|What To Do About Barking Dogs|
|Excessive barking from dogs in your neighbourhood can be frustrating. Quite often the dog's owner will be unaware that there is a problem. Communicating your concerns to your neighbour can help to avoid conflict and dis-harmony. However, Council does have a complaints procedure which residents can follow if communication fails to solve the problem.|
| Reasons Why Dogs Bark|
Dogs bark for many reasons, and even though they "appear to be barking for no reason" they are in fact trying to communicate something to their owner or anyone who is willing to pay attention.
The following list provides some of the main reasons why dogs bark:
- Lack of exercise
- Inadequate yard space
- Not enough human companionship
- Inadequate shelter from weather conditions
- Hungry or thirsty
- Medical condition
Of course dogs also bark to alert their owners of trouble such as an intruder entering the property or perhaps fire. Remember, a "dogs idea of an intruder" may differ to that of the owner, it could include cats, possums, other dogs, or even birds flying across the property as "intruders".
Whilst it is acceptable for a dog to bark to warn its owner of an intruder, it is the owner's responsibility to train the dog not to bark at "normal occurrences" such as the possums, cats, birds etc. Barking at "normal movement/noises" from adjoining properties should be considered to be unacceptable behaviour.