Animals

Barking Dogs

Dogs which bark loudly and persistently cause a great deal of annoyance to people living nearby. The Environmental Health Unit, working through the Dog Warden, can often help.

Dogs bark for many reasons – because they are lonely, bored, frightened, aggressive, excited, hungry or wanting attention.

Most dogs are well-behaved and well looked after, and can only be heard occasionally. However, some never seem to stop barking.

If your dog is causing a problem, try the following action:

- If it is left out, keep it indoors.
- If it is shut in, let it out into the garden more often.
- Make sure it does not get too hungry.
- Provide some company, such as a radio left on at low volume.
- Take it for regular walks.
- Do not leave it for too long on its own.
- Do not leave your dog barking in the garden if you are at home.

If these measures do not work, contact the dog warden for further help – you may find an anti-barking collar will work.

If you are bothered by a barking dog, identify where it lives before you contact Environmental Health. You must provide this information if you can, along with your own details. If you are able, try talking to the owner of the dog first.

You will be asked to keep a diary for around two weeks, on which you should note the times that the barking is so bad that it disturbs you – usually this involves persistent loud barking or howling for long periods of time.

The Dog Warden will visit the owner of the dog, try to identify the cause of the problem and offer advice in the hope of resolving the problem informally.

In rare cases, where the co-operation of the dog owner is not achieved, formal legal action can be taken requiring action to achieve a satisfactory situation.

The Dog Warden and any other Officers involved, will keep you informed of progress.

SERVICES A-Z

Dog Warden

Stray Dogs
Dogs
Dog Fouling
Dog Bins
Dangerous Dogs
Dog Warden
Animals