Nasty Neighbor!

Well, you could drop her dog off at the local shelter next time you find it out wandering, but that probably won't help the situation.
Did you let your neighbor know that you are working on the issue with your dog? That sometimes helps. If you did, and she's still nasty, then yeah, it's probably best to just ignore her.

Sounds like she is just a person that likes to complain.  I would just ignore her. Or Just Kill her with kindness..... If she  can tell you are getting annoyed with her complaing she might like it and just keep it up.. Or turn it around on her. And   start complaing  about her dogs.... []

It's such a drag when neighbors are from the 'shallow end of the gene pool'.  How does this *alleged* woman have access to you to complain about your dog?  Does she come over? Call? Leave a note?  If she is calling or comming over, I would be screening her out.  Don't answer the door or phone (get a phone w/ caller i.d.) so you don't have anymore face to face contact if that is how she contacts you.  Also, address the barking situation.  Take measures to train out the barking, and/or respond to the barking very fast.  Don't let it go five mins....bring the dog in pronto.  You are lucky she is complaining to you instead of the police but still she is a pain.   *sigh* somewhere out there, a perfectly good village is missing it's idiot.  Hhmm maybe there is a reward out there for her safe return heheheheh   Good luck..Jules

I would let her know that you are working on the problem, and then work with her.  Maybe a citronella collar until you get it resolved?  I will admitt that 5 straight minutes of barking would probably get on my nerves (Sally is a pretty quiet dog-she barks MAYBE once or twice a week), although I wouldn't complain about it.

Also, check you local laws.  Some towns don't have laws against barking until after a certain time, so if she continues being nasty you can tell her that you are not breaking any laws.

See, I understand the barking is annoying, that is why we make sure it doesn't happen before 10 in the morning, and she doesn't bark when it's dark(sillydog) but it's not constant barking, the wind will blow a leaf and she will bark a few times, then stop and something else will catch her eye. I don't want to leave her out less then 5 minutes as she has to take about 5 or 6 laps around the yard before she will do her business. And the most annoying part about this is, like I said her dogs are out 24/7 regardless of the weather they bark also anytime my dog goes near the fence the 3 of them bark, growl and jump up the fence when at this time by dog has suddenly become mute. But she says my dog does all the barking??? Hers bark at night to be let in when it's cold, pouring rain..
 
I don't get it at all, I won't complain to animal control as dogs bark and as annoying as it is, I am not going to open that can of worms!
 
Anytime she sees me she says hi, and then goes on about my dog barking all the time, (which really isn't the case) and how I shouldn't leave her out there barking (which I don't). She is a "know it all" type and has to add her opinon on everything, she thinks her "opinon" is fact!
 
Well, I might try the citronella collar, how does that work? I don't want to stop by dog from barking at all, but I do want to try a limit the barking sessions.
 
Thanks
Kristie

I have almost exactly the same problem - only reversed.  My neighbour has 3 dogs that they will leave out, not all the time - but a lot.  *sigh*   They will stand at the back fence and bark and bark.  I can only entertain mine for so long with fetch or chase before they get sucked into the barking and then have to go inside.
 
I put up tarps on my side of the chain link to block the view and I reward mine for coming away from the fence - but it's still hard since I can never leave my dogs out unless I'm standing right there.  I can't even garden on the other side of my lot because their dogs will start and then mine join in.  (Mine only bark when their dogs are barking - not when there's people in the yard, etc.)  Their dogs bark at anyone near the fence - my next door neighbour has yelled at them for barking at her and her daughter. *rolling eyes* 
 
Their kids have actually barked and snarled through the fence to get mine going.  *arrrggghhhh*  [:@]
 
Our by-law does not tolerate nuisance barking at any time - however I'm reluctant to complain because I have a dobie and we live in a dog-scared town and I'm sure that mine would suddenly become vicious.... [8|]
 
Good luck - it's hard.  As my husband says everytime they are annoying us ... our next house will be out in the country with no neighbours!

 I live in the country and Sara barks at everything as well. We share a drive way with the landlord, who we get along great with. Sara will bark as soon as anyone pulls in the driveway. She will bark at the barn cats drinking from my pond. She will bark at bee's and birds. I know its annoying, because it drives me nutts. But I am very lucky that it doesn't bother them, they have been very good about it. Sara stays outside when I go out for a bit, because she loves to outside, and she will run and bark if I leave her inside. The neighbors say she barks if someone comes to the house but thats it. So it seams she only barks when I am around. I'm lucky they don't tell me to get rid of the dog.  BUT they will complain about the dogs across the road that bark all night long. And they howl so loud it sounds like a pig.
 
A few months ago someone called the police and the police called my house at 7 am to say a neighbor complained that my dog was barking for over an hour. For one Sara wasn't even outside, and for two (the police said) there is nothing you can do about it when you live in the counrty. But they had to call and tell me because someone called them.

My dog barks all the time. We are literally surrounded by dogs. The house in fron of ours on the other lane has two dogs, our neighbors also have two dogs, one which is a real barker (she even barks at me even though she knows me as I come over a lot) and our other neighbor has a dog. All it takes is for one dog to bark and it is a chain reaction. I used to ignore it, until I got my own dog. ( it has been going on for years). And the problem is that dogs will bark at anything, which sets off other dogs which sets of other dogs etc. It is a never ending.

MaggieandSkylar, don't get me wrong; I do agree with you.  This isn't about her being right and you being wrong.  She is a lonely busybody/know-it-all.  I would limit my interactions with her sharply and try to limit my pup's barking as much as possible (try the collar) and go from there.  I'm the type I have to bite my tongue off b/c I would have had a smartmouth comment to her and made things worse, not better.  Her going on and on about *my* dog barking 24/7 would get my goat, I would have said something like "Yeah, my pup barks almost as much as *YOUR* dog, how do stand it?"  She sounds bored, and needs a hobby somewhere in Nigeria.  The best of luck to you, I know it stinx![:@]    Jules

I agree with you Jules. If I were there, I would talk to her neighbor and definitely hurt her feelings. But the best method is to limit interaction.
 
The next time the neighbor's dog gets out, take it to the shelter. She has already proven she cannot properly care for a pup. Better yet, find a rescue group.
 

I have to say that if she's complaining about your dog and what you say is true, that her dogs are out 24/7 and bark more than your dog, I would say something back to her.  Not sure what, but I wouldn't put a bark collar on my dog if it's not the problem and it doesn't sound like Sally is.  Next time she says something, you could say something along the lines of yeah, I know she barks but it seems like it's only when your dogs are barking/snarling at her. 

Or you could put up a wood fence on your side between you and her.

Had the same problem with my neighbor a few weeks ago.  Said my dog was howling all day.  Turns out he sometimes howls and bark just around the time that we get home from work.  I hate people like that because they make life just that much more harder.