Barking Dogs
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Tolerance is required where occasional barking occurs. Dogs are permitted to bark and at times are required to do so.
However:
- Continuous barking can become annoying and distressing to neighbours and surrounding properties. It is the dog owner's responsibility to ensure that their dog is not causing a nuisance.
- Council prefers that you visit the dog owner first to discuss the matter before involving an Animal Control Officer.
- If neighbours complain, please don't ignore a justified complaint. If Council needs to follow up on any complaints this could lead to heavy fines and in the worst case, the removal of the dog.
Causes of barking
If your dog is unhappy about its current situation, it may bark. It could be unhappy due to:
- boredom or anxiety
- changes in family, environment or lifestyle of owners
- fleas or troublesome flies
- hunger or discomfort
- kennel position, size and condition
- lack of exercise
- loneliness
- teasing of the dog through the fence
Preventing your dog from barking
- See if you can work out why your dog is barking in the first place.
- Check the list above and if nothing you try seems to work, you may have to start some training.
- Speak at a normal volume. Dogs learn their behaviour by copying you. If you raise your voice, you are telling your dog "loud is OK".
- Praise your dog for being quiet.
- Try plenty of exercise to release the dog's energy prior to it being tied up or left alone.
If your dog continues to bark and you are stuck, contact us for advice. We have the knowledge and experience in dealing with barking behaviour and are very pleased to help you.
If the barking continues
If the barking problem continues, please contact Animal Control and we will organise a visit to the dog owner. It can be helpful to keep a barking record which notes the times and duration of the barking. This allows us to see if there is a pattern or trigger with the barking.
Confidentiality
When making a complaint to Animal Control we require your details so that we can verify the problem and to enable us to keep in touch with you during the investigation. Your details are confidential and are not given to the dog owner.
In the first instance please phone our 24 hour line
E-mail animalcontrol@selwyn.govt.nz