Yap yap yap

[zazen999]

Fortunately our neighbours don't get upset about it.

Yes that is fortunate.

However I'm sure they would if the dog was yapping endlessly for hours on end whilst the owner was with them or howling all day long, like in the actual problem I'm talking about.

[dominic10]

Dog in garden a couple of doors down has barked every time I go into my garden during the day for years now. Now I'm retired I'm more bothered - it's a yapper. A "will you stop that dog barking please" in a loud voice seems to have done the trick. I actually hear the owner shushing it now - and it does as it is told. Wonderful! Fingers crossed..for the summer. You have my sympathies. I have resorted to headphones before now. When the wind is right I am also bothered by the 200 or so wind chimes another neightbour has but that's another story.

[Two_Sheds]

Our dogs react to 'intruders' ... their definition of 'intruder' can be rather broader than we like

It can be trained out

eg, it might be acceptable for one warning yap, then silence

[taff]

next door neighbour also has a new yappy type dog, puppy, very annoying, I want to shout at it, I'm in my own bl@ddy garden!!' but I can't even do that because it's not and grrrrrrrrrr........
she does come and call it back in, but that isn't going to solve the problem.

[Two_Sheds]

new yappy type dog ... I want to shout at it....that isn't going to solve the problem.

No, shouting doesn't help, it makes it more excited (shouting sounds like barking, and what fun barking is).

You (or the owner) need to catch it being quiet and calm. Immediately this happens, reward it with a food treat and calm praise.

You might feel it's not your place to do this, but the alternative is to put up with this for what, 10 years? Ask the owner, get her onside, work together

When barking, ignore it totally (turn your back, leave the "room"). Don't give any kind of "reward" (shouting, attention) for barking. Repeat until the dog gets it. I tried this with my yapper, now she never barks at all, at anything

[taff]

I would do, I try and put my fingers near the floor so she can smell me, and get used to me, but the fencing is either 6ft larchlap, or they've put up that thin willow stick type stuff along where the chainlink is, so I can't reach her, or reward her...I can turn my back, I'll try that next time, but I can't leave the room otherwise she learns that she barks, and I go away.

[VirginVegGrower]

They always bark and what they can't see. I agree with TS, it needs a quiet word and maybe let the dog see and smell you. Then it will know it's you.

[Glutton4...]

I went out and yelled at mine for barking one day, telling him that it was annoying, and no-one wanted to hear dogs barking their heads off. Then I discovered it wasn't just him - it was also the one next door. Funnily enough, the one next door is no-longer allowed to stand out there barking!

It wasn't deliberate, but I don't care!

[VirginVegGrower]

But they are pack animals...one barks, they all bark.

[woody21]

i have yapping rats! (small dogs) at the bottom of the garden, there are 2 of them and its constant yapping when they are let out in the garden and can go on for up to a couple of hours at a time several times a day and even late in the evening.

They bark at nothing, and then go nuts at anyone moving in the garden and have damaged the fence trying to get through it to get at me.

worst thing is the owners are at home and dont care! the yapping does not bother them so it seems as they rarely do anything about it. THIS FRUSTRATES ME!
i hear the dogs get told to shut up, or get called in every now and again, but they get told to shut up once then left to bark for another hour, get called in but then left out to continue barking.

ive been popping my head over the fence and blasting the dogs with my hose which does not shut them up but it is satisfying, im off to buy sprinklers next (im not joking, dont care if it gets me in trouble)
if i cant enjoy my garden in peace then they will not ever get to enjoy theirs!

i have mentioned it to the lady who lives there and her response was ' i know they do bark when your dog is the garden' - i said ' have you EVER heard my dog make a noise!' and at that i walked away before i blew my top!
that wound me up as its just avoiding accepting responsibility.

also they use my garden as a dumping ground, beer cans galore come over the fence which offends me bigtime. but my planned sprinklers will put a stop to that too as garden partys and bbqs will be ruined by me until the dogs are under control or gone for good.

im glad my mutt is quiet as a mouse in the garden, it makes me appreciate just how good my boy is, he never barks out there even at other dogs so i guess im lucky there.

thats my rant! feel much better now.

[WendyC]

It's awful when you feel you can't use your own garden. I know how you feel - I've posted before on this thread before but we had 2 barking dogs who drove us mad. Now there is a lovely retriever (and her owner) who only has to do one quiet woof and she's taken indoors (the dog not the owner) . Tried the council?

[petal]

fat lot of good they would be- they are quick to get rid of chickens but dogs are ignored. We used to live next to the owners of a bichon frise and had to move away in the end- it used to yap from morning until night. I never blamed the dog but certainly the owners- to me it was neglect.
I know someone who owns a jack russel, the kings of yappers and they have trained it to yap on command - however it ONLY barks when asked!!!!!clever or what?

[Two_Sheds]

beer cans galore come over the fence

Toss them back. My lotty neighbour used to do that too, so I saved them all up, bagged them up, and then chucked the bag over her fence

It stopped

[Two_Sheds]

they have trained it to yap on command - however it ONLY barks when asked!

That's definitely achievable, and very useful. You can have it bark at a stranger at the door. It's all just reward based training: reward the wanted behaviour, and ignore or give negative reinforcement (not punishment) for the unacceptable behaviour.

eg. my yapper was taking too long to "get" that she should be quiet in her crate, and I was unable to wait out the 45 mins before she'd stop for breath. So in frustration one day, I banged my hand on the window in her room: made her jump, made her shut up !

She learned that yapping and howling resulted in that nasty bang noise, so she quit

[woody21]

Toss them back. My lotty neighbour used to do that too, so I saved them all up, bagged them up, and then chucked the bag over her fence

It stopped

i almost wish i had done that, but as my garden was a mess before this year i decided to just clear it up myself and hope it doesnt happen again but will return them in the future which best put an end to it!
they left me 60 feet of scrap chainlink fence and posts which i also got rid of without saying anything about and some other assorted garden junk.

they had left a nice trowel my side of the fence too which is handy as i haddnt got one but i have now.

normally i would have a fit at them and throw it all back but this year im literally turning over many new leaves and trying to be the better person and tackling things a less like a bull in a china shop which in turn means im not getting wound up about half the things i would have.

it was the i dont care attitude from the owner when i mentioned the barking to her, you could just tell she really wanted to reply with ' and.... so what.. i dont care ' but wasnt brave enough to be so direct.

the council are aware of it, i had the housing officer out about some repairs that ive been kicking off about them not doing. when she was here she heard it herself and i diddnt have to say anything myself before she looked at my dog and said 'he is very well behaved isnt he, im aware other dogs being a problem but ive never had any complaints about yours'
might be time to chase it up and actually make one myself.

still getting the propper adjustable sprinkler though i can play dumb and pretend i dont know its spaying over the fence. ive got awesome water pressure and no water meter!