Neighbors Dog is Digging Into My Yard!

[centrarchid]

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

It can be done where fencing is placed into whole where dog contacts when getting feet and nose under. It will take some odd placement of insulators and wire to achieve. Ideally, dog will be able to pull back easily an not get zapped repeatedly. I can see where dog owner might get upset.

I would try the spray first to see if it works. If repelling efforts requires OP to be present, then I do not think it will be effective long term. Dog owner will get made about OP directly causing harm to dog. The fencing or spraying the ground would be less stressful for me.

 

[hayley3]

It can be done where fencing is placed into whole where dog contacts when getting feet and nose under. It will take some odd placement of insulators and wire to achieve. Ideally, dog will be able to pull back easily an not get zapped repeatedly. I can see where dog owner might get upset.

I would try the spray first to see if it works. If repelling efforts requires OP to be present, then I do not think it will be effective long term. Dog owner will get made about OP directly causing harm to dog. The fencing or spraying the ground would be less stressful for me.

So you dig like a trench on the chicken-side of the fence?
If you didn't mind digging, could you dig an area deep enough to put concrete blocks? I think I would opt for that...although I love electric fencing but it sounds hard, in this situation.

 

[Stepnout]

Take black pepper and or red Cayenne pepper place a LARGE amount along the fence where he is digging. Make sure you spread it out in a wide pattern. If it gets wet replace it. It would be smart to do this the length of the fence. This will work if you do your part making sure you use enough pepper and keep it fresh.
Here is a link to a similar topic.

https://doglab.com/stop-dog-digging/

 

[Howard E]

Haley and others.......I have one segment of my chicken yard fence that was placed about 1 foot inside a woven wire livestock fence. It sets on step in insulated posts, and was no more expensive.....along with being easier to maintain and build....... than hanging insulators on the steel posts that holds up the woven wire. If a german shepard tried to crawl under my fence, his nose would come into contact with the electric fence about the same time as his front shoulders were under the woven wire fence.

In practice, it is brutally effective for any animal coming through or under the fence. They get trapped in there and will get repeated shocks before they can get clear of it. Will not physically harm any of them, but will assure nobody tries it twice. I have seen several dogs get it.....and the response is always the same. Loud yelp, followed by dog sprinting for the horizon as fast as their legs will carry them.

The net effect is the neighbors dog will no longer be interested in chickens. My neighbors dog took an interest in my birds early on, got zapped and even now, if it is out with the owner....whose garden is less than 50 feet from the fence......and birds just on the other side of the fence, it looks the other way. Wants nothing to do with them.

 

[aart]

The net effect is the neighbors dog will no longer be interested in chickens.

Or digging under the 'fence that bites back'!

 

[Howard E]

And BTW, if a neighbor doesn't like the idea of their dog getting shocked on my side of the fence.....or on my property in general for that matter, then it would be up to them to keep him off. Don't want him to get shocked? Keep him at home. In practice, that has never come up......once shocked, dog self enforces his no go zone.

 

[centrarchid]

So you dig like a trench on the chicken-side of the fence?
If you didn't mind digging, could you dig an area deep enough to put concrete blocks? I think I would opt for that...although I love electric fencing but it sounds hard, in this situation.

I think digging and placing blocks will require more labor and ultimately more cost than using some sort of electrified fencing. My opinion is that a lower cost / lower output fence charger would be sufficient. The dog getting a relatively mild zap will be more likely to retain composure when retreating from unpleasant stimulus.

Currently I am dealing with an 7 month old pup that is digging under fencing to get from one pen to another. In my case releasing chickens into her pen and tearing up nest boxes in their pen because it is fun. Pup has to put a lot of effort into it and is damaging herself in the process. The process she is going through is similar to what OP's dog trouble involves. I think this gives some insight.

The dog digging under will be in a compromised position under fence and may have trouble backing out when first coming into contact with hotwire. I have too much personal experience taking multiple zaps because could not get off fence properly which comes with territory working around fence in wooded areas and when wearing a lot of protective gear. If the dog cannot simply back out, it may force its way forward into OP's yard, potentially injuring itself in the process. End result of that mess will be a very distraught dog on OP's side of fence resulting in a situation where emotions make legal concerns less of an immediate concern. Make certain dog takes zap in a position where backing up to its own side of fence is the natural option.

 

[feather13]

In some states, such as California, it is legal to cull a dog that is killing your livestock and it's also the dog owner's responsibility to pay for damages their dog caused. You can consult an attorney and then kill the dog if it's legal in your state. We had a stray husky attack and kill our chickens. The owner refused to take responsibility. I'm sorry your neighbor is so irresponsible.

 

[MgnRose]

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).

Thank you for the info! I never thought about how I could also keep the chickens out of my planting beds as well as the dog. Sounds like a win/ win!

 

[MgnRose]

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

I think it will work in my situation since he digs under and then puts his head up under the fence where he has dug. He’s also bending the fence (it’s chain link) in several areas so I think a few wires properly placed will definitely make contact.