Be considerate
If you are a dog owner, you are responsible for controlling the dog's behaviour so that it doesn't bother others. If you fail to do so, you can be taken to court.
Show your pet who's in charge. Your neighbours will appreciate it.
Train your dog
Old dogs can be taught new tricks! The leaflet Constant barking can be avoided (pdf 17Kb) gives lots of advice about training.
(To view this document, you will require Adobe Acrobat, this can be downloaded via the link on the right.)
You can get more advice from your vet or from local training groups. A list of local vets and useful contacts, such as the Council’s Animal Warden, the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors and the National Canine Defence League, can be found under the More section on the right.
Why is the dog barking?
Try to work out why your dog is barking – is it upset, lonely, angry, defending its territory or just bored? Try following simple steps to stop the cause:
- if it barks when it can see people in the street, move the dog to the back of the house or close the curtains
- if the sound of people outside gets your dog howling, put it in a room away from the noise. Put a radio on to drown out any external noise
- if it barks because it is bored, give your dog toys or arrange for it to be visited or walked during the day.
Animal behaviourists
Experts on animal training and behaviour can help to find out why your dog keeps barking or behaving badly. They can then help with the solution, including training for you and your dog and changes to the dog’s (or your) routines. They can also advise about training aids such as the Citronella Collar or Super Barker Breaker.
Further information
For general enquiries, contact us on 020 8921 8921 or email noise.team@greenwich.gov.uk.
Related link
How to complain