Nuisance Barking Dogs

Barking is a natural way for dogs to vocalise and communicate their feelings. Barking can signal warning, danger, play, panic, fear etc. It is normal for all dogs to bark but it is the owners responsibility to ensure that the baking does not come to the point of being a nuisance.

You can avoid having a barking dog by making sure you provide the correct care for your pets and satisfy their needs. Nuisance barking is common when families are away from home. Your dog doesn't want to stay behind and if it has no entertainment it may easily become bored, lonely or frustrated often leading to nuisance barking. To prevent your dog from becoming a nuisance you can try the following options.

Some of these toys dispense treats. Your dog will need to work to get the food rewards providing your dog with mental stimulation.

Exercise your dog

Take your dog for a walk before you go to work or before the dog goes to bed depending on when the barking is an issue. A tired dog is a happy dog.

Remove direct line of sight

If you have discovered that your dog is barking at people, other dogs or other things in the neighbourhood try and cover any open fencing or gaps in the fence.

Citronella collars

These collars release citronella into the air every time the dog barks which the dog finds unpleasant. The dog then learns not to bark whilst the collar is on. These collars cause no harm to the dogs and are endorsed by the RSPCA.

Company

Some dogs don't like to be alone and feel the need for company. Another dog or pet may help or even just leave a radio on whilst you're not home. You do need to ensure that loneliness is the issue as dogs mimic each other's behaviours and you don't want two nuisance dogs.

Under section 21 of the Companion Animals Act 1998 it states a dog may be declared a nuisance if the dog makes such a noise, by barking or otherwise, that persistently occurs or continues to such a degree or extent that it unreasonably interferes with the peace, comfort or convenience of any person in any other premises.

 

If someone contacts Council and lodges a complaint about a nuisance barking dog in the first instance Council will send the dog owner an information brochure outlining that Council has received a complaint and what methods can be used to prevent the dog from barking. The idea behind this method is to give the owner a fair opportunity to amend any issue with their dog barking before Council takes any action.

If you choose not to do anything to prevent the dog from barking and Council receives another complaint, the Council Ranger will conduct an investigation to determine if your dog is or is not a nuisance. If the Ranger's investigation determines that your dog is being a nuisance it is most likely that a Nuisance Order will be placed on the dog. A Nuisance Order stays in place for 6 months and it is in this time that you must prevent the dog from creating a nuisance. If the behaviour of the dog does not change in this period Council's Ranger may issue a fine for $275.00 for failing to comply with a Nuisance Order. As part of the investigation the Ranger will check the identification (microchip) and registration of any animal that comes to their attention. If your dog is not identified and registered a notice will be issued asking you to do so. Failure to comply may result in a $275.00 fine.

Thank you for taking the time to read this information. If you have any further enquiries please call the Temora Shire Council Ranger on (02) 6980 1100 or 0429 982 347