Neighbours kids keep looking over our fence

[lilybit2025]

As the title suggests. Young girl around 5-6 keeps looking over at our fence. Did it a handful of times yesterday until I turned around and said 'hello can I help you?' And she's doing it again today. It sets our dog off and drives her insane yet she still does it.
I find it incredibly intrusive and I don't know if our neighbours know she's doing it and she's only a child but we do not have children and aren't particularly fond of them either.

You really are!

A few years ago I had my neighbours grandchildren climb on furniture to look over my garden, they’d sit on the roof of a small shed and wack the branches of my tree with sticks. I loudly said they might hurt themselves doing it and I think the grandparents heard - never saw the children looking over again.

No I don't think this thread is absurd. People like to laugh off little kids' poor behavior in the same way that small dogs are never blamed for the numerous problems they cause, because "aw, cute, small, you're so grumpy".

I've had years of little kids peering into my window, knocking and running, etc., and it really can wear you down. Op says she's chosen not to have kids, so why should be expected to help discipline someone else's? Where even are her parents? I'd never have been allowed to get away with this as a kid.

Or train the dog better?

I think I would say in a stern voice 'what are you looking at?'. Of course, she won't have an answer so will probably quickly disappear back into the house.

The dog is in his own garden, minding his own business.

And then grow something spiny, like pyracantha, along it.

Yes my son stood on a wooden garden table to talk to his friend next door, the table broke and the wood skewered his leg. Still has a nasty scar .

Invasion of privacy, jeez its a small child looking into next door's garden. Just ask your neighbours politely to tell her off because it's driving your dog mad.

I would sunbathe naked parents will soon stop her :)

Don’t go on about boundaries and privacy. She’s 5. Just say to her, and if that doesn’t work to her parents, that she is upsetting the dog, so don’t do it again.

No idea what that means. Oh, and I don’t have children.

Being a noise nuisance....

This is perfect.

1. "You know it's naughty - if you do it again I'll talk to your parents."
2. Talk to the parents.
3. Water pistol 🔫
4. Hose 😈

You don’t need to train a dog to deal with the child’s behaviour.

Nude sunbathing will sort it

Don’t let it bother you and she will stop doing it.
She does it because she knows it is a naughty and annoying ! Ignore it.
And don’t let the dog barking impact your mood either. Carry on as normal.
Plan to plant privacy plant hedging too.

My neighbours started doing this last year. I couldn’t fucking believe it. The creepy Dad was doing it and then his kids started copying him, standing on a sofa to look through our windows. Our living room is at the back of the house and I was breastfeeding my newborn and found it so intrusive.
We went round and spoke to the wife and said it doesn’t help that your partner is also peering over our fence.
They haven’t done it since.

Maybe your dog should stop barking at the neighbours child, if the child merely "looking" into your garden sets your dog off I'd be more worried about the dog than a small curious child. She's in her own garden and only little, if you need more privacy put up a trellis or blinds. Problem solved.

Only when next door shove their heads over the fence.

"hello, your daughter keeps looking over the fence and my husband and I like to garden in the nude so I you might like to stop her from doing that"

Or you could join in with the barking?

I'd guess she's curious and bored. She's a young child.

Maybe give her parents some sunflower seeds for the girl to grow in her own garden.

Still baffles me how anyone who isn't particularly fond of children decided to log into mumsnet.

Go and knock on their door. Ask if all is ok as their child keeps lolling over the fence, upsetting your dog, and you are wondering if she needs anything.

If that fails, blast the child with a hospepipe.

Yep, garden naturism. Perfectly legal. I think the advice is to inform your neighbours in writing that you are nudists (much info online). Once you've warned the neighbours that their child standing on the table in order to look over your fence is going to see adult male strangers walking around naked, they'll almost certainly move the table.

How’s that fair on OP and her privacy?! Some kid’s curiosity trumps the right to use your garden privately in peace? It would drive me mad. Don’t know what the answer is. There’s so much entitlement around today you’d probably get your head kicked in for asking someone’s kid to respect boundaries. These things tend to escalate and chances are the nosy kid will start lobbing stuff over the fence.