Do Courtyard Villas echo with Barking Dogs all day long?
 

My wife and I are beginning the research, getting ready for a visit in March, and trying to narrow down where we'd like to live our winter months in TV.

Courtyard Villas seem to provide the most privacy with their walled/fenced property lines. Many comments have been made about CVs being the most convenient for dog owners. We'd love the privacy but would go nuts having to listen to a bunch of ankle-biters bark all day.:doggie:

Have any CV owners experienced issues, and how common are they?

Thanks!

Yes you will probably hear dogs barking from time to time , but if you have considerate neighbors it shouldn't be an issue.

Bow Wow
 

Yes.

You can pick your property but not your neighbor.

Dogs and Courtyard villas are hazard like golf homes and balls. But barking dogs on a lanai can be anywhere .

Don't forget the average Villagers moves 3 times - today's neighbor isn't a guarantee for very long.
My own observation after many years here is CV owners move quite frequently. Usually one's starter home.

Our first rental was a CV. A yipping dog was exactly what we encountered next door. Neighbor worked but left the lanai door open all day so Fido could rule the kingdom. Every slight noise Fido bolted outside and let everyone know he was the guardian.

OP, I think your concern is misguided. Dogs are not the only source of noise in The Villages. Look out for traffic noise, swimming pool pumps, waterfalls, pickle ball courts, landscape equipment, and my particular pet peeve, wind chimes. Buying a non-courtyard house offers very little protection from these noises. I would not rule out courtyard villas just because of potential noise. If you really want to avoid noise, buy 10 acres somewhere else.

The ones that are next to people who leave their constantly-barking dogs out in the yard, will find it incredibly common to experience issues with constantly-barking dogs.

The ones that aren't, won't find it common at all. You could pick a villa that doesn't have any dogs on either side of the house - but if one of those neighbors moves out and new people move in with constantly-barking dogs, you might have common issues again.

No different from living in any neighborhood that allows pets, anywhere in the country.

The difference is with designer homes, there is more space between you and your neighbor so a barking dog is less of an issue. In villas you are much closer to your neighbor.

Not exactly. Look at a map. The actual distance between designer houses and courtyard villas is about the same. And, courtyard villas have a fence or wall barrier between them. Designer houses are larger, but the distance between the houses is approximately the same, unless you are on a cul de sac. Even some interior Premier houses have very little distance between the houses.

Verandas also have fences not just Courtyard Villas.

You are right. I live in a Courtyard Villa in the Village of Tamarind Grove. Never heard of it? I’m not surprised. I live a five minute drive west of the intersection of Buena Vista and 466A. Except on days when yardwork is being done in the neighborhood, or moments when delivery trucks are delivering, it’s about as silent as a neighborhood could be. The speed limit is 15 mph in my little Courtyard Villa neighborhood. A few silent dogs and owners go by a few times in the morning or evening. Otherwise, no one seems to walk. It’s rare to hear a car. There’s a big golden retriever living next door, I hear a single bark perhaps every three months. I don’t hear music or people talking. It’s glorious. I’m about a one minute drive from St. Charles, which gets quite a lot of traffic, but where I live, no. In many neighborhoods, little dogs go out, do their things, and come back in. I’d guess that most dog owners in The Villages do NOT let their dogs stay outside all day and do NOT let them bark when outside in the yard. More dogs bark in the house, but if the windows are closed, neighbors don’t hear them often.

I bought my first house in The Villages sight unseen—indeed, before ever visiting The Villages. I had no trouble with dogs. However, if this is a concern, visit your potential neighbors and ask about barking dogs. If you have an iPhone, go to the App Store and download the free decibel meter called SPLnFFT. When you go house hunting, stand outside and use it! Hit reset, then look at the reading. Right now I’m in a silent house.the refrigerator and heater aren’t on. The decibel meter says distant road noise is 35 decibels. Using this meter will help you compare relative noise levels in neighborhoods. In the evening and night, traffic noise is lower.

We live in a CYV and love it. Many of our neighbors have dogs and dog barking has never been an issue. We also love the privacy a CYV offers.

I guess it depends where you live. In my neighborhood you rarely hear any dogs barking and quite a few dogs live here. It just depends on your neighbors. People will see me walking our dogs and say they never knew we had them because they never hear them bark! You could just as easily have loud neighbors in a designer neighborhood that back up to each other!

We live in Newell verandas. Dog barking is not an issue. Most of our neighbors have dogs