Desperate (But Effective) Measures for Handling a Barking Dog Nuisance

A constantly barking dog is a nuisance. You can’t sleep, you can’t have the windows open, and you can’t focus on anything while that yap, yap, yapping is drilling into your ear canal.

There are normal measures that can be taken against such an irritation, of course.

This article, however, is for those who have tried everything available to the rational-minded person, and are now at their wits end. The following are desperate, but effective, responses to a perpetually piercing pooch and their indifferent owners.

Talk to Your Landlord

Nobody wants to be “that tenant” who complains about things, but then again, nobody wants to be kept up all hours of the day and night by a barking dog. Approach your landlord with your concerns, and ask that they speak to the owner as soon as possible. Ask to be kept up-to-date with the process.

It’s possible that the dog barks solely when left alone, so your neighbor might not even be aware of the problem. Your landlord can serve as a bridge of anonymity between you, solving the problem without creating tensions between neighbors.

If you don’t hear anything within a reasonable amount of time (1 to 2 weeks), and the noise has continued unabated, re-approach your landlord with the concern, and ask if anything has been done so far.

Strength in Numbers

Gather together a group of neighbors who all feel the same way about constantly barking canines (shouldn’t be too hard), and confront the owner. Try to do this non-aggressively, since attacking your neighbor will cause nothing but more problems. Try getting a petition together with signatures from everyone in the building who is affected by the noise and putting it in the neighbor’s mailbox.

If that doesn’t work, a personal confrontation may be warranted, although it’s a much more tricky course of action. Take a copy of the petition to your neighbor directly, but only use one or two people for the delivery. Calmly explain the problem, and show them the petition. Ask them politely if anything can be done to amiably solve the problem, and conclude (again, very non-aggressively) that other measures will have to be taken if the problem persists. If confronted by an angry crowd, the neighbor is likely to turn defensive and hostile, causing more problems than you really need.

Call the Experts

Avoid immediately contacting the local police about the problem, since in most cases this would be overkill and cause more problems than it solved. However, calling in your town’s animal control board is a good desperate, but effective, measure. Chances are that a one-time call won’t do the trick, so be consistent. As long as the problem continues, keep calling.

Move Headquarters

If nothing seems to be working towards getting rid of Old Yapper, save yourself the mental breakdown and just move shop.

If you live in an apartment complex with semi-decent managers, explain the situation to them and ask to be moved to a distant, vacant unit. Offer to professionally clean up your own place in exchange for them striking the lease termination fee, but get out of there at all costs.

Desperate times call for desperate, but effective, measures!

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Jordan Gaither: I’m a Communications major by trade, an artist by choice, a welder by day and a dancer by night (Okay, I made that last part up). Having lived in a succession of cramped, oddly-shaped apartments, I have a wealth of personal experience in apartment living, as well as arranging and decorating to maximize effect and livable space.