Neighbour's reactive dog, where do we go from here?

[HopelesslyHopeful87]

Myself and my neighbours both live in council houses. We are terraced, I'm mid, they are end so we are their only adjoining neighbour. We both have dogs, mine a French bulldog and theirs is a German shepherd. My dog is 4. They got theirs last year, so not a year old yet.

Their dog is very reactive to other animals especially my dog. When they are both outside at the same time he goes berserk. He has broken all of the fencing between our properties since they have owned him by trying to get through to get to my dog when she is in our garden at the same time as he is in theirs. We had to do a patchwork job on the fence until we saved enough to replace the whole stretch.

A few weeks ago he broke another section big enough to get his paws and mouth through and bit my dog and tried to drag her under the fence by his mouth. I reported to 101 but apparently its not a crime for a dog to attack another dog so I couldn't do anything. Fortunately she wasn't injured, just a bit shaken.

It is our perimeter responsibility so we have just paid £2k to have all the fencing replaced but he is still clawing and jumping, scratching and banging ferociously at all of the fence, the fence has been up all of 2 weeks and it's going to be destroyed pretty quickly if he keeps doing this and it will be our responsibility to replace as its our perimeter.

Were now having to fetch our dog inside every time we hear them let him out. We cannot enjoy the garden or relax because we are constantly having to listen out for him. I can't leave the door open and let my dog free roam because they blame me ie he wouldn't be reacting if we didn't have a dog.

When he dragged her through the fence their reaction was basically sorry but maybe when you replace the fence he won't do it. We've replaced the fence and it continues.

How do I stop this? I can't force them to train their dog. I can't force them to neuter their dog (if that would even help?), do I report them to someone? If so, who? I don't want to fall out with them. We've lived next to each other for almost 10 years and not had any issues but since they've got their dog it's been a living nightmare.

I know this sounds so petty but I can't afford to keep replacing a fence that I'm not breaking! I need to keep my dog safe and our garden needs to be secure so she can't get out in the roads.

I've looked on rspca website and they don't deal with this kind of thing.

Checked dog warden area on local council website and they direct this type of thing to the police or ASB dept.

So I've emailed the ASB dept at the council and see what they suggest. I don't want to involve the police unless I have to. They're OK neighbours on the most part and we generally get on OK other than this dog issue.

*if the dog was to break the fence down and get in the garden, there's a clear possibility it could attack a human. (I blame owners not dogs or breeds!)

They should be taking responsibility for controlling their dog.

But, in lieu of that, I would be inclined to run battery powered electric fence along the bottom of the boundary. Won't hurt either dog but will keep them away from the fence.

Not sure where you are but in Australia this would certainly be reportable to the council dog ranger. Is it not the same for you?

The other dog broke in to your property and attacked your dog, surely that's something the council ranger would have to deal with?

In all honesty if the owners refused to do something to keep their dog away from the fence (ie, fencing an area on their side to keep the dog away) then I would be reporting to the ranger and following it up until the dog was PTS if the owners wouldn't work to stop the behaviour happening and I wouldn't feel bad about it at all. When it comes down to it, it's potentially your dog that's going to end up dead if they don't stop their dog.

The owners are very irresponsible in not wanting to fix this and having not already engaged the services of a trainer to help them do so.

In the meantime can you put up a small yard with pet panels off the veranda so your dog can only go in to a small part of your yard and not near the fence?

@Felixthefish oh my god!! What happened?

God how stressful

My dogs bark at the fence if either side of next door let their dogs out. They don’t jump at the fence and even if they did they are too small to cause any damage.

However, as soon as I hear them barking, I get them in.

They have the right to let their dogs out just as much as I do.

Next door are not being fair and I think finding a way to make them replace the fence would make them think twice.

As it stands, they have you replacing the fence all the time and it isn’t affecting them at all. If you hit them in their pocket, they may start acting

If their dog is damaging your property, then they will have to pay for repairs.

I’d send them a solicitor’s letter putting them on notice that they will be responsible for (1) any damage to your property; (2) any vet bills should their dog attack yours again.

What a terrible situation. Sounds like your neighbours won’t be pro active in training their dog but might, as others have suggested, be more inclined if they have to pay for damage.
why on earth anyone would think it’s ok for their dog to behave like this completely bamboozles me.
I hope you get some resolution soon OP and, yes, I’d certainly consider an electric fence. Trouble is it needs to be on the neighbours side.

That's the problem, all suggestions of electric fence or chain link fence need to be on their side to keep their dog away from the fence, not my side so I can't do anything. No matter what I do, whether my dog is near the fence or not, as soon as he hears or smells the slightest whiff of her he loses the plot. She only has toove slightly for her collar to jingle and he knows she's there.

9/10 times it's their kids outside letting the dog out and they can't control him properly (young teenagers and the youngest boy cries and runs in every time the dog does it so he's not much use at stopping him). I never ever leave my dog or kids unattended outside anymore because I feel like I constantly need to be on watch. It's exhausting.

This is totally not on, your neighbours are far too laid back about this situation. I have reactive dogs and they are never left unsupervised like that. If they won't do anything I think you should try to reinforce your fence so he absolutely can't get though. Sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.

We are going to get one of those stakes that go in the ground so she can't get near the fence at all in case she is encouraging him somewhat by being too close.

A new shed is being delivered and I think we will move it all around and put the shed in a different place as planned to remove some risk too.

Just infuriating because it shouldn't be us having to make these changes and restrictions, it should be them. We had a 1:1 trainer for our dog when she was a pup at only a cost of £50 and I think something like that could benefit them but they don't seem interested.

Is reactive just a nicer way of saying aggressive? It's damaged your property, attacked your dog and gone for your child. You can't use your garden because of the dog - clearly, a four year old can't be out there through the summer because the dog is out of control and dangerous.

Make a list of all the incidents so far. Report to the dog warden and the police again - the fact it tried to attack your child should be reported.

The tragic story upthread about the dog killing a young child really highlights the danger of aggressive, untrained dogs belonging to bad, irresponsible owners. No one is entitled to own a dangerous animal that poses a risk to others.

Don't call the dog reactive, report that it is aggressive and out of control. It should be taken away - no dog should live with bad owners and if that means the dog getting put down, better that than someone getting seriously injured or killed first.

I'd be tempted to do an organised and prepared meet amd greet with the dogs to get them socialised

I suggest you and neighbour take both dogs out, on lead (fixed length not extendible ) attached to neck collars not harnesses, to meet on quiet neutral territory at a safe distance. Each walk your dogs, at safe distance, each owner quietly calming their own dog if it tries to bark/pester at the other. Walk them till they are bored/used to each other and no longer reacting. May need several walks.

I don’t understand why you didn’t make them pay for the fence if it was their dog that caused the damage?? You may be liable for natural damage and decline to a fence - but they are liable for that sort of damage

see if your home insurance has legal cover and call the legal
hotline for advice

I would be contacting the various authorities on the basis you and your children don't feel safe in your back garden due to this dog, and not about your own dog not being safe. I think they are more likely to do something about it, and it's not lying as you have said that you worry about them being out there without you watching.

Yes perhaps reactive isn't the best way to put it. Perhaps I'm too nice and giving them too much leeway but I'm also aware I cannot force them to take responsibility.

As stated I have emailed the councils antisocial behaviour dept as this apparently falls within their scope. I'll await their reply before I get in touch with police.

I will start recording the instances of their dog's behaviour as stupidly I haven't done it so far.

This is a particularly bad piece of advice.

A reactive dog will not become less reactive through a meet and greet. It will build itself up into such a fear induced frenzy that it will only reinforce a negative association with other dogs. In such a situation, the reactive dog turning around and biting the nearest thing (i.e. the owner) would be reasonably foreseeable (redirected bites).

The neighbours need to see a behaviourist, but it sounds like they have no interest.

The neighbour's dog may also just be intensely territorial.

Mine spent years growling and barking every time my neighbours dog walked past our front door; he would fully kick off if we bumped into them in the hallway, and on the one fucking stupid occasion they decided to let their dog out of their flat off lead when I was trying to enter my flat with my dog, there was a scrap. Bumped into them in the park one day with the dog, and they had a perfectly polite greeting, you wouldn't know there was an issue. Didn't change a thing about what happens when they're on their own territory.

You aren't stupid at all. Reasonable people often assume other people will behave reasonably too. But this owner has no interest in taking responsibility for his powerful, aggressive dog. It's already cost you money. It's costing you your peace of mind. It might cost you your dog and god forbid, hurt your child - what would have happened if it hadn't been on a lead when it went for her before? What's to stop that happening to her when it gets into your garden - which at some point it sounds like it will? Your dog and child need you to protect them - the guy next door isn't going to do anything so you have to.

‘Reactive’ is just another way of saying ‘owner can’t control badly behaved dog’. OP I think you need to have one last chat with them and make it clear that you will involve the police if this continues. The dog has gone for your child, god forbid if it got through that fence.

"Reactive" is a huge umbrella term - but most reactivity actually stems from fear - normally as a result of poor socialisation, abuse or bad experiences. This particular dog may not be under control but please have the decency not to tar all owners of reactive dogs withe same brush.

Do you mean recording as in videoing or writing in a diary? I'd do both.

Air horn/water pistol? Not sure if it would make it worse though.

Sounds like a nightmare

You clearly don't know the first thing about dog behaviour.

Reactive dogs have issues around fear and anxiety, and overreact when confronted with something they're scared of.

Reactivity has a great many causes and each dog will often have multiple things in their background that contribute - genetics, in utero experiences, experiences while with the breeder (pre 8 weeks), poor socialisation as a puppy, a single bad experience (e.g. being attacked by another dog) or multiple bad experiences. Medical issues (especially anything causing pain) can also contribute.

It's not bad behaviour, it's fear and anxiety, more akin to a teenager with mental health issues than one that's just being allowed to run riot around their neighbourhood.

While these issues can be worked on, they often cannot be fixed in their entirety. A great many highly qualified trainers and behaviourists have reactive dogs that are not 'fixable', just manageable. Disproportionate numbers in fact - lots of them became interested in dog behaviour after finding themselves with a reactive dog and then underwent a career change!

Exactly this.

I understand the danger to your own dog, but the neighbours have made it clear they don’t give a shit. I wouldn’t belabour the point- they don’t care, and there isn’t a lot you can do through any local agencies to make them address the issue to protect your dog.

There are however avenues to address them damaging your property. It’s no different to the dog destroying any of your other belongings- you’d expect to be reimbursed. Perhaps showing them that you’re taking the issue seriously by instructing a solicitor will give them a kick up the arse to sort something, and if not at least you won’t be forking out for another fence.

All the above advise re stronger fencing and damge to you property etc stands.

As does the point that the dog's owners SHOULD be dealing with this.

Ignore any advise to deal out a punishment, like a spray of water. This will make it so much worse.

But...

Treats. Big pots of hot dogs cut up. Everytime you are in the garden with your dog: toss a few bits over the fence. Over time the dog next dog starts to associate the knowledge that your dog is out with the treats and the fear subsides and instead, they react by looking for where the treat has landed.

Toss treats every time, without fail. But 100% reliable.

(Tell your neighbours that's what you are going to do, in case the dog has any digestive issues).