Neighbors Dog is Digging Into My Yard!

[Unsworth]

In Michigan, you have the right to shoot and kill any predator, including dogs, that are attacking your livestock. A calmer solution would be to call animal control. Sometimes if animal control comes out and talks to the people that will get them to shape up. I don't know if animal control will do that in your area. You can always warn them that if the dog invades your property and attacks the chickens you may have to shoot it if you can in your area. I would do it in writing.

 

[Linda in Idaho]

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 ❤

You could dig a trench and put hardware cloth a foot or so into the ground (like is recommended to keep intruders out of a chicken run). That way, when he digs, he hits the buried fencing. Instead of burying it, you could also attach it to the bottom of the chain link and run it a foot or two into your yard, laying flat on the ground. That way, he would need to dig a hole several feet long to actually get into your yard. If you pin the hardware cloth down, you can mow right over it.

Good luck with your problem.

 

[cute fuzzy chicks]

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.

Dried blood with hot pepper would deter him, but you would have to reapply it every time it rains. Personally, I would run several strands of barb wire along the bottom of the fence.

 

[ZenSyd]

I popped in to look at the thread and can't tell if you're serious or not XD

Seriously this sounds like a great idea.

 

[spaceylocust]

I popped in to look at the thread and can't tell if you're serious or not XD

This will definitely work for deer and other unwanted wildlife to keep them away from a garden. I used to get my husband and neighbors to make contributions in a 5 foot away circle.

 

[spaceylocust]

We live outside the city limits so animal control personnel are non-existent. Our neighbor's dog dug multiple holes, even some through the wild blackberries briars and wild roses, to get into our yard. I chased it out one day and saw it push itself under the chain link fence halfway between vertical poles where there was play in the fence bottom. Hubby told the neighbor the dog was coming in after our chickens and told him we would shoot it if we caught it. Neighbor said "go ahead." Nice..... We lost 2 chickens a couple weeks later--never saw the dog. Hubby spent a week laying in 2x6 boards along the bottom fixed to the fence and filled in the holes with rock. Not a perfect solution for a digger but the easy in and out is gone. Hubby was planning to lay barbed wire along the bottom but the boards seem to be working. I'd opt for the electric fencing to keep the "local wildlife" out. If it is on your side of the fence, your neighbor would have a difficult time complaining about his dog getting zapped.

By the way, I would stop playing with the dog; you're sending him a mixed message. He thinks its OK to try to come over because you're fun. If you want to throw something his way, make it a rock to scare him and let him know you're not someone to play with. Reinforce that with stern and forceful "get away" "go on" etc. Its deplorable how the poor thing is treated by his owner but you shouldn't be giving him positive feedback.

 

[morganstig]

Hi!

we had the same exact problem with our neighbors outside dogs - a Pitt/lab mix and a lab. After several occasions of them getting under the privacy fence, and us calling the neighbors over to get them or taking them back over ourselves, we installed a cheap electric fence system from Tractor Supply close to the bottom of the fence on our side.
After learning about it from one, maybe two shocks, we have had 0 problems.

 

[morganstig]

I understand you taking pity on the dog completely! I wouldn’t blame the dog, only the owners for not keeping him safely confined. After all, the dog is only doing what comes naturally to him.

 

[guyvstewart]

One round strategically placed. Dig a hole. No more problem. Used this solution a few times now on predator's that dig into my property. Works every time. I've only lost one chicken in the last 15 years.

 

[NatJ]

I wouldn’t blame the dog, only the owners for not keeping him safely confined. After all, the dog is only doing what comes naturally to him.

That may be true, but killing chickens also comes naturally to many dogs--so someone needs to contain or control the dog in one way or another.