How to Stop a Neighbor’s Dog from Barking

Is your neighbor’s dog keeping you up all night? It’s time to take action. The fastest and best way to end the noise is usually to speak to your neighbor face to face to work out a good solution. If that isn’t effective, get law enforcement involved to solve the problem for you. In the meantime, try using a dog whistle or another method to help the dog stay quiet.

Method 1 – Alerting Your Neighbor of the Problem

1. Talk to your neighbor. Many people jump straight to drastic measures instead of simply talking to the neighbor about their concerns. Unless you’re on bad terms with your neighbor, the best way to solve this problem is usually to just talk to him or her about it.
2. Make helpful suggestions. It’s possible your neighbor is well aware of the issue but isn’t sure how to get the dog to stop barking. If you’re pretty sure you know what the problem is, there’s nothing wrong with making suggestions.
3. Try to agree on a concrete solution. Rather than expecting your neighbor to put a stop to all barking, it might be more feasible to agree on a practical solution that works for both of you.
4. Block the dog’s view. If the dog barks every time it sees movement, blocking its view of your movements might help. Increase the height of your fence or close off areas where the dog sees movement.
5. Get backup from other neighbors. If your neighbor ignores your requests or doesn’t make a change after you’ve asked politely, it can help to get neighbors involved. Talk to other people who live nearby to see if they’re also being kept awake by the dog.

Method 2 – Contacting Law Enforcement

1. Research your town or city’s anti-barking laws. Look online at your town or city’s codes, by-laws or dog legislation. There may be a code against unruly pets or incessant barking at night; many places have legislation or regulations in place that deals specifically with dogs and/or noise.
2. Call the relevant authority to report a noise complaint. Find out what town hall/council/municipal office or other relevant authority to call so you can file a report on your neighbors for a noise complaint.
3. Call animal control to report abuse. If you believe the barking is a result of neglect or another form of abuse, you have the right to call animal control. If the dog is being severely abused it will be confiscated from the owner, but in most cases, animal control won’t take the dog away.
4. Get other neighbors to file the same complaint. If the authorities get multiple calls about the same dog owner, they’ll be more likely to take action quickly.
5. Sue the dog owner in small claims court. Even after getting the authorities involved, some stubborn dog owners won’t comply with requests to quiet the dog. If nothing else works, you can sue for nuisance in small claims court.

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