Should I say something about their gorgeous new puppy?

Our next door neighbour got a puppy a few years ago, and whenever he is alone anywhere it barks and barks until he isn't alone anymore. Sometimes this has been all day. I know why he barks; he's a nervous little boy and needs company. I didn't like to complain, but one day endeavoured to "accidentally" bump into the neighbour when she was with the dog, and I made a huge fuss of him, saying, "Well, I feel I know you so well already!" That started the conversation, and my neighbour felt awful that I was being irritated by the barking - which she had no idea about. Why would she? She was out.

Three years later and he still barks, but they have at least tried to stop him, and try to make sure he's not alone for too long. I guess he's never going to change.

phoenix.
The husband has no alternative at 5am other than to use a car for his business purposes.
This is not a reasonable excuse for another to leave a puppy outside at 5am because, as has been suggested, he was woken up by this car so he wants to play.
For pities sake this is a puppy.

merlotgran are your two JR's as well ?

I know how you feel Phoenix. I suffered the same sort of thing for about 18 months, always at midnight when I had been asleep for at least two hours. His owner worked in the local pub and would bark for about half an hour with excitement at the return of its master. The owner would leave for work at 08.30 everyday and the dog would howl for most of the time. Very disturbing. I telephoned the pub once to make the owner aware that her dog howled everyday....she took no notice of what I had said..I even contemplated selling up! It eventually stopped. The poor thing still makes a racket at midnight but I've got used to it! I'm not helping am I.

Good luck with sorting out the neighbours' dog! The English love their dogs more than anything else and will probably start world war three rather than stop a puppy waking the neighbourhood at five in the morning.

I walk round my village and an assortment of vicious hounds snarl and bark at me through hedges and I have no doubt would attack were the gate left open. Their owners think they are cute and 'harmless'.

why not drop into conversation in a jokey way "will be so glad when he grows up and stops waking me up at 5am on a morning " that way your not complaining but making them aware of the situation ..

They really should take him for a walk at 5 am and then bring him back into the house. Could you put a note through their door explaining how the barking is upsetting you?

I saw a tv programme recently on how to train puppies. It was really brilliant to see who takes the lead in training - the puppies or their owners. Guess what my view was when I saw these unruly puppies doing their own thing? And I just adore puppies especially when they are obedient in every way. It's just great to see an owner being responsible in their training of puppies and dogs.

You must say something.5am is in my opinion an ungodly hour to be woken unless it's for work purposes.
If the dog is not controlled at an early age then what is it to be like as it gets older.
I understand you have good neighbours so really it should not be difficult in their understanding of how you feel.

pheonix
As she is the GP receptionist why not ask her to make you an appointment.
Tell her you need to discuss with GP about problem of falling asleep at your desk every day.

If you mention re barking
She may say that a neighbours car wakes her little puppy up and then it wants to go outside to play

DD2 didn't realise their Jack Russell was barking in the garden while they were all out at work/school. He would nip out through the cat flap and drive the neighbours mad all day. When DD returned home he'd be innocently sprawled on his bed with his favourite toy!

The neighbours complained (nicely) and the problem was solved by fitting a child safety gate in the door recess allowing just enough room for the cats to jump over it to get to the flap.

I think the dog felt he had to go out and bark because he could. Once he was confined to barracks he stopped barking.

We had a dog living behind us that barked incessantly all day every day - they put it into the garden when they went to work and left it out. There was no help whatsoever when neighbours complained to the council. Then - thank goodness! - they moved - however, not that far away as we can still hear it from across the valley.

Our local dog warden solved our problem - he was great. I often wonder what he said to them but it stopped immediately after his visit

Our neighbour puts their dog into the garden whenever the DGC come (which is often as they do some child care now) and it barks incessantly.
She told another neighbour to f* off when he said something very mildly to her (he was extremely poorly at the time and died not long after).

It's not a quick bark to ask to come in that's the problem, but continuous barking at any time that annoys me, particularly at 5 in the morning!! Surely it must get on their nerves?!! We have a two year old working cocker(!!) We live in the country and she does work, but only in the winter! The rest of the time she keeps us on our toes and fit! BUT, when it comes to barking for no good reason she has been firmly told from day one as a nine week old puppy that it is totally unacceptable. She goes out about 7 each morning under supervision to make sure she 'goes', then both she and we go back to bed till we choose to get up! Night time the same. We've treated all our dogs of varying breeds in exactly the same way, and never had a barker. It is possible to train them not to, but it needs nipping in the bud from day one. Dogs don't grow out of barking, if anything, they grow into it and other bad habits too unless addressed at a very early age.

If you can tell the neighbours I would. We had a dog living next door (semi) and it howled every time they left the house, 17 long years day in day out. I told them when it was a young puppy that it seemed distressed but clearly the issue was not addressed and so it went on. DH told me not to make waves but he was living and working elsewhere in the country. To date the neighbours have not replaced the deceased dog and I am so relieved.

Remember these are not neighbours as in next door neighbours so less everyday interaction if it turns 'tricky'.

As cowardly as I am, I think I would have to mention it. Probably in a 'casual' way.

The fact that this puppy likes to leap out into the garden early and loudly express his delight at the new day is fine for a puppy. It is not fine for the neighbours who are human beings and need their sleep. It is impossible to believe that the owners have not clocked the fact that he is noisy and worked out that it might wake someone.

Getting into dispute with neighbours is a disaster - but, I am sure it can be broached politely and tactfully; although I have to say, you should not be put in a position where you have to do this. The owners should have the brain to work out that it is a disturbance to others.

The other day somebody asked me how long it would be before we finally relocated to civilization instead of living in the middle of nowhere.

Well.....Millie is nine and Peggy six, so given that our last Jack Russell lived to the ripe old age of seventeen, it won't be yet awhile.

Yes they are so happy to be outside and with all the lovely smells they are exuberant and excited. My older dogs still do this but only a short burst. The puppy can be trained to stop barking on command but this takes time and patience. If it continues have a friendly word with the owners, maybe the puppy will be less excitable as he gets older. Must let my 12 year old JR read this

If anyone knows how to stop a puppy barking when it wants to go out for a wee first thing in the morning please let me know - my daughters puppy whom she adores has this problem and she is probably annoying her neighbours.

How could they fail to realise that the dog is barking and annoying the neighbours? They should be in the garden with him and take him straight back indoors when he has performed, or take him for a walk. If approached in a friendly manner they will surely try to find a solution. I would be mortified if I thought I was upsetting anyone.
I get up at 5am too, but am very careful to avoid waking the adjoining neighbours. My bedroom floor creaks, as does theirs, so I walk in slow motion near the walls. I then have a long bath, hoping they can't hear the water running.
Hope you find a peaceful solution!

Puppies must be told that barking continuously is entirely unacceptable.

We have a terrier who left to his own devices would spend a lot of very enjoyable time barking at passers by, birds, cats, paper boy, milkman etc. So we spend a lot of our time telling him to stop.
He is 8 years old - it's an on going project

Best of luck.

I'm sure they are aware that the puppy dashes out every morning to verbally greet his garden and the new day. If you must say something try to sound sympathetic and acknowledge the fact it's a young dog and will have lessons to learn.

My old dog only has one eye and the other is getting weaker every day. When I met him out at night he sometimes gets disoriented and can't find his way back in the dark. So he lets out his 'help me!' howl. Of course I can hear him and I go to rescue him. Luckily my neighbours are aware of his age and problems and cut us some slack.