How Long Can a Dog Bark For Before You Get in Trouble?

Everyone accepts a dog will bark occasionally, perhaps yours gets vocal when the doorbell rings or when chasing a pigeon from the lawn. If your dog barks when strangers approach the house or at unexpected night-time noises, their bark may even be welcome. But what happens if barking happens more often, for longer, and it upsets the neighbours?

Most of us live close enough to others that any loud noises can be heard in nearby homes; you might be able to hear your neighbours’ music, their DIY, or, in the case of some paper-thin flat walls, even their more private activities (looking at you, flat 2B). Because of this, most people will accept a certain level of noise from others in their vicinity. But if your dog’s barking is very frequent, sustained or happens when neighbours can reasonably expect to be working or sleeping, you may have a problem.

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Main Takeaways

• It’s reasonable to expect neighbourhood dogs to bark occasionally.

• Noise complaints to the local council may result in an investigation and action.

• Excessive barking can be caused by your dog’s loneliness, boredom or frustration – and your pet may be suffering along with your neighbours.

• Use trusted advice from qualified professionals to help you get to the root of the problem.

• Let your neighbours know you are working on the issue.

If your neighbour has approached you about your dog’s barking, you need to take their concern seriously. Try to be grateful that they’ve approached you first, giving you time to find a fix that will keep everyone happy. You may accept that your dog barks a lot and you may have learnt to live with it, but it’s unreasonable to expect your neighbours to do the same, no matter how adorable your little noise machine may be. Perhaps your dog is barking when you’re not there, when you’re out at work – you might even be unaware there’s a problem until your neighbour gives you a heads up.

To ensure the issue doesn’t get out of hand, we‘ve pulled together all you need to know about the rules around dogs barking in the UK and what you can do about it. When you do put in place a plan to stop your dog barking, make sure the neighbour knows you are trying to solve the problem – a little effort on your side will go a long way on theirs.

Are there laws against dogs barking in the UK?

If you have a less-friendly neighbour (or neighbours), they may have skipped coming to talk to you and gone straight to your local council to complain about your pet’s barking. Or if you’ve failed to respond to an initial informal complaint by a neighbour, they may have gone on to report you to the council too. In such cases, a council officer may investigate and use their own judgement as to whether action should be taken.

Typically, an officer would act on barking that lasts for over half on hour on five days out of seven; incidents of barking that total one hour out of 24; and barking that happens between 11pm and 7am because this is seen as a nuisance.  

Noise laws in the UK

There is no legal definition of what qualifies as nuisance dog barking, but the volume, the time the barking typically happens and how long the barking carries on for will be taken into consideration. And once reported, a local council must investigate a dog noise nuisance complaint.

If the council do find the barking is a ‘nuisance’, they can send a warning letter and if the noise continues, serve the dog parent with a Noise Abatement Notice (or a Community Protection Notice). You then have 21 days to appeal the notice. But if the appeal is dismissed and the barking doesn’t stop, you can be prosecuted under the 1990 Environmental Protection Act because the noise interferes with the use or enjoyment of a home.

A noise abatement notice conviction can mean a hefty fine (plus legal costs and ongoing fines if your dog continues to be a problem) plus a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) that might control (among other things) how many dogs you can have.

The Council can also use the Anti-social Behaviour Crime & Policing Act 2014 to obtain a community protection notice against the dog parent.

Basically, it can all get very serious indeed. So figuring out why your dog is barking and working with them to calm the problem is very important.

Preventing excessive dog barking

While it’s normal for a dog to bark to communicate, it may also be a sign of an underlying behaviour or training problem. Stopping the excessive barking will mean you’ll need to identify the cause of the barking first. 

Dogs are pack animals and many struggle to be alone becoming stressed, bored or frustrated. Continual barking can be a sign of distress and is a problem for the dog as well as the neighbours. If you’re going to be out of the house for a long time, and especially if you do that regularly (for example if you work long hours outside the home or have a hobby that means you will be out all day) you’ll need to think about how it will affect your pet – and teach your dog how to settle and cope. Or find alternative arrangements, such as doggy daycare that means your dog won’t be left alone so long that it becomes unhappy and a neighbourhood nuisance.

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Other causes of barking may be a guarding instinct, over excitement, or a learnt way of getting attention. There may even be an underlying medical problem, such as hearing loss, that requires a vet visit. 

If your dog’s barking is triggered by passers-by, or by animals it can see from a window, try covering that window with a curtain or blind. Or, if the barking starts when people are coming or going, try to distract your dog while this happens by focusing attention on a simple task and reward, or with a treat that will take time to finish (try a puzzle toy or a stuffed Kong). 

If you are about to go out, time your walks so your dog is tired when you first leave them, so they naturally want a rest. You can leave a radio on a low volume while you’re gone, too, so the house has some background noise – it can also mask any noise that might unsettle your pup. Other dogs may like a safe space to huddle in when you’re not there, such as a den or a covered area. You might also want to ensure that your dog is not getting too cold or hot, that there is adequate water and even consider keeping the light on if your dog barks in the dark.

If your dog barks when they’re playing, don’t excite your dog with a game and then expect them to calm down by themselves – and don’t leave them in the garden until they bark to be let back in.

If you’re having more serious problems with behaviour and think your dog is suffering from separation anxiety when you leave, then a qualified dog trainer should be your first port of call. Find one through professional organisations such as The Association of Pet Dog Trainers or The Institute of Modern Dog Trainers.

It’s a bad idea all round to punish your dog for barking or to use an anti-bark collar. Both approaches will likely increase your pet’s anxiety. Be mindful that getting a second dog to keep the first company may just result in two barking dogs – doubling your problem! 

What to do if you hear excessive dog barking

If you’re concerned about a local dog that you hear barking, particularly if you think the owner is unaware of the problem, the best thing to do is let them know. Knock on their door to speak politely to them or, if confrontation isn’t your thing, consider sending a note. Try not to make the situation worse by retaliating with your own noise or shouting at the barking dog.

Be prepared that if you contact the council, before or after speaking to the owner, while the officer may not directly inform them who made the complaint, it might be obvious. 

If you do go to the council, it is worth having a record of when and how long a dog barks for and asking other neighbours if they are disturbed by the noise, too. 

Dog barking: frequently asked questions

How long can a dog bark before it is considered a nuisance?

While there’s no hard and fast rule, a council officer will take into consideration how often the barking happens, how long barking lasts for and at what time the barking occurs before deciding if there’s a problem.

Can a dog be removed for barking?

Removing a dog from a home would be a last resort for an ongoing problem where the owner has failed to attempt to stop a dog’s barking from becoming a nuisance. It’s far more likely that an owner would be charged under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and fined.

What is considered as excessive barking for a dog?

Excessive barking is hard to define, but to be considered a noise nuisance in law, a dog’s barking would have to interfere with a neighbour’s use or enjoyment of their home. A council investigation would look at the timing, duration and length of barking to decide what was unacceptable.

References

“ Noise Nuisances: How Councils Deal with Complaints.” GOV.UK, Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.