Dealing with a barking dog

Dogs are an important part of our community, but excessive barking can disturb neighbours and create tension.

Why dogs bark

Dogs bark for many reasons, even if it seems like “no reason.” Common causes include:

  • lack of exercise
  • inadequate yard space
  • boredom
  • not enough human companionship
  • inadequate shelter from weather conditions
  • hunger or thirst
  • a medical condition
  • provocation or disturbances
  • movement around the property
  • to alert their owners of trouble, such as an intruder entering the property or perhaps a fire.

Remember, a dog’s idea of an ‘intruder’ may differ to that of the owner. It could include cats, possums, other dogs, or even birds flying across the property.

Whilst it is acceptable for a dog to bark to warn its owner of an intruder, it is the owner’s responsibility to train the dog not to bark at ‘normal’ occurrences such as possums, cats or birds.

How to stop your dog from barking excessively

  • Make sure that you do not reward your dog for barking too much.
  • Don’t let the dog inside or give it attention when it barks. Instead, give the dog attention when it is quiet.
  • If the dog is barking at people or noises on the other side of a fence, move the dog to another part of the yard, or put up a barrier to keep the dog away from that area.
  • If the dog barks at regular disturbances such as children walking to school or rubbish trucks, keep the dog inside or in an enclosed area at these times.
  • If the dog races along a path or fence barking at passing distractions, put barriers or obstacles in the dog’s way to slow it down.
  • Ensure that the dog has adequate exercise and obedience training.
  • Make sure that the dog has food, water and shelter from the weather.
  • If the dog is barking through gaps and cracks in the fence, fill them in.
  • If the dog is barking at people it can see passing by, try blocking the dog’s view.
  • Teach the dog to stop barking on command. When the dog is barking give a firm command such as ‘cease’ and call the dog to you. Praise the dog when it stops barking. If the dog will not listen to you, it will need obedience training.
  • Research shows that eight out of 10 dogs experience stress when left alone and may show this stress through barking. Find ways to help your dog feel more relaxed when they’re alone, such as leaving a special toy, using a dog-sitting service or getting the help of a specialist.
  • Speak to your vet to determine if a medical condition is causing the barking.

Remember, dogs bark for many reasons. If these simple tips do not help you, seek further advice from your vet or an animal behaviour specialist.

Reporting nuisance dog barking

Step 1 – Notify your neighbour

The dog owner might not realise how loud the animal is for other people, or they may not be home when their animal is making noise. They might appreciate being made aware of the problem, so they have the opportunity to do something about it.

If you’re not comfortable speaking to your neighbour, we’ve supplied a downloadable neighbour letter that you can print and send to them, anonymously if you prefer.

Anonymous letter to your  neighbour (PDF 77Kb)

After you give the letter to your neighbour, give them some time to resolve the issue, it could take time to put the dog through training or take other action.

Step 2 – Complete a barking dog diary

To report nuisance barking to Council you must keep a diary of when the dog barks.

Where to get a barking dog diary

How to complete the diary

Your accuracy in recording the nuisance barking is of extreme importance as it may be presented as evidence in court.

Create a detailed diary accurately documenting the dog barking. Make sure your diary meets the following criteria:

  • Complete a diary for a minimum of a 14-day continuous period.
  • Be specific, do not round times of barking up/down or estimate.
  • Don’t exaggerate anything. Other evidence might disprove what you’ve said, and your account will be discredited. Council won’t be able to help you if your claims are found to be dishonest or unreliable.

Step 3 - Make a recording

To corroborate your diary, also make a short video of the dog barking. This video must meet the following requirements:

  • File size must be below xx (Check with Paul Klingl on this), we recommend you use low video resolution settings.
  • Must be recorded from within your property boundary from a habitable area such as inside your house or your alfresco space. We recommend this is shown on the video.
  • Must be at least 2 minutes in length.
  • You should aim to capture a typical example of the duration and nature of the dog’s barking.
  • Make sure you indicate in your diary which entry is shown on your recording.

Step 4 - Submit your evidence to Council

Upload your digital diary and your video to the portal below and complete all the fields listed.

Barking dog diary online submission form

 

Important: Making a complaint about dog barking can result in formal enforcement action being taken by Council, including prosecution through the courts.

We will require your committal from the outset that you are willing to attend court to give evidence and understand that by providing a statement of evidence to Council, you may be summonsed to attend court to give evidence. Your evidence may be subject to cross-examination by the defence.

 

Important: Making a complaint about dog barking can result in formal enforcement action being taken by Council, including prosecution through the courts.

We will require your committal from the outset that you are willing to attend court to give evidence and understand that by providing a statement of evidence to Council, you may be summonsed to attend court to give evidence. Your evidence may be subject to cross-examination by the defence.

I agree

If you have completed a paper version of the diary, you can submit the diary using one of the following options:

  • by mail to Animal Management Officer, Merri-bek City Council, Locked Bag 10, Brunswick 3056
  • in person at a Council Customer Service Centre, the locations of which are on our Contact us page.

What happens next?

Step 1 - Officer assessment

One of our Animal Management Officers considers the evidence you have submitted against the relevant legislations and enforcement guidelines.

  • If the officer’s assessment finds that a nuisance has not been evidenced sufficiently, they will contact you to let you know. In this instance we recommend you seek to resolve your matter via the Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria. Council will take no further action.
    Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria
    Please contact them on 1300 372 888, or through their online form.
  • If the officer’s assessment finds that Council intervention may be required, we’ll seek to confirm your allegation through our own patrols.

Step 2 – Corroborative evidence

To prepare the strongest case possible we’ll seek to corroborate your account. If we can, officers will make several visits the area to independently hear the barking.

If we can’t corroborate your account ourselves (for example if the barking happens overnight), we may ask you to provide more recordings instead.

  • If we can’t corroborate your allegation of nuisance barking, we won’t be able to take further action. In this instance we recommend you seek to resolve your matter via the Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria. Council will take no further action.
  • If we’re able to corroborate your allegation, we’ll begin intervention actions.

Step 3 - Intervention

Depending on the circumstances Council may take several different steps to reduce the barking before we seek formal enforcement action. This often includes contacting the owner to provide education materials and tips on steps they can take to reduce the barking. We might also issue a Notice to Comply requiring certain actions within a set timeframe.

We usually give the owner a reasonable time to make necessary changes to reduce the barking, and after that we’ll often require you to make another dog barking diary and recording as evidence if the problem continues.

Step 4 - Resolution

Council may choose to resolve the allegation in several ways. We hope that education and engagement is enough to resolve the matter, but in some cases, we may choose to issue notices, or infringements, or to prosecute through the courts.

Council will only consider enforcement actions where there is a clear case to answer.

Due to privacy legislation, we can’t tell you specifics of any enforcement action we may take. We will let you know when we feel our investigation is concluded and if we’re prosecuting as you’ll be required to give evidence in court.

Once Council has completed its response, if you feel the problem remains, we recommend you seek to resolve your matter via the Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria.