Neighbors Dog is Digging Into My Yard!

[RobertaD1]

Couple times? More like once..........

After that, you probably couldn't make him go near it.

Some pups are slow learners Friend had a german shepard.... hit that line 2x... was all it took. That pup wanted to herd the calf pen... after that second time, wouldnt go near the calves.

 

[MgnRose]

Thank you all for the suggestions. I will definitely have my husband “mark” our property from here on out. Haha

Unfortunately, these people are oddly hostile towards me (sometimes people get that way when you ask them to correct an issue that they don’t want to deal with) so I’m not sure having contact with the dog is a great idea. I’m wondering if anyone has tried capsaicin spray, cayenne/ pepper in the ground, laying down chicken wire? Electric fence sounds promising, but I would worry the chickens might hit it. Someone messaged me and suggested dried rose stems in the holes, which sounds interesting.

 

[MgnRose]

German Shepard's are smart... they CAN learn. When he hits the fence, tell him NO... Sternly... he will understand. After about 2 maybe 3 times of the zap... he hears NO, he WILL stop.

We have a German Shepherd and she’s the best. She LOVES her chickens and is fiercely protective over them, charging up into the chicken yard and getting nasty with the dog when he causes a ruckus. She’s great with the chickens, but we also have spent a ton of time and energy training her.

The neighbors dog is really sweet and smart- I feel bad for him that he hasn’t had any training from his owners. When I’m home and I hear the chickens getting antsy (they let me know when he’s lurking around) and I go out to tell him no, he goes away. Problem is, I’m not home all the time and when I come home and check on the yard, he’s usually been working on his tunnels.

 

[West-Coast-Chick]

Hi everyone! I am having an issue with my neighbors dog & I was hoping for some ideas/ feedback/ information if anyone has dealt with this issue before.

My neighbors dog will not stop digging at the fence line and into my yard. He is a German Shepherd/ Husky who can fit it entire head and front limbs under the chain link fence. He is left outside all day, without supervision or toys (I have tossed him over quite a few balls and sticks because I feel sorry for the guy) and he has decided that trying to catch my chickens is how he entertains himself.

I have tried talking to my neighbors about it and they deflect responsibly, have no solutions, and are just generally hostile about the situation. So no help there!

What are steps I can take to protect my chickens? We are currently waiting on a contractor to build a privacy fence, but I don’t know that this will deter him in the long term. So- any ideas of how to protect them in the meantime? We have filled the holes in our side, buried rocks/ blocked the fence he had bent, put up particle board as a visual barrier in strategic spots already. I maintain it daily as he finds a way to move the rocks (they’re so big!! How does he do that?). I am looking for something more permanent on my end, that isn’t going to cost us an arm & a leg, and that I don’t need to maintain daily.

Any ideas are so very appreciated. I just want my chickens to be safe, thank you ❤

I’ve had problems with predators and find a strand or two of electric fence deters even the most determined of them. Good luck !!

 

[RobertaD1]

The electric fence wont hurt him.... but it will deter them. If he gets under that fence, even if he doesnt mean to, he will kill your birds. He will think twice before coming under again.

 

[MgnRose]

I’ve had problems with predators and find a strand or two of electric fence deters even the most determined of them. Good luck !!

Thank you. I’m thinking this might need to be the route I take. Have the chickens ever gotten zapped? They can be so curious and I don’t want any of my girls getting hurt. Do you block the chickens from the electric fence?

 

[BookThief]

My mom had a problem of her spaniel digging out of the yard. What we ended up doing is burying cinder blocks under the fence, as well as putting cinder blocks on top of the dirt, the more he dug, the more the blocks fell into his hole, and eventually he'd just hit the buried blocks and couldn't dig further anyway.. You could also install an electric fence. And if his barks, you can get a device that will let out a tone that will deter the barking. You could also call animal control.

 

[RobertaD1]

I've never heard of one getting zapped, but that doesn't mean it doesnt happen. I guess you could put up a barrier for the chooks.... maybe a small plastic fence or something....

 

[Howard E]

Chickens get shocked too and it doesn't hurt them.......and after that, they won't cross it either. I use it all the time with the birds for crowd control. Keeps them out of places (like garden plots) and off places (like patios) where I don't want them to go.

A properly setup electric fence is about as magic as it gets with barnyard animals (and varmints).

 

[hayley3]

Chickens get shocked too and it doesn't hurt them.......and after that, they won't cross it either. I use it all the time with the birds for crowd control. Keeps them out of places (like garden plots) and off places (like patios) where I don't want them to go.

A properly setup electric fence is about as magic as it gets with barnyard animals (and varmints).

I can't visualize how an electric fence on the opposite side is going to stop him from digging under.