I recently moved into a new place and it turns out I have a neighbor with a dog that barks non-stop, day and night. The dog is let out right between our houses, only about 10 feet from where my kids sleep. It's particularly bad in the early hours, like 2 am and 4 am. When I talked to my neighbors, they said they're trying to manage the barking but didn't respond well to my suggestions to let the dog out in their backyard instead of right next to me. They seem overwhelmed and perhaps don't walk the dog enough. I've contacted the city, and while they issue fines, it only helps temporarily. I've tried using an ultrasonic bark deterrent, which sometimes works. I've also set up sound machines in my children's rooms, but I'm considering additional soundproofing measures. Should I take down the drywall on the outside walls to add insulation and heavy vinyl? Or is it better to just add soundproofing panels on top of the existing drywall? I'd appreciate any advice outside of moving! Thanks!
1 Answer
It sounds like you're dealing with a tough situation! From my experience, it's notoriously hard to get neighbors to control their barking dogs. Sounds like you are already on the right track with the ultrasonic deterrent and the sound machines. Covering your bedroom windows with drywall helped me when I had a similar issue—maybe you could look into that as an option. There are also window plugs you can either buy or DIY that might work better than just relying on the walls for soundproofing.
Right? It's super frustrating! Some people just don’t seem to get basic dog care. I ended up using screens on my windows to reduce noise and it surprisingly worked better than I thought. Good luck!