I live in an older (1920's) apartment with hardwood floors. My 2 1/2 year old corg has been getting me into trouble with my downstairs neighbor (who also has a dog) because he wants to frap around on occasion, like any normal corgi would. I don't allow him to run around inside, but sometimes he'll start, and it takes me a minute before I can get to him to calm him down, and by that time my neighbor is pounding on their ceiling! This is during non-quiet hours. We have rugs on the floors to help with the noise. He gets enough exercise outside the apartment. I'm at my wits end. Anyone else had this issue? I'm halfway through a year lease - any ideas as to how to make the rest of the year more bearable for us all? 

Also, from a legal standpoint, this wouldn't be considered excessive noise for an apartment that allows dogs, would it? I'm not sure whether I should continue trying to keep things quiet for my neighbor and work things out that way, or just tell my landlord what's happening. We've never had a noise complaint before, so this is stressing me out. Any advice from someone who has been in a similar situation would be greatly appreciated!

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Just a guess, but a tenant that cannot handle occasional everyday life noises probably has a very low frustration tolerance that shows up in many ways. I have had neighbors like that and I did a couple of things that helped with my stress level. I sent a nice note to the neighbor apologizing for the unavoidable, occasional disruption, and what I was doing to minimize it. I saved a copy of the letter for myself and sent it to the landlord without complaining about the other tenant, as you have done here, so it shows you are not doing anything to aggravate the situation. You sound very reasonable and considerate to me. I am sure the landlord appreciates that. My guess is he/she has heard his share of complaints of many types from this tenant and others. The last man that complained about me was complaining about my constant coughing due to asthma. He was offered another unit in the same building but this guy thought I should move.

The landlord was very professional so he never complained about the other guy, but he made sure to let me know I should not feel bad about something I could not control. When I did eventually move across town to a more accessible apartment he actually helped me move, gave me a great landlord reference and best of all, he gave me a great reference when I applied to adopt Sully. It is still stressful, but I am always amazed when tenants complain about having to listen to the ordinary sounds of neighbors at normal hours. That is what apartment living is like. I hope you get some relief from the complaints and banging on the ceiling is rude and childish in my opinion.

Excellent advice from Holly.  I would not talk about "frapping" though,  I would just say sometimes your dog gets a little burst of energy and wants to run around to play.  When that happens, you stop him within a couple of minutes, so not to think you are ignoring it.

I think you are going above and beyond for this neighbor. As long as your dog isn't barking then I wouldn't consider a small corgi running around a noise complaint. Imagine what you must sound like just walking. I lived in an older apartment complex below somebody with a bigger dog and that dog would itch CONSTANTLY. The sound of his tags and his leg hitting the floor would drive me nuts but I understand that this is the type of thing you have to put up with when a)living in an apartment and b) living somewhere that allows dogs. I wouldn't dream of pounding on the ceiling or complaining about something like that. When you move into a pet friendly apartment you know you will have to put up with things that may not be present in a non-pet friendly place. This guy needs to just chill out. 

Thanks for all the insight and advice, Holly, Anna & Melissa! I feel much more comfortable approaching my landlord about the situation - it's definitely not Brick's fault :)

If you remain calm ( I know it can be hard....) and just ask the landlord how he wants this handled, without complaining about the neighbor, simply telling him what's going on, you will come across as the reasonable one. Good luck.

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