MavericksMission Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 (edited) Okay I am really after some advice, I just don't know what to do. 4 Weeks ago we had new neighbours move in with the existing neighbour who was there. Well, Hector hates them, with a passion. About 2 weeks ago he dug under the fence, into their yard and was just standing there barking at them through the window. We immediately gather some boulders from a vacant block across the road and put a barrier around so that there is no possible way that he can move them.. That has been fine for the past 2 weeks but this morning (luckily I was home) he scaled the fence (well I assume, because there was no holes or anything along the fence line..) He was then again standing at their window barking and howling at them. He loves humans generally but he has taken a real dislike to these people. We have been in this house for 18 months and never had a problem. Hector is 16 Months old. Husky Cross Kelpie (mutt) He gets walked at the very least once daily (can't do twice as I leave at 5:30am for work) He has 2 - 3 one on one training sessions daily. He when I am at work he is outside with Maverick and they have bones, home alone dog toys, other various toys and puzzles. When I get home they come inside with us. I just don't know what else to do, I have taken him around to meet the neighbours properly and he didn't fuss when I was with him. I have tried a dog run, but he just barks and whines with frustration and that pisses the neighbours off (I'm sure it would) I can't leave him inside as I don't trust him inside with out supervision as we have numerous cats & he destroys things when inside. .. I want to use rehoming as a last resort. Although we I rescued him I was told that he was Husky cross, but as he has grown he has turned into what looks and acts like a large kelpie. I think he would do well on a big property where he can run & run & run. I am just looking for some thoughts or advice ETA: apparently since the new people have moved in he has been barking in the morning.. Edited March 7, 2011 by MavericksMission Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 Much & all as he dislikes it.. a run is your only option I think. provide lots of things like iceblocks, cardboard cartons to rip , chewy things ..and make sure he is tired from an intense training session beforehand ! What if he does front up at their house, and they are scared to come outside, or ,worse, confront him and he reacts? There will be all sorts of legalities and problems You could also try getting help from a professional .... rehoming may be an option if, in all other respects he is a good and settled dog - otherwise , it is not responsible to rehome a problem Sorry you are having this trouble... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bundyburger Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 A run, or rehome... he sounds like he's got the potential to be a danger to himself if he takes to scaling the fence.. and it's a massive risk that he's getting into the neighbours yard. He just sounds like he's really not happy.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MavericksMission Posted March 7, 2011 Author Share Posted March 7, 2011 What if he does front up at their house, and they are scared to come outside, or ,worse, confront him and he reacts? There will be all sorts of legalities and problems This is what I am worried about He is a good dog other wise and has never had problems with previous neighbours or even the neighbours on the other side of the fence. He has all his puppy energy which we burn regularly but other then that he is a very good dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MavericksMission Posted March 7, 2011 Author Share Posted March 7, 2011 A run, or rehome... he sounds like he's got the potential to be a danger to himself if he takes to scaling the fence.. and it's a massive risk that he's getting into the neighbours yard. He just sounds like he's really not happy.... A run just makes him really frustrated. I think I am going have to look at rehoming. He is a generally happy boy, he is just spending too much of his energy focusing on how much he dislikes the neighbours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bundyburger Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 A run, or rehome... he sounds like he's got the potential to be a danger to himself if he takes to scaling the fence.. and it's a massive risk that he's getting into the neighbours yard. He just sounds like he's really not happy.... A run just makes him really frustrated. I think I am going have to look at rehoming. He is a generally happy boy, he is just spending too much of his energy focusing on how much he dislikes the neighbours. It may just be that somehow, the neighbour arriving was the last straw, and he just isn't built to live in the suburbs, he could be bored and not stimulated enough so needs to be somewhere he can be.... We are lucky with our kelpie that not only is he laid back, but we have a farm where we can take him for a week or so at a time so he can just run and run and run for days... and come home and be happy to chill again. Kelpies are incredibly smart, and if they don't get enough stimulation they go crazy.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MavericksMission Posted March 7, 2011 Author Share Posted March 7, 2011 A run, or rehome... he sounds like he's got the potential to be a danger to himself if he takes to scaling the fence.. and it's a massive risk that he's getting into the neighbours yard. He just sounds like he's really not happy.... A run just makes him really frustrated. I think I am going have to look at rehoming. He is a generally happy boy, he is just spending too much of his energy focusing on how much he dislikes the neighbours. It may just be that somehow, the neighbour arriving was the last straw, and he just isn't built to live in the suburbs, he could be bored and not stimulated enough so needs to be somewhere he can be.... We are lucky with our kelpie that not only is he laid back, but we have a farm where we can take him for a week or so at a time so he can just run and run and run for days... and come home and be happy to chill again. Kelpies are incredibly smart, and if they don't get enough stimulation they go crazy.... You are right, Kelpies are most definitely not built to live in suburbia, and if I had of known that he had kelpie in him I don't think I would have taken him on. I just love him so much and feel like I am just giving up and betraying him by rehoming him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koalathebear Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 (edited) We have a working line Kelpie and a working line Kelpie/Border collie cross who live in suburbia and have moderate exercise - they do not get a walk every day. Hoover the Kelpie could quite happily live as a lap dog, I suspect. Elbie the Kelpie/BC cross is extremely drivey but both are very happy despite no access to to a farm etc. No destructive behaviours or nuisance barking ... When they display undesirable behaviours like barking at the wrong things (door bell etc) we have worked with them on desensitising them to the trigger. Now, even if all the neighbourhood dogs are barking like crazy, they'll still stay quiet. They still bark if the neighbour takes out his wheelie bin but it's just one or two barks - also when he inexplicably decides to hold a chicken or one of his noisy dogs over the fence to look at our dogs I'm so, so sorry to hear about Hector and I hope that you can resolve it without having to rehome him, I know you love the beautiful boy. Just wanted to kind of set the record straight about Kelpies and suburbia because it's a pretty common misconception that high drive Kelpies can't live happily in suburbia and while perhaps not all can, many can ... ETA: If your neighbours are willing, perhaps you could do what wuffles has suggested and praise/treat Hector when he doesn't bark and the neighbours are in the yard? With the doorbell barking, we had to ring the doorbell perhaps half a dozen times to train Elbie not to bark at the doorbell. Also, although Elbie doesn't have destructive behaviours (destroying things), he is hyperactive in new situations and is overly stimulated by fast-moving objects - frustrated prey drive. We recently had a consult with K9Pro and have been working with him on the prey drive issues with fantastic results so far. Before that, people kept telling us that a solution was just to exercise him more to try to tire him out. Unfortunately it can be very difficult to physically tire out a Kelpie and we would have just ended up with an even fitter dog that had even higher exercise requirements that was still frustrated on the prey-front so additional exercising wasn't the solution for Elbie's issues. Perhaps you could try to find out what it is that is making Hector bark - do the neighbours make a lot of noise when they come out - is it just their presence in the backyard that freaks him out? Then you could work at desensitising him to that ... Edited March 7, 2011 by koalathebear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monah Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 he looks adorable, very handsome. any dog will play up if they are put in a run all of a sudden. this takes lots and lots of training, aa bit at a time. He seems like a lovely dog who may be bored. Of course his behaviour is not acceptable and is dangerous re getting out and barking at neighbours in their own garden. If it were my dog I'd get prof. help to see what the best option would be and what the trigger is for his behaviour. I suspect he may just need a lot more exercise etc. as any young dog of that age needs more than a daily walk and if he gets no exercise in the morning (I do understand you are at work ) then he has all that pent up energy for the whole day . even my dogs need 1 to 2 hours daily (usually more) of exercise or they are 'naughty'... and many dogs are at their most challenging at his age and by the time (with training) they get to 2 or 3 they turn into the most wonderful dogs ever. THis is the age (juvenile) when the most rehomings occur, they are not puppies anymore but not mature either and need some extra work. Usually (if the dog has a good temperament) a bit of input before the age of maturity really does pay off. I've had many working dogs in suburbia, and there are stacks of kelpies here, IMO they are fine and lots of them have less energy than my vizsla! They just need a bike ride or good run or at least a run on lead and some mental stimulation. i dont know anything about huskies, but as they were bred to run he probably would really enjoy and appreciate a good run. I hope it all goes well, he is a very lovely boy.... tell the neighbours to move.. xxxxx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuffles Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 (edited) When my dog decided that the neighbours needed woofing at, we filmed him to see what was actually going on. That may help you determine if there is a particular reason, how much he is barking, etc. We have also taken some mornings off work and use weekends as an opportunity to 'sneak up on him'. We pretend to leave like normal in the morning but stay home and keep quiet in the house. That's the only way we could catch him in the act as he was fine when we were around. All he needed was an interruption when he started barking, and he shut up. Our neighbours aren't very cooperative but when they are in the yard (especially when their child is squealing) I go into our yard with the dogs and sit with them right next to the fence, and give them treats for being calm and quiet and ignoring the neighbours. We are still monitoring the situation but these actions have helped a fair bit. Good luck, it is so stressful Edit: We also upped both our dogs exercise even though it meant getting up at a ridiculous hour! Mine really need their morning walk or they become a lot noisier. My younger girl goes for a 30 minute run with OH 3 x week and this has really helped her energy levels. Edited March 7, 2011 by wuffles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saradale Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 Do you own the house or are renting?? It may be an extreme measure, but better than rehoming Hector, you could all move together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MavericksMission Posted March 7, 2011 Author Share Posted March 7, 2011 Do you own the house or are renting?? It may be an extreme measure, but better than rehoming Hector, you could all move together. We own the house. We are looking into buying a bigger house but it won't be for another 2 - 3 years. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MavericksMission Posted March 7, 2011 Author Share Posted March 7, 2011 When my dog decided that the neighbours needed woofing at, we filmed him to see what was actually going on. That may help you determine if there is a particular reason, how much he is barking, etc.We have also taken some mornings off work and use weekends as an opportunity to 'sneak up on him'. We pretend to leave like normal in the morning but stay home and keep quiet in the house. That's the only way we could catch him in the act as he was fine when we were around. All he needed was an interruption when he started barking, and he shut up. Our neighbours aren't very cooperative but when they are in the yard (especially when their child is squealing) I go into our yard with the dogs and sit with them right next to the fence, and give them treats for being calm and quiet and ignoring the neighbours. We are still monitoring the situation but these actions have helped a fair bit. Good luck, it is so stressful ;) Edit: We also upped both our dogs exercise even though it meant getting up at a ridiculous hour! :D Mine really need their morning walk or they become a lot noisier. My younger girl goes for a 30 minute run with OH 3 x week and this has really helped her energy levels. I might try getting up at 4am to take them for a quick walk. They do get a massive off lead run 2 - 3 times a week at an enclosed area. I will look into getting a camera to film him to see what he gets up too or on my day off I will do what you said and pretend I am going out like normal and sneak up on him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MavericksMission Posted March 7, 2011 Author Share Posted March 7, 2011 he looks adorable, very handsome.any dog will play up if they are put in a run all of a sudden. this takes lots and lots of training, aa bit at a time. He seems like a lovely dog who may be bored. Of course his behaviour is not acceptable and is dangerous re getting out and barking at neighbours in their own garden. If it were my dog I'd get prof. help to see what the best option would be and what the trigger is for his behaviour. I suspect he may just need a lot more exercise etc. as any young dog of that age needs more than a daily walk and if he gets no exercise in the morning (I do understand you are at work ) then he has all that pent up energy for the whole day . even my dogs need 1 to 2 hours daily (usually more) of exercise or they are 'naughty'... and many dogs are at their most challenging at his age and by the time (with training) they get to 2 or 3 they turn into the most wonderful dogs ever. THis is the age (juvenile) when the most rehomings occur, they are not puppies anymore but not mature either and need some extra work. Usually (if the dog has a good temperament) a bit of input before the age of maturity really does pay off. ;) I've had many working dogs in suburbia, and there are stacks of kelpies here, IMO they are fine and lots of them have less energy than my vizsla! They just need a bike ride or good run or at least a run on lead and some mental stimulation. i dont know anything about huskies, but as they were bred to run he probably would really enjoy and appreciate a good run. I hope it all goes well, he is a very lovely boy.... tell the neighbours to move.. :D xxxxx He has been in a run previously with no problems, he normally just lays around and chews on his bones. It is just since the new neighbours moved in, there is really something about them he really doesn't like. We will be looking into a professional before we make the final decision. I really appreciate everyones replies. Next I speak to the neighbours I will tell them to move please :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmolo Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 Wait just a second.. what kind of fence is he scaling? What has happened when he did jump the fence- did you go and get him, did the neighbours bring him back? I have 5 dogs (2 working dog breeds, one of which worked the first 2 years of her life on a farm) in suburbia with an average size backyard. I wouldn't be using his breed as the reason for scaling the fence- particularly if he copes well with all other aspects of life with you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MavericksMission Posted March 7, 2011 Author Share Posted March 7, 2011 Wait just a second.. what kind of fence is he scaling? What has happened when he did jump the fence- did you go and get him, did the neighbours bring him back?I have 5 dogs (2 working dog breeds, one of which worked the first 2 years of her life on a farm) in suburbia with an average size backyard. I wouldn't be using his breed as the reason for scaling the fence- particularly if he copes well with all other aspects of life with you. It is an approx 6 - 7ft wood fence. I heard him barking and growling and went outside and realised he was on the other side of the fence. I went around and knocked on the door and they let me through to get him. They are scared of dogs so I found out this morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmolo Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 Is it a paling fence that has wooden horizontal struts (that can be used as steps for a fence jumper)? Rehoming a known fence jumper is not legal in Victoria. Have you considered angled fencing additions and concreting the bottom of the fence? (for the mean time until the underlying issue can be addressed) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 It is an approx 6 - 7ft wood fence. I heard him barking and growling and went outside and realised he was on the other side of the fence. I went around and knocked on the door and they let me through to get him. They are scared of dogs so I found out this morning. Ok - I strongly suggest you get a professional to visit and discuss things ASAP It's a stressful , and potentially dangerous situation for everyone -neighbours, you, and hector. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancinbcs Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 I would be trying a camera to work out what is going on. Dogs usually don't take a dislike to anyone without good reason. They are either doing something that upsets him or he just knows something about them that you don't yet. Dogs are very good judges of character. The fence jumping can be stopped if you can attach some uprights about 60cm high to the top of the fence and run lightweight bird wire netting along the top of the fence, making it a little slack. He won't be able to jump clear over the fence and with no solid top there is nothing to grab to get over. The lightweight netting also makes it very hard for the dog to gauge the fence height so after one jump, they usually give up. The alternative is a double fence to keep him away from the fence on that side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MavericksMission Posted March 7, 2011 Author Share Posted March 7, 2011 Is it a paling fence that has wooden horizontal struts (that can be used as steps for a fence jumper)?Rehoming a known fence jumper is not legal in Victoria. Have you considered angled fencing additions and concreting the bottom of the fence? (for the mean time until the underlying issue can be addressed) We will be looking into the fencing issues, it could be that he is climbing it as opposed to jumping it. I also understand that it is illegal to rehome fence jumpers, I work in a shelter. I am looking into everything physically possible. I will have to take him to work with me tomorrow incase he decides to do it again tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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