How to start a barking mad conversation

Thursday 9 September, 2021

Dogs that bark excessively are one of the most common complaints received by local governments, and to help educate the public, Tamworth Regional Pound will be launching an education and awareness campaign.

The ‘what is your dog doing now?’ campaign will run on social media over the next few weeks, with Rangers to be handing out an information pack to impacted residents. 

Tamworth Regional Council Manager Compliance Ross Briggs said that there are many reasons why a dog would be barking excessively.

“In the first instance, we recommend starting a conversation with your neighbours, and suggest ways to manage these habits. A courtesy letter can be found on Councils website for those wishing to have these conversations anonymously.

“The next step is to wait a few weeks to give the owner time to make some of these changes. The last step should be to lodge a complaint with Council,” said Mr Briggs.

According to the Companion Animals Act, excessive barking can be defined as “if the dog makes a noise, by barking or otherwise, that persistently occurs or continues to unreasonably interfere with the peace, comfort and convenience of any person in any other premises”.

“We want to give residents the tools to handle these situations before the Council rangers are involved, as this is a better outcome for all involved if these issues can be resolved before Rangers get involved or the matter goes to court.

“Most of the time dog owners would want to do the right thing and cooperate to fix the problem. When this happens, it is important to give the owners time to change these behaviours with training, toys or exercise,” said Mr Briggs.

Tips to reduce dog barking

• Take your dog for walks
• Make sure it has received veterinary attention
• Leave toys for your dog to play with
• Make sure your dog has plenty of food, water and shelter
• Dog training
• Confine your dog to the backyard
• Restrict your dog’s vision through the front fence