My neighbours hate my dog, help?

[pteriax]

Hey this is my first post here, it’s kinda long but I’m genuinely at a loss so-

I got my boy bluey (standard blue-tan dachshund), who was 4 months at the time back in February of this year, 8 months at the time of writing this, there’s been a lot of struggle, the big one’s being he’s very energetic, a little nippy and quite reactive, not that that energetic is a bad thing ofc, but I don’t feel I can walk him as often as I should because I am terrified of my neighbours, I feel it’s probably important to note I have borderline personality disorder so my heads not great, the neighbours bad mouth bluey alot, no matter how long he’s been outside for, I have a pretty big garden but the fence is broken so bluey could get out if I just let him out, so I have to take him in the garden on a lead, so I can’t really avoid hearing the constant “haven’t we heard enough?” Or “I’m not being funny but if you can’t make it shut up you shouldn’t have one” or on occasion just a “shut the f**k up” in the distance, which keeps sending me into panic attacks, I’d understand if he was barking at unsocial hours but it’s just a few 10 minute intervals while he does his business throughout the day

It got so bad the other week that I called my mum crying while having a panic attack begging her to come take bluey, in exchange I offered to take care of my parents dog snoopy, (as he hates bluey and they can’t really be housed together). Snoopy is pretty much the polar opposite of Bluey, doesn’t bark, quiet, chill, doesn’t really do anything, my housemate has compared him to a cat in a tiny dogs body, so I don’t have that same anxiety I have with Bluey taking him out, though I don’t have the fun of playing with him either as he doesn’t do anything.

I feel like a terrible dog owner because the thought has definitely crossed my mind that what if I got the wrong dog for me? I originally wanted a dog to help with my mental health but it the whole situation just makes me feel like I’m going to break, In hindsight I probably should’ve gotten an older dog or a less active breed, but since I’m already here I’d feel horrible changing my mind now.

My parents texted me last night asking me to take bluey back as “they’ve had enough of him” which I understand, he’s quite a handful, so I decided to post here, any advice? Will he calm down with age? Is it because he’s not getting enough exercise? And if so any advice on ways I could maybe tire him out before going out so I’m less likely to breakdown? Sorry this has been so lengthy, any help is greatly appreciated x [sup]w^[/sup]

 

[onceawaretwiceempowered]

@pteriax Wouldn't walking him get him away from the neighbours for a time? And thus be a plus for them?

Our dog barks a bit, but no more than all the other dogs around here. Our neighbour dog is worse (bad influence!). But as long as it's not ongoing for an unreasonable amount of time, it's ok. And we ofc try train ours to not bark, usually I try call him in, and he mostly listens. I apologized to our neighbour the other day when he ran to the fence to bark at him when hanging up some laundry next to our fence. He jsut called our annoying little dog precious, bless him. The value of an understanding neighbour is high. (I think they appreciate we are at least trying to stop him from doing it.)

What would probably fix the barking, would be if he got introduced to my neighbours. They'd be friends then, not intruders. But that's my dog. And your neighbours don't sound open to helping out.

What do you do when he barks? What's your method to stop the barking? And why is the dog barking in the first place? Ours is letting us know someone's near our garden. Alert barking. It's what they were bred to do, I believe, so comes with the territory, no pun intended. I don't think we'll ever make this a 0 time occurance. But we try to make it short. If he is out of control, we just resort to taking him inside and closing the door, and that's that for outside time for a few hours. (Usually worst at dusk/night.)

Exercise, sniffy walks, mental stimulation, regular training could all help calm him down, but ye. why does he bark? I've sometimes wondered about teaching bark command, and then teaching a quiet command, but I'm afraid to make him bark indoors, which he doesn't really do. (He usually takes his last learned trick and tries that for rewards outside training.)

 

[pteriax]

@onceawaretwiceempowered You’d think so! But no, they start complaining pretty much as soon as he gets out the door, which just sets off my anxiety and I get scared and back out, but obviously that’s on my own poor mental health rather than his issue lol

I have a similar thing to you with the bad influence dogs lol, but they only have a go at Bluey, I’ve never once heard them give any of the other neighbourhood dogs a hard time :c
My mum reckons it’s because I’m young so I’ll take it when they have a go at me whereas the other neighbours are either elderly or in their 30s or 40s

In regards to barking he’s definitely alert barking, I wouldn’t say he barks more than any other dog either, he’s fine if nobody’s out but I live in a pretty active neighbourhood I guess so that isn’t often, I don’t think the neighbours would be interested in him getting know them, from the few interactions I’ve had with them where I’ve explained “he’s a puppy I’m still working on training him” they’ve kinda just given judgement or like I said I my post just outright say I shouldn’t have a dog if I can’t stop him barking

In regards to training I’m mostly focusing on getting his attention back to me when his names called, which was slowly improving and he does respond but I know it is definitely a timely thing and not an overnight fix

 

[onceawaretwiceempowered]

@pteriax I think barking is a problem that anyone has problem stopping well. So you're not alone, and your neighbours sound like assholes. I'm guessing you'd not be comfortable with clapping back "I have to walk him if you want him to be quieter you know".

I've been the (silently though) judging neighbour about dogs before getting one. After I got one, I get it. It takes time.

Perhaps you'll just have to try ignoring your neighbour and writing them down as ignorant assholes that isn't worth your mental energy to worry about anymore. Keeping your dog cooped up certainly doesn't make things better. You can't fix the neighbours, I might just put in some earbuds so I can't hear them until out of earshot for every walk to begin with. What I can't hear, I can't react to.