Do Ultrasonic Dog Silencers really work to deter dogs from barking?
Our neighbor’s dog barks constantly when put on their patio that shares a 7 foot solid wooden fence with our patio. The dog barks because it wants back inside where all the food and the air conditioning are located, and the barking occurs just 8 yards from our living space. But it does this for hours each day and the elderly neighbor has threatened to sue us for harrassment if we even so much speak or write to her about this or any neighbor issues. We’ve called the police once and they spoke to her about it. This did no good. We are now in the process of reporting her again and again until she gets the message because this level of disturbance is against city ordinances.
We are looking at other alternatives to try to address this issue since friendly communication is out of the question from her point of view. So in looking at ultrasonic dog silencers that one can place in proximity to the offending dog, my question is, "Do these devices really work to deter barking?"
By ;), May 27, 2010 @ 6:38 am
They do reduce the barking.
By sephie2000, May 27, 2010 @ 6:38 am
They don’t work on all dogs. My brother had a similar problem with the neighbors dogs and he used that type of device. He said they got worse for a little bit because it was something new to bark at, but eventually it did stop the behavior. Even after he stopped using it they still didn’t bark.
I don’t think your neighbor can sue you for harassment if you are trying to stop her barking dog. If she did, you could sue her for letting her dog bark all the time. You need to see if you have a noise ordinance in your city. If you do, animal control can come out and tell her to stop the dog. In my city it is listed with all the other ordinances about animals in the city code.
By tom l, May 27, 2010 @ 6:38 am
In reality they work on the same principle as you sticking your head out of the window and yelling "quiet". They just don’t upset quite as many neighbors as the screaming does.
The concept is simply to divert the dogs attention, and anything from a rattle can to a shotgun blast will accomplish the same thing.
I found that the sonic devices just made my Beagles start howling instead of barking.
By Time travler, May 27, 2010 @ 6:38 am
They do work on most dogs, but some dogs just learn how to make really annoying noises without setting it off. Besides that, it is highly unlikely she would ever put one of these on her dog unless she was forced to. I also do not believe she could sue the neighborhood for harassment since it is her dog that is causing the problem. I love dogs and have a very quiet Boston Terrier. I also can NOT stand a barking dog and have also had to deal with long term barking from a Schnauzer breeder. Keep doing what you are doing and get the whole neighborhood involved if you can. This is sooo annoying.