Ask Slashdot: Cost Effective Way To Soundproof My Home?

An anonymous reader writes: As more and more people live closer together in tightly packed subdivisions, the mental stress of noise becomes a serious issue. Noise nuisance complaints are on the rise, litigation increasing. We try to tune it out, yet the stress it causes is still present, and there's seemingly no way around it." Six months ago a new neighbor moved in next door who has two dogs, one of which barks incessantly with a high pitched yip that is driving my wife crazy and making it difficult for me to read or work on the computer. I've already talked to my neighbor and he will bring the dog inside but three days later it starts again. What is a cost effective technical solution to knock 10 or 20 dB off the exterior noise? soundproof windows, an interior acoustic blanket,a sound blocking fence, a sound absorbing fence, planting foliage or noise cancelling headphones, or something else. I'm sure I'm not the first slashdotter to have this problem. What has worked for you?

Comments

neighbor

[greenfruitsalad]

what worked for me was getting rid of THAT neighbor.

Re:neighbor

[greenfruitsalad]

(i submitted that without finishing) i simply created an incessant flow of legal documents from local council, police, neighbors, etc. in the end, the visits from annoyed policemen and council workers became unbearable and he moved. i managed to turn the whole neighborhood against him. now we have a new arsehole in his place but this one is just messy.

Re:neighbor

[Dcnjoe60]

Seems a bit extreme and you are probably lucky that things didn't backfire and the neighbors and everybody turned against you and you were the one forced out.

Re:neighbor

[thegarbz]

Only for the next person to move in with a bigger dog. Getting rid of the neighbour is not the solution if the neighbour is doing nothing wrong, especially since it can itself land you in trouble.

How about picking your house based on what you want? Find an apartment complex that bans animals. Move into a house. Move out of the city away from the noise.

What you have here is a lifestyle choice.

Re:neighbor

[kilodelta]

Where I live we've had several upstairs neighbors. Some cool, some we worried we would have to carry out a dead body. But alas we have cool neighbors again and it's all good in the hood.

Re:neighbor

[Streetlight]

Maybe the OP should move.

Re:neighbor

[Aighearach]

If the police were showing up and putting heat on the other guy, it sounds like he had his paperwork in order and understood the process.

In my State if a dog barks for over 15 minutes, that is disturbing the peace and you don't have to wait for them to get annoyed with the complaints, you can escalate them and ultimately have the dog removed. The only thing the authorities can do other than help you with the process is to pretend they're too busy, but that doesn't work every time; and if they do that you just go to Court and end up with an Order, and now if they violate it they have to move or get rid of the dog.

And if it is a rental and the dog is repeatedly violating the noise laws, sometimes you can force the property owner to give them a short term eviction notice to avoid shared responsibility for the ongoing legal violations.

It all depends on local law. Without that information, you're just making a false accusation. You can do that here with no penalty, but if you're playing the game he is of calling the cops over little shit and you tell a cop about a false accusation, that becomes a crime. We can assume that isn't the case, because of whose door the cops kept coming to.

Re:neighbor

[Aighearach]

Getting rid of the neighbour is not the solution if the neighbour is doing nothing wrong.

And the corollary, of course: Getting rid of the neighbor is a great solution if they are doing something wrong, like chronically violating the law in a way that prevents you from the peaceful enjoying your premises. "Peaceful enjoyment of the premises" is a legal right in my State that applies to all residences, both homeowners and renters have that right. If the properties have the same owner, you can actually force the landlord to get rid of them.

Lifestyle choice isn't only something you have on the run. Many people desire to make a lifestyle choice when they select the home. Moving when people break the law in a way that impacts your property is not a sustainable, scalable solution the way that making the person breaking the law move is.

Re:neighbor

[Grishnakh]

That kinda happened to us. Another typical story about the stupid neighbor with incessantly-barking dog; we called the police over and over (after trying to deal with them personally), a cop came out one day, found the dog barking, waited around 10 minutes, dog was still barking, so he issued a criminal citation. The key here is that dog-barking was a crime in the city I lived in, according to local statute. So he had to go to court and tried to defend himself; he even brought in his next-door neighbors to support him. He drew up a diagram showing how all our neighbors have dogs and we're the weirdos, but of course the prosecuting attorney simple stated the law, showed he was in violation, and he was found guilty.

"We all don't like you" doesn't mean squat when you're in violation of the law and the police are willing to testify against you and the city is willing to prosecute you. He ended up getting slapped with a fine and having to use a bark collar. The fine was a few hundred dollars I think, not huge, but if he got caught again leaving his dog outside for hours on end barking its head off, the penalty of course would have been much worse. This really shut up the neighbors for a while (both him, and his next-door buddy who also had a noisy dog).

We eventually did move out, but for other reasons. My advice here: before you buy a house, check out the neighborhood thoroughly and make sure there's no noise issues like that around. Also check out the local ordinances to see what legal power you have in case it becomes a problem. Personally, I've gotten to the point where I think it's pointless to buy a house at all unless you're ready to retire and/or are going to have a lot of land around you. Renting is better: you can move out pretty quickly, and given the way the job market is for engineering, I end up moving every couple of years anyway.

Re:neighbor

[greenfruitsalad]

it's called despair. imagine not having a good night's sleep for a month or two.

Re:neighbor

[Grishnakh]

Exactly, this has happened to me too, twice. Once my wife and I ended up going to court over it (same thing as you: if a dog barks for at least 10 minutes, it's disturbing the peace and a criminal citation by city code, so the owners were prosecuted and a cop testified the dog barked for more than 10 minutes), and another time it was a renter who had a vicious pit-bull which bit several neighbors (!), so we contacted the landlord and he was evicted. Of course, the pit-bull owner insisted it was everyone else's fault for his dog biting them.

My conclusion is that dog owners are generally narcissistic assholes and the sound of a dog barking its head off for hours on end is music to their ears.

Re:neighbor

[Grishnakh]

If the next person has a bigger dog and the city laws prohibit barking dogs, then you call the police and let the city deal with it again.

How would you "land in trouble" for using the legal system the way it's meant to be?

Moving into a house doesn't work: all my dog-barking experiences have been in houses, not apartments. Why should I move out of the city? In my experience, people in the country are even worse. You'd have to move somewhere where you can afford tens of acres around you, which is unrealistic. Why shouldn't I expect people to obey the laws of the city they're in? Why do you dumbass dog owners all think that laws shouldn't apply to you?

Re:neighbor

[mi]

you can escalate them and ultimately have the dog removed

That would've been fine in my book — assuming, you try to talk the offender first, and only "go G" if he flips you off.

But the GP didn't do that — he, in his own words: "created an incessant flow of legal documents from local council, police, neighbors, etc". Such abuse of legal process makes one an arsehole in one's own right.

Re:neighbor

[BlackPignouf]

Getting rid of the neighbour is not the solution if the neighbour is doing nothing wrong.
And the corollary, of course: Getting rid of the neighbor is a great solution if they are doing something wrong

Mr. Converse: Hello kids, I'm Mr. Converse. I'm a misleading fallacy of logic. You may have seen me before, while you were taunting your best friend for being fat. While it is true that if you eat like a snooty porker you will become fat, it is not logically true that if you are fat you had necessarily eaten like a snooty porker. Maybe your friend has a glandular condition, a natural affinity for a higher weight plane, or maybe having a friend like you has made his hypertension medically significant. Jerk.

Ms. Inverse: Hello you little kids, I'm Ms. Inverse. I put the word "not" in front of both halves of a logical statement, to come up with something that looks right but isn't true. Let me give you an example... White people are good, therefore black people are bad. Isn't that easy? Now you don't have to read either Mein Kampf or the Bible.

The ContraPositive: Hello Kids! I'm the contrapositive! I'm not the inverse, and I'm not the converse, I'm both! And unlike inverse and converse, I'm true! Yay! You know how if daddy sleeps with that secretary bitch again mommy will leave him, like mommy promised during the last session? Well, if mommy hasn't left yet then daddy hasn't slept with his secretary again. It's 100% true! Daddy must have done something else to make mommy cry. I wonder how mommy got those bruises?

Remember: Only the Contrapositive is your real friend. Mr Inverse and
Ms Converse are just out to touch you in those special places.

Re:neighbor

[BronsCon]

Dogs bark when something is wrong, or when they perceive that something is wrong. Letting your dog keep barking for any length of time (I think 10 minutes is too long in this case) is animal abuse. Either the dog needs something, is afraid of something, or is trying to warn you of something; ignoring it and letting it keep barking is not the answer. So yes, calling the cops over ANIMAL ABUSE is perfectly reasonable and only a narcissistic asshole dog owner would argue otherwise.

Re:neighbor

[Grishnakh]

Exactly. It doesn't surprise me at all that I'd get a response like that from some narcissistic asshole on Slashdot (of course, from an AC).

In my case, the big problem was all the narcissistic assholes who left their dogs outside in their treeless, grass-less back yards, in Phoenix, in 110-degree heat, all day long. Sounds like animal abuse to me. In my case, after the asshole was convicted in court, he kept his dog inside a lot more (where I could still hear it barking, but I had to be in my back yard and it wasn't that easy to hear it).

Re:neighbor

[BronsCon]

Ms. Inverse: Hello you little kids, I'm Ms. Inverse. I put the word "not" in front of both halves of a logical statement, to come up with something that looks right but isn't true. Let me give you an example... White people are good, therefore black people are bad. Isn't that easy?

Well, it is easy, but you still failed at it. Putting "not" in front of both halves of the logical statement "white people are good" would result in "not white people are not good" which, adjusted for proper grammar, would read as "people who are not white are not good", black people are only a subset of "people who are not white" and bad people are only a subset of "people who are not good", so even if your original statement had been correct (which I don't believe it to be), your corollary was improperly formed even according to your own rule.

Re:neighbor

[yes-but-no]

Personally, I've gotten to the point where I think it's pointless to buy a house at all unless you're ready to retire and/or are going to have a lot of land around you. Renting is better: you can move out pretty quickly, and given the way the job market is for engineering, I end up moving every couple of years anyway.

Exactly; you can't change the world; just don't get into situations where you compromise your freedom. I think anything which needs you to sign a document, you need to be double careful [avoid if you can.. includes things like marriage documents too :p]

Re:neighbor

[wisnoskij]

With a sound proofed house, "getting rid of the neighbor" is even easier.

Re:neighbor

[fahrbot-bot]

And if it is a rental and the dog is repeatedly violating the noise laws, ...

The obvious solution is to rent a different dog.

Re:neighbor

[fahrbot-bot]

Only for the next person to move in with a bigger dog.

Doesn't necessarily mean a bigger / louder problem.

When I was young we had two German Shepherds who stayed outside in the back yard most of the time (we lived in Virginia Beach) and were normally pretty quite, unless something was wrong. Once, they *really* startled a guy who climbed over our six-foot privacy fence to retrieve a Frisbee, then vaulted over it w/o it when they started barking and running toward him. Two minutes later, there's a knock on the door by a very embarrassed guy asking for his disc.

I watched the entire episode from my upstairs window. Saw the Frisbee fly over the fence; was about to go get it, but saw the guy climb over the fence; thought either, "dumb ass" or "this will be interesting" (can't remember); heard the dogs start barking; saw the guy's face as he realized his mistake; saw the dogs running; saw the guy frantically climbing / jumping back over the fence. Ultimately, it was hilarious.

I'm pretty sure the dogs would *not* have hurt him, but have never seen anyone be that dumb before or since.

Re:neighbor

[russbutton]

When you buy a house, you buy the neighborhood. It's a little like getting married where you also get the spouse, family and kids from the previous marriage(s), not to mention the emotional baggage from the previous marriage(s).

Re:neighbor

[BlackPignouf]

:D
First, that was a joke.
Then, Ms. Inverse's logic is supposed to be flawed anyway, just like Mr. converse's. You cannot talk about corollary in those cases, because the propositions are independent from one another. The GP (hi! we know each other from another post :D) wrote the term corollary when he was actually talking about the inverse.
Finally, black people are a subset of "people who are not white", but I have a hard time finding "people who are not good who are not bad" to show that bad people are only a subset of "people who are not good".

Re:neighbor

[BronsCon]

I got your joke, you seem to have missed mine. That said, yes, Ms. Inverse was meant to be flawed, but you still got the flaw wrong. ;P As for not good not bad people, I'd say the majority who just live their own lives without helping others don't really qualify as good people while they're not really bad either if they aren't going around causing trouble for others. I know a lot of people who fit that mold.

Re: neighbor

[nehumanuscrede]

Not uncommon. It's 2am, the neighbors dog has been non-stop for hours and this is a nightly occurance. Discussions with the neighbor about it nearly lead to blows. So yes, you call the police and do things the right way vs a poison meal or a suppressed .22lr The FUN ( Slashdot approved method ) would be to build an ultrasonic generator in the 130db range. Put it on a remote switch or auto-trigger when the barking starts and that problem will fix itself quite quickly.

Re:neighbor

[Grishnakh]

The problem is, when you get married, usually your prospective spouse tells you all this stuff before you commit to it. She tells you about her kids, family, hopefully most of the emotional baggage, etc. You usually get to meet most of these other people too. That's what the whole "dating" phase is for, and why it usually lasts from 6 months to a couple of years or more these days. Most people even have sex a lot before they get married, so they can "kick the tires" so to speak. Unless you're one of those dumb religious people who gets married after a very short courtship and doesn't have sex until afterwards, you have plenty of warning about these things.

Not so with houses. You don't get to go live in the house for a month before signing the papers, so you can find out if the neighbors are people you can get along with, if there's a bunch of barking dogs, etc. The realtor isn't going to go for that, nor will the sellers. You might get a day to run around and knock on some doors, and that's about it. Good luck actually catching your neighbors at an opportune time to sit down and meet with them. And of course, the neighbors probably aren't going to be honest anyway about how they leave their dog outside to bark all day long. From what I've seen, most dog owners are just completely stupid, and have no idea at all that their little precious fido is doing this, because many times they're not home when this is happening. Other ones (including their dog-owning neighbors) just completely tune it out. You're not likely to get honest answers about these problems from the neighbors. At least with marriage, even if the person isn't complete forthcoming about their baggage and such, you have months or years to find out about it; most people just can't hide this stuff for too long. They put on a good appearance on the first date or three, but after a bit the real truth comes out. But that takes time and effort to get to know someone really well and find out about their bad habits. You don't have that time when buying a house, especially if it's a competitive market.

Re:neighbor

[Anonymous Coward]

I have no sympathy for assholes who let their dog bark all day. Mine is so bad I've literally had to stop going to school, my relationships with my friends have been hurt due to stress from not sleeping, and I've nearly lost my job. All because they refuse to bring ONE dog inside that's near my window. Tried everything from talking to them to getting animal control involved (even getting a petition signed!), nothing has helped. They simply say it's not their problem. Anybody who leaves their dog out to bark deserves nothing but bad things.

Re:neighbor

[tompaulco]

Dogs bark when something is wrong, or when they perceive that something is wrong.

That can be shortened to: Dogs bark. They've been doing it for millions of years, they will be doing it for millions more. If you feel like you need to own a dog then understand that where you are able to live may be affected.

Re:neighbor

[wisnoskij]

They also simply like barking at night to mark their territory and communicate with neighbouring dogs. Any healthy dog will prefer to spend an hour or so (on and off) at night barking at squirrels and replying to other dogs.

Re:neighbor

[russbutton]

The problem is, when you get married, usually your prospective spouse tells you all this stuff before you commit to it. She tells you about her kids, family, hopefully most of the emotional baggage, etc. You usually get to meet most of these other people too. That's what the whole "dating" phase is for, and why it usually lasts from 6 months to a couple of years or more these days. Most people even have sex a lot before they get married, so they can "kick the tires" so to speak.

That must be why marriages are so long lasting and reliable in our culture...

But you're 100% correct. When you buy a house, you pay your money and you take your chances. I am among the most blessed of men as my neighbors are all very pleasant and kind. And my wife is a real jewel who is patient, kind and giving.

I bought my 1920 bungalow back in '99 and it was in serious need of work. Since then I've replaced all of the original windows with new, wooden, double paned windows and the outside noise is dramatically reduced. There are a couple of dogs at a house around the corner a couple doors down which can be annoying in the morning, but nothing like was the poster was complaining about. I think double paned windows would help anyone significantly with this problem, but the ultra-sonic gizmo others were talking about here are probably a pretty good idea.

Re:neighbor

[Grishnakh]

That must be why marriages are so long lasting and reliable in our culture...

The problem is that people change over time, or they get married for the wrong reasons, or they get desperate to get married before they're too old and they settle for the wrong person. For the first one, after, say, 10 years, people have really matured and changed a lot, and if they've changed in incompatible ways, the marriage is usually doomed. Perhaps they want to move, but to entirely different places (one's set on moving to Florida, the other to Washington or Maine), they've evolved incompatible political views, they've found out the hard way they just can't agree about how to manage the family finances, etc. Especially when people marry in their 20s, it's really really hard to figure all that stuff out at that age.

And my wife is a real jewel who is patient, kind and giving.

That's definitely a real rarity. Most Americans are impatient, selfish assholes to some degree.

but the ultra-sonic gizmo others were talking about here are probably a pretty good idea.

I tried one of those; it didn't help. It also only works on next-door dogs where you have line-of-sight to the dog (if it works at all, someone here said they work on some dogs but not others); two doors down is too far away.

Re:neighbor

[BronsCon]

Wow, I love how you seemingly aimed that hate cannon at me, a cat owner.

Re:neighbor

[tompaulco]

Wow, I love how you seemingly aimed that hate cannon at me, a cat owner.

No, I'm aiming it at irresponsible dog owners. I prefer cats myself. They don't bark and pretty much take care of themselves.

Re:neighbor

[onepoint]

yep you are right.
The man next door just recently passed away. He had a special dog that never barked and if it did it was some sort of health issue.
It barked, and I went over and knocked on the door. no answer, but the dog barking, called the police, told the about the dog,
they dispatched fire rescue ( that's what they are called in my town ) and I called the association to get the spare key to the condo.
sure enough, he was on the floor, and then guys got here, they did the medical stuff. he survived that time.

he died when I was not home a few month later.
Now I see the dog daily, never makes a peep.

Re:neighbor

[BronsCon]

I know, right? And they don't meow at each other (they scream when playing or fighting, meowing is reserved for their caretakers, we humans) so there is no issue wih them trying to talk to other cats like dogs do. I mean, keep the little precious angels (I mean demonspawn from hell, but I still love them) away from leather furniture and anything you don't want shredded, but at least we cat owners are the ones who bear the brunt of our pets' tantrums, and not our neighbors. Amirite?

Re:neighbor

[BronsCon]

Ignoring the needs of your pet is abuse. If your pet needs space to run and execrise so they don't spend all night loudly complaining thet they aren't getting that, then you need to give them that. Not doing so is abuse.

Re: neighbor

[slazzy]

It might be possible to sleep in your car a few nights around your potential new house and see what's up. Realistically most neibourhoods seem to have annoying barking dogs, and if that's the worst of it, you're lucky.

Re:neighbor

[ChrisMaple]

The first legal document should have been enough for the dog's owner to change his ways. The owner's the asshole for disturbing his neighbors.

If the dog wasn't an actual problem, the first complainer wouldn't have been able to persuade his neighbors to also file complaints.

Re:neighbor

[ChrisMaple]

Big dogs tend to be quiet, small dogs tend to be yappy. A big dog is less likely to feel threatened, so it will be calmer.

Re:neighbor

[dbIII]

Sometimes they just need attention and time to grow up. It can be exactly like crying babies in some cases and waiting it out over a few months often works. IMHO very late loud parties combined with early morning construction noise make the dogs a very minor issue.
One reason I don't have a dog is there is no way I or another person can be with it all the time. A pup that is left alone is going to get upset and bark.

Re:neighbor

[cerberusss]

Why do you dumbass dog owners all think that laws shouldn't apply to you?

I like dogs, until I moved out, my family always had one. But that was on the countryside. In the city, a lot of dog owners let their dogs poop everywhere in parks, where kids play and people take a walk. To be honest, it's sometimes a problem with cats as well, although it's much smaller.

Re:neighbor

[cerberusss]

With a sound proofed house, "getting rid of the neighbor" is even easier.

Submitter may as well have asked us "how can I build the ultimate murder ultra-death violence chamber".

Re: neighbor

[jafiwam]

Not uncommon. It's 2am, the neighbors dog has been non-stop for hours and this is a nightly occurance. Discussions with the neighbor about it nearly lead to blows. So yes, you call the police and do things the right way vs a poison meal or a suppressed .22lr The FUN ( Slashdot approved method ) would be to build an ultrasonic generator in the 130db range. Put it on a remote switch or auto-trigger when the barking starts and that problem will fix itself quite quickly.

Amazon.com has several models of ultra-sonic dog barking trainer tools you can place near the dog. Most are disguised as something else.

No need to build anything, the chinese have already made it simple and affordable to purchase.

Re:neighbor

[Grishnakh]

It seems to me that keeping a larger dog in the city is somewhat cruel, as they don't have any place to run around and end up confined in a tiny apartment or cage all the time. And yes, the poop thing is a big problem too, and a lot of dog owners are assholes who don't think they should have to clean it up (just like they think everyone should be happy to listen to their dogs bark endlessly at all hours). Cats aren't nearly as bad because cats naturally want to bury or hide their poop, plus usually, in a city, cats that are outside are feral, not pets.

Re:neighbor

[ProzacPatient]

Why should I move out of the city? In my experience, people in the country are even worse.

I live out in the country and what really grinds my gears is when someone from the city moves into the country and starts calling the cops about every little thing trying to control everything their neighbors do.

I'm surrounded by neighbors with barking dogs and the sound of gunshots. I've never been a big fan of the wanna-be dictators that live in cities so it actually brings pleasure to my ears to hear the report of liberty ringing through the woods and my fellow freedom loving country dwellers don't mind it either.

Re:neighbor

[lsatenstein]

Dogs bark when something is wrong, or when they perceive that something is wrong. Letting your dog keep barking for any length of time (I think 10 minutes is too long in this case) is animal abuse. Either the dog needs something, is afraid of something, or is trying to warn you of something; ignoring it and letting it keep barking is not the answer. So yes, calling the cops over ANIMAL ABUSE is perfectly reasonable and only a narcissistic asshole dog owner would argue otherwise.

Some dogs are bonded to their owners. If they are outside and the dog knows the owner is inside, barking will persevere. My own dog likes to watch TV with me. If I leave for a nature call, there is growling and barking. If I leave for work, and the house is empty, the dog is quiet, after 5 minutes of wimpering.

Re:neighbor

[JillElf]

It seems to me that keeping a larger dog in the city is somewhat cruel, as they don't have any place to run around and end up confined in a tiny apartment or cage all the time..

The larger dog may not have nearly the energy to burn that some of the ankle biters do. Some breeds are rambunctious (Jack Russell Terrier), some are practically carpets (Newfoundlands). Retired greyhounds apparently do very well in apartments as long as they are properly exercised.

Re: neighbor

[JustBoo]

It might be possible to sleep in your car a few nights around your potential new house and see what's up. Realistically most neibourhoods seem to have annoying barking dogs, and if that's the worst of it, you're lucky.

Yeah, lucky. I mean, you could have some weirdo sleeping in his car down the street.

Re:neighbor

[niftymitch]

(i submitted that without finishing) i simply created an incessant flow of legal documents from local council, police, neighbors, etc. in the end, the visits from annoyed policemen and council workers became unbearable and he moved. i managed to turn the whole neighborhood against him. now we have a new arsehole in his place but this one is just messy.

You just documented an abusive harassing uncalled for behaviour.
Better plan to move soon.

Re:neighbor

[niftymitch]

Dogs bark when something is wrong, or when they perceive that something is wrong. Letting your dog keep barking for any length of time (I think 10 minutes is too long in this case) is animal abuse. Either the dog needs something, is afraid of something, or is trying to warn you of something; ignoring it and letting it keep barking is not the answer. So yes, calling the cops over ANIMAL ABUSE is perfectly reasonable and only a narcissistic asshole dog owner would argue otherwise.

And in one of the above cases I suspect the presence of the police officer and a high volume ultra sonic
transducer were the abusers. I could be wrong but some of us understand that measuring and
observing things changes them. Ask Heisenberg's friends, most are old and cranky but what the heck!

Re:neighbor

[BronsCon]

Yup, dog thinks there's something wrong when you're not there, he's afraid you're not coming back, then he remembers you always come back and stops worrying and, thus, making noise.

Re: neighbor

[niftymitch]

Exactly. That is why you see so many beware of dog signs. They want their property to be just as violent as their kind is.

The dog sign thing is in many areas a liability issue with two sides.
The beware of the dog sign has been used in court to demonstrate that the owner maintained a nuisance.
In other contexts the beware of the dog is an admonishment to not allow the dog to escape.

My favorite was in a big font "Do not feed the dog"
at the bottom with ultra fine print "your arm, face and legs".

Many cat owners have "Beware the dog" signs the same way
that many have security system signs on the lawn but no security
system.

Re:neighbor

[BronsCon]

Please share whar you're on. The transducer, perhaps; the cop, though? Tell me you're joking. And then share whateber you're on, I want to be as funny as you.

Re:neighbor

[niftymitch]

Please share whar you're on. The transducer, perhaps; the cop, though? Tell me you're joking. And then share whateber you're on, I want to be as funny as you.

If you want to drive a dog bonkers fire up a 35KHz perhaps 38KHz transducer well beyond
human hearing (~25KHz). Dogs can hear to 40KHz... bats to 100KHz.

Now if you want the dog to bark on command invite the officer to observe
initially the dog would bark at the stranger lurking at the fence... to ensure
the dog does not stop trigger the acoustic transducer (quality tweeter almost
get there) and the dog will continue to go crazy as long as you want.

AND the officer cannot hear anywhere near this frequency range because
of road noise, siren volume and weapon reports at the range.

I would test the ability of officers to hear high pitched screams from
children, women and men when tazered. If so they cannot hear
someone "comply".
The first link: The ultrasonic sound environment is intolerable to dogs.
Dogs are repelled away from the Yard Gard Ultrasonic Repeller because they cannot adapt to the constantly changing array of ultrasonic signals emitted by this device.
http://www.electronicpestcontr...

Here is why officers cannot detect this type of abuse.
http://www.neuroinnovations.co...
http://www.movingsoundtech.com...

Re:neighbor

[DirtyAmish]

Similar things happened to me as well, but it was several dogs, several neighbors. My people "told" me more than once to wear earplugs. I'm like, how do I listen to TV at night on my way to sleep? Or hear my alarm in the morning? I shouldn't have to do that.

Re:neighbor

[DirtyAmish]

I cannot tell how many times I've heard a dog bark near my place and I look far and wide and there is NOTHING out there. A lot of owners are just shitty people and the dogs aren't properly trained. And yes I know dogs can sense things further away, but after a couple minutes STILL barking? Funk dat. I lived near 3 dogs that even when I QUIETLY opened my second floor window they barked for 5 minutes. WTF?

Re:neighbor

[DirtyAmish]

It shouldn't even be a law thing. When "you" have a dog that continually barks, can't you hear that? Assuming you are home. Doesn't that bother you? And then if you're not home to hear it yet you are told about it, WHY do you not give 2 fucks about having common consideration? What does that say about you as a person? Are you great person except when it comes to curbing your dog? It boggles my mind.

Re:neighbor

[mi]

The owner's the asshole for disturbing his neighbors.

That may very well be so, yes.

But anybody, who'd use an "incessant flow of legal documents" as a weapon, is himself an asshole — independent of whether his victim is such or not.

Re:neighbor

[BronsCon]

There is a fair bit more that a dog might perceive as wrong than what you might think to consider. For starters, their owner leaving; to a dog, it's wrong that their owner is leaving and will never be coming back, but, eventually, the dog remembers his owner returned every other time they left and it suddenly stops being wrong, thus the dog stops barking. That is but one of many examples. Personally, I prefer cats, they only meow at me when there is an exception to the norm; if something new comes along, they eventually get used to it and stop meowing whenever it happens, but for rare events... well, one of my cats is an earthquake early warning system. When I see him riding low and latching on to the ground for dear life, I know it's time to pull the breakables down off the shelves. They don't freak out when cars drive by, though, because they're smart enough to have gotten used to them.

I think what you're trying to get at (whether you realized it as you wrote that or not) is that shitty people shouldn't have the ability to be in control of another life. On this, we certainly agree. It's hard to be a shitty cat owner, as a cat just won't leave you alone until you take care of them and they tend to not bother the neighbors at the same time they're bothering you; perhaps most dog owners should have cats instead?

Re:neighbor

[Grishnakh]

Well I will say that one really nice thing about greyhounds is that they don't bark.

Re:neighbor

[Grishnakh]

Why should that "grind your gears"? If the new city people call the cops and you're not doing anything that's against county laws, then the cops can't do anything. If, however, the cops give you a ticket for whatever they called you for, then that means that you were breaking the law. So why do you feel that the law doesn't apply to you?

Re:neighbor

[BronsCon]

It sounds like you have absolute shit neighbors. I live in a condo, there are 7 units in my building and 4 identical buildings a stone's throw away (there are many more buildings in the complex, I'm just limiting to the immediately neighboring buildings to clarify my point), that is a total of 28 households, with 13 dogs distributed across 9 owners. In the 8 months I've lived here, I've heard one dog barking, and it was not one of those 13. This is in part because the HOA does not allow dogs to be left outside alone, but it is mostly because I live near 9 responsible dog owners.

The one dog I've heard barking here was being walked and got a little excited at meeting someone new when I introduced myself. Not a big deal, it was a couple of "hey, hi there, who are you?" barks, followed by a little jumping up and licking, then some sniffing as the dog discovered that I smell like my two cats, than a 45 minute conversation with the dog's owner about unrelated things, like the lack of late night parties and construction noise in the neighborhood. This was the week I moved in.

I guess the takeaway here is that these things aren't problems in communities populated by respectful neighbors who aren't assholes to each other.

Re:neighbor

[BronsCon]

Indeed, poor thing probably found his way out of his own yard to go exploring after being left outside alone all night by an irresponsible owner and got lost. Don't blame the dog in these instances, blame the moron who doesn't deserve the dog in the first place.

Re:neighbor

[ProzacPatient]

If the new city people call the cops and you're not doing anything that's against county laws, then the cops can't do anything.

This is exactly the situation and the sheriff's department usually follows up on any calls they get and sometimes you get a condescending deputy regardless of the law (sometimes because the neighbor told them something that isn't true or out of proportion). At one point I had talked to an attorney and he recommended filing a harassment complaint but fortunately those neighbors moved away before that became necessary.

But my main point is those of us who live in the country have an influx of city dwellers who have dreams of Green Acres but when they find that country living isn't the same as what they imagined some of them start harassing their neighbors until they get their way. I recommend anyone who wants to live in the country maybe rent a place, if they're serious, and live out there for a few months and see if it fits them before making a serious commitment to an environment they may not feel comfortable in, otherwise they might want to stay in their suburban HOA.

Re:neighbor

[Aighearach]

That's what laws are for, though. Even things like murder; without a law, not everybody will agree it is bad. Most will, and so it is easy to pass laws banning murder and establishing consequences. But a few people would say, well, it depends on your reason. I'm not talking about self defense, just the set of situations that are currently considered "murder."

Dogs barking for extended periods is such a common problem that the laws banning it exist almost everywhere, and yet it is very easy to pass the law. The vast majority of pet owners agree that the dog is basically feral if it is doing that, and is being abused by neglect or worse. But you don't have to go far to find somebody that disagrees. 5% of people believe really wild and crazy hateful stuff. That's 1 in 20. Even in places without a history of slavery, you can usually get 5% to support it. Any hateful teaching that is seen as locally fairly mainstream or historical is going to draw 20-25% support. Without laws against murder... there is a 5%-er on every block. Their fear of retaliation would keep the murder rate low in many cases, but without laws against it it would be common for there to be murders of people with their backs turned. The vast majority of people can be good, and yet there is still a need for laws. Indeed, that might actually be the cause of the need!

Re:neighbor

[Aighearach]

You keep repeating the word "abuse," but it is not abuse of the process if the process includes the flow of legal documents from local council, police, neighbors, etc. If it was in fact abuse of process there would be extensive documentation and negative consequences.

Did you not read the words I wrote that said, "If the police were showing up and putting heat on the other guy, it sounds like he had his paperwork in order and understood the process." Do you not comprehend English words? Do you have a counter-argument, or are you just going to cover your eyes and ears and reply while pretending you didn't hear what you're replying to? Your claims of abuse of process were strongly refuted.

Re:neighbor

[Aighearach]

I didn't state the converse, or the inverse, I stated the most obvious corollary according to the context. Feel free to try again. It is not clear from your first response that you even understand the vocabulary being used.

Re:neighbor

[Grishnakh]

I lived in two suburban HOAs and was plagued by barking (and in one case, vicious and biting) dogs. HOAs don't do shit. For the biting dog (which actually bit the HOA president!), the only thing that worked was my wife tracking down and contacting the dog owner's landlord. That got his ass evicted; landlords are rightfully afraid of liability that arises from housing vicious dogs. The dog actually biting two residents (one being the HOA pres) wasn't enough for the cops or the HOA to bother; the non-pres lady flaked out and refused to complain to the cops. For the other HOA, the only thing that worked there was having the dog owner prosecuted by the city, as again the HOA didn't give a shit.

My recommendation: make sure you move to a city with strong ordinances against annoying shit. Private organizations are mostly useless; they just take your money and blow it on bullshit (it was insane how much money those HOAs spent to just have some grass cut in the common areas) and don't hold members accountable for anything because they don't want to lose money. The police and city prosecutors, however, are interested in enforcing laws.

As for renting a place in the country, that sounds like BS to me too. I've lived in many rural places (on both temporary and more-permanent bases). There are no two rural properties that are alike. One spot may be super-quiet and peaceful, with your main problem being deer eating your flowers, and another spot a mile away will have you stuck next to some asshole with a bunch of dogs he lets run loose so they come over to your property and kill your chickens and harass your horses. (The solution to this of course is a shotgun.) It's no different than the city, where one house may be great and have wonderful neighbors, but another house in the next development over is surrounded by assholes with barking dogs. You just don't know until you get there, and no property seller is going to let you spend a month living in the place on a trial basis. (And also, very few places will let you rent on a short-term basis.)

It's just like I said before in this thread somewhere: somehow, as a society, we've evolved so that it's perfectly normal for us to spend years (usually 1-3 I'd guess) "trying out" a potential marriage partner before committing to a legal entanglement with them, however, we're expected to make a decision for a house purchase in a few days even though we take out a 30-year mortgage for it.

Re:neighbor

[Grishnakh]

That must be why marriages are so long lasting and reliable in our culture...

Also, a lot of failed marriages are ones where the couple got married very young, so they either weren't selective enough (didn't make sure they had compatible long-term plans and such), or they changed a lot since they weren't mature when they hooked up.

But it's also arguable that the whole institution of marriage is fatally flawed to begin with. Statistics I've heard are that only 20% of marriages are actually "successful". That's 1 in 5! Why so low? Simple: only around 50% of first marriages last in the first place, and it gets much worse for subsequent marriages. But then out of those which don't end in divorce, only a fraction of them are actually happy marriages; in the rest, people just stay together and tolerate each other. I imagine a lot of the religious conservatives have marriages like that, since they're so anti-divorce. Don't forget all the people who stay together "for the kids" and get divorced after they leave the nest. Finally, the latest statistics show that more and more 50+ and elderly people are getting divorced.

All in all, it seems to simply be a bad idea, a product of a different time and different type of society.

Re:neighbor

[MessyBlob]

Two more will replace the one you removed.

Re:neighbor

[russbutton]

That must be why marriages are so long lasting and reliable in our culture...

Also, a lot of failed marriages are ones where the couple got married very young, so they either weren't selective enough (didn't make sure they had compatible long-term plans and such), or they changed a lot since they weren't mature when they hooked up.

To my mind, the real issue has to do with expectations in our contemporary American culture. Over the past decade I've worked with a lot of engineers from India, who all seem to have much more stable marriages than the typical American couple. Arranged marriages are still quite common in Indian culture though certainly not the rule. But I have yet to meet anyone Indian who has been divorced or re-married.

It seems to me that the romantic dimension is less important in Indian culture than the value and merits of family.

But it's also arguable that the whole institution of marriage is fatally flawed to begin with.

It is natural for humans to pair off. That males would feel territorial about their females is common in more species than just man. I don't know of any species where females feel territorial about their males other than humans. But beyond that there is the question of property inheritance. If you question the institution of marriage, then you should also question the practice of property inheritance. Why should children be entitled to inherit property if marriage is without meaning or value?

If you want to understand what's wrong with marriage in our culture, consider this little story.

A young man from a wealthy family stands to inherit a sizeable sum, but is informed that he can only inherit if he marries by the age of 30. As he is approaching that age, he decides it's time and figures he'd better pick from one of his 3 current girl friends. Because there is a lot of money involved he decides to test them by giving them each $10,000 and see what they do with it.

The first girlfriend is delighted with her windfall and lavishly spends the $10,000 on herself, buying clothes and jewelry.

The second girlfriend spends her $10,000 on him. Taking him out to fine dining, buying him clothes, massage and a trip to Hawaii.

The third girlfriend invests her $10,000 and doubles it in a week. She immediately returns the $10,000 he gave her and leaves the rest in her investments.

Which girlfriend did he marry?

The one with biggest tits.

Re:neighbor

[Grishnakh]

It is natural for humans to pair off.

What do you base that assumption on? Pre-contact Hawaiians did no such thing, and their society probably closely resembles ancient hunter-gatherer lifestyles. Also, polyamory is quickly becoming popular across America, as well as open relationships.

Why should children be entitled to inherit property if marriage is without meaning or value?

What does one have to do with the other? You're not making any sense here whatsoever. If someone wants to will their property to their kids, they should obviously have that right. They don't need a formal marriage to know who their kids are or to leave them their stuff. Alternatively, if someone wants to cut their kids out of their will and will all their stuff to their niece or nephew, they should have that right too. The property angle only made sense in generations past, when paternity wasn't always known, so by forcing women to marry men and promise exclusivity, men could be more reasonably sure the kids were theirs. This is no longer the case; not only have women cheated on men ever since marriage was invented and given them kids that weren't theirs, but now we have DNA testing which renders the whole thing moot. If a woman shows you a kid and says it's yours, that can be easily proven or disproven with an inexpensive test. No marriage required.

If you want to understand what's wrong with marriage in our culture, consider this little story.

A young man from a wealthy family stands to inherit a sizeable sum, but is informed that he can only inherit if he marries by the age of 30. ...
  Which girlfriend did he marry? The one with biggest tits.

So somehow it's wrong for people to want to form relationships with people they find physically attractive, rather than people who are good investors but otherwise not much fun in a relationship?

Personally, I think the Hawaiians had the right idea all along: no marriage, no permanent pairings, people can have sex with whoever they want, and the village takes care of the kids collectively. I'm sure people in that society were a lot happier overall than after the Europeans came and ruined it all with worries about property and repressive Christian values. Obviously that doesn't scale or mesh too well with modern society, but that doesn't mean that an ancient institution that came about solely because of agriculture and land ownership actually makes sense in modern society either, and the divorce rates prove me right.

Re:neighbor

[Grishnakh]

while i do agree with the general consensus that dogs shouldn't bark insistently, i believe that there are too many people who feel they need the LAW to help settle disputes that could reasonably be solved by two adults and a mediator.

How?

==mediation==
mediator: Ok, we're going to figure out how to resolve this problem between you two. John, what do you want?
John: I want him to shut his dogs up. I'm tired of hearing them all day and them keeping me up at night.
Bubba: I'm not going to shut them up, I like hearing them bark. Fuck you!
mediator: Well, I guess I'm done here.

???

The whole reason laws exist is because people are assholes and cannot be trusted to resolve issues like "two adults". It's been like this forever; instead of an agreement, you get a feud and then violence. When people have completely different viewpoints, they're not going to get along, and the law is the only thing that can prevent violence from erupting.

before you throw the first stone at "dumbass dog owners" are you sure you are not violating some law that you didn't know about? something that could come back and bite you in the butt?

For most things like this, governments do not throw the book at people unless they're a repeated violator. I've never heard of people getting hauled into court for a noise problem unless they've had the cops called on them numerous times. They always get a warning, usually several. So no, I'm not really worried about that.

but the law that i hate is leash laws. i have my animal under control and we walk side by side down the sidewalk with no leash. this is after years of training to get it this way. should i still have to follow leash laws? the police will say yes

And the police are right. Why should you be allowed to let your dogs attack people randomly, or even just jump on them? Of course, you're going to say that your dogs are well-trained and don't do this. How do I know that when I'm walking the other way towards you? I don't. Too many dog-owning assholes abused the privilege, so now it needs to be taken away. You talk about "adults", but obviously too many dog owners can't behave like adults so they had to have their rights restrained. So you only have yourself to blame (since you're part of the dog-owner group).

but i say no because as free civilians in a democracy we are allowed to choose which laws we follow and we don't

So you think it's OK to rape and murder people? You're really fucked up.

Re:neighbor

[russbutton]

It is natural for humans to pair off.

What do you base that assumption on?

It seems pretty self-evident to me. There are any number of species that mate for life. I see no reason that couldn't be a natural facet of human nature.

Pre-contact Hawaiians did no such thing, and their society probably closely resembles ancient hunter-gatherer lifestyles. Also, polyamory is quickly becoming popular across America, as well as open relationships.

I have yet to see an open relationship partnership which has endured.

But let's explore the notion of family from another direction. I've known any number of people who never knew their birth parents but had a deep need to know who they were. They "wanted to know where they came from". That may not be important to you, and you're entitled to that feeling, but you can't begin to suggest how others should feel about something like that.

Why should children be entitled to inherit property if marriage is without meaning or value?

What does one have to do with the other? You're not making any sense here whatsoever. If someone wants to will their property to their kids, they should obviously have that right.

I'm not suggesting that you shouldn't be able to will your property to anyone. But if you do pass away without making a will and you own property, then your children have a right to inheritance per state law. If you suggest there is no value to marriage, that everyone should be able to have sex with whoever is a consenting partner, then why should you have any specific responsibility to children just because you were a sperm donor?

The need for marriage as a cultural institution is all about providing a structure for the agreement of the rights and responsibilities of families - however you choose to define what a family is. Many families are childless and that makes them no less valid than those families that do have children. It is the family structure which conveys the rights and responsibilities inherit in them. One of the big issues in the pursuit of legitimizing gay marriage is for one partner to have the right to be considered a family member to the other, which is essential in medical decision situations, spousal support, inheritance, etc.

I have no problem with anyone choosing to not marry or to live in a polyamorous manner. For that matter I do not believe in the notion of "sin". I do believe in the right to make choices, good or bad, and that everyone is responsible for the consequences of the choices they make. I do not believe that anyone is entitled to forgiveness for making a bad choice, though it's certainly OK for those affected to do so.

I feel that everyone has the right to choose their own path in life and that includes accepting or rejecting contemporary social norms within the bounds of the law.

Personally, I think the Hawaiians had the right idea all along: no marriage, no permanent pairings, people can have sex with whoever they want, and the village takes care of the kids collectively.

In a hunter-gatherer culture, there is no real concept of property, so this is a viable social model. I don't see as viable in our technical industrial culture.

You may see polyamory as a viable life model and your partner may agree, but my wife sure wouldn't. I always have the choice to make for myself and as such, have continued to choose for myself to stay in a traditional one-to-one marriage. If everyone had someone as kind and genuine as my wife, we'd probably see a lot more marital stability. I am a VERY fortunate man.

Let me tell you a story. Some years ago I took a day off from work and took my wife to a very nice lunch in downtown San Francisco at the Palace Hotel. We ate in The Garden Room, which is one of the most beautiful dining spaces on the planet. Afterwards we were wandering around in one of the nearby department stores and my wife said, "I hate to shop. Let's go home."

I'm one very lucky man indeed.

Re:neighbor

[dbIII]

It sounds like you have absolute shit neighbors

Yes, the guy who got a neighbour to give up her dog due to noise and then had a rush job done on his house extension with lots of power tool noise at night especially. Living in an area that used to be cheap suburbia with relatively old houses that has suddenly become trendy means a lot of construction noise and a lot of self-important arseholes parking the trophy car under the trophy house while going around telling everyone how important they are - and driving like fucking maniacs.

Anyway, my point is noise is an external thing with a lot of potential sources and the cowards that talk of killing dogs to cut down the noise sicken me.

Re:neighbor

[Grishnakh]

It seems pretty self-evident to me. There are any number of species that mate for life. I see no reason that couldn't be a natural facet of human nature.
'
So you're making a baseless assumption based on false facts? Name 5 species that mate for life. I can't even think of one offhand, though I know there's one or two. It's extremely rare in the animal kingdom.

I have yet to see an open relationship partnership which has endured.

I have yet to see one traditional marriage which has endured. Exactly how many open relationships have you seen anyway?

But let's explore the notion of family from another direction. I've known any number of people who never knew their birth parents but had a deep need to know who they were. They "wanted to know where they came from". That may not be important to you, and you're entitled to that feeling, but you can't begin to suggest how others should feel about something like that.

And WTF does that have to do with traditional marriage? That's just genetics. I have that feeling myself, but it has nothing to do with needing my bio-parents to be married to each other, just to know who they are and meet them personally.

You're really conflating a lot of different things with marriage, things which are only at best tangentially related to it.

But if you do pass away without making a will and you own property, then your children have a right to inheritance per state law. If you suggest there is no value to marriage, that everyone should be able to have sex with whoever is a consenting partner, then why should you have any specific responsibility to children just because you were a sperm donor?

Have you forgotten about DNA testing? State laws have obviously not kept up with the times, but if some people claim to be children of the deceased, then a simple DNA test can prove that fact, and they should get priority (second to the deceased's spouse/civil partner(s)) if there is no will. This isn't rocket science.

In a hunter-gatherer culture, there is no real concept of property, so this is a viable social model. I don't see as viable in our technical industrial culture.

Yes, I mentioned that it doesn't scale or fit with our current society, but it does prove that lifetime pairings are not the norm for humans, they only seem that way because post-agricultural society has made them so. Humans were around for millions of years before agriculture was invented, and other primates don't mate for life either. Just look at the Bonobos.

Afterwards we were wandering around in one of the nearby department stores and my wife said, "I hate to shop. Let's go home."
I'm one very lucky man indeed.

Yes, and for every couple like you, there's a dozen couples where they constantly fight about small things like that. Should they stay married because of "the sanctity of marriage", or should they go find someone more compatible so they don't have to be constantly miserable because they made a hasty and poorly-considered decision in their youth? Considering how many couples these days don't have any kids, it would make more sense if the State didn't encourage marriage (through various financial incentives and other privileges bestowed on couples) and made it much easier for people to get out of bad relationships.

Re:neighbor

[BronsCon]

We can at least agree on your last point. :)

Re:neighbor

[russbutton]

Have you forgotten about DNA testing? State laws have obviously not kept up with the times, but if some people claim to be children of the deceased, then a simple DNA test can prove that fact, and they should get priority (second to the deceased's spouse/civil partner(s)) if there is no will.

Why should children have *ANY* claim to inherit just because they share the same DNA line? The point I'm hoping to make is that if you see marriage as irrelevant and that children are best raised by a community, then there is also no inherent right they should have to claim inheritance of any property from their DNA providers.

Yes, and for every couple like you, there's a dozen couples where they constantly fight about small things like that. Should they stay married because of "the sanctity of marriage", or should they go find someone more compatible so they don't have to be constantly miserable because they made a hasty and poorly-considered decision in their youth? Considering how many couples these days don't have any kids, it would make more sense if the State didn't encourage marriage (through various financial incentives and other privileges bestowed on couples) and made it much easier for people to get out of bad relationships.

Oh I agree. The quality of relationship I have with my wife is very much the exception, mostly because she is exceptionally kind. She chooses to make a loving relationship her priority and she doesn't take any shit from me. As I said, if more people had her perspective, stable, loving relationships would be much more the norm than the exception.

The problem with divorce is that it doesn't necessarily solve the underlying causes for the bad relationship. Far too often the next partner is just another copy of the first one because they have attractive qualities that are similar. I think divorce can make plenty of sense, but it doesn't solve the deeper spiritual issues that made a good relationship work. And I'm not using the word "spiritual" in the religious sense, but rather in the context of what we do and why we do it from the place of our own sense of who we are and why we choose to behave and live as we do.

I remember a relationship I had with a woman before my wife and I got together. She was a lot of fun and we enjoyed the same entertainments. But her purpose in life was decidedly materialistic and mine very much is not. I have nothing against people having material wealth and nice things. It's just that I don't see their acquisition as validating who I am. We just had very different perspectives on the meaning of life. She's entitled to hers and me to mine. I realized then that while she wanted a permanent relationship, I could see that it wouldn't last. I wasn't going to try to change her and she certainly wasn't going to change me, so it did not endure.

Re:neighbor

[Grishnakh]

The problem with divorce is that it doesn't necessarily solve the underlying causes for the bad relationship. Far too often the next partner is just another copy of the first one because they have attractive qualities that are similar. ...
  I realized then that while she wanted a permanent relationship, I could see that it wouldn't last.

You're generalizing. What if you had been a bit more hasty or immature and married this woman? It wouldn't have lasted as you say, and then you would either have stayed married and miserable, or gotten a divorce and then quite likely met someone like your current wife, since you obviously learned from the first relationship and didn't make the same mistake again.

As for the DNA thing, that was just one solution I offered; how else would you do it? In current society, a huge number of kids are not raised by their married biological parents, so you can't base laws off of that assumption and have things work out. So either default to giving the stuff to the biological kids, or to whatever kids the person acted as a parent to. Or just do what we do now: let all the surviving relatives fight over it in court. Maybe we should have a law requiring everyone to file a will with the state every 10 years, starting at age 30, so the state can avoid all the trouble of dealing with relatives fighting over inheritances.

Re:neighbor

[martinfb]

...and/or the dog(s)!

Get an anti bark device

[clifwlkr]

If it is for an annoying dog, just get one of the anti bark devices that look like a bird house first. There are several with good reviews on Amazon. They don't work on all dogs, but there often is success with them. It is worth a shot since they are only like 50 bucks, and soundproofing your home is going to cost a lot more.

Otherwise what I have found the most effective is outside vegetation around your property border. Gives you privacy from both sight and sound. Also pretty....

Re:Get an anti bark device

[sunderland56]

Both Smith & Wesson and Glock make excellent anti-bark devices.

Re: Get an anti bark device

[Billly Gates]

Better yet if your neighbor is an asshole who is abusing his dog by not feeding him and keeping him outside then call police and society for the prevention of cruelty to animals

Re:Get an anti bark device

[KGIII]

Someone beat me to it. I was going to suggest .22 LR, there are cheap sub-sonics and ways to further reduce the sound. Not for the dog, the dog is innocent. It's the human that's leaving the dog outside and barking. Chain me up and leave me outside and I'm going to be a bit more of a problem than a dog barking.

Re: Get an anti bark device

[alvinrod]

Or just call PETA and they'll take care of the problem for you.

Re:Get an anti bark device

[fred911]

And what ever you do make sure you're not using bakers chocolate as the theobromide content is close to 10x more than Snickers.

Re:Get an anti bark device

[Pinky's Brain]

Presumably they use ultrasonics, that's not going to work very well through a wall.

Unless you want to point an ultrasonic speaker at his window I don't see a way to avoid massive attenuation.

Re:Get an anti bark device

[dgatwood]

And don't even think about planting a flowerbed filled with poinsettias, oleanders, foxgloves, and azaleas right next to your neighbor's yard....

But seriously, if you have single-pane windows, moving to double-pane or triple-pane windows will do more than anything else you can do. And for maximum benefit, choose a window with a high STC number. You can also often get window inserts that add another pane of glass outside your existing windows, which can be cheaper than replacing everything.

Re:Get an anti bark device

[smooth wombat]

And this is why I don't contribute organizations which help people. They're not worth the effort.

Re:Get an anti bark device

[freeze128]

If the submitter takes your advice, there will soon be a follow up question "How do I soundproof my prison cell?"

Re: Get an anti bark device

[BarbaraHudson]

Simpler solution - offer to,take the dog for a walk. It's bored and lonely, it's going to bark. You may even get to like the little yipper once he stops.

Re:Get an anti bark device

[Grishnakh]

In my experience, it was mostly right-wingers who had the barking dogs. Not necessarily the gun-nut kind though. The gun-nut kind (like the ones who have arsenals) actually seem to care a lot more about getting along with neighbors.

Re:Get an anti bark device

[bigfinger76]

I read this as "barker's chocolate". Thanks for the hearty laugh.

Re:Get an anti bark device

[Anonymous Coward]

I'd recommend against it.

1. For those of us who have not destroyed our hearing, these things are quite audible

2. The only one I've encountered does not work - the dog's urge to bark outweighs the noise

Re: Get an anti bark device

[angel'o'sphere]

Depending on the size of the dog, it would be more fun to have a cat big enough to eat it.
Honestly, I don't like dogs ... and I don't like going for warks, either. Especially not when I'm actually doing something where the barking disturbs and annoys me! The owner would need to be an ectraordinary attractive and simultaniously very promising woman, to with her dog and her on a walk with a dog.
But nice unconventional idea :) to approach such a problem.

Re: Get an anti bark device

[thegarbz]

Take the responsibility of owning a dog away from the dog owner? No thanks.

Re: Get an anti bark device

[xlsior]

Simpler solution - offer to,take the dog for a walk. It's bored and lonely, it's going to bark. You may even get to like the little yipper once he stops.

I doubt many people would willing hand their dog over "for a walk" to the neighbor who "always complains" about their precious dog and who "obviously" hates its presence and/or continued existence.

Re:Get an anti bark device

[Streetlight]

A little off topic: I read once about a situation in a Detroit city park involving a dog let off its leash. Most cities have leash laws. Anyway, the guy let his dog off leash and a cop shot the dog, issued a $100 ticket and told the guy to clean up the mess. This is not likely to happen for a barking dog in the yard of its owner, but who knows. Cops seem to have a lot of discretion these days.

Re: Get an anti bark device

[wisnoskij]

So your solution to a, quite likely, mildly neglected dog, is to get the dog put down?

Re:Get an anti bark device

[Grishnakh]

Smart people with large arsenals know when shit goes south all of their "unarmed" neighbors are going join together and forcibly appropriate that conveniently stockpiled armory. So they make good with their neighbors to show themselves as reasonable and likeable people. Reasonable enough.

Maybe, but sounds conspiracy-theorish to me. In my experience, all the super-well-armed people I met were a bit off-kilter, but otherwise just really nice people. If they were paranoid like that, they wouldn't let anyone know about their arsenals. They weren't that paranoid, they just liked guns a lot, sorta like some people are car nuts and collect dozens of cars. They did seem to have some slightly extreme political views (very, very libertarian), but it seems like everyone is like that these days.

Re:Get an anti bark device

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

But seriously, if you have single-pane windows, moving to double-pane or triple-pane windows will do more than anything else you can do.

But seriously, chocolate is so much cheaper than new windows.

Re:Get an anti bark device

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

And what ever you do make sure you're not using bakers chocolate as the theobromide content is close to 10x more than Snickers.

Did you hear that, people? Don't, I repeat DON'T use bakers chocolate because the theobromide content is close to 10x more than Snickers.

Thank you, kind citizen!

Re: Get an anti bark device

[BarbaraHudson]

It's what I do. Dog downstairs, dog next door ... everything's quieter that way :-)

Re:Get an anti bark device

[ChrisMaple]

Baker's chocolate tastes nasty. I don't know, but a dog might also reject it on the basis of taste.

Re: Get an anti bark device

[BarbaraHudson]

Hopefully when you need a favour, people will be more considerate.

Re: Get an anti bark device

[BarbaraHudson]

Simpler solution - offer to,take the dog for a walk. It's bored and lonely, it's going to bark. You may even get to like the little yipper once he stops.

I doubt many people would willing hand their dog over "for a walk" to the neighbor who "always complains" about their precious dog and who "obviously" hates its presence and/or continued existence.

If they said that rather than everyone being annoyed with it, it's easier for them to just walk the thing once in a while to help out, they just might.

Re: Get an anti bark device

[KGIII]

The jackass will probably just get another dog. Some people shouldn't be allowed to own pets. This goes beyond doing a favor for someone, this is doing multiple favors for someone. I guess you could view it like doing a favor for the poor doggy though.

Me? I uh... I don't actually have that problem. If I am home and outside, and the atmosphere is just right, I can sometimes here a cow moo in the middle of the night. If a car actually went by then I might here it if it's loud. Snow deadens the sound so I don't really hear any of it in the winter.

Re:Get an anti bark device

[KGIII]

They should ask, "How do I avoid getting caught shooting my neighbor?" If they ask that question first, they're sure to get helpful advice.

Re: Get an anti bark device

[thegarbz]

If the dog barks once, that's a favour.
If someone is complaining on Slashdot about a dog constantly barking then looking after said dog is no longer a favour.

Re:Get an anti bark device

[Reziac]

Or ask the neighbor to get a bark collar for the dog. Innotek is probably the most durable brand for the money.

Re: Get an anti bark device

[Reziac]

Pro dog trainer here... that's not necessarily why it barks. The tendency to bark continuously is inherited (simple dominant gene) and was selected for in many breeds, especially those used for protection of people or livestock, because the noise keeps predators away. So a lot of 'em just have the urge to bark, ALL the time, and if they're not doing something more pressing -- they bark.

Bored dogs without this gene find something else to do, especially if they've got a whole yard to chew on.

Re: Get an anti bark device

[Hognoxious]

Just give the dog a stick of xylene sweetened chewing gum.

I doubt such a thing exists. Xylene smells sweet but it tastes like diesel.

Re: Get an anti bark device

[DirtyAmish]

So instead of the owner taking responsibility, a neighbor is supposed to take time away from XYZ and walk their dog? LMAO!

Re: Get an anti bark device

[BarbaraHudson]

Why in the motherfuck would someone be enough of a dipshit to take over the responsibility of owning the dog from the owner of the dog?

Helping someone else is not being a dipshit. Only a dipshit would think that.

Re: Get an anti bark device

[BarbaraHudson]

I'm not saying to keep the dog. It's their dog, and they have primary responsibility for it. It's just that helping by walking the dog on occasion will probably give the dog a chance to see more than just the back yard or the inside of their home.

I'm heading off to bed with my dog, and a former neighbor's dog (she died last month, and her daughter, who lives downstairs, is going to slowly introduce him to her home once things are settled down a bit). The little guy was already coming here at breakfast time and staying until bedtime, and since I started handling him, he's become a lot calmer.

The neighbor in the next apartment (there's 2 per floor) has asked me if her dog can come over until the kids get home from school (she works), and I said sure. Better than hearing him scratch their door every time I open mine to walk my dogs. Kindness is like a muscle - use it or lose it :-)

Re: Get an anti bark device

[BarbaraHudson]

If the dog barks once, that's a favour. If someone is complaining on Slashdot about a dog constantly barking then looking after said dog is no longer a favour.

Nah - if a dog barks once, you just ignore it. If you think that's a big deal, hope you're never around a child when they're teething.

Re: Get an anti bark device

[BarbaraHudson]

Hey, it's a nice break away from the keyboard, helps get the creative juices (and the blood) flowing better, has other long term health benefits ...

People who don't own a dog should borrow one once in a while - it'll help lower your blood pressure.

Re: Get an anti bark device

[thegarbz]

I do ignore it. My neighbours dog barks occasionally. I would have no problem if they asked me for help.

If my neighbours dog barked constantly because they were ignoring it and not looking after it there would be no way in hell I would consider my continued personal peace a "favour" to them. Animals as well as children come with responsibilities, and even parents of teething children have a responsibility to minimise disturbances to others, and I don't mean ensure that no one ever hears them, I mean put at least a minimal amount of effort into ensuring you're not a nuisance. Not everyone needs to be a saint but there is a minimum expectation, and sadly quite a few people fail that miserably.

e.g. Someone who refuses to put a dog collar on their dog to stop them from barking at ghosts, or a favourite of mine: locks the dog in the backyard because they are sick of hearing the dog bark when all the thing really wants is a bit of attention.

Re: Get an anti bark device

[BarbaraHudson]

I'm not saying it's an ideal solution, but people learn by example, so why not make the world a tiny bit better and hope it spreads (the whole "pay it forward" idea).

What really gets my goat is when a dog is barking and all you hear is the owner "barking back" by going "shut up" over and over again instead of getting off their fat ass and trying to calm it down.

Re:Get an anti bark device

[sjames]

If you are bothered by the human being barking incessantly, you should call mental health services to come get him :-)

Re: Get an anti bark device

[thegarbz]

Oh yes. Which makes me wonder if all he wants to do is shout at man's best friend, why did he get a dog in the first place.

Re: Get an anti bark device

[BarbaraHudson]

Oh yes. Which makes me wonder if all he wants to do is shout at man's best friend, why did he get a dog in the first place.

Because people are schmucks? Because their kids promised to take care of it (like that ever works). Because someone else guilted them into taking it off their hands? Because they're not home when the dog barks so they don't see (or rather, hear) the problem? Because the original owner died? Who knows?

Overall sound-reducing strategy...

[QuietLagoon]

Your main strategy should be to reduce the sound by as much as possible as close to the source as possible.

.
As you get closer to your ears, the sound reduction becomes less selective and you wind up reducing the level of sounds that you want to hear..

Re:Overall sound-reducing strategy...

[dgatwood]

In other words, build a soundproof box around the dog.

Re:Overall sound-reducing strategy...

[QuietLagoon]

Well, that's one approach. :)

Re:Overall sound-reducing strategy...

[Anonymous Coward]

What do you mean get closer to your ears? I cant move my face like Mr Potato Head otherwise id put my ears in a sound proof box and my brain in a faraday cage so I dont have to wear my tinfoil hat anymore. :)

Contact bylaw enforcement.

[Dzimas]

Document the noise and contact your local bylaw officers. Present them with a clear explanation of what's happening. Video will help. In most jurisdictions, there are restrictions on outside noise that lasts longer than a certain duration and that occurs after a certain cutoff time at night.

This is not a problem you should attempt to resolve by wrapping your house in 3 feet of bubble wrap and duct tape.

Re:Contact bylaw enforcement.

[Stripe7]

I agree, record the critter, log the time and duration. Check with local ordinances. If nothing else set up a automated recording/logging system. You do not want to injure the dog nor get into who is the bigger neighborhood nuisance competition with the neighbor, both of which would put you in legal hot water. If the police (non-emergency call) can not do anything about it, You might seek a lawyer and see if you can seek some sort of compensation for the lost peace of mind.

Re:Contact bylaw enforcement.

[Anonymous Coward]

OTOH I wouldn't mind if houses were built more sound proof.
Even if I get up early I seldom get inspiration to take care of household work until midnight. It would have been lovely if I had felt that I could make noise at night without waking everybody up.
As it is now I can only do paperwork when I'm at my peak.

Re:Contact bylaw enforcement.

[Moof123]

In our area it is 5 minutes of continuous barking in any 15 minute period max. Call your local animal control, get a video or audio recording.

There are two warning visits before a modest fine.

Expect to piss off your neighbors, but the alternatives are much more expensive.

Re:Contact bylaw enforcement.

[onepoint]

lack of sleep and or lack of concentration has a cost.
so by doing what you are saying, I effectively reduce
my cost in the long run and increase my neighbors.
benefit is that I will sleep well

These worked for my noisy office.

[slacka]

We created a few "quite spaces" in our loud office with Acoustic Soundproofing panels. You cover the doors, walls, and ceiling, and nothing gets in or out. They worked wonders.

www.amazon.com/Mybecca-12-Pack-Acoustic-Soundproofing/dp/B00TP7C9YY/

Re:These worked for my noisy office.

[Anonymous Coward]

Slightly offtopic, but these days when I see a misused word like that, my instict isn't to blame the poster, it's to blame the iOS/Android autocorrect. Especially when using the swype input method, I find it often screws up even straightforward words for their similar counterparts, and while I usually notice it, sometimes one will slip through.

Re:These worked for my noisy office.

[macraig]

Those wouldn't work for us, where the noise is external and structural and VERY low frequency. Following your lead I poked around a bit and found these, which seem like they might serve the purpose much better. Might....

http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate...

Noise-cancelling headphones

[U2xhc2hkb3QgU3Vja3M]

The Bose QC25 are the best ones available right now.

Re:Noise-cancelling headphones

[Anonymous Coward]

Noise cancelling headphones work best against low-pitched sounds. They do almost nothing for high-pitched ones (e.g. speech, high-pitched barking dogs), and can even make them worse since they've cut out competing low-pitch sounds (e.g. HVAC, appliances, etc.)

Re:Noise-cancelling headphones

[interiot]

I found that low frequencies still get through. Maybe it's the very low frequencies, I don't know. But you know how elephants communicate via very low frequencies, and stealth subs communicate through the earth with VLF RF? The lower the frequency, the more it penetrates *everything*.

Re:Noise-cancelling headphones

[kimvette]

Two problems:

1. "No highs, no lows, must be BOSE."

2. Noise-cancelling headphones generally do not work well for vocal ranges; they work well for constant noise as others have pointed out; generally lower-frequency and/or constant sounds like ICE and turbine engines, road noise, HVAC, and so forth. It actually has the reverse effect on vocal ranges which are intermittent sounds; when the background sound is removed conversational and animal vocalizations become more noticeable. A better solution is sealed over-ear headphones (Sennheiser HD280 Pro for example) for isolation rather than cancellation.

Re:Noise-cancelling headphones

[interiot]

Yeah, I use three layers: 1) over-ear hearing protection like what chainsaw guys use, 2) in-ear earphones, 3) brown noise or rainstorm sounds, turned up as loud as need be.

I sold my $300 noise-cancelling headphones because they didn't do any better, and were much more fragile and harder to replace. (and I'm not an audiophile, I just wanted the noise-blocking)

Re:Noise-cancelling headphones

[gstoddart]

1. "No highs, no lows, must be BOSE."

Right, meanwhile the warmer and more purple sound coming through the Monster cables makes the music taste more like bananas and less like bat poop.

The reality is the vast majority of people simply cannot hear the stuff that audiophiles claim to be able to hear. An oscilloscope can't either, apparently.

Which means in a blind listen I'd bet most people will never be able to tell highs/lows/Bose thing.

If you're someplace where you want noise cancelling headphones, you're probably not overly worried about perfect fidelity, you're worried about not hearing that mewling brat which prompted you to get out your noise cancelling headphones in the first place.

For everybody on the planet who never uses "warmer" or "sweeter" or "minty fresh" to describe speakers, it mostly sounds like someone talking out of their ass.

Re:Noise-cancelling headphones

[kimvette]

So I suppose you hear no difference between radio trash full-range speakers and Klipsch reference series or palladium series speakers?

If you can't hear the difference, I truly feel sorry for you because you really are missing out.

Re:Noise-cancelling headphones

[gstoddart]

No, I'm not completely tone deaf ... but in doing some testing, I found there was a point at which I could no longer discriminate the difference. There was no more better to be had to my ear, and certainly nothing to justify spending more for it,

Everything beyond a certain point was just sorta, "yeah, that's good too, but not really any different". Those of is who aren't musicians or otherwise blessed with great hearing, we mostly can't tell/don't care about the difference. It doesn't register unless it's terrible.

Hell, sit me on a patio with a beer in my hand, and my rechargeable iHome speakers sound pretty fine to me.

I actually went with the Bose because at the same price point I thought it felt more solid, and whatever my non-musician ears heard from whatever CDs I used to audition themsaid it actually sounded better than what I was comparing it to ... and because I liked their center channel's size and price point compared to other choices.

I was buying home-theater first, and music second, because that's how they get used.

Trust me, by the time it's 5.1 DTS, it's as loud as I need it to be, and I don't find myself thinking "wow, no highs or lows must be Bose"; I'm thinking "pow smash boom".

But, really, after 15 years with them, unless they suddenly catch fire or something, it has never occurred to me that I need different speakers.

Re:Noise-cancelling headphones

[schnell]

So I suppose you hear no difference between radio trash full-range speakers and Klipsch reference series or palladium series speakers?

Maybe, maybe not, honestly. In my (limited) experience with audio gear, the situation is best analogized to my (extensive) experience with wine. Wait, that sounded bad. Anyway...

If you don't know anything about wine, you will still probably be able to tell the difference between a $3 bottle of Night Train and a decent $10 bottle of wine. (And yes, there is a LOT of decent $10 wine; $3 is more or less guaranteed to be made from the grapes that the $10 wineries classified as "dog food" quality.) Frankly, that's where most people are in terms of audiophile gear.

But can you tell the difference between a $10 bottle and a $25 bottle? Of course, even a connoisseur may find a $10 wine preferable to a $25 wine, but you take my point. The short answer is if your wine tasting palate is not very sophisticated, you can't. If it is (either because your palate is naturally sensitive or you have tasted a lot of wines) then yes.

Okay, now - can you taste the difference between a $25 bottle of wine and a $50 bottle? How about $50 vs. $100? Vs. $300? Except for those who taste high end wine frequently or have a naturally crazy sensitive palate, the answer is no. If you are one of the few who can genuinely taste the difference between a nice quality $25 French Bordeaux and a $150 bottle of Joseph Phelps, the difference is important and worth the money. If you can't, then you have just wasted $125. And there is a rarefied crowd that can tell the difference between a $350 2002 Grand Cru Bordeaux and a 2009 $1500 Grand Cru Bordeaux. But there is unfortunately a larger population of people who actually can't but delude themselves into thinking they can and (from an outside perspective) waste thousands and thousands of dollars in doing so.

The point being that 1.) I have never heard "Klipsch reference series" or "Palladium series" speakers, so I have no idea if I can hear the difference or not; and 2.) most people don't know if they can hear the difference or not, and probably can't anyway. You may say you feel sorry for me if I can't tell the two apart, but if I really can't, then there's nothing wrong with that. In return, I promise not to tell you that I feel sorry for you for being unable to distinguish a white Burgundy from a California Chardonnay.

Re:Noise-cancelling headphones

[aaarrrgggh]

QC25s do a pretty good job against a broad spectrum. Worth trying out. Crying kids, conversation, etc.

Re:Noise-cancelling headphones

[kimvette]

> Okay, now - can you taste the difference between a $25 bottle of wine and a $50 bottle?

Taste that they're different - sure. I'm not wild about booze though.

However it is very easy to tell the difference between any wine and vinegar. Beats are the vinegar of wine.

Re:Noise-cancelling headphones

[kimvette]

Taste that they're different - sure. I'm not wild about booze though.

However it is very easy to tell the difference between any wine and vinegar. Beats are the vinegar of headphones.

What they do for airport noise...

[unimacs]

New doors, windows, and most importantly improve the insulation in your walls and attic, - also air seal. Insulation can be "dense packed" into walls without opening them up.

Not only does it make your home quieter, it makes it more energy efficient. It may not eliminate all outside noise, but at least bring it down to a less distracting level.

Re:What they do for airport noise...

[pepty]

For noise like that it's better to just move. Replacing all the windows with ones that have a high STC rating isn't cheap, and then you you are still deafened if you want to open a window or do something outside.

Re:What they do for airport noise...

[unimacs]

You don't cram more fiberglass into the walls. That will definitely not work. You use a material designed to be effective when densely packed. A two inch diameter hole is drilled in the space between each stud. The material is then blown in.

Turn the dog into an entertainment device

[Cidtek]

I've wondered what a yapping dog would sound like after giving it a whiff of helium.

Walls & insulation

[i.r.id10t]

My house has 2x6 exterior walls, with insulation in them. My interior walls are 2x4, but are also insulated. Outside noise is so reduced, when there is an accident on the super sharp corner we live on, we don't hear it - hte neighbors 100 yards further away do and they are the ones that call the cops/ambulance. We notice when we see the flashing lights outside...

Re:Walls & insulation

[i.r.id10t]

Ayup. The original owner of the house worked for the local power company, and hated the thought of paying his own salary in his power bill. AC at 75 in the middle of a Florida summer is a $150 electric bill...

He was also a fan of over building in general. House is from mid 80s and is over built even accordign to today's code for new construction. Hardly any noise, no concerns with strong storms (hurricanes, tropical storms, and just general bad weather), etc.

Re:Walls & insulation

[cerberusss]

We notice when we see the flashing lights outside...

Next up on Slashdot: "Cost Effective Way To Lightproof My Home"

Leo Kottke, Pepe Hush

[Sooner Boomer]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

Acoustimat

[__aasmho4525]

See http://www.maxxon.com/ I have used their Acoustimat product in the past to make my bedroom substantially quieter, and it worked fantastically. It's, unfortunately, somewhat expensive, but it is at least effective.

Re:Acoustimat

[Dahamma]

That sounds really useful for a multi-story building, but not really not so much for the submitter since the dog isn't in his basement :)

For a dog next door, double paned (or even better, laminated) windows and acoustic insulation/etc in the outer walls would probably be a much more effective first step.

That's great if you work during the day

[Anonymous Coward]

But what if you work nights and have to sleep during the day?

Re:That's great if you work during the day

[sudon't]

But what if you work nights and have to sleep during the day?

That's been my situation for many years. If sleeping is the problem, it's easily solved with earplugs. The OP is plagued during the day. He could use earplugs, but I suspect that's not what he wants. Ten to twenty decibels is a lot of sound-proofing, and that would cost some real money, (and you may never achieve that level of sound reduction).

OP:
You could go with heavy curtains on the side of the house where the noise originates. You'd be amazed how much sound the right curtains will absorb. Blackout curtains are a double set of curtains - attractive ones in the front, and opaque ones behind. You might look for something similar, as the double layer seems pretty effective at absorbing sound as well as light. Windows seem to act as passive radiators, so that would be a place to start.
If you want to deaden a room, you can try placing sound traps, (egg-crate foam, etc.), on various points of the wall, much as you would for recording, or for setting up a listening room. You can find sound analyzing software that'll work on a laptop, to try to figure out problem frequencies, (although it sounds like it's all high mids), and where the reflections are coming from. That'll help you set your traps. You can buy nice-looking traps from hifi dealers, but they add a couple zeros to the price of anything related to hifi. Better to make them, or have them made, if aesthetics are a consideration, (you did say you had a wife?).
Ultimately, you're going to have to learn to tune it out to some degree. You'll never be able to silence the outside world without tearing out your walls and bricking up the windows. People can get used to all sorts of distractions, so it's partially a psychological problem. Instead of tensing up when the dog starts yapping, learn to relax and, eventually, ignore it. That's the most cost-effective solution.

Re: That's great if you work during the day

[demonlapin]

Haha. When I was in college, there was a guy who was ex-Air Force on the GI Bill. His next-dorm-room-over neighbors kept him up for a few nights running with loud music late at night (after 11 pm) during the week. His solution was to turn on his stereo to max volume on Saturday morning at 5:00 AM with the speakers pushed up against the adjoining wall and play the opening scene of Top Gun... all weekend long. On repeat. With jet whine.

Re:That's great if you work during the day

[angel'o'sphere]

Even with very good ear plugs, you would still hear a loud barking dog.
Perhaps ear phones with noise cancelation would help?

Talk to the neighbor again

[kilodelta]

This time with the police or a dog catcher in tow.

Of course there are other ways you could fuck with them. Feed FiFi the dog some ex-lax. Explosive diarrhea will result. You could also experiment with narcoleptics and benzos too. Maybe even some Prozac for the pooch.

Re:Talk to the neighbor again

[gstoddart]

Of course there are other ways you could fuck with them. Feed FiFi the dog some ex-lax. Explosive diarrhea will result. You could also experiment with narcoleptics and benzos too. Maybe even some Prozac for the pooch.

All of which stands a pretty decent chance of you having the police show up at your door.

Pretty sure if you go around poisoning your neighbor's dog you'll find that is frowned upon.

Re:Talk to the neighbor again

[default luser]

Safer alternative:

http://www.petmd.com/dog/care/...

Dog Benadryl. Will make the dog sleepy with no other side effects. Just have to start small with the dosage, and up it slowly until it's right.

Just use it when the dog is being especially annoying.

Re:only one sollution to your problem

[KGIII]

I opened that link. That firearm is right straight retarded. I think I may order one when I get back home.

Good luck with that.

[Anonymous Coward]

Aside from the real estate market still being quite soft around the country, moving every time there's too much noise just isn't practical. It's expensive to move even with just getting help paid by pizza and beer.

And the thing is, no matter where you are, you have to deal with leaf blowers and other lawn equipment, motorcycles, people who insist on having car stereos that can be heard a mile away, people who have those loud pickup trucks and of course the dogs that were mentioned.

We live in a narcissistic obnoxious society that has no consideration for others.

Re:Good luck with that.

[Grishnakh]

And the thing is, no matter where you are, you have to deal with leaf blowers and other lawn equipment, motorcycles, people who insist on having car stereos that can be heard a mile away, people who have those loud pickup trucks and of course the dogs that were mentioned.

We live in a narcissistic obnoxious society that has no consideration for others.

Do you live in Phoenix by chance? This sounds exactly like my experience in Phoenix. What really fixed things was moving the hell out of the southwest, and to the northeast (north New Jersey to be precise). The local culture just doesn't have most of that crap (motorcycles, car stereos, loud pickup trucks, barking dogs) which was so prevalent all over the entire Phoenix metro area. They did occasionally have leaf blowers though, which is annoying, but not like all the other stuff because lawns only need to be tended so often. Also, many of the cities in NJ have strict noise ordinances. I'm living a little farther south now, but still don't have those problems here. Thanks for reminding me one big reason I left that city; I had kinda blocked all that out of my mind...

Re:Good luck with that.

[Hognoxious]

False dichotomy, excluded middle.

Take your pick, moron.

Re:Good luck with that.

[onepoint]

off topic note: a quick estimate to move about 300 to 600 miles or so is about 4.00 per square foot of living space. Used it a lot, and it's been real good as a rough safe guess.

Re:Good luck with that.

[DirtyAmish]

People don't train their dogs properly. If I can't walk down the sidewalk in front of your house without your dog having a stroke about it, something needs to be done. Yes, they are protecting their property, but they need to be taught the proper boundaries. ie. TRAINING And often when that happens to me, the person is there and either won't or can't shut them up. USUALLY because they don't use a commanding voice or one or two word commands. My mother does that crap with her dogs when they act up. It's always a different "sentence" as if they are children who will understand her. As far as checking a neighborhood thoroughly, someone on the left moved in with 3 dogs that he left in the yard all day. And then the neighbor on the second right got a big ass dog that barked as if he sounded he was in the room with me. And then once across the street. I was surrounded. There was all of a sudden dogs everywhere. Don't get me started on the a-holes honking their horn every morning at 6am getting their passenger/car pooling cuz why not just ring their phone when you're outside? No consideration. Or the a-holes who slam/close every door of their car everyday as if they are loading up for a vacation every morning. As was said, "narcissistic obnoxious society that has no consideration for others." People suck. Which is hard for me cuz I go out of my way without going "out of my way" to insure I'm not like that, but every 5 minute come across people who do the opposite. I am now back with my mother in a trailer. FINALLY a brother gets some restful sleep. Until this week. They removed the trailer behind me so now all the traffic on the corner here comes into my room due to no more "buffer". I also live near a police impound yard. Every other car has a muffler/exhaust issue. There are more trains going by (EVERY 15 or less by my calculations) 2 miles away probably for the holiday gift supply. And then I can't even have sex with my woman even though I TURN UP the TV/music, put soundproof on the door, the heater blowing, etc cuz it can be heard throughout the place. The list goes on and let me digress cuz I'm ranting. If you ask me, the only option is to get soundproof windows and fill the walls with insulation as well before you move in for ANY home/house. You can put soundproof ON the walls, but then you lose space. You're pretty much SOL if you live in a mobile home. PS - Don't be dicks and tell me to move out as at least one of you will probably do. She's sickly and I'm taking care of her.

Re:How to silence yappy dog

[kilodelta]

God damn if we aren't a bunch fo sick, devious fucks. I love it.

Did it to my house.

[headhot]

It's all about physical isolation, and mass.

1. Stagger your studs on shared walls. This will mean that the sound hitting his wall and your wall won't pass through the shared studs.
2. Sound isolating drywall. It's not that much more expensive than regular drywall. Its heavier and has a membrane sandwiched in between: http://www.quietrock.com/
3. Hat Channels and clips. The clips get screwed to the studs and the hat channel sits on the clips. The channel sits on the clips, and the drywall is screwed to the channel. This means sounds hitting the wall will not transfer to the studs (and vice versa)
http://www.soundproofingcompan...
4. Wrap your electrical boxes for outlets and switches with quiet putty, seal up and joits where air can move with acoustic sealant. Anyplace air can move, sound will leak through.
http://www.soundproofingcompan...
5. Fill the walls with insulation. The more mass you can cram in there, and the more airflow you can stop the better.. regular R-21 will work.
6. Double up your flooring. Put acoustic sealant between the layers. Get a mass loaded under rug foam pad.
http://www.soundproofingcompan...

I did this all to my TV room, cost about $600. I can crank it up in there, and it can't be heard in the rest of the house.. Its on the second floor above the kids room

Apartment or house?

[Psychofreak]

For an apartment you are somewhat limited. Wall hangings made of heavy fabric are helpful. You can add inexpensive moving blankets behind the decorative layer to aid in sound control.

For your own house added insulation is really effective. Insulate the exterior walls, blown in is pretty effective.

If you really need quiet ripping out the interior walls and putting in isolation walls with fiberglass or cotton batting will be much much more effective, both as insulation and soundproofing. You only need to treat the exterior wall although doing select interior walls will provide added privacy as well.

Replace your old windows with high quality high R value, multi pane windows properly installed.

Become friends with the dog and the neighbors. Yappy dogs yap less at people they know.

Phil

Carpet

[pcjunky]

When I worked at the AV dept at our local community college back in 1979 the resident engineer sound proofed a recording room by glueing shag carpet to the walls. I was surprisingly effective.

Back to the question...

[rbrander]

...about soundproofing, not poisoning dogs, I believe it was.

Nobody's mentioned that soundproofing and heatproofing are largely the same thing. If your walls are well-insulated, your primary entrance for sound is through the windows. The questioner didn't mention his climate, but if he doesn't have double-pane glass, that's your major problem there. And you're probably cheaper to go to triple-pane or just two sets of double-pane before you start coating all the rest of the walls with another layer of acoustic panels or some such.
Then there's doors. Make sure you have heavy doors, well-insulated.

Move

[silas_moeckel]

To an actually nice neighborhood where the setbacks and minimum building lots are sufficient.

Anti Barking electronics work.

From the sounds of your area do you have a HOA to abuse and thus abuse him, those fun things like 3 people show up to elections so get 2 neighbors and vote yourself in.

Check the laws abuse him with those, if you can't abuse him while staying within the laws. I suggest ICP blasting as max legal decibels as early/late as possible. Put a sign on speakers that it's dog barking abatement. Another good one is enough security lights to make sure it's daylight coming through his windows sporadically 24/7 you obviously live far to close to your neighbors thus making thus effective.

Fake it get a lawyer to threaten to sue for the lose of use/value of your home, the cost of soundproofing etc etc. I am not saying it will stick just that many view the threat very seriously.

Do not use a gun were a nation of insane anti gun laws, often crossbows and other non firearms are just as effective and remember in many places an animal in your yard is fair game to kill check with a lawyer first obviously.

If you can get away with it kidnap the dog bring it to a distant no kill shelter after checking and removing any microchips. Probably a better life that living with these tools.

Realize that in everything but moving your going to have to deal with a pissed of neighbor for at least awhile. Suggest a good full coverage CCTV spread to capture any repercussions. I do firmly suggest moving to someplace that has reasonable zoning not these built on top of each other to make the developer happy places.

Re:Move

[Shados]

Moving doesn't help. In cities you have to deal with idiots who think throwing a party at 1am is okay, and dogs barking because owners forgot they let them outside, or cars who think its fun to come on our private street and stay there for half an hour with their engine running 2 feet from my walls...

In the burbs you have little kids screaming outside as loud as possible with everyone thinking its so cute.

You can be in the middle of literally nowhere, unfortunately I'd need to change industry altogether to be able to live that way...

There's the option to just live in a condo with crazy soundproofing in a penthouse so there's no one above, and on a floor high enough that people below are no longer a problem...it's what I did in the end, but that seriously sucks for people who can't afford it (which is obviously the vast majority).

People just need to fucking learn how to control themselves. I remember in my last apartment, which also had some of the craziest soundproofing Ive ever seen...the neighbors kids would be so loud I could barely sleep after 5 am. I originally thought the soundproofing actually sucked. That is, until I had my door partly open once and my wife tried to call out to me from the hallway, talking pretty loud (louder than she should have in the shared hallway...), and I could not hear her AT ALL.

Realized those stupid kids were screaming louder, day in day out, than I am physically able to scream myself. And their parents thought that was cute (masochists...)

Re:Move

[silas_moeckel]

As stated move someplace with sensible setbacks like 150 feet and reasonable multi acre min building lots. The only neighbor sounds I can hear inside is recess/sports at the elementary school next door and that's only on the one side of the house. Personally I enjoy the sounds of recess. Were I not work from home that would only be sat mornings for part of the year.

Re:Move

[dbIII]

often crossbows and other non firearms are just as effective and remember in many places an animal in your yard is fair game to kill check with a lawyer first obviously

I know it's fashionable to pretend to be a big strong libertarian man on this site despite being a worse shot than my sister was at nine years old, but how fucking sociopathic can you get? Treat the dog noise like construction site noise or a baby crying. Most dogs don't bark much without a good reason when they've grown up a bit. It's not worth starting a feud that can escalate instead of wearing earplugs every now and again for a few months or running an electric fan next to your bed at night.

Re:Move

[jafiwam]

Most dogs don't bark much without a good reason when they've grown up a bit. It's not worth starting a feud that can escalate instead of wearing earplugs every now and again for a few months or running an electric fan next to your bed at night.

Absolute unmitigated bullshit.

You know goddamn nothing about dogs, or are a very stupid and irresponsible dog owner.

Dogs, a large percentage of them, bark for lots of reasons including none. There _was_ a squirrel up that bush last year, "barkbarkbark", the wind is blowing "barkbarkbark".

Re:Move

[dbIII]

Babies also cry for a lot of reasons including none. It appears you missed that bit before rushing in to the defence of the guy writing about killing off neighbours dogs because of a bit of noise.

Get a dog silencer

[140Mandak262Jamuna]

There is a device that detects barking of dogs and sends a high pitched sound beam only dogs can hear towards them. The dogs hear a screeching sound. They very quickly learn not to bark.

Re:Get a dog silencer

[Anonymous Coward]

My initial use of a battery powered (four D cells) dog silencer had limited success despite placement beneath an eve within 20-30 feet from a neighboring large attack dog in a neighborhood with small lots and small tightly spaced homes. Later I tried a high powered a dog silencer powered by a 110V outlet under my back patio in a neighborhood with 1/2 acre lots and it worked instant wonders on two large loud dogs nearly 100' away.

Know Yourself

[bill_mcgonigle]

If these kinds of things bother you, the next neighbor will just as much as the current one.

I can't stand that kind of living (grew up that way). The other morning my big noise complaint was a moose bugling from across my field, but that's pretty rare. Once in a while a helicopter goes over or a logging truck rolls by, but compared with barking dogs and hourly sirens, there's no contest.

First be happy, then get rich.

Dual pane windows help

[mrflash818]

I replaced the single pane windows in my old house with double-pane, and they do help reduce noise from outside, when they are closed.

Adding wall insulation, usually blown in, should help, too.

The least expensive solution is to wear foam ear plugs, however.
          30db quieter, on average.

Don't hurt the dog

[CanadianMacFan]

It's not the fault of the dog. It can't express it's desires in any other way. The owner hasn't trained it properly so it is just doing what it's natural instincts are telling it to do. To poison the dog is completely unfair to the dog as it hasn't done anything wrong. The fault is entirely with the owner. If they trained the dog properly and paid attention to the dog then it wouldn't be making a whole lot of noise to annoy the neighbourhood.

Re:Don't hurt the dog

[chipschap]

Harming the dog in any way (unless the dog actually attacks you) is neither the answer nor is it right. I once heard an experienced trainer say "We train the owners as much as the dog."

Re:Seriously...

[kimvette]

Fuck city dwellers who move to rural areas and then complain about livestock and pets.

How much do you want to spend?

[aitikin]

Because soundproofing is not a simple process, it's construction. It may be cheaper to hire a lawyer than to improve the soundproofing of your house. Acoustics 101 is a good resource despite late 90s appearance (full disclosure, Auralex is the company that makes the site, I sell Auralex products as well as other manufacturers products). The cheapest way to improve your soundproofing is to use something like their SheetBlok, but a 4'x30' strip runs over $400 and it's really meant to be put in between layers of walls, ceilings, and floors. It only does about 6 dB of isolation, but, when you remember that decibels are a logarithmic measurement, 6 dB is cutting about half, 12 dB is cutting to a quarter, etc. If you're looking for cheap, quick, and dirty, put up SheetBlok on the interior wall (glossy side to the room) and paint it. It'll look okay at best, but it should give you some decent benefit sonically.

New York Times Article

[charles05663]

I read a NYT's article about this last night. Seems very timely: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12... A few years ago I soundproofed the area around my furnace and this article sums up what I found nicely.

Hedge

[students]

Leyland cypress is fast growing, dense, and looks interesting.

Insulation or Indoor/Outdoor Carpet

[BrendaEM]

Indoor/Outdoor carpet is fairly cheap, and deadens sound pretty well because it has both fuzzy stuff to deaden high frequencies, and also a rubber backing to deaden low frequencies, as in suspended lossy mass.

Best soundproofing?

[AutodidactLabrat]

Get your walls filled / covered in air-crete magnesium oxide foam.

Re:Moving

[Anonymous Coward]

What has worked for you?

THE 2nd AMENDMENT.

(sorry, I had to do it)

Re:Seriously...

[DNS-and-BIND]

Being annoyed as fuck about a neighbor's dog that won't shut up doesn't mean there's anything wrong with your life - it means you can't even get any peace and quiet in your own home. On the annoyance scale it's right up there with the jackhammer but below a baby crying. Talking to the neighbor isn't going to make him play with his bored dog.

Adding noise

[eis2718bob]

Reducing the sound transmission is good, of course, but usually difficult and expensive. Adding more absorption inside the space is always good, will gain you a few more dB, and improve the environment for listening.

But the best and cheapest method is to add noise.

How can adding noise improve the situation? There's already too much noise! This has to do with the nature of hearing and attention - the so-called invisibility of the familiar. Ever notice that when the AC or a fan turns off you suddenly notice it, while you didn't notice the sound before? That's because the mind will tune out and ignore meaningless background.

If you can add enough white/pink noise to mask the offending noise then your attention will not be distracted by it, and eventually all of the sound will fall beneath your attention. This is the usual treatment for tinnitus, ringing in the ears, and many sufferers can gain substantial relief by it.

A quick way to try it out is with your home stereo. On FM mode, tune between stations (and turn off muting). This will provide very nice white noise with adjustable volume. Give it a couple of hours at least. There are inexpensive white noise generators available.

A little classier is falling water, such as an inside fountain. This is more towards lower frequencies (pink noise), but the particular random nature of the sound is very calming for most people.

Re:Seriously...

[Aighearach]

Fuck city dwellers who move to rural areas and then complain about livestock and pets.

Fuck country bumpkins who move to the city and have feral animals as "pets" that bark nonstop because they didn't go to doggy-preschool and now it is Lord of the Flies.

Just because those city-slickers don't look so tough, don't think they're powerless to deal with these sorts of problems. They may have a lot more process backing them up than you imagine.

Re:only one sollution to your problem

[Grishnakh]

WTF is that thing? Is that a bullpup shotgun with two barrels? How'd they even get the barrels long enough (I think the minimum shotgun barrel length is 16" for it not to be a "sawed off" shotgun which is highly illegal without some special license)? And does it fire both barrels or alternate? Wacky. I've never heard of the manufacturer either, which seems worrisome.

Ultrasonic Dog Zapper

[Anonymous Coward]

Get one of the dog repelling ultrasonic whistles. It will make the dog run to the far side of your neighbor's property.

NYT article posted today about this exact topic

[THE_WELL_HUNG_OYSTER]

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12...

Step 1 fix your holes.

[Lumpy]

do not even bother with wall soundproofing until you replace all your windows with triple pane and seal up every single air leak. adding a storm window to the outside of the triple pane will also help as each air gap will significantly reduce the sound levels transmitted into the home. after you do all that, THEN have the wall insulation replaced or actually added. Most homes in america have little to no wall insulation as most homes are older than 1950 when heating costs were cheaper than insulating.

now fix all your doors, bet you that every single one of them has crap seals that all need replacing. Door seals need to be replaced every 4-5 years, 99% of all homeowners do not do this. if your doors are really old wood panels replace the whole door and door jam with a modern steel/fiberglass wood core door with at least a double pane window in it.

A typical home, expect to spend about $10,000 to bring the windows and doors up to at least current and dramatically reduce the noise incursion.

 

Re: Moving

[Anonymous Coward]

Get a weatherproof high pitch remote dog trainer for like $100. Place it as close to his home as possible. When they bark then use it. I have don't this multiple apartments and the owner doesn't even know you're training the dog. Don't waste your money on sound proofing unless you love next to a busy street. You will never get that money back when moving in the future.

Easiest way

[tgrigsby]

You guys are so funny with your various poisons, sound proofing techniques, intimidation and legal maneuvering. All you need is peanut butter. I guarantee that dog will be gumming a golf-ball sized ball of peanut butter for at least 15 minutes straight, and once it's done getting all the peanut butter out of its mouth, it will be too tired to bark. Works every time.

Re:Easiest way

[RyoShin]

While that is a unique and highly interesting solution, assuming it works I would expect it to also train the dog that barking=peanut butter, so this won't stop it barking in the early dawn or middle of the night. Doubly-so if the dog is barking due to neglect from the owner, including a lack of food, so the barking is due to hunger.

Re:Lawyer up

[Thor Ablestar]

I can almost guarantee that if you pay a lawyer to write up a nasty cease and desist order (even if it's kind of BS) than any noise YOU produce will be met with paying a lawyer that would write up a nasty cease and desist order to YOU. Especially if you live in USA. Please understand that if the dog lives there it performs the security function that is necessary for your neighbor, and that it's more expensive for him to move or hire a security than to countersue.

Oh boy, slashdot sure has changed...

[tanveer1979]

Not so long ago, this thread would have been full of technical solutions, but now mostly its like, call cops, look before you rent... blah blah

For your windows, you have to get double glass windows for soundproofing. For the walls get Acoustic foam. Something like this
http://www.foambymail.com/ACS-...
or this
http://www.foambymail.com/NE/n...

Not too expensive, and will take care of the noise.
That said, if you are in a concrete building, the sound comes in through doors and windows.

If you fix your doors and windows, the sound should lessen. If you have thin walls, in that case foam will work well.

natural versus man-made noise

[yes-but-no]

I think you may be able to train yourself to ignore or not let the dog barking affect you. The more serious kind of noise is loud/high-bass music.. this I think it's hard for humans to ignore. It goes right thru' the walls for long distances and feels like earth-quake like vibrations. Any natural noise, if you just don't resist it and let it sink into you..you will soon get used to it and not be bothered. That it, it is your resistance [and all the anger emotions associated with that neighbor] is irritating you.. or your idea that someone is responsible for your upset mood [after all most of us are looking for some excuse to pounce on someone]

Re:Seriously...

[BronsCon]

It's one thing for a dog to bark a couple of times (because the owner is not neglectful of the animal and responds to the barking); that's fine, whatever, dogs bark when something is wrong or when they perceive that some thing is wrong. If a dog barks for more than a minute or so and the owner hasn't responded, that's a neglectful owner and they need to, as you say, fuck off. Right off, in fact.

Easiest way is extra sheetrock.

[Maxo-Texas]

Noise is absorbed and blocked by solid material.
This is what you need to stop sound.

Noise is diffused by soft material.
This is what you need to cut down on echos within a space.

The cheapest way to block sound is an extra layer of sheet rock especially decoupled with "Green Glue".

For more cash ...

These are: Celotex SoundStop (a sound-proofing fiberboard), QuietRock by Serious Materials, and Soundproofing Mass Loaded Vinyl, manufactured by Super Soundproofing Co.

Also Mineral Wool ("e.g., Roxul or Thermafiber), and cellulose fibre are good for low frequency sound.

Use foam / caulk to make sure there are no air gaps for sound to sneak thru.

If it's a single wall... you can put up book cases with a quilt hanging on the back.

Double drywall is about a 10% benefit. Double drywall with green glue is about a 90% benefit.

Adding insulation to the wall space will get some more silence.

Engineering quiet spaces

[hydrodog]

New York Times just had an article on engineers who make apartments quiet. They also had pictures of a lot of different types of materials http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12...

.22LR

[Macdude]

A .22LR will do the trick, or if it's a particularly large dog a .38.

Effects of Noise Pollution?

[Jack Griffin]

From TFS "the mental stress of noise becomes a serious issue."
It seems to be an overlooked part of city life, but I believe noise is a major contributor to general stress and fatigue. And not just noticeable noise like dogs barking or loud music, but the background noises you forget about until it's switched off.
Have you ever worked in an office building when the aircon goes off and all of a sudden there's an eerie silence? That buzz is in your ear 8 hours a day, but you don't notice it. Background traffic noise is the same.
There are billions of people subjected to unnatural background noise every waking hour that is constantly attacking the senses. Surely that is having an effect?
It struck me when one time I was flying business class and got a pair of noise cancelling headphones. After a 10 hour flight, for the first time in my life I got off the plane feeling normal. Could it have been the constant droning of engines that destroys your well-being on long haul flights?
After that flight I bough the best noise cancelling headphones I could find (Bose QC3) and never looked back. On the bus to work I wear them, even without music, and at home, I live in a quiet suburb, when I put them on there is still a noticeable drop in background noise. I just did a 24 hour flight around the world and back and actually got off the plane feeling reasonably human. Even with the jet lag I could deal with because the constant overpowering noise wasn't there destroying my soul. I can only imagine what effect it will have on humanity when noise pollution is treated the same as every other type of pollution.
I thoroughly recommend a good pair of NC headphones for anyone wanting to improve their life.

Simple fix

[Anonymous Coward]

Shoot the damned dog. Done!

Foam Board

[JimSadler]

Go to Home depot and buy enough foam board to coat the interior of rooms that you need to be quiet. You'll need to cover windows, walls, floors and ceilings as well as doors. You will be creating a dark cave. Plants on the exterior will help, but you'll need an awful lot of plants, and in winter, they may not be very effective with leaves falling in autumn.

Sound block for a fence?

[gte275e]

I'd like to piggyback on this discussion.

I have a house that is near a pretty busy intersection. The fence needs to be replaced in the next year or two and when I do, I want to do something to reduce the traffic noise. The house has a great backyard except for the traffic noise. The inside of the house is fine with plenty of insulation and triple pane windows.

I can think of one of two solutions.

1) Double layered wooden fence with something such as http://www.acoustiblok.com/aco... in the middle
2) Brick, masonry, or concrete fence

The good thing is that the zoning laws say that I can put up an 8' tall fence without a permit.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? What did you do?

was readily apparent last time I checked

[Chirs]

I auditioned a half-dozen different speakers for a sound-reinforcement system in a church. The Bose speakers sounded okay, but didn't sound like the person that was speaking. Some of the other brands (Meyer and EAW) sounded just like the person speaking, only louder.

My vote is for something else

[Krishnoid]

Obligatory xkcds.

homasote 440

[jeremycobert]

A cheap easy way for me was to remove the old drywall on walls that faced the road. It comes in standard sizes and goes in between your studs and then a thin layer of drywall. My local Menards carries the product and its not insanely priced. http://www.homasote.com/produc...

Re:only one sollution to your problem

[Grishnakh]

I actually knew a guy with a legal sawed-off. He was ex-Army aviation, and his justification to the ATF

Yeah, you can get any kind of gun really (full-auto, etc.), but that's the catch: the guns are hard to find and therefore expensive, and you have to pay a special tax and file papers with the ATF and get a background check (beyond the regular one, I believe). It's not that easy and it's very very expensive. And I'm not sure about sawed-offs, but with machine guns/full-auto/select-fire, you aren't allowed to buy anything new, but only stuff manufactured before some date (in the 80s), so you only have access to grandfathered stuff. So of course the supply is limited, driving the prices through the roof.

Exterior rockwool

[cgleba]

We did 6" of exterior rockwool, triple pane windows with storms. GREATly reduces outside noise.

http://www.greenbuildingadviso...

It is not cost-effective immediately, however adding that much insulation on the house has about a 15-year payback on heating an cooling costs so it is cost-effective in the long run. Rockwool makes the house fireproof too.

Say No to "Sound Proof" Windows

[StormReaver]

As someone who spent the thousand dollars on one of these supposedly sound proof windows from the site linked in the article (just referring to them in a text post makes me feel dirty, so I refuse to type the URL), my whole hearted recommendation is to stay as far away from them as possible.

The window is very cheaply made (it looks and feels like a $25 vinyl window), and most likely won't do a damned thing for your sound problem, anyway.

The company sent a saleperson to take measurements, but then left me to my own devices for installation. After the window was delivered, they wanted to charge me extra to have someone install it. If you're comfortable doing this type of work on your house, then this part won't bother you so much. But for me, it was quite the blood pressure riser. After seeing the amazingly bad product I received, and knowing that a refund was not going to happen (which was my own fault for being so enamored by the promises that I shut down the common sense processing in my brain) unless I took them to court, I just cut my losses and bought a wood window from Pella for another thousand dollars. But this price included professional installation. The noise reduction in the room was very noticeable after the installation was complete.

Replacement windows can make a significant difference, but you're probably a lot better off buying a standard wooden frame window from a reputable company like Pella (or Lowes, which did a wonderful job on my other window) than falling for the sales promises made by this company.

The technical solution

[MrKaos]

There is an effective, low cost technical solution to this issue. First some context. I had neigbours with *two* loud dogs that would bark all night and wake me up when I was falling back to sleep. It was becoming a problem because their barking went through the night and they slept during the day. The police had asked them to keep the dogs quiet however they didn't have the power to enforce it.

Having been in the situation before with unreasonable reactions from neighbours I was reticent to create conflict by directly confronting them so I also tried just throwing the dogs bones to chew. I was becoming so fatigued and exhausted from the barking that I got to the point of nearly having car accidents from driver fatigue so I was desperate for a solution.

The answer came in the form of a high frequency sine wave oscillator with a frequency randomly varying between 19khz and 23khz, two 8 ohm high frequency drivers and 70watt rms amplifier. I also distorted the source signal randomly. The signal was above human hearing but well within dog hearing. When the dogs were barking I applied the signal until they were quiet and then shut it off to train them to relate the sound to annoying barking.

It was extremely effective, silencing not only my neighbours dogs but a lot of other noisy dogs on the street. Ironically it also helped with security as the dogs would only bark if something was *really* going on, which usually meant people lingering outside for whatever reason. We'd had some car break ins before, so the dogs actually became good security guards again. I didn't use the device in those circumstances.

Fortunately, the dogs learned very quickly and I didn't need to use it very often and no one, except me, knew when it was operating so it also avoided confrontations with neighbours.

Re:only one sollution to your problem

[jafiwam]

WTF is that thing? Is that a bullpup shotgun with two barrels? How'd they even get the barrels long enough (I think the minimum shotgun barrel length is 16" for it not to be a "sawed off" shotgun which is highly illegal without some special license)? And does it fire both barrels or alternate? Wacky. I've never heard of the manufacturer either, which seems worrisome.

The DP-12 meets minimum length standards (even without the breecher chokes installed.)

Pumping loads both barrels from separate and non-cross-over tube magazines. (Ejection comes down under the stock.)

Pulling the trigger fires one barrel, pulling the trigger again fires the other barrel.

It's perfectly legal federally, but might have issues in various states. (Check your state laws, but generally if you are in a repressive / fascist state, you already know.)

The main drawback of the firearm is it's cost, 1400 to 2000 bucks. Also, as with all bull-pup firearms, extra care in handling is needed so you do not blow your own foot / hand off. Noobs should use regular length firearms, not stuff like this.

Hawaiian Style

[cmholm]

Maui County doesn't have any non-automotive noise ordinances, and homes more than 15 years old aren't likely to be insulated. When I was about to move into the neighborhood, I sampled a few Friday and Saturday nights and found the noise level to be commendably low. But, neighbors move, or change their game, so all the research in the world doesn't guarantee long term quiet.

When the neighbor to one side rescued four dogs too many and penned them in the side yard facing our master bed, and the neighbor on the other let her ex-bf set up his drum kit in her garage, but meters from our living room and kitchen, it got a bit sporty. I had a lot of nice talks with the dog lady, and repeatedly called the cops over the drumming. In the end, the solution was six foot high lava rock walls, which provided the added benefit of a modicum of additional privacy.

We also utilized local lore and hung a mirror on the outside wall of the house facing the ex-meth head drummer in the garage, the idea being that his bullshit reflects back on him. He may not have known it was a karmic f-u, but we did, which was good enough.

My neighbor has a dog

[cyberspittle]

Yep, I have a neighbor who has a cute little beagle. He will leave it outside and leave. The dog barks (cries) non-stop until he returns. Dogs are social animals. What did I do? I first got heavy curtains and such and increased planting. This will muffle the sound, but you will end up using ear protection when awake (just like the type that people use at the hunting range. If you own your house, buy some Plexiglas, the thicker the better (Plexiglas is acrylic). You can make your own window inserts to put inside of your windows. Neighbors don't know you have them. There is a you tube video of this guy in a high rise in Canada. Check it out.

Bark breaker

[geohump]

Buy an outside bark breaker from Petsafe of some other source.

These devices detect barking and emit ultrasonic pulses that train the dog to not bark.

here's one that looks like a birdhouse:

http://www.guardianpet.net/getdoc/7efcd598-8acf-4b2d-8dd5-7cd1395f1a38/Outdoor-Bark-Control.aspx

Replace the 9volt battery with a wall wart.

Loudspeakers

[NewYork]

Generate MORE sound with https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wik...

How about a new amendment to the Constitution:

[martinfb]

New law: Thou shalt not interfere with thy neighbors rights and freedoms, whether you are an ignoramous or not!

Re: Moving

[MercTech]

Before there were bark collars; there was alum.
Season a bit of meat with alum. When the dog barks; five him the treat.

Watching a dog make barking motions with no sound coming out and just realizing it is hilarious.

Very old training method to teach hunting dogs not to bark just to hear themselves make noise.