At Wits End :-(

[WildatHeart]

I am completely at my wits end. Tired and stressed with no idea where to go from here. I'm seeking any helpful tips or advice please.

Last month the place next door finally sold and new neighbours moved in. The place has been vacant since we moved here 12 months ago. A young couple moved in with three dogs.

Prior to them living their our two dogs only barked if someone was out our front gate. Our dogs get on great with our other neighbours and their two dogs on the other side. All fences are dog mesh.

Our dogs never took a liking to the new neighbours dogs and they would fence run and carry on. Their dogs would bark and carry on when tied up or in their back on the ute and would set our dogs off. Their bulldog appears to be dog aggressive had would go for ours through the fence which riled ours up even more. Speaking to the neighbours when introducing myself they mentioned that the bulldog gets a shock collar when they go to the dog park cause it doesn't play nice with other dogs (I wonder why...).

I have installed another fence with dog fence 2.5 meters off the existing to try take the heat out if the confrontation. I have also just spent three days planting red robins to have a visual barrier, but alas that will take years to grow and doesn't block out the noise they make next door.

When they let their dogs out of their pen they race over to the fence barking and the lady next door comes out screaming and waving around a stick or whatever she can find at her dogs. I think this has frightened my dog cause he can be at our back door (not in sight) and if he hears her talking she starts getting really anxious and whinges the races off to bark at her (but more so their dogs).

Their dogs have stopped coming to the fence a but now but mine are so wound up they will bark when their dogs are running around. They have people coming and going all the time and the other day there were 8 dogs there that were other family members.

I have tried reprimanding our dogs but for one I (the anxious one) think it's only making it worse making him worry more. At night it's not really an issue unless they are loud or have cars coming and going, as we lock them in our carport.

In the early stages I tried giving the neighbour a huge bag of treats and asked if she would like to take them and just give them to our dogs here and there so they could get used to them, but she said no they'll get used to them.

I have a bark collar but don't feel it's going to help. We have spent over $300 on the new fence and over $600 on plants. Its our problem to fix and I'm sure the other neighbours will just see it as our dogs barking. The anxious dog has now even started barking at other neighbours over the road pulling into their driveways he's that on edge. He's lost so much weight he looks like rspca case even through I've tripled his daily food. We have thought out a colourbond fence but the expensive is too much, and not even sure it will work cause if they make noise he might still go off.

Edited December 27, 2015 by WildatHeart

[Two Best Dogs!]

I'm sorry. I don't have much advice to give, but my first thought would be seeing if installing garden screening and breaking their line of site while you wait for your red robins to grow? Bamboo screening is meant to be affordable I think?

[Rascalmyshadow]

Could you cover the fence with a double layer of shade mesh so the dogs can't see through it, just attach it with cable ties and maybe try one of the electronic outdoor bark deterrents, it might help quieten both yours and your neighbours dogs.

[suziwong66]

When we moved into our current home, six months ago, it quickly become apparent that the dogs next door were barkers. Every time we even walked out our back door they started up. Their owner was no help...on one hand she would ignore them and then when she did interact with them she would scream and swear at them...one cracker is "if you don't stop i'll have to use my angry voice"

I spent a lot of time trying to make sure that my two didn't interact with the dogs next door...i would treat heavily at the back door to make sure that my two were conditioned to stay near the back door. As soon as my two barked in answer to the dogs next door, i would distract them by throwing treats on the ground and then move them back to the back door area.

I know you've got a lot more issues that I had to deal with...mesh fences (i would recommend trying to block any visual access) and I have the advantage of having my back door quite removed from any interaction with my neighbours dogs but I suggest trying to condition your dogs to find value away from the fenced area; it takes time and a lot of effort but it has been well worth the effort for us. I'm not suggesting that what I did will solve your problems but it may, along with some other strategies, help deal with the problems.

I realised quickly that my neighbour was never going to be a willing partner in dealing with the barking dog issue so it was up to me to take control of what was within my power to do so.

Six months on, the neighbour's dogs still bark...the other morning one started at 5am and barked continually for over an hour...but my dogs have pretty much been conditioned to treat the neighbour's dogs barking as white noise.

[trifecta]

We built a 7' brick wall to keep our dogs safe from a pigger who moved in next door with 11 dogs. As well as peace of mind it stopped the smell, he never picked up after them and even threw the remains of a rotting pig over our side after I had a word with him about the incessant barking.

It was a costly solution, particularly as he (was) moved out 6 months later, but I look at it as an investment - the neighbouring house is a rental property so there are always likely to be problems; plus our place is really private now - we have walls on two sides :)

[Sheridan]

When we moved into our current home, six months ago, it quickly become apparent that the dogs next door were barkers. Every time we even walked out our back door they started up. Their owner was no help...on one hand she would ignore them and then when she did interact with them she would scream and swear at them...one cracker is "if you don't stop i'll have to use my angry voice"

I spent a lot of time trying to make sure that my two didn't interact with the dogs next door...i would treat heavily at the back door to make sure that my two were conditioned to stay near the back door. As soon as my two barked in answer to the dogs next door, i would distract them by throwing treats on the ground and then move them back to the back door area.

I know you've got a lot more issues that I had to deal with...mesh fences (i would recommend trying to block any visual access) and I have the advantage of having my back door quite removed from any interaction with my neighbours dogs but I suggest trying to condition your dogs to find value away from the fenced area; it takes time and a lot of effort but it has been well worth the effort for us. I'm not suggesting that what I did will solve your problems but it may, along with some other strategies, help deal with the problems.

I realised quickly that my neighbour was never going to be a willing partner in dealing with the barking dog issue so it was up to me to take control of what was within my power to do so.

Six months on, the neighbour's dogs still bark...the other morning one started at 5am and barked continually for over an hour...but my dogs have pretty much been conditioned to treat the neighbour's dogs barking as white noise.

I think this is the best solution. Block off access, yes, but eventually you need to desensitise. When next door got a new puppy, Bunny barked and barked and barked hysterically and was way overstimulated. I went around to see all the neighbours to apologise, explained what the issue was and what I was doing about it. I have several neighbours who do night shift so they appreciated me going around. Yes, eventually she got used to the new noise and ignores him now even though he's found his voice and is now barking himself.

[Kirislin]

Could you use distraction? Every time yours start barking call them away with treats, bones perhaps to occupy them? Honestly, I dont know if this is the right advice or not. I'm not a dog trainer. It sounds really stressful for you all.

[Scottsmum]

I don't know that I have a lot of helpful suggestions - when our peace was disturbed by neighours from hell we ended up having to medicate Scottie and ultimately moved house.

We also crate trained him a bit - which helped a tiny bit but really had a very long pay off - it didnt help immediately but it did give him a safe place and it's more useful now 12+ months on.

Maybe you could try a mesh or something to block the view? Heavy Shade cloth? Cheap calico? Hessian?

Soothing doggy music? like the thunderstorm music for dogs? Even audio books ... (something I read the other day and have been meaning to shre)

The dogs were exposed to five auditory conditions (audiobook, classical music, pop music, psychoacoustically designed dog music and no auditory control) for 2 h with an intervening period of 2 days between conditions. The dogs’ behaviour were recorded every 5 min throughout the 2 h auditory conditions using instantaneous scan-sampling. The findings from the present study indicate that exposure to audiobooks significantly influences the behaviour of kennelled dogs. Audiobooks resulted in dogs spending more of their time resting than when exposed to any of the other auditory conditions

http://www.appliedanimalbehaviour.com/article/S0168-1591(15)00312-3/abstract?elsca1=etoc&elsca2=email&elsca3=0168-1591_201601_174__&elsca4=Veterinary+Science%2FMedicine%7CAnimal+Science

[Diva]

I have used hessian in a similar situation in the past to block visual stimulation, cheap and looked ok, but you are still going to have to desensitise for noise. Maybe try crate training the nervous one and using it as a safe place when you aren't around, or using the carport more often for him. You can also get supplements for anxious dogs but I have no idea if they are effective.

Edited December 27, 2015 by Diva

[gillybob]

You could also used teetree stuff I think you can buy it at Bunnings, its branches you attach to your fence untill your hedge grows. I put up a corrugated iron and lattice screen to stop my neighbours from hell. They had children that would tease my dogs through the fence! The people across the road used teetree on their wire fence to block out the highway noise and the dogs sight of the road.

[WildatHeart]

Thank you al for the suggestions. Some of you sound like you've had terrible neighbours! :-(

We will get some shade cloth up this week and I'll also try the desensitising and LAT (read on another topic last night). The nervous dog is crate trained and the other dog is somewhat but only if the other dog is around. She's never taken to the crate and will scream all day (literally) if in the crate and alone.

[mita]

We will get some shade cloth up this week

I found the stuff used for weed matting better because the dogs can't see shapes thro' it, as they can for shade cloth. Weed matting is thick, black plastic which comes in rolls.

[Little Gifts]

I was reading this story thinking you were a friend of mine that this just happened to! New owners, crazy dogs, upset neighbours on three sides. It all went pear shaped for her though when her dog rushed the fence and impaled himself on a ginger plant and needed emergency surgery. She was lucky and spoke to council and the new owners who had no idea their dogs were doing this and worked to rectify the situation. One thing I mentioned to my friend was about the fence. I know my fence has shrunk in the heat and you can see movement through the cracks. It is not a pretty solution (she has a Balinese garden) but I suggested she go to Bunnings and buy some of that waterproof stuff they use for real estate signs and tack that on the bad section of fence. It will stop dog injuries, anyone chewing through the fence, buffer some sound and block any visual prompts.

As for the behavioural issues, in particular with your anxious dog, I wonder if it is worth getting a behaviouralist in to settle their responses and de-escalate their triggers? We've just used Jane Harper (I'm down at Beenleigh but she is north coast). Well worth the money for us and she remains available for advice on ongoing changes.

It might also be worth talking to council for advice (and perhaps support if things escalate further). I'd also go round and talk to the actual dog owners and see if they are aware of the chaos that is happening and willing to rectify it with their dogs.

[Xyz]

where are you wildatheart? I have some weed matting you are welcome to if in NSW?

[jezzabel]

We will get some shade cloth up this week

I found the stuff used for weed matting better because the dogs can't see shapes thro' it, as they can for shade cloth. Weed matting is thick, black plastic which comes in rolls.

Shadecloth is see through - I also used weed mat but does not last forever. Another idea is corflute $11 for 2/2 metres the Bull terrier next door wants to eyeball my 2 to initiate fence running. She is home alone bored and feels she has to patrol and defend 10 acres. Young female entire. I am going to buy corflute tomorrow.

[jezzabel]

We will get some shade cloth up this week

I found the stuff used for weed matting better because the dogs can't see shapes thro' it, as they can for shade cloth. Weed matting is thick, black plastic which comes in rolls.

Shadecloth is see through, save your money - I used weed mat but it does not last forever. Another idea is corflute $11 for 2/2 metres (Bunnings). The Bull Terrier next door wants to eyeball my 2 to initiate fence running. She is home alone bored and feels she has to patrol and defend 10 acres. Young female entire. I am going to buy corflute tomorrow. Will also post some pics of all my other barriers. Ongoing battle over here as well.

[karen15]

When my dogs engage in unwanted barking, they are given a timeout on their beds. Duration depends on how fixated they were. Has worked on all dogs I've had, including the westie puppy. Very pleased I had three months at home with him when I got him as he would have become a nuisance barker and I despise those.

I really sympathise with you. I lived next to two barking mongrels for ages (spoke to owners who would do nothing). Moved onto a main road and the peace is utter bliss!