It’s a tale as old as time.
Or, at least as old as fences between adjoining properties and dogs as household pets are anyway.
Barking dogs at all hours of the day, that drive you, well, barking mad.
So, what is the best way to deal with the nuisance? And can you keep up some form of neighbourly goodwill once the issue has been resolved?
If Casey’s story is anything to go by, there may be some hope for you.
A happy ending to these sorts of ‘tails’
The Canberra resident, who has asked that her last name be omitted, says her issues started when new neighbours moved in and brought barking dogs with them.
She says the barking was pretty much constant during the day while she was working from home and that it got so bad she couldn’t concentrate in meetings even when wearing noise-cancelling headphones.
And that was only during the day.
At night, she was unable to sleep properly due to the constant barking.
Frustrated and tired, she penned a letter to the neighbour and dropped it off to them.
Casey sent a letter to her neighbours to try and get them to do something about their barking dogs. (Supplied.)
Immediately, she says the problem was resolved.
Casey assumes that’s because they just weren’t aware of how constant it was.
Then feeling guilty about the slightly “passive aggressive” tone she’d taken, she followed up with a kinder note, which even included some dog treats.
“I know this isn’t the case for everybody, but for me, it was nice and simple,” Casey says.
The adorable Coco has a noisy problem. (ABC News: Luke Stephenson)
Naomi Barker (yes, that really is her last name) found herself on the other side of the fence — so to speak.
It was her neighbours who had to let her know her two-and-a-half-year-old border collie Coco was causing a bit of a ruckus with her barking in the backyard in the evenings.
“There’s been a couple of times when they’ve sent us a text message and said ‘we’re trying to get the girls to bed., would you mind putting the dogs inside?'” she explains.
“And I think you just have to have a certain level of empathy for what your neighbours are going through, and I think they understand what we’re going through with crazy Coco as well.”
Ms Barker, who says she wasn’t put out at all by the request, says she has been conscious of Coco’s barking, especially since the vet told them she has anxiety,.
She also knows Coco’s barking is triggered by a variety of things like flies, birds, garbage trucks and cars towing trailers.
The family has been working on it by keeping Coco inside and away from those triggers if Ms Barker is working from home, and on the days she’s in the office, she takes her out for a long run in the mornings.
They also try to minimise the amount of time she’s alone for, and make sure family members pop in and out as and when they can.
“Keeping her exercised and having someone in here checking up on her … I guess that’s the main thing,” she says.
Mitchell Negus, a ranger with Domestic Animal Services, says all nuisance complaints are taken seriously. (ABC News: Michael Barnett)
The official advice from rangers is to do exactly what happened in both of Naomi and Casey’s situations and try to communicate with a neighbour first.
“You’d be quite surprised at how a simple conversation resolves the matter,” Mitchell Negus from the ACT’s Domestic Animal Services says.
Officially, people are advised to “refrain from becoming angry or judgemental” and avoid yelling at the dogs when they are barking.
Now, that doesn’t always work and not every story has a happy ending.
So, the next step, depending on how people want to manage it, is either lodging a complaint or seeking mediation through the Conflict Resolution Service.
How to lodge a noise complaint
Lodging a noise complaint in the ACT is at first an online process.
Evidence must be submitted including a ten-day bark diary.
“We’ll ask how often the dog is barking … what level is the barking at … is it disturbing?”, Mr Negus explained.
Mr Negus said all noise complaints are taken seriously and estimates they make up about 30 per cent of his workload.
Data from Transport Canberra and City Services shows Domestic Animal Services (DAS) opened 169 animal nuisance complaints in 2023-24, with most of these relating to barking dogs.
While rangers can seize animals if the barking can’t be addressed, it’s not their preferred solution. (ABC News: Michael Barnett)
Once the required evidence has been received, rangers will then step in, with Mr Negus explaining the first step is to “establish the nuisance”.
This includes sending out letters to other neighbours to canvas them and find out if the barking is disturbing anyone else.
After that, if the nuisance can be confirmed through their investigations they will reach out to the owner of the alleged nuisance dog and start some conversations.
A nuisance notice which incorporates a time period of 28 days where the person has to reduce or stop the nuisance from occurring can be issued next.
Mr Negus said rangers will try to support the owner throughout this process and provide tips for reducing barking.
If it continues, however, an infringement of $150 can be issued for a breach of a nuisance notice.
Mr Negus estimates only ten per cent of cases end up with the issuing of an infringement.
Ultimately, dogs can be seized if there’s no end to the barking — but Mr Negus stressed that very much isn’t the preferred option for rangers to take.
Avenues for lodging complaints about barking dogs differ slightly between different jurisdictions. (Unsplash.com)
Rules for dealing with barking dogs differ slightly across jurisdictions.
But most have avenues similar to those in the ACT for lodging complaints and pretty much every authority recommends speaking with the owner before taking any further action.
In New South Wales, the state government says if barking continues after the issue has been reported to a local council, people can either contact a free mediation service or seek a noise abatement order through a local court.
The Victorian government also offers free mediation, suggests people lodge a complaint with the local council and keep a bark diary for a number of weeks to get a full picture of the problem.
If barking doesn’t stop, the council has the power to issue an infringement notice or proceed with legal action.
What do you do if you’re the owner of the barking dog?
While some owners are unaware their dogs are barking because they do so only while the owners are out or at work, that’s not the case for everyone.
And so for those who want to try to mitigate it themselves, canine behaviour expert Jess McNamara-Rice, who works with many dogs who bark excessively, has some tips.
Her first tip is to establish what’s going on and why the dog might be barking.
Canine behaviour expert Jess McNamara-Rice with her own lovable pup D’Artagnan. (ABC News: Nick Haggarty)
Buying and setting up a camera to monitor the dog’s behaviour when the owners aren’t home can be a good place to start, she recommends.
And often, she says the barking is environmental — think, a dog who lives in a laneway barking when people walk past.
“Often, we just don’t meet our dogs’ needs very well … so if they’re left for a long period of time and they’re very social dogs or we keep forgetting how active dogs are,” she says.
“If we’re not walking them or taking them for runs and letting them move around properly … that can be a pretty motivating factor.”
There is a difference, she says, between genuine anxiety and boredom and some of those environmental factors.
Some things to try:
- Blocking see-through fences with a screen
- Monitoring body language to work out why the barking is occurring
- Increasing exercise or activity levels
- Reducing time spent outside
- Removing frustrating factors like access to a neighbour’s cat
- Teaching dogs self-regulation behaviours
- Getting a dog walker during the day or sharing the dog during the day
If it turns out it’s something more serious, like separation anxiety, that’s when Ms McNamara-Rice says a behaviour vet might need to get involved and medication could be required.
Things aren’t entirely dire, Ms McNamara-Rice says, as she believes most barking issues can be fixed.
But she warns it can and does take a lot of effort on the part of owners.
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