Despite it being natural for a dog to bark  constant whining or barking can be disturbing or annoying to neighbours. Often owners are unaware of the potential problem as the barking may be within working hours or when the owner is away from the premises.

 

Reasons why a dog may bark:

 

 

To resolve such an issue it is recommended you train your dog from an early age get your dog used to being alone for different time periods and don't make a fuss of your dog when you leave. Try not to leave your dog for longer than you have to and if it is kept outside  make sure you think carefully where you locate the kennel to avoid temptations and distractions which might encourage it to bark.

 

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If you register a complaint, you will be asked to keep a log sheet, over a period of days or weeks, and provide a description of what you hear, for how long, at what time of day and how it affects you in your home. We will then use this information to determine if there is any pattern to the problem and then seek to find the cause and resolve the issue with the owner(s) of the dog(s). Investigating officers will in most cases want to witness the dog barking for themselves.

 

If the barking is found to be giving rise to a statutory nuisance then an Abatement Notice requiring the person responsible to take remedial action may be served. The Abatement Notice will allow time for remedial action to be taken, and in many cases will require the reduction of the dog barking and not complete cessation of all dog barking.

 

Further information on responsible dog ownership is available.

 

For more information contact the Pollution control team.