Mummamia Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 I live next to areserve and only have neighbours on one side... The properties are small... I have lived here for 15 years and have always had people next door, previous owners and now renters who have owned dogs... Never had a problem... Until now... The new renters moved in 4 days ago and have 2 dogs a staffie x and a maltese. I have spoken to the male and he seems like a nice guy. He owns the staffie x and his girlfriend owns the maltese. The maltese ... he tells me bosses the staffies x around and he also informed me that it has previously taken on another dog and ended up at the vets with serious injuries. So here is my problem. The maltese seems to bark at the sound of leaves blowing. This sets off his staffie and in turn sets of my staffie... My other two just go and look... My staffie and their two are already fence fighting. My staffie ... this morning... has now started pulling at the fence pailings and has superficial injuries to her mouth... She is bleeding but at this time isn't vet worthy... When speaking with neighbour he has indicated and through observation so far he does not socialise his dogs much... as said we live next to a large reserve and he has made the comment he'll let his staffie run free out the back to give him some exercise.. I told him about our local leash free parks. 2 of which are at the end of the road... I have a personal dislike for people who do not exercise their dogs daily and then wonder why they have issues... That's another issue... I hope won't become a problem Never had this problem before... fighting at the fence... concerned it will escalate and someones dog will get hurt. My staffie has never harmed another dog but 'What if the fence pailings come off and someones dog gets the other ones'... I don't know what theirs are capable of or what could happen if they are able to connect... As the yards are small It would be shame to restrict their area. Mine would be the logical one to do this but seems unfair to my dogs... They use that side of the house to do their business... Any suggestions... other than the above? Help!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mixeduppup Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 We had that issue with one of my kelpies and the small fluffy next door, we put corrugated iron about 3 feet high across the length of our side of the fence. It stopped them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minimax Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 I'd be starting by stopping your dog pulling at the fence pailings and fence fighting. I wouldn't worry so much about the other dogs and focus on yours - training it not to do the things you don't want it to do, or blocking off the access ('unfair' or not). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alkhe Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 I'd be starting by stopping your dog pulling at the fence pailings and fence fighting. I wouldn't worry so much about the other dogs and focus on yours - training it not to do the things you don't want it to do, or blocking off the access ('unfair' or not). Totally agree - it will only make things worse if you end up with a bad relationship with these people. Do what you can to control your dogs and prevent them getting injured, or breaking through the fence. Reinforce it, put something in front of it, whatever you need to do. What his dogs do is his problem, you just have to worry about yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hankdog Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 Two staffies getting to each is not going to be pretty. I'd try really hard to not fight with the owners firstly. Any bit of help they can give is going to be better than the nothing you'll get if you fight with them. As suggested corrugated iron or a mesh fence half a meter in front of the paling fence to stop them fence fighting. Whilst you've been there longest you need to try do what's right for the dogs health and not worry about what's fair. I tend to be a bit feisty with my neighbors but have learned to dial it back and give a bit and I generally get a better response than by going in and pointing out how wrong they are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dame Aussie Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 Ours fence run with a dog behind us and we have just had to block off any areas they can get to each other. I'd be doing this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
animal ark 22 Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 I totally understand .We have two fluffy dogs living behind us and as soon as their owner opens the back door the first thing they do is run to the fence and bark then they run up and down it. If I hang out washing they bark at me if one farts the other barks !!!. My dogs go nuts when they do it our fence has the clear marks of claw scratches .I can be HONESt and say they start it every time. We had full on trees planted along the fence dense cover however when they had to replace the fence we had to remove all our trees so the ones there now aren"t as fully grown. The neighbour has put stuff on her side but she just put old tables and rubbish I can"t see the dogs through the fence unless I stand on something and look over Im not sure how much they can see ? which makes wonder what the hell they keep barking at anyway? NO they don"t get walked or played with Ive offered to have them come over and play but as yet they haven"t accepted my offer . We have thought about putting something along our side but while money is tight plus its in full sun so that reed fencing wouldn"t last long we have recently painted it all nice so didn"t really want to cover it with --say tin . WITH all this I too worry IF they got through after years of torment one of my dogs may finally think its her chance? Then I worry my dog would be the one they see as an aggressive dog ? But I see it as a form of bullying these little dogs do nothing but go at my dogs constantly at the fence they start it and even though the owners are home they only time they stop is when I bang on the fence ,or tell them to shut up. I just think its unfair when these things happen and yet it seems to be the other person who has to fix the problem or deal with it I have my yard and garden looking nice with garden beds tress solar lights etc my fence is new and looking great why should I have to re design add to and pay money to fix a problem Im not creating? And yes Ive tried talking and writing a nice letter I think we are just at that point where we know they don"t care so its upto us I just didn"t think it was fair (sorry for the rant touchie subject with me still :) ) SO I do feel for you and I hope you have better luck with your neighbours than Ive had with mine .And I do hope your dog is ok Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mixeduppup Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 (edited) Two staffies getting to each is not going to be pretty. I'd try really hard to not fight with the owners firstly. Any bit of help they can give is going to be better than the nothing you'll get if you fight with them. As suggested corrugated iron or a mesh fence half a meter in front of the paling fence to stop them fence fighting. Whilst you've been there longest you need to try do what's right for the dogs health and not worry about what's fair. I tend to be a bit feisty with my neighbors but have learned to dial it back and give a bit and I generally get a better response than by going in and pointing out how wrong they are. I tried this first and my dog kept on going over the iron and getting trapped between the iron and the fence, hence putting is right against the fence for me. Depends if the dog will jump or not Edited August 14, 2013 by mixeduppup Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mummamia Posted August 14, 2013 Author Share Posted August 14, 2013 We had that issue with one of my kelpies and the small fluffy next door, we put corrugated iron about 3 feet high across the length of our side of the fence. It stopped them. Hi Mixed up pup... I have some left over corrugated iron and will look at how to use this... Won't be enough but it's a start... Thanks :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mummamia Posted August 14, 2013 Author Share Posted August 14, 2013 I'd be starting by stopping your dog pulling at the fence pailings and fence fighting. I wouldn't worry so much about the other dogs and focus on yours - training it not to do the things you don't want it to do, or blocking off the access ('unfair' or not). Totally agree - it will only make things worse if you end up with a bad relationship with these people. Do what you can to control your dogs and prevent them getting injured, or breaking through the fence. Reinforce it, put something in front of it, whatever you need to do. What his dogs do is his problem, you just have to worry about yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mummamia Posted August 14, 2013 Author Share Posted August 14, 2013 Of course working on my dog to ignore this is my first reaction and will continue to do so... And yes 50/50 success so far...It's only been a couple of days... I just want to nip it in the bud asap... This will not stop his dogs from pulling at the fence and potentially opening a gap... I cannot be at home 24/7... My dogs use a dog door to do their business... Something a little more helpful would be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mummamia Posted August 14, 2013 Author Share Posted August 14, 2013 I totally understand .We have two fluffy dogs living behind us and as soon as their owner opens the back door the first thing they do is run to the fence and bark then they run up and down it. If I hang out washing they bark at me if one farts the other barks !!!. My dogs go nuts when they do it our fence has the clear marks of claw scratches .I can be HONESt and say they start it every time. We had full on trees planted along the fence dense cover however when they had to replace the fence we had to remove all our trees so the ones there now aren"t as fully grown. The neighbour has put stuff on her side but she just put old tables and rubbish I can"t see the dogs through the fence unless I stand on something and look over Im not sure how much they can see ? which makes wonder what the hell they keep barking at anyway? NO they don"t get walked or played with Ive offered to have them come over and play but as yet they haven"t accepted my offer . We have thought about putting something along our side but while money is tight plus its in full sun so that reed fencing wouldn"t last long we have recently painted it all nice so didn"t really want to cover it with --say tin . WITH all this I too worry IF they got through after years of torment one of my dogs may finally think its her chance? Then I worry my dog would be the one they see as an aggressive dog ? But I see it as a form of bullying these little dogs do nothing but go at my dogs constantly at the fence they start it and even though the owners are home they only time they stop is when I bang on the fence ,or tell them to shut up. I just think its unfair when these things happen and yet it seems to be the other person who has to fix the problem or deal with it I have my yard and garden looking nice with garden beds tress solar lights etc my fence is new and looking great why should I have to re design add to and pay money to fix a problem Im not creating? And yes Ive tried talking and writing a nice letter I think we are just at that point where we know they don"t care so its upto us I just didn"t think it was fair (sorry for the rant touchie subject with me still :) ) SO I do feel for you and I hope you have better luck with your neighbours than Ive had with mine .And I do hope your dog is ok Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mummamia Posted August 14, 2013 Author Share Posted August 14, 2013 Hi Animal Ark 22 Oh no... I hope this isn't my future... So sorry for you... Vent away you poor thing... issues with dogs are sooooo frustrating... my dog is ok superficial at the moment... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mummamia Posted August 14, 2013 Author Share Posted August 14, 2013 Two staffies getting to each is not going to be pretty. I'd try really hard to not fight with the owners firstly. Any bit of help they can give is going to be better than the nothing you'll get if you fight with them. As suggested corrugated iron or a mesh fence half a meter in front of the paling fence to stop them fence fighting. Whilst you've been there longest you need to try do what's right for the dogs health and not worry about what's fair. I tend to be a bit feisty with my neighbors but have learned to dial it back and give a bit and I generally get a better response than by going in and pointing out how wrong they are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mummamia Posted August 14, 2013 Author Share Posted August 14, 2013 I have no intention of creating a fight with my neighbours... he has already told me he is studying to be a counsellor and in my career verbal judo is a must... So hopefully we both have the skills to resolve the issue in the best interest of the dogs... It's actually the little white foo foo that's causing the problem... But I do agree in regard to caution with the staffies... I don't want anyones' dog getting hurt... Yes especially mine... fortunately my other two have no interest.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 Unfortunately, in a situation like this, 'a start' only serves to educate the dogs as to how they can problem solve The fence needs to be instantly impregnable to have an effect ......high, deep in the ground, and no visibility . IMO , a metre high is not high enough ..if a dog can bounce and get a glimpse of their nemesis, and a paw to lever themselves with - then next time they will try harder ... and also corrugated iron is sharp on the edges ..and can cause severe injuries to paws/mouths unless erected carefully and solidly . What an unpleasant surprise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mummamia Posted August 14, 2013 Author Share Posted August 14, 2013 Unfortunately, in a situation like this, 'a start' only serves to educate the dogs as to how they can problem solve The fence needs to be instantly impregnable to have an effect ......high, deep in the ground, and no visibility . IMO , a metre high is not high enough ..if a dog can bounce and get a glimpse of their nemesis, and a paw to lever themselves with - then next time they will try harder ... and also corrugated iron is sharp on the edges ..and can cause severe injuries to paws/mouths unless erected carefully and solidly . What an unpleasant surprise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mummamia Posted August 14, 2013 Author Share Posted August 14, 2013 Yep lots of things to consider... Whatever we do I hope none of them are too smart to overcome it... Owners are not home at the moment so I'm taking the pups out to friends place to play with their mates... I feel this has to be dealt with NOW... I am yet to mention I have 2 cats as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Santo66 Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 So here is my problem. The maltese seems to bark at the sound of leaves blowing. This sets off his staffie and in turn sets of my staffie... My other two just go and look... My staffie and their two are already fence fighting. My staffie ... this morning... has now started pulling at the fence pailings and has superficial injuries to her mouth... She is bleeding but at this time isn't vet worthy... Although I understand your predicament, but essentially the problem is that you can't call your dog off the fence to ignore something going on next door that is really not of your dog's concern. Personally I would use this opportunity as a training exercise to gain better control of your own dogs as fence barking and fighting only attracts council complaints long term and is better IMHO that your own dogs don't get into the habit of it. If the dogs next door become a problem with nuisance barking, you can always report them for their owners to address their contribution to the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Gifts Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 As a quick starting measure (before the fence is altered) perhaps get yourself a squirty bottle and squirt your dogs as soon as they rush to the fence and kick off so they get to understand that is a bad thing to do. If they simply go to the fence for a sniff and tail wag then obviously you don't squirt that good behaviour! My other suggestion is to see if the owners are willing to let your dogs and their dogs meet in a controlled way, off the properties so they at least know who is on the other side of the fence and will perhaps simply go over to say hello rather than get over excited? The only other thing I now use on our dogs (after meeting Martin McKenna) is a noise that apparently mother dogs make to tell their pups to be quiet. First when they bark we go and look (usually just from the window) and do the 'good dog' thing for alerting us to the commotion near our property. If they continue to bark we do a low and firm voiced 'enough!'. If they continue then you make a noise like coughing out of your nose while you have your tongue on the roof of your mouth. Our staffy immediately responds to this noise. The pei doesn't notice it but calms with distraction and the husky/shep girl usually stops barking after we do the first acknowledgement anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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