Living in close-knit neighborhoods or apartment communities often means sharing spaces with others who have varying tolerances for pets. While most people appreciate the companionship dogs bring, occasional tensions can arise from everyday canine behaviors. From an ethological viewpoint, dogs exhibit natural vocalizations, elimination patterns, and social displays shaped by evolutionary adaptations, as explored in frameworks like Niko Tinbergen's analysis of behavioral functions. Understanding these innate tendencies—while respecting community norms—helps foster positive coexistence. This article explores common points of friction, practical considerations for owners, and strategies for maintaining peaceful relationships, based on real-world observations in companion dog settings.
Common areas of neighbor feedback often include:
Common areas of neighbor feedback often include:
- Vocalizations: Dogs may bark in response to environmental stimuli, a natural alerting or expressive behavior. Excessive or prolonged barking can understandably disturb others, and owners are encouraged to address it through training and enrichment to promote calm responses.
- Elimination Habits: Responsible waste management in public areas supports community cleanliness. On private property, reasonable upkeep aligns with considerate ownership, recognizing that occasional incidents (e.g., due to health or unforeseen circumstances) may occur.
- Breed Perceptions: Preferences vary widely; some individuals may express discomfort with specific breeds due to past experiences or misconceptions. Focusing on individual temperament and reliable behavior helps build broader acceptance.
- Indirect Conflicts: Occasionally, concerns about pets may stem from unrelated neighborhood dynamics. Clear communication and mutual respect can often clarify intentions.
- Maintain polite, open dialogue when appropriate, while respecting boundaries.
- Focus on proactive training to enhance reliability in shared spaces.
- Ensure secure property measures (e.g., fencing) and supervision to minimize unintended interactions.
- Document interactions calmly if needed for clarity in ongoing discussions.
- Consult local resources or professionals for guidance on community guidelines.
- Tinbergen, N. (1963). On aims and methods of ethology. Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie, 20(4), 410–433. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0310.1963.tb01161.x (Foundational analysis of behavioral functions).
- Lorenz, K. (1981). The foundations of ethology. Springer-Verlag. (Classic insights on innate mechanisms in social behaviors).
- SamTheDogTrainer.com. (n.d.). BASSO METHOD core documents (e.g., sensory optimization and community coexistence). Retrieved from https://samthedogtrainer.com [Internal reference for practical applications].
It's people like the two commenters before me who are extremely troubled. You need to lighten up and not be so self centered. I was never a "dog person" until I recently got my first puppy. I live in a dog-friendly community where ALMOST everyone is friendly and animal loving. Dogs aren't perfect, that is true, but the ARE aware and intelligent and capable of learning and unconditional love.
ReplyDeleteI ALWAYS pick up after my puppy and she is in obedience training with me now. I am always cautious not to allow her free roam of the neighborhood and always keep her on a leash. She does bark when I first leave for work because she is so young and misses me, but this soon subsides and she is tranquil for the remainder of the day.
Our places are poured concrete and hardly any sound ever passes between our townhome walls. I have a psychotic neighbor who claims to hear my puppy barking and that it disturbs him. He is the neighbor furthest from my unit and those directly adjecent to me have both told me they hear nothing.
Anyone who could hate a loving, harmless little creature, or worse, injure one, doesn't deserve to roam this earth with them. I understand people who may be allergic to dogs and therefore keep away from them, but people who just hate dogs have dubious characters at best.
I don't trust anyone who simply hates dogs.
Having a dog IS a huge responsibility but so is being a human being on this earth. You have the responsibility of being HUMANE as well as allowing your fellow neighbors to live in peace.
Thank goodness there are communities where dogs are prohibido...It wouldn't bother me If I never saw a dog again..I don't hate them, but I definitly don't want to be around any dogs...they are just not my style..so please keep your dog out of my way..thanks!!!
ReplyDeleteThat is precisely why I live in a dog-friendly community!
ReplyDeleteIf you don't want to be around dogs, you definitely should NOT live in a very obviously and openly dog-friendly community and if you still choose to live in one then in my honest opinion, you have no room to bitch about it, really.
The more I read over what darreaver said, the more idiotic it sounds... I can't believe any human being would be ignorant enough to believe that dogs don't think, reason and feel and that they have no self awareness. You couldn't BE more wrong...
As for jmm924, the reason dogs growl and snarl at you right off the bat is that you are afraid and they sense and smell your fear... People who are overrun by fear and lack self confidence around animals will generate instinctive behavior in those animals, such as growling, because dogs instinctually understand that many humans who give off the scent of fear will also often try to harm them. It is simply their defense mechanism. Dogs are much more intuitive than most people realize.
Fortunately, my idiot neighbor has finally let it go with my dog. I think he finally realized that she was just a baby and eventually would grow out of it (which she has). I mean for god's sake, what would a neighbor do if I had a newborn at home - they cry constantly at times!
Yes, there are dog owners who are callous and insensitive to the fact that others do not wish to accidentally step in their dog's poop. However, not ALL OF US are that way.
Occasionally, I take my dog to work with me and even there, when I take her out to do her business, I always clean up after her (even though here, no one would care).
It's not about caring more about your dog than other humans. People who don't mind their dogs and pick up after them are generally just very selfish, self-centered and insensitive people.
Long story short, if you don't like dogs, don't live in dog-friendly areas.
I get really tired of my character coming into question whenever I mention that I don't care for dogs! Why are dog lovers so needy when it comes to other people's feelings towards their dog? I didn't just wake up one morning & decide to hate dogs! I've hated them for as long as I can remember, even as a kid, so get over yourselves, dog-lovers! Not a personal attack on you, okay!! I have a loving heart, just not towards dirty, smelly dogs! I also get tired of the cat/dog double standard in our society! I love cats, but I don't get all pissy when I meet someone who doesn't! So, why is it, when I say to certain people that I don't like dogs, they look horrified, as if I just confessed to murder?! Let me feel how I feel, without making me feel bad for it!!!
ReplyDeleteAnyone who outright says they "HATE" dogs has serious issues. I question anyone who HATES a harmless living thing.
ReplyDeleteOk. Enough already. A dog is not an accessory, nor is it a child. I am not a dog hater. I feel simply that it is a little sick that people now cloth animals. They spend more on a dog's Vet bill for the year while they let their own health slide. Why do people love dogs so much. I think I have the answer. They care for these animals, feed them and clothe them. Dogs don't talk back and you don't have to pay for their college. They return affection and lick your face. All the "Dog Lovers" who I have come in contact with have a serious problem in social situations. Either being really needy. or so messed up that they are not self aware. The thing that has set me really on fire about this whole thing is Sarah Mclachlen or whatever her name is putting a beloved Christmas carol as the music to a commercial about dog rescue. What about people?! What is wrong with the World. I don't see any commercials on TV about adopting little children in the US. Sure you see plenty about African children and other countries, but where are the commercials for Orphans of Katrina! I grew up with 3 great dogs. Pure and cross breeds. I like dogs. I don't love them. Love is a strong human emotion and just the fact that someone says they love dogs is too much. Dogs don't love you. They are faithful and loyal because you feed them and rub their stomachs. That's it. Enough with the the little dogs in purses and strollers. Enough
ReplyDeleteOk. Enough already. A dog is not an accessory, nor is it a child. I am not a dog hater. I feel simply that it is a little sick that people now cloth animals. They spend more on a dog's Vet bill for the year while they let their own health slide. Why do people love dogs so much. I think I have the answer. They care for these animals, feed them and clothe them. Dogs don't talk back and you don't have to pay for their college. They return affection and lick your face. All the "Dog Lovers" who I have come in contact with have a serious problem in social situations. Either being really needy. or so messed up that they are not self aware. The thing that has set me really on fire about this whole thing is Sarah Mclachlen or whatever her name is putting a beloved Christmas carol as the music to a commercial about dog rescue. What about people?! What is wrong with the World. I don't see any commercials on TV about adopting little children in the US. Sure you see plenty about African children and other countries, but where are the commercials for Orphans of Katrina! I grew up with 3 great dogs. Pure and cross breeds. I like dogs. I don't love them. Love is a strong human emotion and just the fact that someone says they love dogs is too much. Dogs don't love you. They are faithful and loyal because you feed them and rub their stomachs. That's it. Enough with the the little dogs in purses and strollers. Enough
ReplyDeleteIt's "enough" because you say it's enough? Sorry dude but you're the weird one here. I love my two dogs. Are they my entire life? NO. Do they love me back? Yes. If you don't think so, you obviously don't KNOW dogs at all. They have just as wide a range of emotions as humans do, as a matter of fact.
ReplyDeleteAlso, YOU are being very stereotypical "dog-lovers-hater" by generalizing the way you have in your statements.
I know people with dogs and without dogs - having dogs doesn't make you antisocial. YOU make you antisocial (or past experiences or your parents not socializing you, or you have issues and don't know how to socialize, etc.)...
As a matter of fact, my hubby and I travel - we go out - we do stuff - we have bunches of very nice, fun, funny friends. We don't sit home day and night (not to mention we both have full time jobs) cooing over our dogs.
Honestly - what planet are you from that you make these sweeping generalizations and think they're actually true?
You have a screw loose. It's ok, just admit it.
As to dressing dogs - not my thing. Dogs have fur - they don't need clothes - but hell to each their own. I'm not about to condemn someone for it if they're treating their animals well.
Maybe you need to get a SOUL and quit stereotyping animal lovers. The way people behave towards animals says A LOT about the heart and soul within. Most people I know who have strong opinions (disliking animals) tend to have psychological issues and/or past trauma which led up to it.
Perhaps you should get off your high-horse or soap box and go see a psychologist. Sounds like it would do you a world of good.
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ReplyDeleteI love dogs but I hate dog poop. It's not like you leave a fresh spot behind when you pick up dog poop. If a dog pooped in your kitchen, you certainly wouldn't just pick it up and walk barefoot on that spot. I live in a neighborhood with a lot of dogs and I can't allow kids to roll around and play on the front yard because I know that it's a given that at least several dogs have urinated and defecated on it at some point during the day. The author's cavalier attitude "Dog poop in public places should be picked up… but sometimes it isn’t feasible to do it, or you have run out of bags to pick the poop up, or your dog had so much diarrhea that you can’t get it all up" is a very selfish because she's taking the attitude that other people are supposed to just tolerate the mess her animals leave behind.
ReplyDeletei adopted a good dog 2 years ago who i love very much and any coldblooded aggressive dog hater who lurks around my home to try to hurt or kill my dog will either get the living hell beat out of him by me or blown away since i also love and own guns to protect my home. take that as a strong warning all you dog haters with any bad ideas!!
ReplyDeleteI love throwing a poison laden sausage to any dog I come across. Dogs should be limited to the blind, the police and military, and Quarantine.
ReplyDeleteDear Henry - one can only hope that someone does the rest of the world a favor and throws YOU a poison laden sausage. Savage morons don't deserve to live either. It's people like you who make the entire species look bad.
ReplyDeleteDog lovers are absolute scum!
ReplyDeleteThere are millions of individuals
of our own species who face death
by starvation, and yet these cunts
are only too happy to breed dogs
for their own emotional dependence!
and worst of all is that you don't
even actually care about your dogs!
You care about it's looks and breeding it to look more like what you want it to look! Dog inbreeding
is a serious nuisance to the very animal it self!
The major reason for hating dogs is that "lovers' tend to pick animals they cannot control, think there’s a psychological factor involved there. The dog pulls the owner down the street, when the dog jumps on well, me for example; the owner thinks it’s cute. What it seems you fell to realize is that I have a choice, I don't have to like dogs, I don’t have to pet them, and I am seriously thinking of getting maze because it is ridiculous! But this doesn't mean I have issues, it means I don't want the slob and etc on me. A dog, cat, whatever is, dare I say it: an animal, not a distant relation of the human persuasion, an animal; of which I CHOOSE to not cohabitate with. I am not angry, I did get enough attention growing up, I have a vision that is coming to pass, I'm employed, intelligent, and mentally stable. Your comments to some I am sure are offensive, personally, I just think you cannot understand, which is very sad because you and your animals are not the only living beings on the planet. A planet where not everyone HAS to accept dogs. This place is disgusting enough (people have to be reminded to wash their hands, etc) while there’s dog poop everywhere, even downtown Chicago now, rush hour is an obstacle course at times, because tourist can’t leave their animals at home, so they leave us gifts; is that cute?. I shouldn't have run neighbors (who ignore our sign) off my property cause they are too lazy and selfish to go the unbelievably smelly doggy park 2 blocks away, one should think about the rain and snow at 11pm before they buy little fluffy... I shouldn't have to listen to the neighbor’s dog barking at 3am. But you won't understand these things. Apparently my views are those of someone who hates dogs, has issues and is unhappy. Ah, but that’s ok, because I will never understand why someone chooses to live with an animal. But please don't try to explain it to me because I really don't care. Whether you want to admit it or not, the truth of the matter is no one should have to live with with an invasion of YOUR lifestyle.
ReplyDeleteoh my gosh. I was looking for some advice by goggling dog haters and this was the column that popped up. I didn't realize that many pepole would go out of their way to comment on a really nicely put together post. I appreciate the advice from the blogger. I had a run in this morning from an angry neighbor that really should mind his own business. Glad he doesn't install cameras in the neighborhood, that i know of :)
ReplyDeleteI am not a dog hater, nut I would rather not live in a community of dogs. Unfortunately, they are hard to find and councils do not zone areas as being totally pet free. I can understand people hating dogs because they have cost me over $40,000.00 in moving costs, legal costs and such emotional hardship when forced to endure the torturous ignorances of pet owners. We had a great home, only to be wrecked by horrid pet owners.
ReplyDeleteTo catagories dog haters and write such rubbidh about them is insane and is the act of a person obsessed by dogs. Dog hateres may not be dog killers. But to be honest, why do dog haters become dog hater? Clearly because a dog owner somewhere has let their dog create an antisocial environment and scorched the earth with their hate and selfishness. Do not blame dog haters, blame dog owners that have absolutely no care for the people around them. You know who they are, and yet, you dog owners do not support laws that would stop you all being tarred with the same brush. Some people just shouldn't own a dog, and that is clear with the numbers of barking and dog attacks around the world.
Education, licensing and proper law enforcement is needed.