Fence Fighting- How To Stop It.

[lilmisssascha83]

Hi Everyone,

I"m just wondering if anyone could offer me some advice regarding fence fighting. The dog at the back of the house has this behaviour and it seems to now be rubbing off on Sasha. I have been home the last few weeks due to illness and have observed the situation and it seems to be the other dog starting this but I still want the situation to stop. Recently the neighbours took down our colourbond fence to put up a wooden fence. ( that is another issue in itself ) as there was nothing wrong with the colour bond fence and we never this problem until they put up the wooden fence.

I walk Sasha twice a day. Before I go to work we have a routine where we go for a walk, she has a run and I incorporate her training. Then I take her home feed her breakfast and put out a kong toy and new toys daily or a marrow bone. ( She gets something new to do everyday. I have also put her wading pool out as it's starting to get warmer and she loves splashing around it in. When I get home from work we repeat the routine ( just in different order sometimes. Sometimes I take her to school to the offlead area so she can socialise and play with other dogs).

I have noticed though when I have been home that this dog just consistantely barks and runs at the fence. Sasha is fine if I"m there or if I call her she will come to me. However I"m worried about when I'm not at home as I don't want the other neighbours to think that it's all Sasha. But I will be trying to excercise Sasha longer in the mornings before I go to work. She currently goes out in the mornings for an hour walking, playing, trying, running. And she seems to pretty tired when we go home and when I go to work.

I just feel awful because now if the dog starts carrying on and I"m in the kitchen I see Sasha now reacting to it outside. I do tell her no and call her back when I go in the yard to get her but I can't do that when I"m not home.

I really don't know what else to do. We go to obedience training every week, I give her toys, walk/run/train/play twice a day. I don't want her picking up this behaviour. To me it looks like it's now reacting to the other dog. The other dog seems to do it cause now she can see Sasha through the tiny gaps in the new fence.

I'm hoping someone can help me. If I need to be doing more with Sasha please let me know. I will be talking to the trainers at school to see if they have any suggestions and will contact a behavourist if I need to. But I have just spent a few hours inside with Sasha and the other dog has been in its yard barking for about 2 hours now. When Sasha is in the yard she doesn't just bark all day. I have asked my neighbours next to me if they have heard her and they have said no but I"m concerned that this may become a bigger problem. I was thinking of somehow covering my side of the fence somehow but I"m not too sure with what as we will be putting it on the market shortly so I would only want a temporary solution.

I don't really want to crate her as I've had no experience with that and I hide treats and stuff around the garden so she can "find" them during the day when I'm at work.

I hope someone can give me some ideas.

Thanks for your time :-)

p.s. I"m sorry if I have posted this in the wrong place, please feel free to move if need be.

[Sandra777]

I would put up a visual barrier and see how it goes. Shade cloth might look the best as a temporary solution but it might not help as the other dog will still be able to see through it so perhaps you'd need to use something solid - cheap sheets of hardboard, particle board type thing.

We live next door to a dog that does this too, our dogs have learned to ignore him, except when he charges the fence growling and snarling, that's too much to expect any dog to ignore

Fortunately the side of the house where he lives doesn't seem to be their preferred place, they certainly aren't scared of him but perhaps think that because everytime they reacted to him we told them to get away so they've generalised it to the whole area, not just the area right near the fence?

What does the neighbour do while their dog is carrying on all day?

[lilmisssascha83]

Thanks I will have to see if I can find the hardboard somewhere here. Sasha doesn't ususally go there either, its just when the dog charges at the fence growling and carrying on that she reacts. The dog is still barking now and I don't know what the owner is doing, maybe their not home but the dog is still barking at who knows what.Sasha is with me at the moment inside so I know it's not her. I think the dog is bored. They do have a smaller dog which is I think a cav but I never hear that dog. They got the second dog to keep the first one company and I think it's the fact that the dog can see Sasha sometimes when she walks around in the backyard to do her business or play with one of her toys that sets it off. But I am doing these things ( having toys etc when I'm not at home) so Sasha won't be bored and I do scatter them around my yard ( but not near the fence) so she can "find" them ( so it's like a game for her when she finds something new).

I did ask the neighbour's next to me previously ( when we had the colourbond fence) if they ever heard Sasha and both of them told me no. But since this fence has come up 2 weeks ago and I"ve been home all I have heard all day is the dog carrying on barking. They have put a dog run in their yard near the fence but I don't think it's there very often cause it's been carrying on at the fence. I think when it just sits their barking (no running) that's when I think it's in the dog run. Hmm maybe I should look over the fence to see where the dog is.

I'm just worried as I'm going back to work tommorrow and I really don't want Sash to pick up this habit but maybe I'll go to bunnings today and see if there is something I pick up to block the fence. I can't stop their dog just barking in the yard but I can try to block the fence so the other dog can't see Sasha.

[gsdog2]

I would put up a visual barrier and see how it goes. Shade cloth might look the best as a temporary solution but it might not help as the other dog will still be able to see through it so perhaps you'd need to use something solid - cheap sheets of hardboard, particle board type thing.

We live next door to a dog that does this too, our dogs have learned to ignore him, except when he charges the fence growling and snarling, that's too much to expect any dog to ignore

Fortunately the side of the house where he lives doesn't seem to be their preferred place, they certainly aren't scared of him but perhaps think that because everytime they reacted to him we told them to get away so they've generalised it to the whole area, not just the area right near the fence?

What does the neighbour do while their dog is carrying on all day?

What Sandra777 said . I think you're doing everything you can, but if your neighbour does nothing the problem will continue. As already said, visual barriers might help - this only started after the original fence was replaced.

[Maxiewolf]

Oh I feel for you so badly! We have a very nasty dog over our back fence, Brutus doesn't bark at him (so far) But this dog can obviously see us and Brutus in the yard, we just cant see him... he has a very vicious bark and he growls and charges. I've already seen my side neighbors and explained its not Brutus doing the barking (He hasn't been with us for a while and I don't want people suddenly thinking he is a barker), in fact we have been standing there talking while Brutus is all quiet minding his own business while this dog at the back is going off its brain... it does it all the time.

I just don't understand how people can let their dogs bark and carry on like that... I mean even if you don't care that its annoying others surely it would annoy you at some stage?

I would absolutely try the thin plywood on the fence (since its now a wooden fence..... ) it can be temporarily attached quick and easy with some brad nails. If there was no problem before when the other dog couldn't see through, hopefully it will stop again once the visual stimuli is taken away.

Best of luck.

[Guest Ams]

Try the black plastic from Bunnings. It is quite a lot cheaper than board.

[mita]

Try the black plastic from Bunnings. It is quite a lot cheaper than board.

Yes, the weed matting plastic.

Also peg some chicken wire on the ground, for 1-2 ft along the fenceline. Dogs don't like walking on it....which will keep them away from the fenceline even after it's covered with black plastic. Because they may still be tempted to go sniffing around at the bottom of the plastic.

Alternatively, you can sprinkle the stuff you got from the garden shops to keep dogs off gardens. But I'd only use that, in conjunction with the black plastic visual block.

Edited October 10, 2011 by mita

[Keira&Phoenix]

What a sucky situation to be in

Poor dog over the fence must be so bored to be carrying on all the time.

I have a similar problem with the maltese next door, it comes charging up to the wooden fence and barking and that sets Keira off who is reactive to other dogs, although Keira seems to be getting de-sensitised to it now and I can call her away from the fence which I couldn't before. In my situation though the dogs live inside during the day so it isn't a huge deal.

If the black plastic idea doesn't work, you could get some chicken wire and star pickets and block off access to that part of the yard (next to the fenceline) so your dog cannot go over their to run the fence/fence fight with the other dog.

On the note of your neighbours dog barking, I would be trying to approach them or to send them a letter about the barking to see if they will do something to stop it. Continuous barking is not on and if they do not want to fix it then a complaint to the council may be in order, especially if your going to try and sell the house, I can't imagine to many people are going to be happy when coming to inspect the house if they can hear the dog next door barking continuously.