Policy on dog barking in apartment complex?

Unless your neighbor has proof that your dog is barking constantly all day long, she probably can’t do much about it.

Find something to complain about her.

if its that much of a concern, get a bark collar ( which is harmless) to put on your dog when you leave, this way theres no more complaints, and if there is- you have a bark collar as proof that your dog isnt barking.

Depends on if you are renting the place or not. If you are renting, your landlord may have some animal policy that you might have to look into. But even if there is a “no pets” rule, it’s not valid under the law unless your dog causes trouble for your neighbors. Then if they report it with proof, it may become a problem for you depending on how your landlord deals with it.

To get your neighbor to stop complaing, you may want to try giving your dog a treat or something to distract her just before you leave. This may help with the barking because my dog does the same thing. I usually try not to let him see me leave and he doesn’t usually bark. Well, not that I know of anyway!

Good luck!

You really don’t know how long she could be barking. For all you know, it could be for 5 minutes, or it could be for 3 hours straight until she passes out. You really can’t say since you leave the premises.

I don’t know about laws, but they might consider the barking some time of public nuisance, which can be an actual violation. In any case, you should be a respectful neighbor. I mean, you wouldn’t want somebody pounding on the walls for minutes, or hours while you’re home, which is essentially what the barking is like.

In order to be a respectful neighbor, and to avoid getting in trouble with your landlord, you have several options.

1. Buy a bark collar. This isn’t as cruel as some people make it out to be. On the lowest setting, it’s less painful than a static shock. The dog learns quickly, and settles down.
2. Do training for your dog’s seperation anxiety. You can do all sorts of drills to help the dog learn to be okay on its own. You can look those up on google.
3. Put the dog on anxiety medication.
4. Get the dog de-barked. This is the most severe and LAST option. This is only if your landlord is threatening to either throw you or the dog out.

Good luck!

i had like exactly the same situation as you!! my dog used to cry and howl when i left the house and there is one woman in my apartment building who complains about EVERYTHING! she left angry notes on my door and also called the real estate loads of times – even when i was at home and my dog wasnt barking!

ok, so the real answer is, yes and no. there are some policies and some laws regarding this. when one lives in an apartment block where dogs are allowed, it is expected that ur dog will stay quiet. if the landlord and/or real estate get enough calls complaining about ur dogs noise levels u may be asked to terminate ur lease and essentially be evicted.

a law regarding this is a ‘nusence law’. this is where people complain to the local council about ur dogs noise levels. a nesence count will be placed on ur dog (which will come up on her microchip etc) and u will also be issued with a fine of up to $500.

from personal experience, i would take it seriously. u dont want to be kicked out or have a hefty fine. just assume that ur neighbor is telling the truth and work on things u can do 2 get ur dog to stop barking. ur dog may have a little case of separation anxiety.

here are some websites for u to look at- trust me, i know this can be very stressful because u dont want 2 lose ur dog or ur apartment

good luck with everything!!

also, i want to recommend a book for u to read. its called Dog Problems: The Gentle Modern Cure by David & Ruth Weston.

This book is amazing, it just explains why dogs do what they do and how by domesticating them, many of these problems have arised. it helps working through so many problems such as barking, and will help u understand ur dog ad its behaviours much better.

i think the book is a godsend!!!!

good luck with everything. feel free to email me if u need some extra help! =)

EXTRA INFO: bark collars dont always work. dogs r smart and they quickly work out that if they bark for 10 minutes straight they can empty the collar and be free to bark all day. plus they cost around $200. when u leave ur house, DONT say goodbye 2 ur dog. she sees it as “why is she petting me and talking to me then leaving me?” and she will get distressed. make coming and going as little a deal as u possibly can.
maybe on ur day off from work, leave the house in exactly the same way as u normally would. let ur dog think u r going to work. sit in the hallway of ur apartment block and wait. u will hear her if she is barking. i really hope all this info helps!

just because you are a pet owner don’t think that other people don’t or shouldn’t get upset because they have to listen to some neighbors dog barking. it is extremely frustrating to listen to that!!!
just because you live in a pet friendly building doesn’t give your pet free reign to disturb the neighbors at any time.(regardless of the quiet time rule).
if i was your neighbor I’d be hounding the landlord every time it happened!!! your barking dog is a nuisance to your neighbors!!
train your dog and stop blaming your neighbors.
YOU ARE NOT THE ONE BEING DISTURBED!!! THEY ARE!!!
a word of caution, if your neighbor gets aggravated enough and decides to tape your dog barking she can sue you in court!!!
so, i repeat, train your dog!!!
it is because of dogs like yours and people like you that most apartments refuse to take in pets!!!
SHAME ON YOU!!!

We are currently going through this barking problem with our apartment neighbors. Let me say first that you have no idea what your dog is doing while you are gone. In our case, the people leave and the dog barks straight through without ever stopping. We are in the process of working with law enforcement now. We have no choice. We have a well mannered dog who we actually have taped while we are gone to make sure that she doesn’t do anything. Do you have a video recorder you can set up just so you can see yourself? As a previous poster said, and we have done, we have taped the dogs barking and handed it to the police who are now involved. You do not want it to get to that point. Don’t just assume that it is an overly sensitive old woman, assume that your dog is a problem and be responsible for that problem.