Dogs Fence Fighting

[cowanbree]

I have lived where I am currently for many years. It is on acreage and is surrounded by my neighbours paddocks. I have been very lucky that I have never had dog issues here until recently when my neighbour decided to let her dogs wander her paddocks. They have taken to running my back fence which sets my dogs off and then they start fence fighting. Over the past few mths it has esculated to the point that mine are now barking at every sound. Her dogs, a neo and a kab have started bouncing off the wire fences, mine just bark.

I have rang her but she isn't open to doing anything. I have put fence screens up to block visibility and I have been working with my dogs recall with good success but there is still a lot of barking. I can't fence away from them easily and hedging will take some time to grow. What else can I do?

I should mention I have shelties which are not a quiet breed at the best of times but would love any suggestions

[Scottsmum]

Hot wire - ideally on their side. You'll only need to zap them once or twice.

[Pjrt]

On a similar thought to a Hotwire......maybe investigate whether an invisible fence could work for you. I believe they are usually laid in the ground and the dog wears a collar that communicates with the fence and warns the dog if it gets too close. If you could run an invisible fence well inside your boundary it might reduce the issue quite a bit.

Or remote training collars on your dogs. I think they can emit sound or vibration interrupters as well as shocks if you're leery of that option. Of course you actually have to be there to activate them, unlike the invisible fence which can operate all the time.

Edited June 27, 2016 by blinkblink

[RuralPug]

Can you run a temporary fence a metre or so inside the problem fence and screen that until your hedges grow? Right now it is escalating and it is very worrying that the large dogs are bouncing off the wire. Cutting their view/smell of your dogs should tone it down, then your dogs won't have as many visits to react to.

If the fence is a boundary fence between the two properties, I'm not sure you are permitted to put a hot wire on the other side - unless your neighbour gives permission (and assuming your state permits hot wire where dogs are enclosed - not all do.)

EFS

Edited June 27, 2016 by RuralPug

[Simply Grand]

Cowanbree you know Shelties far better than I do but I would never hot wire or invisible fence with my Sheltie, I'd be concerned about it shutting him down completely. I just don't think he'd pick up the association quickly enough to offset the negative consequences.

If it's at all possible I would build a tall timber fenced enclosure without gaps to see through and just keep them as separate as possible, mainly to avoid the neighbour's dogs being able to get to yours. I know much easier said/paid for than done

Edited June 27, 2016 by Simply Grand

[Sheridan]

I'm interested in this, too. Dog next door has taken to barking at my fence line and flinging itself at my fence. Bunny is now barking a lot and having a go at the fence. I have fenced off my side of the fence but the next door dog can still get to their fence. Neither dog can see the other.

[Willem]

...if my dog meet the neighbours dogs at the fence and starts barking I call her back - if the neighbours haven't called their dogs back before me...problem solved. (Barking never last longer than 10 - 20 seconds).

[Rebanne]

I've not tried this myself but I have read one way to stop fence running (if they are also doing this as opposed to fighting in one spot) is to put small barriers or obstructions on the fence at intervals. It breaks up the straight running that builds up the aggression. If they have to swerve around things it takes them away from the actual fence. The explanation made sense to me. Can't recall where I read it.

[Sheridan]

...if my dog meet the neighbours dogs at the fence and starts barking I call her back - if the neighbours haven't called their dogs back before me...problem solved. (Barking never last longer than 10 - 20 seconds).

Which is fine if you're there 100 per cent of the time. Most people aren't.

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

I have a problem with the occasional fence fighting with foster dogs and my neighbour's dog. I've used a load of citronella oil which has put some off and a good splash of water which put the last barker off. My neighbours do nothing about their dog barking at the fence, they could block that area off but refuse to.

The description of large dogs throwing themselves at any fence however is very alarming, you do need to do something to fix this, sorry that your neighbour isn't listening.

Edited June 28, 2016 by Her Majesty Dogmad

[cowanbree]

Thanks everyone. I would actually love to put a hot wire on the neighbours side of the fence. A couple of zaps and I think they would stop visiting but I can imagine the neighbours reaction to that. Fortunately my dogs are safely kenneled during the day so the fighting only occurs when I am home. I do stop it immediately when I hear it but I would like my very reactive shelties to learn to ignore them. Over the years they have accepted cows and sheep hanging over the fence and have even come to accept the goats most of the time, for some reason they hated the goats.

I think I will put a citronella bark collar on the worst offenders and look into hedging

[Maddy]

We had this same problem and ended up just fencing off the whole area to prevent our dogs getting anywhere near the fence. And that worked nicely until this year when the neighbour's dogs started chewing palings off the boundary fence to try to get to our dogs We've already replaced/reinforced several palings but their dogs just move on to a new section so it looks like our only option will be putting up a colourbond fence there, probably at our expense.

[mita]

Can you run a temporary fence a metre or so inside the problem fence and screen that until your hedges grow?

In the same direction. Get some of that black plastic weed matting that comes in rolls. And roll it out along your side of the fence. Nice & thick so it cuts off any view of the dogs on the other side.

[Willem]

...if my dog meet the neighbours dogs at the fence and starts barking I call her back - if the neighbours haven't called their dogs back before me...problem solved. (Barking never last longer than 10 - 20 seconds).

Which is fine if you're there 100 per cent of the time. Most people aren't.

I might be just lucky, but I noticed that after calling her off from the fence in the past she does it now on her own (even if the neighbours don't interfere). She might take 5 seconds longer and have a few barks more, but then she retrieves from the fence, no further interventions required. We are more or less surrounded by dogs, and one neighbour (we share only the corner) has 3 of these little annoying barkers that are going on for hours, but she just ignores them.

[Simply Grand]

...if my dog meet the neighbours dogs at the fence and starts barking I call her back - if the neighbours haven't called their dogs back before me...problem solved. (Barking never last longer than 10 - 20 seconds).

Which is fine if you're there 100 per cent of the time. Most people aren't.

I might be just lucky, but I noticed that after calling her off from the fence in the past she does it now on her own (even if the neighbours don't interfere). She might take 5 seconds longer and have a few barks more, but then she retrieves from the fence, no further interventions required. We are more or less surrounded by dogs, and one neighbour (we share only the corner) has 3 of these little annoying barkers that are going on for hours, but she just ignores them.

Yep, you're just lucky.

[Papillon Kisses]

I don't know, I've had the same experience as Willem and my dog can be super reactive. Eventually what starts as running around swearing gets down to run out, bark once, and shoot back inside. Then no reaction at all.

I'm not punishing for barking, just calling back and rewarding the recall then asking for a conflicting behavior and rewarding that, too (e.g. you can't be outside barking and inside on your mat at the same time).

I find telling my dog what TO do is far more effective than telling him what NOT to do. It also avoids taking on the risks of punishment based methods.