Neighbors' Pesky Dogs and Invisible Fence

[buffy-the-eggpile-layer]

I know you are right. I think I need to drum up a personality change in order to handle this.

I seriously understand hating confrontation and wanting positive relationships with the neighbors, but it sounds like you have tried civil and those dogs could kill you, so I think you have to be forceful and make it clear that you have the right to shoot the dogs if they are coming at you on your property. :/

 

[buffy-the-eggpile-layer]

Yeah I haven't yet unboxed them, but when we get to that point we will definitely take courses. And our other neighbors (the ones we are close with who have friendly dogs) have taken courses and have a target range on property--they've offered to work with us. We still haven't gotten to the part where we want to unbox the guns though... maybe in 2021

Please take a gun safety course. I support your decision, but handguns are much more dangerous than rifles.

 

[buffy-the-eggpile-layer]

Terrible situation. The overwhelming theme I’m reading here is immature and very inconsiderate neighbors.

1. They also see their dog’s body language.
2. They are aware the dog has attacked and injured other dogs.
3. They are aware toddlers live next door.
4. They are homeowners with potential liability.


a mentally mature homeowner would take any one of the four above points and maturely consider solutions for that point. But, there are four important points, not just one.

inconsiderate homeowners because of the first three points. Yes, their land, etc...however common sense does not appear to be a strong point for them.

Neighbor wars suck, definitely avoid, if possible.

but, your safety and mental well-being is important. The toddlers next door have NO ability to protect themselves. Why should bad dog owners have full use of their property when toddler homeowners can’t make use of their whole property or you can t safely walk down your driveway to get your mail?

basically the bad dog owners are playing dumb, along With being immature and inconsiderate.

you and toddler parents need to put your resources (time to research, $$ for a consultation if needed, effort to talk with the agency that manages pet issues and/polictogether and find out your legal rights. Then pursue an Avenue. Maybe that Avenue is pursuing “dangerous dog” status. Maybe laws indicate dog wire can’t actually be on the property line -needs a buffer (I don’t know). Maybe there is something else.

good luck with that stressful situation.

Thank you! You are right and I think we might be taking things down that road in the future. I suppose we will figure out a way to talk to them about it first, to give them the opportunity to make some decisions/changes and hopefully keep up the mutual respect.

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

U have a beautiful dog! And Big! I d definitely feel better re deterring Human predators with him by my side. But i agree with you that a vicious dog(s) Might not consider him a deterrent. Honestly im not really a "gun person" either, but i also know that ultimately a gun is the best form of self-defense. Especially in the country, when it would likely take a sheriffs deputy 20 minutes plus to arrive if i ever dialed 911. I hope u never need to use your gun for Any reason, but it should provide some peace of mind to have it. In the future too, after you have hopefully found a solution to the problem with the neighbor dogs.

 

[buffy-the-eggpile-layer]

@Geena just noticed your dog in your profile photo, too, OMG! Gorgeous. Love all these beautiful pups popping up on this thread.

 

[buffy-the-eggpile-layer]

Thank you! Yes, we basically got the guns for peace of mind, but are taking baby steps in even unboxing them. Like another poster mentioned, post-COVID we will seek out some safety training and work with our neighbors who have a target range. Just to be safe. However, I'm hoping to use them more for an aesthetic deterrent so that nothing physical ever happens (and again, just to have that peace of mind).

U have a beautiful dog! And Big! I d definitely feel better re deterring Human predators with him by my side. But i agree with you that a vicious dog(s) Might not consider him a deterrent. Honestly im not really a "gun person" either, but i also know that ultimately a gun is the best form of self-defense. Especially in the country, when it would likely take a sheriffs deputy 20 minutes plus to arrive if i ever dialed 911. I hope u never need to use your gun for Any reason, but it should provide some peace of mind to have it. In the future too, after you have hopefully found a solution to the problem with the neighbor dogs.

 

[AccidentalOrpingtons]

I know how most forums are about digging up old threads but wanted to see if you resolved this and how your chickens were doing as well as your own peace of mind of course! This came up in my search for something similar and maybe your resolutions could help us

 

[buffy-the-eggpile-layer]

I know how most forums are about digging up old threads but wanted to see if you resolved this and how your chickens were doing as well as your own peace of mind of course! This came up in my search for something similar and maybe your resolutions could help us

Hi! My flock is doing well, and the dogs are not as much a nuisance. My husband confronted them about moving the fence line back and they were understanding about it. They still charge but it's not as close and thus less hair raising. Sadly, they did get one of the neighbors' free range chickens, but it wandered onto the dogs' turf so not much can be done about that (she was my favorite and layed eggs on my porch, so it was a blow to me more than to my neighbor's lol--I was in mourning for a week). My bigger issue is now about the other neighbors' management of their flock (or lack thereof)--but that's a whole other rabbit hole.

What's your situation?

 

[AccidentalOrpingtons]

I'm sorry to hear about "your" front porch chicken! I am glad it seems there is as much peace as can be had about the dogs as well! I am especially glad that direct communication worked and am getting up the nerve to do the same!

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

I'm not sure if this is the right forum to post this, but I'm hoping to reach people who have some insights on aggressive neighborhood dogs.

First of all, I live in the sticks. It's all country out here--winding, rural roads, tons of livestock and dogs (usually fenced in, thankfully). The rules, I think, are a lot more lax than you'd find in a suburban community. Anyway, over the last year, our new neighbors installed an invisible fence for their two dogs. The problem is, the fence comes right up to our driveway (which we have to walk when we take our own dog out; or if we need to check the mail). Well, whenever we are walking or driving down our driveway, both dogs charge us, aggressively barking and baring their teeth. One of them--thankfully the less aggressive one--can actually cross our driveway, and will, if we back away. He seems fearful enough to keep a distance, but I'm pretty sure the other one would go for the throat if given a chance. This is frustrating for two reasons: (1) it works up our 90 lb GSD mix, who is good but definitely reacts to two dogs charging us (we don't want to have to break up a dog fight between a bunch of large dogs); and (2) it's honestly scary and stressful. As someone who had been attacked by a dog as a child, I get very frightened. I drive the car to just get the mail and will often drive the car down the road to take our GSD for a walk. I know it sounds silly, when they haven't yet actually attacked us, but it just seems like such a distinct possibility should the invisible fence ever malfunction or they simply get ramped up enough to ignore it.

Further, I'm worried about our chickens. They are in a very secure coop and run with an apron fence, but I'm always worried for the day the dogs might get out of their fence (it happened once with the less aggressive dog but the owner realized immediately). We don't have electricity outside so I'm not sure how to best secure them in case the dogs do get out one day when no one is around.

We are thinking about politely asking then neighbors to bring in the invisible fence radius by at least a couple feet. Is that fair? How can I be most diplomatic? I really don't want to start beef with neighbors--IMHO it's always best to stay on neighbors' good sides, especially out here where people play by their own rules. Also, I'm worried that if they did bring it in, the dogs would be so used to the old radius they'd bust through it anyway, and it actually might cause more of a problem.

Any thoughts, suggestions, insights, experiences are much appreciated!

I had a very gentle lab mix, about 75 lbs and used to being on a long lead when out. I switched to a electric fence thinking he would have more freedom. He was very aware of his limits but over time became quite aggressive toward any other animals in his domain. He would charge the neighbors sheep, horses, whatever. Was always fine with people. The neighbors pot belly pig wandered into our back pasture, well beyond the dogs range. As afraid of the shock that he was he took every bit of it to get that pig. He was on it like a lion on a gazelle. The second time it happened neighbors massive sled dog came within the fence boundary and my 75 lb dog had it on its back around the throat. The mallimute was fine but because of the aggression I made the responsible choice to put him down. I was not going to risk a person getting attacked. IMO the electric fence changed my dog's personality and caused overly aggressive territorialism.