Complaint from neighbour about barking

Yesterday we went to a BBQ and left obes at home as there were going to be a lot of people there. we were out for about 5 hours which isnt unusual as I work. when we came back the neighbours said obi had been barking an whining whilst we were away. This is very unusual and he has never done it in the year that we have had him apart from the first couple of weeks after we got him, in fact he is usually very quiet and we have never had any complaint and in fact they usually comment on his quietness. Do you feel this could be a one off or the start of a problem? We left him as normal with his kong, he had been walked and seemed perfectly normal when we came in, we took him straight out and he wasnt desperate for the toilet or anything.

Im just a bit concerned as the neighbours were narky about it which if it went on all afternoon I can understand but as its not a regular problem the way they said it reaslly upset me

Just hope he has been good today!

I know you wont be able to give an answer but thoughts would be appreciated

Are you sure it's the first time he's done it?, are they usually out when you have to leave him?, I'm sorry I have no answers for you, but I know how upsetting this is for you, but I think they could have been a little bit nicer about it, the fact that they were so narked would sugest to me it's not the first time Obes has done it! sorry not much help am I, but ((hugs)) anyway
Christine

Could something in the garden or outside have upset him and caused him to bark? My lab always guards (whether we are in or not) and if someone or something is in the garden or messing about outside our house on our property, he will bark his head off until they leave.
At certain times of the year we get rudely awoken by Murf barking his mental 'intruder alert' bark in the early hours of the morning. Only to find that it is our friendly neighbourhood hedgehog visiting our garden again. I am sure he stands outside the conservatory window and makes faces at poor murphy!! Thankfully its only for a week or so in spring and late summer.
Sorry i waffle on. Could it be something like that which upset him? Perhaps a cat sat outside on the window ledge or something?

we got a letter from the local council last year, a complaint had been made about the dogs barking. i phoned them up and explained that they only bark when another dog passes our gate, or if someone is hanging around the gate. the bloke was very nice about it, and said " thats what dogs are for, it's acceptable for dogs to bark occasionally, but not all day long, hour after hour !! phone your council and ask if complaints have been made, if they have, give your side of the story.

Thanks for your replies! I dont think he usually does as they usually comment on how quiet he is even when they in and out the yard. They both really like him and the lady talks to him out of her window if he's in the yard! They are always in all day everyday as they are both getting on a bit and they are the type to complain readily and mentioned it a few times when we first got him a year ago and they regularlly reported that they heard nothing. They've not been around today to say anything today and I really think they would have been if there was an issue or i would hope they would have been. I was thinking and hoping that something must just have set him off outside the house as there are a few wild kids around here who regularlly cause trouble. Thanks again everyone

I've said this before and I'll keep on saying it: the best way I've found to diffuse these things before they get really serious is to involve the neighbour.

Even if you have no intention of doing a thing, just speak to them, and ask them to keep you informed of any barking to help you find the common factor.

I think people like to feel that they are being listened to, something is being done, and that their complaints can be put across without it being a major issue.

It's when there is no outlet that things get ugly.

Thanks again for your replies. I went around last night after coming off here and asked if all had been well through the day and they said they hadnt heard a peep. I asked them to let me know that if it happened again and explained I really needed to know so that I could try and identify triggers to the barking. They said they would keep me updated and let me know if it happens again

Great. And now you've also managed to help cover yourself in case of an official compliant. Make sure that you keep a note of the date and time you visited so that should it ever get to the point where they complain to an official, you can at least state that you went to talk to them about it on {date} and {time}, asking for them to inform you so that you could look at the issue.

Though, in my experience, once people feel they can speak up, it rarely goes further.

Could you have a clever dog, Had one bitch & when I went to work every Monday to Friday all day whether my parents were at home or not there was no sound from her, but if I wnt out at a weekend without her except to church on a Sunday she would bark & whine whoever else was at home. I tried dressing as if I was going to work, following my prework routine & going out at the same time but I never managed to fool her.