goes past. Or for simply no reason at all.

Read more: Lifehacks all pet owners need to know.

One woman now knows how a neighbour feels, after she received a written note of complaint in her mailbox.

It’s a classic case of yes, his bark is worse than his bite, with this neighbour asking her to do something about her barking dogs.

Posted on the ABC Brisbane Facebook page, the recipient of the letter said she felt it was a rude way of finding out her neighbour had an issue.

But what other options do you have?

The article suggest you try talking to the neighbour first, politely. After all, they may not be aware of the issue. If you aren’t comfortable with a face-to-face you can write a letter, but make it as politely as possible.

If that doesn’t help you can complain to your local council. After all, its usually the most common reason for noise complaints. It is suggested that you compile some information for them first, such as the address of the dog, dates and times of barking and how long they bark for.

What if the dog is yours?

There are suggestions in the article for this too. You can talk to your local vet to see if they have a suggestion, but there could be a number of reasons they are barking. Boredom, excitement, distress, fear, anxiety or just looking after their turf a common reasons a dog will bark. If you can eliminate the main cause maybe it will reduce the problem.

Have you had this issue, either with your dog, or your neighbours? What did you do?