to spray the neighbours dog?

[AmIAWeed]

So...long long ongoing issues with neighbours.
I have 2 dogs, they have a dog.
Their garden backs onto ours on the side and the rear. Well their garden to the side, their field to the rear.
I have fenced their boundary because they wouldn't and as a dog owner it's my responsibility to keep my dog in...I have also replaced the chain link at the bottom of our garden, in front is a hedge so no point having a wooden fence there - additionally the field floods regularly so it would rot.

Their dog is NOT socialised, any time I am in the garden it runs at the wooden fence and the chain link/hedge, literally pacing up and down barking. The owners do not call it in.
If I let my dogs out and it appears I bring mine in because it barks, mine bark back and frankly the other neighbours don't deserve to hear dogs barking. One of my dogs runs away, the other stands wagging his tail and barking, hes desperate to play and has never before picked up a dogs warning signs to leave it alone.
Today mine we're out, theirs was let out and the barking started, by the time I got out the bark there was full on snarling, growling - one of my dogs and theirs going for it. I grabbed my dog and bought him in, since he's been curled up on my lap terrified.

The owners have no intention of bringing the dog in or stopping the behaviour and im fed up of calling mine in everytime their dog is out, which can be for hours at a time.

So my AIBU
I want to have a water gun so every time their dog comes to the fence and starts barking I can spray it? I'll spray mine as well if hes out to deter them, but have every intention of spraying both dogs, theirs and mine until the damn thing learns not to run and bark at dogs/people. If their dog is there barking at me through the fence and my boy is inside i'll still spray the damn thing.
Is there an alternative?

Plastic bottle with gravel, peas or stones in.
Every time, tell both dogs a firm No. If they carry on, throw it down on the ground by them.
One of the tv dog people did this and it is very effective.

Did anyone else read the thread title as "to spay the neighbors dog?"

It would have been a very different unreasonable solution..

I'd try the talking to it method for their dog. Loud or anxious dogs often chill right out if you talk in a calm happy tone (don't offer a hand right away, they can misinterpret/see as a threat) . You can google Victoria Stillwell for best way to stop your dog fear or anxiety barking(loud uh uh & simultaneous hand raise, palm open).

kpo58 I'd rather spay the neighbors!!!

Ditto everything @Adaline has said

This is a good summary of why punishment in dogs, particularly those with fear or anxiety, has a tendency to make matters worse www.dogwelfarecampaign.org/implications-of-punishment.php

There's very little you can do to train your neighbour's dog (who sounds thoroughly miserable btw - can't enjoy its own garden because it's shit scared of you and your dog coming into the garden - and a lot of other things in the world).

Blocking the view across the fence is an excellent way to reduce problems. Supervise your dog in the garden, and if the other dog barks call it away from the fence and reward (think of it as recall practice).

Do you think the barking would meet the threshold for environmental health intervention?

@JamieFrasersKilt Cesar Milan by any chance? He's considered a pariah in the dog training world, and for good reason. You might like to do some research on his methods and theories, which are almost all considered outdated, often cruel, and frequently make matters worse in time.

No you’re right they’re dogs! Which is why you train dogs and raise children. Jeez there’s some strange ones out this morning. Your training sounds great, I didn’t realise it was critique other people’s dog training day today I must have missed the memo. The red can is magical for my cat scratching bedroom doors at night. Not harmful in the slightest. I highly suggest you get one or if you’re really desperate a dog whistle but it will affect your own dogs too. I’m sorry but if the council/RSPCA actually took stuff like this seriously then we wouldn’t have to take these drastic actions. My council will not do anything about my neighbours when I’m essentially living in between two kennels. We have no choice but to scream at their dogs, the RSPCA are very aware of what we have to do and didn’t say it was ‘inhumane’ to shout at them through the walls.

Well said about Milan, the guy is s tool.

Since when does training dogs mean you scare them into behaving properly?

Cesar Milan is cruel and not someone to look to for correct training techniques.

If Sometimesitsmyownfault is a dog trainer then I am a man.

Actual dog behaviourist..

So, no I wouldn't spray the neighbours dog, because its not likely to be effective or efficient and to do that, youd be MISSING the opportunity to work on your dogs feeling more secure and safe.

To help YOUR dogs, pair the sounds of the neighbouring dog with high value treats - cheese, sausage etc - any time they hear that dog it is a cheese party (or whatever reinforcer your dog likes best).

If you ensure that EVERY time they are out you are there ready with the reinforcer, VERY quickly you will change the emotional response from your dogs, AND have them automatically looking to you for the goodies.

Then you fade out the frequency of that reinforcer so that they dont need it every time, but they still firmly associate the neighbours dog sounds with something good.

Then it doesnt matter what the neighbours dog does.. your dogs are fine :)

Pet corrector sprays, water sprays and anything that makes noise to deter behaviour is aversive meaning it uses fear of the thing to stop behaviour, all this does is suppress the behaviour leaving a very stressed dog who will seek other ways to demonstrate their fear or stress. Google the premack principle for fence fighting, buy some treats and a clicker and put some time into training, ask the owners if you can throw treats to their dog too so it learns to associate you and your dogs with good things happening

Thank you for the sensible expert input Widdlin. I hope that the OP listens and maybe some of the other posters on here too.

Just been reading through 'threads I started' and wasn't sure if anyone would like an update as we're a good 6 months on
Safe to say the situation has got no better.
If I let my dogs in the back garden their dog appears barking, mine bark back. however mine do now come in as soon as they are called, however with the increasing nice weather it's getting harder as both are out more often.
Our front garden has a solid fence down the side between us so I started letting my dogs use that instead of the back, however as their dog has free reign of front and back garden surrounding us on 2 sides if mine are in the front it then comes to the front and has even started digging under the fence, full of head under our fence with me shouting at them to get their dog under control. We're now planting a hedge along side our fence in a bid to add an extra barrier.
I have tried gardening in the rear twice this week, wedding along our hedge and both times had their dog about a foot away snarling and growling at me. I don't think I have ever felt so much dislike towards people or an animal before, but last night I was so upset at not being able to let my dogs into my garden I screamed at the dog and them to f off. Made no difference, I didn't feel any better but I will not be going back inside and letting the owners/dog 'win'
Now my dogs come back in, what else can I actually do as we are seriously contemplating ripping out an established hedge to put up a wooden fence, although well aware it may just dig under like it has at the front?

Have you tried making a complaint to the local council? You have 2 grounds for complaint; a noise nuisance, and an out of control dog that it trying to access your property.

No, because I can't stop my dogs from reacting - the best I can do is call them in, luckily thanks to me giving them cheese each time, as soon as I call they come, but there is a short period of barking between - so from a noise nuisance they could claim the same.

Plus shouting at the dog to F off isn't exactly my finest hour :/

If the dog does ever get into the garden I can certainly report it although as we have free ranging chickens at the front I imagine it'll be a police matter for killing livestock. Digging under the fence I was told they cant do anything as it hasn't yet been successful. I have to wait for the damn thing to get in, but i'm not prepared to do that if i'm there. It also only comes to the front if my dogs are there, as I wont let them out there alone (because of the chooks) I can always stop it.

I've just been looking into electric fences but that wont work - it would only deter my dogs so they'd be fearful of their dog AND being zapped

Did you try any of the other suggestions such as water/noise?

I sympathise OP, we're in a similar situation.

My main focus has been on bringing my dogs in, training mine although the best we've managed is for them to come in each time on recall.
If we can see the dog pacing I've let them out the front to avoid the situation, although that's simply caused their dog to go to their front garden and started digging.
Last night, I bought mine in and went back out as it was still pacing the fence out of sheer frustration I sprayed it with the hose and it ran off. About half hour later I emptied our bin and it started growling at me, my dogs were not about so having left the hose in place from the first time sprayed it again for it to run off. I'll see how today goes and the weekend as I've an area to hedge and turf so will be out there most the weekend

Spraying someone's dog is out of order, Is be furious if a neighbour done this to my dogs. Did you consider your free range chickens are the cause of the digging? The dog sounds unsocialised not aggressive or out of control, the attitude of some posters is ridiculous. If your garden is secure stop with your obsession; the dog is in his garden, mind your own business.

Bookworm, I cant let me dogs in the rear garden without their dog running snarling and growling at them. I take my dogs in, go out alone dog continues running at me snarling and growling....it actually jumps at the wire mesh fence. There is a tall hedge in front as well although this is yet to green up so still see through.
I move my dogs to front garden so their dog cannot see them due to solid fence and their dog starts to dig under
This was posted originally back in September and whilst I am training my dogs to come away - they are doing nothing.
Shall I stop using my garden?!
I'd happily spray the neighbours but that would involve them being out and actually looking after their dog when it's in the garden.
They can come round and be furious if they don't like it, then I can tell them to sort their bloody dog out

I had the same situation. I ended up putting in a second fenceline and filling it with thick hedges, so my dogs couldn't go anywhere near the boundary.

Keep on spraying with a hose pipe. The dog might learn eventually!

Of course you cant bloody spray a dog when it's in its OWN garden.

Your issue is with the owners. You cannot 'train' this dog by spraying it when you feel like it. You need to make noise/nuisance complaints instead of attempting to cause more harm to an already unhappy animal

This WILL backfire on you you know. If you're reported you're going to look like the nuisance neighbour antagonising their dog.

Soaking an already aggressive dog will only make it even more aggressive, as you've now discovered. That's why so many people said not to.

Time to woman up and speak to the owners.

Call the council, don't care about tit for tat - that's their problem not yours. Raise your concerns about this dog being dangerous as well.

It's likely aggressive as it's neglected.