How to file a complaint for noise from dogs

We recommend speaking with the dog owner before approaching Council. The dog’s owner may not realise that the barking is annoying other people.

Índice Show

Lodging a complaint
If you are the owner of a barking dog
What to do about your dog’s barking

Consider the following:

Keep a list of when the dog barks and how often.
Talk to other neighbours who may also be affected.
Attempt to resolve the issue through an independent party like the Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria.

Lodging a complaint

If you wish to lodge a barking dog complaint, read all the information in our dealing with a barking dog booklet and then submit a completed, signed copy of the barking dog diary (contained in the booklet).

Please note that the diary needs to be completed by each person affected by the barking.

If you are the owner of a barking dog

When dogs bark or howl, they are trying to communicate something. It could be:

inadequate yard space
boredom or lack of stimulation, both mental and physical
not enough human companionship
inadequate shelter from weather conditions
hunger or thirst
a medical condition, such as an illness or discomfort
provocation
disturbances
change to family structure/separation anxiety
movement outside the dog’s property.

You can take steps to minimise barking.

Make sure the dog has adequate exercise and obedience training.
Make sure that the dog has food, water and shelter from the weather.
If the dog is barking at gaps and cracks in the fence, fill them in.
If the dog is barking at people it can see passing by, try blocking the dog’s view.
Make sure that you do not reward your dog for barking too much.
Don’t let the dog inside or give it attention when it barks.
If the dog is barking at people or noises on the other side of a fence, move the dog to another part of the yard or put up a barrier.
If the dog barks at regular occurrences, keep the dog inside or in an enclosed area at these times.
If the dog races along a path or fence barking, put barriers or obstacles in the dog’s way to slow it down.
Teach the dog to stop barking on command. When the dog is barking give a firm command such as ‘QUIET’ and call the dog to you.
Praise the dog when it stops barking.
Attend accredited dog obedience training.

Need help?

Or call our Community Laws department on 9298 8000.

While it is acceptable for a dog to bark to warn of an intruder, owners must train their dog not to bark at normal movement or noises such as passers-by, vehicles and animals near the property.

If your neighbour’s dog is barking excessively, try politely talking to your neighbour first as they may not be aware of the problem, especially if their dog is only barking when they aren’t home.
If you are uncomfortable approaching your neighbour, try placing our anonymous 'Dear Neighbour' letter into their letterbox or post it to them.
If your neighbour still takes no action to stop the barking, we recommend the Dispute Settlement Centre, which provides free advice to help neighbours sort out problems. You can visit the Dispute Settlement Centre website or call 1800 658 528.
If you still can’t resolve the problem with your neighbour, we ask that you keep a diary for 2 weeks to record how often the dog is barking. This allows us to determine whether the barking is causing an unreasonable disturbance.
Once complete, mail the diary back to us and we’ll investigate the issue. We can only investigate if you provide your contact details, but your neighbour will not find out who made the complaint unless the matter cannot be resolved and proceeds to the Magistrates Court.
We may ask you to get support for your complaint from another neighbour who is affected by the barking dog.
We may then issue a warning to the dog’s owner to stop the barking.
If the problem persists, we may issue an infringement notice or proceed with legal action.

If your dog or cat is constantly being a nuisance in a way that upsets or annoys your neighbours - either by creating noise or by its actions - you need to take steps to stop it.

If we receive a complaint about your animal being a nuisance, we will give you an opportunity, suggestions and advice to help you control it.

If you fail to fix your animal's noise problem, you may:

receive an on-the-spot fine of $200
have to pay a court-imposed penalty of up to $2000
adhere to a court-imposed order to stop the nuisance

What to do about your dog’s barking

Depending on why your dog is barking, you may need to:

Take the dog on more frequent walks and include it on family outings. Even if you have a large yard, dogs still need to socialise and experience the sounds and smells of walks outside. Find a designated off-leash dog park to give your dog a free run.
Make the backyard environment more interesting.
Provide your dog with toys and a large bone to chew. You can also stuff hollow toys with food.
Give your dog access to your house through a dog door.
Take your dog to obedience classes or undertake dog training.
Block the dog’s view of movement outside the property with solid fencing, shade cloth or hedging if the dog is barking at passers-by.
Make sure your dog is in good health by getting a check-up at the vet.

You can report a nuisance cat if you can identify where it lives.

If a cat is trespassing onto your property, you can apply for a cat trap to remove it.

Traps are provided free-of-charge and Council's rangers will collect again during business hours.

Barking is a dog's natural means of communication. It may signify alertness to danger or another animal or intruders or it may be the result of boredom.

Nuisance dogs

A dog is considered a nuisance by law when a dog persistently barks in a manner to such a degree or extent that it unreasonably interferes with the peace, comfort or convenience of any person.

Many dog owners are not aware that their dog is barking and/or that it’s a nuisance to others. Dogs often bark when people are not home so the owner may have no idea of the problem. Sometimes a dog will bark at every noise or passer-by however it is not considered normal behaviour for a dog to bark for long periods of time.

What can I do about a nuisance dog?

First, try to solve the issue yourself

Visit your neighbour and politely explain to the owner when the dog is barking and how it affects you. This conversation should be courteous, informative and supportive of any suggestions.

Alternatively, you can download and complete a ‘Barking Dog Card’ (we can also post you one if you need, just call our Rangers team on 9405 5000).

Barking Dog card

Making a formal complaint

If your attempt to resolve the issue directly with your neighbour has been unsuccessful and the persistent barking has not decreased, an official barking dog complaint may be lodged with the City in accordance with the Dog Act 1976, section 38 which in part states:

A person may lodge a complaint in a prescribed form with an authorised person, alleging that a dog is a nuisance. If an authorised person is satisfied that a dog is a nuisance as alleged in a complaint, the authorised person may issue an order to a person liable for the control of the dog requiring that person to prevent the behaviour that is alleged to constitute the nuisance by a time specified in the order.

If you wish to lodge a formal complaint, a 7 day diary and information pack will be provided for you to record:

The address of where the dog resides
dates and times that barking has occurred
how long the dog barked for on each occasion

The reason the City requires a completed diary is to gather evidence of the times and duration of the barking in question so that, if we establish that the barking is indeed a nuisance, we can ensure that both the owner of the animal and the Ranger assisting are able to identify the root cause of the issue and work towards a suitable solution.

To better assess a case of nuisance barking, the City suggests that two or more neighbours take part in the diary recordings.

Please note: The completion of the diary is necessary to provide sufficient evidence for the City to act on.

What happens next?

If the diary supports the complaint of nuisance barking the City will contact the dog owners to arrange a visit to discuss the issue
A letter will also be provided to the dog owner detailing the times the nuisance barking. This will provide a further opportunity for the dog owner to abate the nuisance barking.

Should the City require further evidence of nuisance barking, you may requested to complete additional diary(s) for evidentiary purposes.

Failure to comply with a request to resolve a nuisance dog complaint may result in an infringement or even legal action against the owner. In this instance, you may be required to attend court and give evidence against the dog owner.

Report a barking dog

For further information about the barking dog process, please contact our Ranger Services Team on 9405 5000