Will dog whistles hurt rabbits?

[TH004]

So, my neighbor’s very large dog barks all night long. My eyes are all red and bloodshot from losing so much sleep. Could I get one of those dog whistles, the ones that hurt their ears, and do that outside, while my rabbit is inside? What’s your thoughts? The dog had a doggy door and he chooses to be out and loud all night long. We’ve tried talking to him nicely and not so nicely– both are very temporary solutions.

Our rabbit has a bedroom in the front of our house and I want to do this in the backyard, if that makes any difference. Also… if it is OK… where do you get those?

[LizzieKnittyBun]

Well, I don’t think they actually hurt the dog’s ears… I think they’re simply designed to be heard by dogs but not people, since they’re too high for our ears to register.

Have you talked to the dog’s owner? Obviously he’s not getting enough stimulation and attention.

[Monkeybun]

If your area has a noise bylaw, you could always call it in, maybe they would listen to the cops that show up lol

[KatnipCrzy]

A dog whistle will unlikely make a dog STOP barking- if anything they will bark because of the noise.  I agree- find out about noise ordinances in your area.

[Dee]

Wow, that makes me mad just reading about it. Listening to that dog must be stressful for both you and our bunny. I’m assuming that you meant you have tried talking to the neighbor about this problem, not the dog- lol. Therefore, I agree with getting the law involved- educate yourself on the bylaws and call the cops. Apparently the owner isn’t listening to friendly suggestions, so he’s leaving you no choice. Do you have other neighbors? If you do, I’m sure they’re getting pretty annoyed too. I would try to get them involved- there’s power in numbers. Good luck with this- please keep us posted!

[Beka27]

How frustrating!!! I agree about keeping track of when the dog is barking and contacting the police to see if there are any laws regarding this.

[TH004]

I think there are local laws… but the thing is, we moved into our home in November. So, we’re very new here and those neighbors never even introduced themselves to us. Everyone keeps to themselves. I’ve honestly debated calling the cops, but my husband doesn’t want to get our neighbors mad at us (we bought the house, so we’re here for good!). I don’t want to start a war between us… but man, we need sleep. I got a CD of storm sounds that I have played for the past few days that is helping, but it is still annoying to hear that dog all day while I’m up and about in my house. So… too mean to call the cops? Get some guts and knock on the door, meet them and tell them they are bad dog parents? Maybe it is sleep deprivation, but I’ve even thought about going over there and offering them a gift– my mom uses a bark collar on her dog. It allows one free bark. After that, it’s a little pulse (like how the invisible dog fence works). Too much?? 😛

[LizzieKnittyBun]

Well… I think the best way to do this is to find out options that won’t hurt the dog. It’s really not his fault that’s he’s barking… his owners are neglecting him. That’s why dogs bark; they don’t have enough stimulation and attention. I think you should take this directly to the neighbors. Tell them as politely as possible that their dog is keeping you up all night, and then maybe you could discuss solutions to help the dog get more attention. Perhaps they could hire a dog walker. I bet there are some children in the neighborhood who would love to make a few extra bucks walking the dog every day. Or, maybe they could bring the dog in the house at night.

I think it’s best to find out first if the neighbors are open to solutions before calling the authorities. It’s probable they already know how annoying it is, but they just need the motivation to do something about it. That motivation could come from the knowledge that they’re driving their neighbors to insanity.

If they end up being irresponsible and jerky, then by all means call the fuzz!

[Deleted User]

I would think twice before calling the authorities. In theory it’s a great fix-it, but in reality… it can set you up for much trouble. Many times people who allow their dog to bark ad lib are the sort of people who do not react well to being called on it. I understand it needs to stop, but if there were more people in your neighborhood maybe you can find other people who agree with this being a problem so you are not the only one. I would try befriending another neighbor within earshot and see what the feelings are.

[Dee]

I agree that calling the cops could start a lot of trouble, if the police identify you as the caller to the neighbors. Petzy is right, people who are irresponsible in an area such as this are likely to be unresponsive at best- extremely angry and spiteful at worst. I believe in always trying to deal with things in a friendly manner first, but it sounds like you already tried that without any success. It’s too bad that you guys are the “new kids” on the block- that probably makes you even more cautious about this since you don’t have anyone to back you up. I know that in many neighborhoods, going around introducing yourself has kind of gotten outdated, but it’s worth a try. Maybe just try one neighbor that perhaps has seemed freindliest, make an excuse to go talk to them (any question will do about town policies, such as getting rid of a couch or something since some places have pickup and others have dropoff sites). Then if they seem nice, get into a conversation about noise level and move on to the loud dog. There’s gotta be other people that are sick of this noise too- maybe everyone is thinking that they don’t want to be the ones to complain!
Another idea is an anonymous call to the police. If there are other people living nearby, the obnoxious dog owners will probably not know it’s you. But a knock on the door from a couple officers might make them more considerate. And if the dog is being neglected more than socially, you will be doing the animal a favor by getting the authorities involved. But I understand that above all, you don’t want to feel as if you’ve made enemies in your new neighborhood.

[iluffsbunnies]

I actually have experience with a dog whistle. The point of the whistle is not to stop the behavior of the dog but instead to distract the dog. Nothing, technically, will outright stop a dog from barking. Distraction can help, though. In your case, it probably won’t because it seems that dog is intent on barking consistently. I use a dog whistle when my dogs bark at the door when someone comes over and it -does- work instantly. But that is because the barking is coming from an alert, not from boredom.

I have watched my rabbit when my mom blows the whistle on the dogs in the living room (Sheldon is kept in my bedroom) and he doesn’t seem to react. I have tried using it to distract Sheldon when he’s being naughty, and THAT he seems to hear. Of course, he could care less about the noise now that he knows it’s not actually signaling danger, only Mommy’s annoyance.

I know exactly what you mean about dog owners of obnoxious dogs who could care less about what other people think of their loud dogs. They deny how obnoxious the dog is and refuse to correct the problem. It’s completely maddening. What’s worse is the owners are my boyfriend’s parents so I can’t say anything. BF has and he just gets treated with disrespect. For you, these are strangers who you -don’t- owe respect if you aren’t receiving any and I would say put in that annonymous call to the cops. For some people, the only way to reach them is by getting higher powers involved.

I REALLY hope you get it resolved! Good luck

[LBJ10]

If it were me, I would just call the police and ask to remain anonymous. They don’t usually disclose who the caller was to the person being complained about. It would be better than confronting them, pissing them off, and then calling the police on them. They would know for sure then it was you that called! We put in an anonymous call to the police one time to complain about our neighbors. First they were shooting rabbits in their garden. Then, a couple weeks later, the man that lived there shot a squirrel in their little walnut tree! We live inside the city limits and he had no business shooting defenseless animals anyway. There was no way I was going to confront him about it though!

[Beka27]

I agree to NOT talk to the neighbors, but rather call the police ANONYMOUSLY. If you talk to the neighbors first, then a week later nothing changes, and so THEN call the police, they will assume it was you who called. That could cause a problem. If the police approach them first and give them a warning or whatever, they may take the hint and will never know who had called.

In a perfect world, you could talk to the neighbors face to face and resolve any issues. But the truth is, not everyone cares about their pets and if they are a nuisance to the neighborhood. If you are hearing the dog barking, they must also hear the dog barking, but for whatever reason, they don’t care enough to remedy the situation. That is your first clue that speaking with them will not solve the problem and may only escalate the problem.

[TH004]

I’m so glad I came on here for this! I didn’t even think ahead that if I said something and it didn’t work, when I later called police it’d be obvious. I think I’ll go the police route first. I hate to… but man, it’s bad. I’ve noticed other neighbors outside, yelling at the dog to stop it (which works, for a few minutes). I can tell he’s barking at a very far away dog (you can hear the other talking in the very far distance), so he is barking at something. The neighbors have two other dogs too, but they stay inside all the time. It’s just the one that acts up. Ugh… Time to get some guts to call the police!!

Too bad there isn’t a law that says bunnies only as pets 😛

[Beka27]

And if other neighbors are having issues too, it’s possible they might call as well. I know it’s not “nice” necessarily… but you’re spending a pretty penny on your new home, this is very important.

[LoveChaCha]

TH004, if the other neighbors are angry as well, join in!

I have lived in an apartment complex before and the people downstairs of where I lived would yell and scream at 3 in the morning! So i called the cops. You have the option of remaining anonymous. The authorities are quite fine with that.

Beka has a great point. You have spent your hard earned money on your house and if you need peace and quiet, something needs to be done.

I hope it all works out

[Deleted User]

In the meantime, I would make a recording of the dog’s bark for a few nights just to have on hand.

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