Do trees help block noise between homes?

[alarmguy]

I doubt you will notice much of a change expecting tall trees to muffle a dog bark. They will help to soften traffic noise from a nearby interstate.
I feel for you, I had that situation in a past home I used to own, even though the homeowner tried to stop the barking nothing ever worked, dog even blew through batteries with a shock collar. The barking was insane and you shouldn't have to live with it.

I wouldn't but I can see Maximus point.

Its why when we moved to a new state, I made sure we bought in a community with an HOA and would never again live in one without it.

Be weary of Leyland Cypress, in some areas of the country they are experiencing rapid death do to a "rust" disease. For tall trees I would recommend Giant Arborvitae (aka Green Giant) and for more compact slow growth Emerald Green Aborvitae, the the dog most likely would have lived its life by the time a Emerald green gets big enough, Green Giant grows faster.
With that said, its not going to kill the sound of a nearby barking dog. I used both types of Arborvitae's in my landscaping to screen out neighbors and create a woods type look at the end of my property. Green Giants in the rear and Emerald Green staggered in front of them.
They need sun, fertilizer and plenty of water to grow quickly but will grow under almost any conditions

 

[skyactiv]

One benefit of having a tall tree(s) near your house is it helps keep it cooler in hot weather

 

[ka9mnx]

No. My son lives about a quarter mile from a major highway. There is a forest of trees and shrubs between him and the road. Vehicle noise comes through like they aren't even there.

 

[RhondaHonda]

I don’t think the trees will do much. I live on over 3 acres in an area with rolling hills and there are some dogs that live at least 400 yards from my house that I can hear barking. There is nothing but solid trees between us and the sound can be heard any time of year. They are bigger dogs with deep barks vs your neighbor’s yappy high-pitched bark.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Start blasting your stereo and aim your speakers right at their house

I had this crazy bipolar neighbor that bitched about me playing my stereo at 1pm on a day off one time. BUT,this crazy chick had an ankle biter that would start yapping at 6am like clockwork every morning and wouldn't stop. So I started waking up at 6am and blasting my stereo for a good solid hour. The yapping suddenly stopped haha!!

 

[xBa380]

Joking or not, the fact that some of you literally offer suggestions to kill the dog is just insane and disgusting. I really hate people more often than not these days, my god.

It's the owners problem, not the dog. Obviously the owners are negligent, but that should not be taken out on the dog that doesn't know better due to lack of training/care/etc... Could you file a complaint with the police department for disturbing the peace or noise ordinance type issues?

Acoustic wise, shrubbery will hardly help IMO, your best course of action is proper barriers (brick wall or upgraded windows for reflection, acoustic paneling, soft materials for absorption, etc...) if you really want to throw money after a dog barking. High frequency sound remediation is far easier than low frequency.

Since you are in a HOA, can't you file a formal complaint with them or something? My parents were notified with a warning by theirs when people reported their dog barking when they weren't at home (they didn't know) in which they addressed the issue to avoid fines and all that fun stuff.

 

[doitmyself]

Plant the trees. At least they will make you happy! : https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/why_trees_can_make_you_happier

Yes, this is a field of study and research now.

 

[Leo99]

How much barking are we talking about and can you hear it in your house that easily? Little dogs like to bark a lot but they don't usually spend much time outside.

 

[WylieCoyote]

I think you'd be better served to keep complaining to the city. It's been my experience that they'll eventually take action when they're sick of hearing from you. Record video & mail them a USB along with your complaint letter, and keep doing it. Squeaky wheel. My sister in Charlotte had to take this approach when her neighbors let their back yard become overgrown to the point it was a forest, complete with downed trees resting on the roof of the house. She became a thorn in City of Charlotte's side and they finally sent a crew out to issue citations, yank the derelict 40-foot travel trailer out of the back yard, and clean it up. Nag Nag Nag. And keep nagging. But always be able to back up your claims with proof.

 

[RedSpider]

I live on 18 acres in a valley, and the nearest houses are 1500 feet to my north, and about 1000 feet to my east, and most of what is between us is several hundred feet of trees along with a few fields, and even in the middle of summer I can hear dogs no problem, and in some spots in the fields I can hear my neighbors talking and I can almost make out what they are saying, and they are almost a 1/4 mile way. I doubt a row of trees in a neighborhood setting is doing to help much.

 

[JohnnyJohnson]

A few trees aren't going to do if its that disturbing move you have a neighbor that doesn't give a .Your cheapest option that's going to work is list you home and move.

 

[Barkleymut]

offer to pay for a contractor to install a doggie door at their home

 

[iahawk]

I have a similar challenge...neighbor dogs that are let out in the yard and bark non stop for a few minutes at a time. The problem is the city ordinance is against dogs that bark non stop for a minimum of 10 minutes (or 20 minutes?) at a time. 3 solid minutes of barking, 10 times a day, that I can clearly hear in my hose that is about 50 yards away. Yet it doesn't truly violate city ordinance. Like others have said, it's the owners. 15 years of this and they are on their 5th and 6th dogs?...and all have barked.

What I hate about barking dog issues are it's the person complaining that is called the A Hole. Not the A Hole owners who let them bark. I have 50 trees in my yard and a fence...it doesn't matter..deep dog barking is like a kid driving by with sub woofer pounding..it permeates all. Owners don't give a sh*t...they ignore the barking...

Ultrasonic sound, blasted in their direction while barking is thought to help in some cases. A nice big pair of out outdoor speakers strategically aimed in their direction...(lots of irritating ultrasonic anti dog barking noises posted on youtube)

I always wonder...If I blasted my outdoor speakers loud enough to hear in your house, 10 times per day, forever, would you get irritated?

 

[henni]

Couple neighbors aquired roosters. Lots of fun with with orchestrally synchronized cacophany.

 

[spasm3]

I cant see trees helping unless they are 3 layers thick. I think you will have to address it with the owners. In reality living in a neighborhood, there will always be a few do yaps and barks, you may have to get used to it. Now if its incessant barking, the hoa, or local authorities may come into play. You need to look at your ordinances.

The only thing i think you can do, is look at the quality of your fence. If its an open slat, maybe a better fence might help but , a lot of money and it might not.

Unfortunately you live around other people, and dogs are going to bark sometimes.

 

[dlundblad]

That's not the answer.

I missed this. This is terrible.

That’s like kicking a barking dog at a campground that’s been chained to a tree all day while the owners are gone. Blame the owners. Not the poorly trained dog.

If somebody poisoned my dogs while they were on my (their) property doing what dogs do, we’d have some serious serious trouble.

 

[gfh77665]

Start blasting your stereo and aim your speakers right at their house

I had this crazy bipolar neighbor that bitched about me playing my stereo at 1pm on a day off one time. BUT,this crazy chick had an ankle biter that would start yapping at 6am like clockwork every morning and wouldn't stop. So I started waking up at 6am and blasting my stereo for a good solid hour. The yapping suddenly stopped haha!!

This is your best bet, until they get the message. Rig a loud stereo aimed at them. Find some used outdoor speakers and mount them high so they can SEE them. Tune the stereo in to some annoying music, like hip hop rap or Mexican polka. Set volume on max and leave it unplugged. The instant the barks start. plug it in. When the dog stops, unplug. The fact that you blast them only when the dog barks sends a clear message, and minimizes bothering other neighbors.

 

[SZR48207]

I have a similar challenge...neighbor dogs that are let out in the yard and bark non stop for a few minutes at a time. The problem is the city ordinance is against dogs that bark non stop for a minimum of 10 minutes (or 20 minutes?) at a time. 3 solid minutes of barking, 10 times a day, that I can clearly hear in my hose that is about 50 yards away. Yet it doesn't truly violate city ordinance. Like others have said, it's the owners. 15 years of this and they are on their 5th and 6th dogs?...and all have barked.

This is my issue as well when it comes to reporting this to the police or the HOA.

 

[Aredeeem]

This is your best bet, until they get the message. Rig a loud stereo aimed at them. Find some used outdoor speakers and mount them high so they can SEE them. Tune the stereo in to some annoying music, like hip hop rap or Mexican polka. Set volume on max and leave it unplugged. The instant the barks start. plug it in. When the dog stops, unplug. The fact that you blast them only when the dog barks sends a clear message, and minimizes bothering other neighbors.

Ugh. The fact that you begin to obsess over solutions such as this indicates that you've been driven over the top. It really is a terrible problem. My last house I couldn’t get from my car to my front door without triggering a spasm of barking from behind a six foot privacy fence that went on forever. I finally outlived the problem. The owner and believe it or not, the dog, both died within 6 months of each other. My reaction was muted.

 

[SevenBizzos]

Don't they made some sort of ultra high frequency dog training device (that humans can't hear)? I think some of them have a remote control. It' would be nice to put in place near the fence (on your side) and then activate when necessary. Seems harmless and may work. Just an idea.