Neighbours Dogs Fighting

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

I hope I didn't upset you Dogmad, certainly wasn't my intention. I had to read it a few times before I worked it out. Certainly wish I had thought of that back when my ex next door neighbours dog kept barking at our fence!

Not at all, I was thanking you for the support! I hadn't understood the post properly and suggested something that wasn't practical under the circumstances. :)

[Pepper21]

Sorry I should have made it more clear. They are a few doors down from me, not next door neighbours. My god I would go insane if they were that close! The saucepan lid is a good idea though if I ever share a fence with an annoying dog ;)

[Rebanne]

Sorry I should have made it more clear. They are a few doors down from me, not next door neighbours. My god I would go insane if they were that close! The saucepan lid is a good idea though if I ever share a fence with an annoying dog ;)

The saucepan lid is a terrible idea to inflict on other peoples dogs. I would still have your guts for garters if I caught you doing something so cruel to my dogs and I have lived next to an old guy who if my dogs barked once a day would react like they never stopped. Even he was never so cruel.

[Cody]

Even though it is a terrible idea, banging saucepan lids is much less cruel than, say, poisoning neighbourhood dogs.

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

Even though it is a terrible idea, banging saucepan lids is much less cruel than, say, poisoning neighbourhood dogs.

That is correct - I still have the vile neighbour next door who poisoned my dog - he lived to tell the tale but the immediate vet bills amounted to over $3000 (in 2001) and his health was forever ruined. To my horror, whenever I told someone about it most people said "was your dog barking too much?" He wasn't - he'd been debarked before I ever found him in a shelter.

I also do not wish to endure what a friend has just been through for 6 months of her life following a complaint about her dogs barking, by a neighbour to the local council. It nearly gave her a nervous breakdown and her life continues to be extremely difficult, trying to remain a dog owner.

My dogs are just about the sweetest most well adjusted dogs you could find - one has been here for over 11 years, another over 5 years. Some are fosters from very cruel situations that need lots of tlc and help to move forward.

I have a long list of what I consider cruel, including but not limited to: not grooming your dog for years on end so that it can't see or move it's limbs and is in considerable pain and distress, not feeding your dog, leaving ear/eye/skin infections to fester, not providing flea protection, beating your dog, chaining it up, never walking it and many other things all of which I've witnessed regularly as a dog rescuer.

Whilst I'd prefer not to use this method to deter my dogs from barking, until my neighbour does something very simple to prevent their dog from getting to the fence (it cannot be done on my side), there will be barking and I won't allow it to go on unabated on my side as I consider it seriously puts us all at risk.

Edited April 28, 2014 by Her Majesty Dogmad

[keetamouse]

Even though it is a terrible idea, banging saucepan lids is much less cruel than, say, poisoning neighbourhood dogs.

That is correct - I still have the vile neighbour next door who poisoned my dog - he lived to tell the tale but the immediate vet bills amounted to over $3000 (in 2001) and his health was forever ruined. To my horror, whenever I told someone about it most people said "was your dog barking too much?" He wasn't - he'd been debarked before I ever found him in a shelter.

I also do not wish to endure what a friend has just been through for 6 months of her life following a complaint about her dogs barking, by a neighbour to the local council. It nearly gave her a nervous breakdown and her life continues to be extremely difficult, trying to remain a dog owner.

My dogs are just about the sweetest most well adjusted dogs you could find - one has been here for over 11 years, another over 5 years. Some are fosters from very cruel situations that need lots of tlc and help to move forward.

I have a long list of what I consider cruel, including but not limited to: not grooming your dog for years on end so that it can't see or move it's limbs and is in considerable pain and distress, not feeding your dog, leaving ear/eye/skin infections to fester, not providing flea protection, beating your dog, chaining it up, never walking it and many other things all of which I've witnessed regularly as a dog rescuer.

Whilst I'd prefer not to use this method to deter my dogs from barking, until my neighbour does something very simple to prevent their dog from getting to the fence (it cannot be done on my side), there will be barking and I won't allow it to go on unabated on my side as I consider it seriously puts us all at risk.

It's not like you are smashing the dogs heads in the lids it is just the noise that may deter them nothing cruel about that, I have a coin tin and rattle that when I want to stop the fosters and get their attention nothing cruel about that either.

[sandgrubber]

Are you sure they are fighting and not play fighting.

I have neighbors whose dogs sort of attack one another when I walk past with my dogs. It's annoying and loud but they never hurt one another. I think it's more play than serious fighting.

I remember reading a book about sled dogs where the author flat out stated that they like to fight. I think this is true of many dogs. (not mine, thanks to doG).

[Yonjuro]

...If the neighbour has bothered to do a letter drop apologising , enlisted the help of a trainer and tried citronella collars then they sound like they care enough to try and remedy the problems. I am not suggesting that the owners are doing a great job LOL, but I would just let them be for a while.

Along the lines of what HW said, they can't be too serious in their fighting or there would be seriously wounded dogs. I am pretty sure the owner would be aware of any blood or puncture wounds. If there is a wounded dog, then they will know that there is a problem and therefore no need to add to their stress by putting a note in their box or even approaching them about it.

Anyway, good on the OP for caring about other dogs in the neighbourhood.

[Pepper21]

I've knocked on their door a few times but no one home, so will drop them a letter tomorrow.

I don't think they've done any major damage, but I'm concerned that they're getting worse quite quickly. They went from a bit of 'bark, bark' to that screeching, screaming terrier-typical fight. Right now I'm sure it's all noise, but I don't know how long that would last.

I don't think noise interruption is cruel, but I would not resort to it as a first choice. It's a handy little idea to have. I would get quite cross if someone did it to my dogs, but then again I don't let my dogs bark and they're not even outside anyways.