12 Mnth Old Obsessed With Next Door

[rar]

Hi all, we are having a few issues, and I am at a loss where to go next, so any advice would be appreciated.

Background: we moved into our place 4.5 years ago. One neighbour had a Ridgeback, which apparently pounded on fences and barked when she couldn't see the other side of fences, so these neighbours had cut a small section out of every fence, and filled it with wire- so the dog could see out. We moved in, thought this was ridiculous, but figured it didn't really bother us, or our dog, so let it stay. Their dog passed away a little while ago- and for Christmas, the kids got a guinea pig- they have placed the cage right in front of the hole in the fence, about 10cm away from the wire- as you can imagine, our 12 month old GSP thought this was fantastic, and got really obsessed with it- barking and pounding on the fence (we have had him for 3 months, and have never had this problem before).

Fast forward a week- we boarded up the hole- he still jumped on the fence. We fenced off the area- he jumped onto the temporary fence, and barked at the main fence- although he is about 1.5 metres away from it. We have now put his kennel, and a few other things in front of the temporary fence (only things we have that are heavy and large enough, til we get to the weekend and can investigate what to do)- well, last night, he was still frantically trying to get to the fence, despite all this stuff in the way. We were actually going to put his kennel in this area in front of the fence anyway, as it fits, and is nice and sheltered- so I am wishing we had done this a few weeks ago!

What to do? This is the first time he has displayed this sort of behaviour- I am annoyed that the neighbours were thoughtless/stupid in putting the cage in front of the hole in the fence, and no where else in their big backyard, but I acknowledge that it is OUR dog causing the issues, so we need to find a solution. We have tried citronella before- without much success. He has toys/treats etc, and get exercise and attention, so maybe he will just give up in a few days? I am considering plastic bags filled with water, so if he jumps up, he'll get water on him, and we are also thinking perhaps having the MIL babysit him for a day or two, and perhaps he will have forgotten about it when he gets back. For the past few days, and I have been trying to put toys, and treats etc around the other side of the yard, to encourage him to focus on something else, but he always goes back to the guinea pig.

We are worried that if we continually tell him off, he will perceive his behaviour as a way to get attention (even if it is negative) - but it is getting to a point where he is being a nuisance- although it has only being about a week, and the other 3 neighbours have never had a problem with him (we have asked them all directly), I guess I am worried that this 4th neighbour will use this as a reason to get narky (they once complained about our other dog barking, when she hadn't being at home for a week!).

Any thoughts? It hasn't been going on for very long, but we want to deal with this issue before it gets out of hand, and we are really not sure where to go from here. Many thanks for your advice/tips in advance.

R

Edited January 9, 2007 by rar

[rugerfly]

I have had the exact same situation happen in my other house. But I had two GSP's spurring each other on. They put a dam rabbit near the fence, or let it loose around the backyard. We only had the pailing fence, so they could see it right through the gaps, and also smell it i guess. To stop them knocking down the fence and jumping on it, I put a lenghth of electric fencing up along that side, a few zaps and no more fence juming. They couldnt get near enough to see much either.

Also eventually they lost a bit of interest in it.

You could try this, not too expensive either, a portable strip grazer battery opperated thingo plus some stick in poles and tape would cost you not quite 200 bucks. It will come in very handy for other things too.

You could also ask the neighbours if there is any chance they could move it.

Sorry you have this problem.

[rar]

Thanks for the response rugerfly- to be honest, we hadn't considered any sort of electric fencing - it sounds like it worked well for you- I will do a search on the forum and see if anyone else has used it with success- In a way though, I don't like the idea of it- but you are right, it wouldn't take long for him to get the message.

Yes, we could ask them to move it, but I doubt they would do it- being the 'charming' people that they are. And technically it is our dog reacting like this, so it is our problem.

What is annoying/funny though- one of our other neighbours is doing an extension on his house a few metres from our back fence- and Jesse hasn't had any issues with the builders/banging noises etc- just this damn guinea pig.

R

[zoiboy]

Good on you for looking for a solution. The biggest problem with guinea pigs is they are a food and they make the most wonderfuly inviting squeeky sounds (not at all unlike dog toys).

The electric fence could be a great solution. You can get what they call electronet with is hot tape made to look like wire fencing. This stuff is fantastic as you have a much greater chance of the dog being 'taught' by the fence than with strip tape.

I have just used it to great effect in keeping the new pup next door OUT of my place.

Cheers

Linda

[rar]

Thanks Linda- I didn't even think that it might be the noises it is making that is driving him nuts - shows how much I know about guinea pigs!

hmmm.... will do more research on the electric fencing options.

THANKS!

[rugerfly]

the fences are harmless to the dogs, just scares the crap out of them ;) and you if you walk into it. Feels kinda like someone hitting you.

[SkyesongTollrz]

Bearing in mind that you're dealing with a gundog, and they have excellent memory as far as a bird (or in this case, a guinea pig) is concerned. I had a similiar problem with neighbours and an aviary. My dogs saw it one day (when they were rebuilding a fence) and obsessed about it for weeks. I finally convinced the neighbour to move it, and let my dogs "loose" to go for the birds (where they thought they were). They realised there was nothing there, and gave up. The neighbour moved the aviary back a few days later, and the dogs never bothered with it again.

If you could get your neighbours to cooperate, and move the guinea pig for a few days, reopen the gap in the fence, and let your dog see that there is nothing there, then he may just stop worrying about it. I gather your neighbours are a bit feral, but if you approach them with the fact that it's "your" dog that has a problem, and not "their" guinea pig that's the cause of it, they may be more willing to help you out with it.

[WreckitWhippet]

Time for a zapping and i recommend the Thunderbird Electric fence. I can guarantee that they will not go near the main fence and they soon forget about what is on the other side.

[huski]

I would assume that your GSP probably won't forget about the guinea pig as he would surely be able to smell it there, even if he can't see it.

Can you ask the neighbours to move the guinea pig cage to another part of their yard? You would think they wouldn't find this unreasonable if they cut holes in your/their fence because of their dog.

I think the electric fence is a good idea too

[rar]

Hi all,

Thankyou for your comments and advice- much appreciated. On Thursday night the lady next door caught me when I was out in the backyard, and started talking/complaining about things generally.

She mentioned that we had moved the dog kennel- I said that yes, we had used it to help block out the hole in the fence, as Jesse had been taking too much of an interest in the new guinea pig- she said that she hadn’t noticed any issues with him!! (which is a bit bizarre, as she would usually be the first person to complains).

We have had a few days of peace, however yesterday the cage was moved to a spot within view of the other hole in the fence (a hole created to stop their dog pounding the fence). We have now boarded up this hole, but I busted Jesse jumping up this morning- He was doing a bit of a balancing act, and had his paws and nose over the fence!! We did some emergency repair work before heading off to work, so it should be ok for the moment, but it is concerning us that he was motivated enough to get that far- I would hate for him to jump over and cause damage or hurt the guinea pig.

Over the weekend we talked about the idea of electric wiring on the fence of some kind. OH doesn’t like the idea at all, and I am not a big fan of it, but perhaps it is something that we will have to do as a last resort. OH did some research last night, and found some collars that make a noise when you press a button- it can be used as a deterrent- I am not too keen on this idea, so wondered if anyone has used them? I will do a search on the forum to see if there is much info out there.

I spoke to another neighbour who mentioned that she hadn’t noticed anything different, and that he wasn’t carrying on- so looks as though he isn’t barking (touch wood).

I think that before we go with the electric fence we will try making the fence higher, and perhaps cut some piping in half and run it along the top of the fence- so it will be slippery and he will be unable to put his paws on it. If we also try making some loud noises using a whistle or something, perhaps that will help a bit- Worth a try anyway.

Thanks again for your advice.

R