Under the Dog Control Act 2000 it is an offence for a dog owner or occupier of any premises to allow a dog to cause a nuisance on those premises or public place. A nuisance is defined as a dog:
behaving in a manner which is injurious or dangerous to the health of any person; or
creating a noise, by barking or otherwise, which persistently occurs or continues to such an extent that it unreasonably interferes with the peace, comfort or convenience of any person in any premises or public place
What is Excessive Barking?
Excessive barking is defined as fifteen minutes of barking within a one hour period.
Making a Complaint
Barking Dog Complaint Lodgement Fee
| Barking Complaint Lodgement (refunded if complaint confirmed) | $35.00 | GST Exempt |
Frequently Asked Questions
Exercise your dog regularly – if you exercise your dog daily at the same time, it is more likely to wait quietly for this time to arrive
Socialise your dog – this way it will be less likely to bark at neighbours, people or other dogs passing by your property
Give your dog a warm, comfortable kennel in winter and a cool shady place during summer
Ensure your dog always has fresh water available
Give your dog things to do in your absence – food reward toys are great for keeping dogs mentally stimulated and occupied
Feed your dog before you leave – a lot of dogs lie quietly while their meals digest
Never yell at or hit a dog when it barks
A formal complaint can be made to Council if a dog is creating a nuisance, this will be investigated by our Compliance Officer for a small lodgement fee.
If the Dog is found to be a nuisance the fee will be refunded in full to the complainee.
If the barking continues and Council is satisfied that the dog is causing a nuisance you may be issued with an infringement notice or an abatement notice requiring you to stop the nuisance within a specified time.
Owners can also:
discuss the use of anti-barking collars with the Compliance Officer
seek assistance from your vet who can give advice about specific treatments or refer you to people specialising in correcting behavioural problems
When investigating barking complaints, Council compiles a detailed list of dates, times and possible causes for the dog’s barking.
Excessive barking is defined as fifteen minutes of barking within a one hour period.
- lack of exercise
- loneliness or boredom
- lack of suitable sleeping area and shelter
- hunger or thirst
- flies, fleas, worms or other ailment
- attention-seeking
- protecting territory
- isolation
- chained or tied up for long periods of time
- continual barking or crying may be a cry for help
- It’s natural for dogs to bark a lot – dogs bark as a form of communication, excessive barking is not normal
- A dog that barks a lot is a good watchdog – in fact the opposite is true as people, especially neighbours, get to know which dogs are barking and won’t check up on it
- My dog never barks when I’m home so I don’t think it barks when I’m out – most complaints are associated with times when the owner if not at home. Dogs often become lonely, stressed or bored. Barking is their way of communicating that they’re not happy
- I’ll get another dog so they’ll keep each other company and stop barking – this doesn’t usually solve the problem. If one dog is unhappy because of the way an owner looks after it, the second dog probably will be too. Your problem might then be doubled with two dogs instead of one barking excessively