Yikes... New People Next Door With Feisty Dogs

[Mummamia]

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.

yes...I'm thinking about what the easiest and most effective way to do this... Bunnings tomorrow?

[Mummamia]

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

I hope you saw my reply further on Animal Ark 22... I just worked out how to make sure I post as a reply to each Your response was appreciated and I hope no dog comes to any harm...

[Mummamia]

You need to talk to the tenants, you can't really do anything unless you know where they stand.

Mention the constant barking which is making you and your dogs agitated. I wouldn't go into the fence fighting with them because then they can lay some of the blame on your dog. Just because you tell them it's never happened before doesn't mean they'll believe you.

Suggest a meet and greet with your dogs, suggest a behaviourist and this will give you an indication if they're likely to try and solve the problem.

If they don't seem interested in fixing the problem then you can contact the council, real estate agent or owners if you have their details. Better they know about the problem sooner rather than later.

Thanks for your thoughts...

[Mummamia]

Our older dog when she was young (and the dog over the back was young) they would get into fighting at the very corner where thre was a tiny cm sized gap where the two fences met.

Anyway worried we'd get the council complaint we taught ours not to fight at the fence and it was not on (face full of citrus spray kinda pushed my point as they tried it as I was spraying that corner). However if our dog 'talked' and stayed back from the corner I'd praise her - she could verbalise that way but not get stuck in at the corner. Both sides have to understand the other side of the fence is no longer 'their' territory.

YOu might want to make sure your side is reinforced or has some kind of second barrier just to protect your dog too. And Id agree - the dogs are new to the yard and obviously could be set off until they get use to the different sounds and smells of their new house.

As for any cats they should be kept inside or in those outdoor cat cage thingys anyway to stop them wandering off the property as any animal that is off your own property is at the mercy of ANY nasty people or animals around.

Fortunately my cats don't leave the yard they are both old and one only goes out to do her business.. The other sleeps in the cupboard or on the lounge in the entertainment area... Just worried until I can get a barrier up there won't be any fence damage from either side that will allow theirs to get through...

As per my reply to Little Gifts... My neighbour and I spoke at length about the problem yesterday and we both decided to give them a chance to settle down... It was the blood coming from dogs snout and them not being home that prompted to ask some advice on here...

Thanks for your thoughts

[Mummamia]

Sorry if it was anything I said or suggested? I tried to look at it from the perspective that for whatever reason it is these specific 2 new dogs causing a problem for you and your dogs and by the sound of it their owner is not going to do anything different so you may have to given you care about your dogs and how they are reacting. You clearly don't want to see any of the dogs getting hurt and want to do something to address the situation, even if your neighbours aren't on the same page.

It is good that your dogs respond to your commands when you are there but obviously you are still concerned about what might happen when you are not home. I personally think all you can do is reinforce or protect this area of the fence and keep giving the commands you want your dogs to follow when you see them do something you don't want them to do. It is unlikely that you will get your neighbour to do much in relation to training their dogs to stop rushing at the fence first but perhaps if you do get some spare, cheap tin you could offer it to your neighbour so they can cover their side of the fence as well? Not everyone thinks as pro-actively as you. I live across from a fortified property yet because the owners spend all their time on the median strip (front gate open) so does their angry little chi. It drives my dogs spare. It always comes onto my front lawn to poop. 13 long years of it. We tried a meet and greet and all the little rotter did was lunge at me and my dogs. The owners are lovely people but just don't get it so all I can do is work with my dogs and how they react.

Only just figured out how to make sure my replies to post are below your post... Thanks for your thoughts and have given a more detailed explanation further on In response... No worries your response was appreciated Little Gifts...

Edited August 14, 2013 by Mummamia

[Mummamia]

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

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...

[Mummamia]

I certainly wouldn't suggest an air horn in suburbia without letting all neighbours know what was happening ;) It could work though.

Hmmm..as his dogs have a known history of this behaviour , then it does seem that you will have to work hard on your side of the fence if your dog is already hyped enough to tolerate injury in her fence chewing , then she really needs to have access blocked /trained for everyones' safety .

100% success with my dog ignoring all afternoon and evening... Yay... Neighbours arrived home a little while ago and now have taken theirs inside...Phew... At least my television viewing will not be interrupted this evening...

[persephone]

:) that's an improvement .

[Mummamia]

My friend just suggested an air horn, she said she did it 3 times and both dogs on both sides were good for a few days and she only needed to do it a few more times int he following weeks and they learned. Drastic but it worked

Now that's original and worth thinking about... Excuse to internet shop... yay

Haha. Just make sure you don't get noise complaints or create deafness in either species :D

[Mummamia]

I have a reactive dog. I love him but he is a turd.

He was fine with the dogs on one side of a property we lived at, yet hated the dog on the other side and used to fence fight with it. While we were home he wouldn't do it as he got told off for doing it. As it was a self rewarding behavior he would do it when we weren't there and it was hard to police.

So we double paled the fence. He couldn't see the dog he hated, problem solved.

Either block the view and therefore the temptation to fence fight or remove your dog from the situation (ie put the dog inside your house when you are out).

That's seems my best option... Hope it won't cost too much... Yes... worth any amount of money to be safe but hoping won't scare my credit card... I am hopeful the neighbours will kick in...

Also... Love your honesty about your dog... He is truly loved...

Edited August 14, 2013 by Mummamia

[Rosetta]

My friend just suggested an air horn, she said she did it 3 times and both dogs on both sides were good for a few days and she only needed to do it a few more times int he following weeks and they learned. Drastic but it worked

Now that's original and worth thinking about... Excuse to internet shop... yay

Haha. Just make sure you don't get noise complaints or create deafness in either species :D

It doesn't have to be an air horn - one of those bike ones might do the trick, they can be quite loud.

[Mummamia]

So - what was being asked for was how to make the neighbours take responsibility for their dogs' actions so yours doesn't react to them?

T.

I was asking if anyone had been in a similar situation and if they had any suggestions that helped to resolve it...

Training for mine in place and 100% success for the afternoon and evening... Owners arrived home a little while ago and took them inside all is finally quiet... he seems like a nice guy and after speaking to him yesterday about the problem I am 'hopeful' he will share the issue and cost of a barrier... regardless has to be done...

[Ryami]

Could you try putting a sprinkler on at the fence to deter them until the dogs next door settle down? Maybe one of those long hoses with the holes that you could run along the length of the fence. Might flood the yard a bit, but worth a try!

I know my little fluff ball tends to bark for a few weeks after we move into a new place, then once he gets to know all the sights and sounds of the area he shuts up again. I'm so glad your neighbour is amacable, should mean you can figure something out :)

[Tara and Sam]

My friend just suggested an air horn,

My side neighbours used the air horn method for dogs barking behind us and it worked

just everyso often when the barking was long

our back neighbours female dog was jumping over the fence ( she didnt do it before , until she knew ( or could hear the puppy ) there was a puppy across the road from me , Vet seems to think she wanted to get to the puppy )

anyway she jumped over the fence and tried to get into my other side neighbours place to get over her gate ( which she couldnt ) boy did she try though

many times she tried this jumping and hurt herself few times

If I hear the noise of her trying to get over I would tell her off and she backed off

back neighbours tried everything they could to keep her in

in the end they put up a big sheet of fencing type wire ( like they use before putting cement in ) it was 8 ft tall , all around the fence line but she climed it still , in the end they placed thick black plastic on it so she couldnt climb , that worked until she worked out how to dig a hole under the fence , I found her in my backyard once and couldnt work out how as I didnt hear her attempting it

in the end they also put a inside fence on their side to keep her in and so far so good , she has stayed put

I was home more than the neighbours so often witnessed or heard her coming over the fence , and saw the blood and saw her get hurt

At the time I had two elderly dogs and didnt want them hurt , yet also didnt want to see the female dog hurt or get hit by a car if she got over my or my side neighbours gate and onto the road

Good luck , but would consider makeing a inner fenceline for your own yard so all dogs concerned are kept safe

[Mummamia]

Could you try putting a sprinkler on at the fence to deter them until the dogs next door settle down? Maybe one of those long hoses with the holes that you could run along the length of the fence. Might flood the yard a bit, but worth a try!

I know my little fluff ball tends to bark for a few weeks after we move into a new place, then once he gets to know all the sights and sounds of the area he shuts up again. I'm so glad your neighbour is amacable, should mean you can figure something out :)

Unfortunately the neighbours were up and gone very early this morning so will have to continue waiting to speak with them. Their dogs have come to the fence twice this morning and my girl has taken more skin off. I tried to have a look at theirs but unable to see if they have any probs. I have now covered some of the fence with a tarp and put my large plastic water tank up against it. There is about 10-15 metres to cover, thankfully not a huge amount. Unable to leave the house again today so won't get to Bunnings as planned this morning. I just can't risk it...

Water sounds like a good idea. I might get the hose out and give them all a good spray if they start up again. I've been banging on the fence with a piece of wood but having to keep going out is a pain...

thanks for your thoughts...

[Purdie]

Might help to let the dogs meet on lead outside their homes and if all goes well walks together.Once introduced they may not bother about each other so much.

Long term you could plant a tall thick hedge or row of large potted plants along the fence line with a barrier behind it to stop the dog scratching at the fence.

[Mummamia]

My friend just suggested an air horn,

My side neighbours used the air horn method for dogs barking behind us and it worked

just everyso often when the barking was long

our back neighbours female dog was jumping over the fence ( she didnt do it before , until she knew ( or could hear the puppy ) there was a puppy across the road from me , Vet seems to think she wanted to get to the puppy )

anyway she jumped over the fence and tried to get into my other side neighbours place to get over her gate ( which she couldnt ) boy did she try though

many times she tried this jumping and hurt herself few times

If I hear the noise of her trying to get over I would tell her off and she backed off

back neighbours tried everything they could to keep her in

in the end they put up a big sheet of fencing type wire ( like they use before putting cement in ) it was 8 ft tall , all around the fence line but she climed it still , in the end they placed thick black plastic on it so she couldnt climb , that worked until she worked out how to dig a hole under the fence , I found her in my backyard once and couldnt work out how as I didnt hear her attempting it

in the end they also put a inside fence on their side to keep her in and so far so good , she has stayed put

I was home more than the neighbours so often witnessed or heard her coming over the fence , and saw the blood and saw her get hurt

At the time I had two elderly dogs and didnt want them hurt , yet also didnt want to see the female dog hurt or get hit by a car if she got over my or my side neighbours gate and onto the road

Good luck , but would consider makeing a inner fenceline for your own yard so all dogs concerned are kept safe

Your neighbour is so lucky their dog didn't get hit by a car or mauled by another dog. Must have been very distressing for you. I always wonder in these situations how much time the dog is given by the owners to go to such lengths to have something to do. Happy to hear the fence is working. I put a temporary and unlikely to be effective barricade in place this morning. All is quiet at the moment. I agree we should do something effective from the start and resolve it before anything bad happens... Neighbours up and gone early this morning so I have to wait again. Intended on getting to Bunnings early this morning but too concerned to leave the house.

[raineth]

I feel like the crux of the problem is that it is so easy for your dog to learn not to react when you are around, but that he can react when you're not there.

If you use an aversive try to remain hidden to prevent him learning that he can do it when you're not around. It might even be worth it to pretend to leave if you can and then apply the aversive. You do have to be really careful about your timing as well or you can create big problems. The problem with an air horn is ofcourse that it will be aversive for all the animals. Especially for your other dogs they might end up developing superstitions about what caused it.

My dogs have no problems with the dogs on two sides, but one of my dogs has a problem with the dog on the third side. We have spent hundreds of dollars and much effort trying to fix the problem but all we have achieved is a reduction, not a complete cure. She has about one fence fighting incident with that dog a week now (and that's with a ping fence in between her and the other dog *sigh*.

she is very persistent though. When we first brought home Digby he also didn't like that particular dog and had a reaction to her and I told him "no!" and then praised him for being relaxed in that part of the yard and he never repeated the behaviour!

[sas]

Star Pickets and Chicken wire to create an internal fence 1-2 metres away - sometimes, something so simple works.

[persephone]

but too concerned to leave the house.

If your dogs use a dog door , then they are apparently used to being inside - would it be an idea to leave them indoors for a couple of hours here& there, esp when you need to go out?