[jenn2350]

Back story:

5 yr old border collie/greyhound mix traumatized by evil neighbor while I was at work during the day, unknown to me obviously. My dog jumped up above the fence line and scratched him on his shoulder. He called animal control and she was quarantined for 10 days.
Started crate training all of my dogs during the day while working for fear that he would poison/hurt them. We have just bought a new house and my parents have been watching them for me while we move in. We are going to be bringing them home in a few days and I would like to be able to keep them all outside during the day. The neighbors on both sides are retired and home during the day (like the other neighbor).

The main problem is that he would use his lawnmower to torment them and now they go absolutely crazy when they hear one. They've never liked lawnmowers, but now the 5yr old one is terribly frightened and aggressive towards them. She is able to clear half of her body over a 6ft privacy fence no problem and that's how she got him that time. I really don't have anywhere in the new house to crate them, and we are going to build on an addition/sun room and keep them in there during the hot Texas summers anyway, but that will be a little while until it's done. She is very destructive when left alone in the house no matter how many numerous tips/training I've tried.

Is there anything anyone would suggest about how to go about helping her get over this event and back to the loving sweet playful dog that could be left alone all day without problem?

Thank you.

 

[Marsh Muppet]

Is the neighbor expected to stop mowing his lawn because your dog doesn't like lawn mowers? Is it the neighbor's fault that your fence is not sufficient to contain the dog? Your post is not completely clear.

 

[lshean]

I had the same problem with one of my neighbors dogs also a collie, when ever I cut my grass the dog wanted to jump over the fence and snap at me. This Neighbor said I must be tormenting him which I would never do. Long story short the dog bit the neighbor on the other side of the fence when he was mowing his lawn. Some dogs just don't like mowers. In my case this dog was let out in the morning when the owner went to work and left out all day until he came home and then let in the house to eat and then left out again to night fall. Since the dog was only in the house about ten minutes every day it left no time when you could mow the lawn without it being outside. Finnally after being sued for the bite from the owner on the other side of the fence he sold the house and moved. Both myself and the other neighbors were glad he moved. He was a owner that should have never had a dog in the first place many days the dog had no water all day long.

 

[jenn2350]

For about 6 months this neighbor threw things, yelled and screamed, and poked my dogs with things when they would get close. I never saw any of this because I was at work obviously, but another neighbor witnessed him doing this on various occassions, and decided to tell me this after the lawn mower incident.

Of course I'm not going to assume that the neighbor should not mow their yard. My fence was a 6ft privacy fence and the city ordinance will not allow anything taller. I'm wondering what kind of rehabilitation may be appropriate for getting my dog to not be that way with a lawn mower. They didn't have a problem with the neighbor on the other side mowing until this man started mistreating them and now they can't stand it.

I will put this in simple terms....I'm going to be leaving my dogs in the backyard at the new house, and would like advice on how to train them to do well while I'm at work despite this old problem neighbor.

 

[Sammgirl]

How can you train a dog to behave well if you won't be home when the bad behaviors occur?

 

[CorgiKarma]

Get a dog run with a top to it. Otherwise, I would keep them inside. It seems like an unsafe situation for the neighbors and the dogs. If a neighbor is bitten, there is a good chance you could be sued.

 

[animalcraker]

If anyone out there has a way to train their dogs without themselves being there, please let us all know how you do it! This seems like a neat trick. I'd love to have my dog trained while I'm away.

In response to the OP the only way that you can ensure that you pets are safe and not disturbing the neighbors is to keep them crated inside. That may not be the response you wanted to hear and it's probably not the solution you're going to use. My family and I were in a similar situation as you with annoying neighbors. Our family dog used to be kept outside and as typical dogs do she would bark at the people who walked behind our house and the birds that landed in her yard. The neighbors decided to take matters into thier own hands and broke into our house & stole our dog. They returned her later that night after we got home, they had taped her mouth shut and legs together with duck tape. We were told by them that she jumped the 6ft high fence and if she did it again they would tape her up like that and throw her in the delta. They were not very nice people to say the least. We then tried keeping our dogs in the garage while we were gone for the day. That ended up with them destroying lots things, incuding chewing threw sheet metal, and making lots of escapes everytime we opened the garage door. Lastly we decided to keep them crated inside and it's been the best descision we could have ever made. There were still problems with the neighbor harassing them and us when we went outside, but we didn't have to worry if they were going to be safe during the day. The only other option that we didn't try was putting a kennel in our backyard. That was ruled out because of it's expense and the fact that the neighbors could still hear and harass our dogs.

Hopefully your new neighbors will be better than your last and you'll find an effective solution that keeps everyone happy. Who knows maybe your new neighbors have xeriscape landscaping and won't need a lawn mower at all

 

[deege39]

I agree with CorgiKarma's response.

As much as we'd all like our dogs to behave, and as much as we'd like our dogs to be left alone from outsiders when we leave- We can't control what goes on in our absence.

It doesn't sound safe in any way for your dogs to be left alone outside- And you can't correct behavior if the behavior is just going to be antagonized while you're not around. (Make sense?)

Instead of leaving them outside, why not confine them to another room in the house? Or you could always tie her up in the house... It sounds mean, but it's not any "meaner" than a crate. : P

 

[hulkamaniac]

Or you could always tie her up in the house... It sounds mean, but it's not any "meaner" than a crate. : P

I do not like this answer at all. I've never seen a crated dog hang themselves in advertently. I've never seen a crated dog tangle themselves up and end up spending 8-9 hours or more in the hot sun with a full water bowl that they couldn't get to just a few feet away. It's way meaner than a crate.

I would crate the dogs inside or keep them in a run with a roof or tarp over it outside. A crate really doesn't take up that much room when it comes down to it.

 

[deege39]

Well, it wouldn't be any different then tying them up outside, and I wasn't saying tie them up outside...

(I can see where this is going.)

My point is, is that there are other options for the OP to pursue then to keep her dogs outside all day in an unsafe environment.

 

[ValtheAussie]

We got new neighbors a couple of years back and they were obnoxious noise makers, smokers, drinkers, horseshoe playing, tree chopping, people from where we don't even want to know.

To make a long story short, even though it was expensive, we put up an 8 foot PVC fencing and have been in heaven ever since. Before that we had a dinky old wire fence.

Now we have both privacy and our animals have no contact with either side of our new neighbors.

Good fences make good neighbors, never forget that!!

 

[hulkamaniac]

Well, it wouldn't be any different then tying them up outside, and I wasn't saying tie them up outside...

There is a huuuuuuuuge difference between tying a dog up and crating a dog. It's the difference between sending a kid to their room and chaining said kid to the floor somewhere. The former is acceptable, the latter is child abuse.

Putting a dog in their crate is the equivalent of sending a kid to their room. You put a dog in their crate with a stuffed kong, a rawhide and/or some other toys and you've basically sent a kid to their room with an XBox and cable TV.

 

[Rescue-mom]

I really don't have anywhere in the new house to crate them alone all day.

Why do you not set up a crate in the middle of a room somewhere for the day(nobody will be home to trip over it) Then collapse it/take it apart after you get home?

 

[ValtheAussie]

Amazon has dog crates for sale at a reasonable price that look like furniture, like a side table that would look good in a living room, even.....

 

[deege39]

Well, it wouldn't be any different then tying them up outside, and I wasn't saying tie them up outside...

My point is, is that there are other options for the OP to pursue then to keep her dogs outside all day in an unsafe environment.

Just reiterating that this is what I said... Mis-communication, yet again.

There are safe way's to go about doing everything, I'm sure there have been plenty of people that have tied up their dogs for one reason or another...

My point is there are other options...

I personally could never crate my dog, he's been abused before and came home terrified from a kennel- He doesn't do well with crates... I've tied up my dog outside before using a harness and his leash... I can't see as that is "abuse". I find stressing my dog out and forcing him to stay cooped up in a kennel to be "meaner" then just tying him up... (Just to clear this up before someone concludes I'm a terrible owner, he was tied up on our patio with solid ceramic bowls, virtually unmovable for him; He's not like most dogs, as in he doesn't go around knocking them over.)

Anyway, I wish the OP luck in solving the dilemma! : )

 

[winniec777]

The neighbors decided to take matters into thier own hands and broke into our house & stole our dog. They returned her later that night after we got home, they had taped her mouth shut and legs together with duck tape. We were told by them that she jumped the 6ft high fence and if she did it again they would tape her up like that and throw her in the delta.

There's got to be a law against that. I can't even imagine what I'd do to the neighbor who did that to my dog.

 

[marsha=whitie]

If anyone out there has a way to train their dogs without themselves being there, please let us all know how you do it! This seems like a neat trick. I'd love to have my dog trained while I'm away.

In response to the OP the only way that you can ensure that you pets are safe and not disturbing the neighbors is to keep them crated inside. That may not be the response you wanted to hear and it's probably not the solution you're going to use. My family and I were in a similar situation as you with annoying neighbors. Our family dog used to be kept outside and as typical dogs do she would bark at the people who walked behind our house and the birds that landed in her yard. The neighbors decided to take matters into thier own hands and broke into our house & stole our dog. They returned her later that night after we got home, they had taped her mouth shut and legs together with duck tape. We were told by them that she jumped the 6ft high fence and if she did it again they would tape her up like that and throw her in the delta. They were not very nice people to say the least. We then tried keeping our dogs in the garage while we were gone for the day. That ended up with them destroying lots things, incuding chewing threw sheet metal, and making lots of escapes everytime we opened the garage door. Lastly we decided to keep them crated inside and it's been the best descision we could have ever made. There were still problems with the neighbor harassing them and us when we went outside, but we didn't have to worry if they were going to be safe during the day. The only other option that we didn't try was putting a kennel in our backyard. That was ruled out because of it's expense and the fact that the neighbors could still hear and harass our dogs.

Hopefully your new neighbors will be better than your last and you'll find an effective solution that keeps everyone happy. Who knows maybe your new neighbors have xeriscape landscaping and won't need a lawn mower at all

holy cow! why didn't you call the police!!!???

 

[GeorgeGlass]

I agree with crating inside.

With a collapsable crate, you don't need a specific, permanent location.

Leaving the dog outside poses many other problems as well.

 

[Pickleisaminidaschi]

Maybe you should get some simple training in. Tell your neighbor you'd like it if he'd tell you before he mowed and then you could get your dog maybe inside the house or a walk away from the house while he does the job.

 

[GeorgeGlass]

Maybe you should get some simple training in. Tell your neighbor you'd like it if he'd tell you before he mowed and then you could get your dog maybe inside the house or a walk away from the house while he does the job.

As a neighbor, I'd be annoyed by that added expectation.