Leave me alone dog!

ergonomics

Hi all,

Hoping someone can help me with an irritating problem I have!

I got a puppy about 6 months ago and all is going great. We live out the country so our garden isn't walled in (yet, it will be soon). As such the dog from next dog has started coming over a lot. My puppy is a mini Jack Russell cross and this dog is a Boxer cross so there's a huge size difference but they generally get along great. I say generally because the other dog is now always outside our house. He comes over as soon as he hears myself or my boyfriend drive up or if he hears us in the garden. My dog is usually happy to see him but sometimes he just wants to be able to go outside in peace.

Anyway, him being around the house is one thing but what's annoying me is the dog from next door is also following me on walks regardless of whether my dog is with me or not. He even followed me on a 9KM cycle. He has no training at all and gets really overexcited. Once he jumped up, hitting me in the face and split my lip. He's knocked me over completely and he has a habit of jumping up on me. He's quite big and strong and I find this really intimidating.

No matter what I do he will not leave me alone when I go for a walk. I can't get him not to follow us. Also, today my puppy was in the garden eating a treat. The dog came over, knocked my dog over in an aggressive way (my puppy yelped), took the treat and went back to his house. I was furious and I'm extremely wary of him now so I'd also like him to not be around the house! We can't go outside without the dog turning up.

Kya1976

Try having a chat to your neighbor about it.:)

ergonomics

The dog is an outdoor dog so I don't really know what I can expect them to do? Also, when I usually go for a walk they aren't at home to lock him in, although I wouldn't ask them to do that since he's an outdoor dog.

We also don't know the neighbours and we don't want to introduce ourselves by giving out about their dog.

Kya1976

ergonomics wrote: »

The dog is an outdoor dog so I don't really know what I can expect them to do? Also, when I usually go for a walk they aren't at home to lock him in, although I wouldn't ask them to do that since he's an outdoor dog.

We also don't know the neighbours and we don't want to introduce ourselves by giving out about their dog.

Just because he's an outdoor dog doesn't mean your neighbor can let him roam around.

ppink

OP I am not sure what advice you want from people if you do not want to talk to you neighbours about it. the dog obviously has no idea you do not want him around, he is probably bored out of his tree on his own all the time and delighted to see you and your new dog.
In 2011 it is not acceptable for anyone to leave an animal roam, outside dog or not. he can still be outside on his own property.
there are plenty of people (including me) who would not be happy if a roaming dog cause them an accident or interfered with their property or dogs. In fact i would sue someone no question if I had an accident caused by their constantly roaming animal.
Talk to you neighbours, it is the only way of sorting this out, tell them he knocked you over and he scares you.
If you have no joy with them then the dog warden is your next step.

kylith

It is an offence to let your dog roam, the owner is also liable for any injury or accident caused by their dog.

Call round and tell them that you would be happy to organise some play dates for your puppy and their dog, but that you can't have him hanging around you house all the time as it's stressing you and your puppy out.

TBH it sounds like he may not be happy at home, so has adoped you as a better family.

richymcdermott

ergonomics wrote: »

Hi all,

Hoping someone can help me with an irritating problem I have!

I got a puppy about 6 months ago and all is going great. We live out the country so our garden isn't walled in (yet, it will be soon). As such the dog from next dog has started coming over a lot. My puppy is a mini Jack Russell cross and this dog is a Boxer cross so there's a huge size difference but they generally get along great. I say generally because the other dog is now always outside our house. He comes over as soon as he hears myself or my boyfriend drive up or if he hears us in the garden. My dog is usually happy to see him but sometimes he just wants to be able to go outside in peace.

Anyway, him being around the house is one thing but what's annoying me is the dog from next door is also following me on walks regardless of whether my dog is with me or not. He even followed me on a 9KM cycle. He has no training at all and gets really overexcited. Once he jumped up, hitting me in the face and split my lip. He's knocked me over completely and he has a habit of jumping up on me. He's quite big and strong and I find this really intimidating.

No matter what I do he will not leave me alone when I go for a walk. I can't get him not to follow us. Also, today my puppy was in the garden eating a treat. The dog came over, knocked my dog over in an aggressive way (my puppy yelped), took the treat and went back to his house. I was furious and I'm extremely wary of him now so I'd also like him to not be around the house! We can't go outside without the dog turning up.

i feel a song coming

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyXzwtIlZyg

Cookie_Monster

Tell the owner to ensure they restrain their dog on their property or you will report them for failing to control their dog.

MsFifers

Rather than going in with a complaint - maybe you could approach your neighbour with some friendly advice. eg "Someone you know" had a dog that roamed and when it was hit by a car the car-owner sued the owners/or the dog was taken in by the warden & the owners fined - some horror story like that. Say, you're just letting them know as you know they probably wouldn't want to loose their dog, and maybe they just need to shut their gate etc

Discodog

The sad thing is that if you complain they will probably end up tying up the poor dog. In all of these cases it is the dog that gets punished not the owner.

notsobusy

Our landlord's dog does this. They have a farm and the house that my Boyfriend is renting is on the farm but you have to cross the road. Since I stay with him sometimes and I bring my terrier with me their dog has started to come over all the time. The other night he was there all night and barked.....The dog is a boxer too. He can also open the door and let himself into the house.....Very annoying. We ring them and let them know he's there and they come and get him.
The only thing I can suggest is speak to your neighbours it's their responsibility.

convert

If the owners are at work all day they probably don't know their dog is being such a 'nuisance' to you and to others, and therefore the 'issue' needs to be menitoned to them, however you choose to go about it (and I know it's not an easy thing to do, especially when you don't know your neighbour, but it really has to be done, if not for your sake, then for their dog's sake).

I wouldn't be able to go out for ten minutes, let alone all day, knowing my dog wasn't in a securely enclosed area from which it could escape. And if it did happen to escape, I would appreciate if somebody let me know.

SophieSakura

Yeah I would let the owners know that the dog is being a nuisance, but be polite.

I'd also make something up, like you've heard of loads of dogs being stolen recently, and two boxers were stolen from a nearby town or whatever.

Or say you saw the dog warden around, or looking into their yard or something.

If they don't have a fence/wall, the probably will tie up the dog instead, but what else can you do?

enfield

Get yourself a water pistol and bring it with you, they dont like it.

doubleglaze

I'd nearly rather be knocked over and have my lip split open by a dog than get off on the wrong foot with the neighbour.:D

Bad neighbourly relationships make for a bad quality of life.

That said, they shouldn't allow their dog roam. They are clearly not concerned about its safety, not to mention the possibility of causing problems with the neighbours.

Have a discreet word with the ISPCA and also with the dog warden and let them do the talking.

edwinkane

ergonomics wrote: »

Hi all,

Hoping someone can help me with an irritating problem I have!

I got a puppy about 6 months ago and all is going great. We live out the country so our garden isn't walled in (yet, it will be soon). As such the dog from next dog has started coming over a lot. My puppy is a mini Jack Russell cross and this dog is a Boxer cross so there's a huge size difference but they generally get along great. I say generally because the other dog is now always outside our house. He comes over as soon as he hears myself or my boyfriend drive up or if he hears us in the garden. My dog is usually happy to see him but sometimes he just wants to be able to go outside in peace.

Anyway, him being around the house is one thing but what's annoying me is the dog from next door is also following me on walks regardless of whether my dog is with me or not. He even followed me on a 9KM cycle. He has no training at all and gets really overexcited. Once he jumped up, hitting me in the face and split my lip. He's knocked me over completely and he has a habit of jumping up on me. He's quite big and strong and I find this really intimidating.

No matter what I do he will not leave me alone when I go for a walk. I can't get him not to follow us. Also, today my puppy was in the garden eating a treat. The dog came over, knocked my dog over in an aggressive way (my puppy yelped), took the treat and went back to his house. I was furious and I'm extremely wary of him now so I'd also like him to not be around the house! We can't go outside without the dog turning up.

My sympathy is with the dog. UNfortunately, you have given him mixed messages, letting him play with your dog has told him he is welcome.

We had a similar situation a few years ago when neighbours had a beautiful rottwieler/doberman cross. He was very gentle and not at all aggressive and the neighbours seemed to just ignore hime. We were much more interewsting as we had two other dogs and, at one point, when he arrived over limping quite badly, we put him in a car (we had to bribe him with slkices of meat as he'd never been in a car before) and took him back to our neighbours to tell them their dog was in pain and needing a vet. By the time we drove home (about 2 or 3 minutes) the dog had beaten us back having been released by the neighbours and trotted back to us across a field. We ended up taking him to the vet and paying the bill.

In the end, we just decided to, more or less, informally adopt the dog as he was not cared for by his owners. Had they ever come looking for him we would have happily let them take him back, but they never did. In any case, once they let him out again he would have come straight back to us.

If I were in your position, I'd be nervous that your neighbours might tie the dog up if you make a complaint. So, I'd just let him join us whenever he wanted to, and treat him like one of the family. If or when the neighbours notice, then you can use the occassion to get to know them better and create a "good neighbours" situation, rather than fall out over a dog.

Joe10000

Slightly off topic but what is wrong with tying a dog up on a long chain with access to water and toilet space ?

edwinkane

Joe10000 wrote: »

Slightly off topic but what is wrong with tying a dog up on a long chain with access to water and toilet space ?

Well, if you think its acceptable to keep a dog chained up, then obviously you think there is nothing wrong with it. I would disagree.

SophieSakura

Joe10000 wrote: »

Slightly off topic but what is wrong with tying a dog up on a long chain with access to water and toilet space ?

It's not the worst thing ever, but it must be a bit annoying to the dog. Surely it'd be better if it had more freedom.

But it's better than the dog roaming and being stolen or getting knocked down.

edwinkane

SophieSakura wrote: »

It's not the worst thing ever, but it must be a bit annoying to the dog. Surely it'd be better if it had more freedom.

But it's better than the dog roaming and being stolen or getting knocked down.

Are those two the only choices? either chain him up, or he will be stolen or get knocked down ?

kylith

Joe10000 wrote: »

Slightly off topic but what is wrong with tying a dog up on a long chain with access to water and toilet space ?

Dogs that are on chains all the time can get very stressed and may become agressive.
http://dogbreedinfo.com/chain.htm

Vojera

I wouldn't want the dog to be tied up, but it's not in the dog's interest to be out wandering either. I don't know what the area you live in is like, but at home in Donegal, if your dog is out chasing sheep it'll be shot, which is a huge reason not to let your dog out and about alone. Something like that could easily happen to your neighbours' dog if there's farmland near you. I know that's not your responsibility, but you could use it as a talking point with your neighbour.

the_syco

Joe10000 wrote: »

Slightly off topic but what is wrong with tying a dog up on a long chain with access to water and toilet space ?

If the chain is too short, he'd get bored quickly. Too long, and if he jumps over something, for example a fence, the chain may not be long enough, and end up choking the dog.

edwinkane

the_syco wrote: »

If the chain is too short, he'd get bored quickly. Too long, and if he jumps over something, for example a fence, the chain may not be long enough, and end up choking the dog.

are you saying you have no objection to chaining up a dog, so long as the length of the chain meets your specifications?

moving_home

kylith wrote: »

Dogs that are on chains all the time can get very stressed and may become agressive.
http://dogbreedinfo.com/chain.htm

I am really surprised that website advocates electric fences...

kylith

moving_home wrote: »

I am really surprised that website advocates electric fences...

It used to be less, um, mad, but then they got all into Caesar Milan, still at least now they advocates walks for all dogs. For some toy breeds they used to say "Will do fine without walking".

Unfortunately some people do advocate electric fences. I'd be hard pushed to decide which was worse; an E-fence or a chain, tbh.

moving_home

kylith wrote: »

It used to be less, um, mad, but then they got all into Caesar Milan, still at least now they advocates walks for all dogs. For some toy breeds they used to say "Will do fine without walking".

Unfortunately some people do advocate electric fences. I'd be hard pushed to decide which was worse; an E-fence or a chain, tbh.

]

Oh right well I am guessing that it is not the most reputable of websites so!!
I hate to see dogs chained constantly but sometimes when we go to my in laws, like this weekend, we have to put our dog on a long lead and tie her cos they live on a really busy road and the garden isn’t secured. The dog is really good but I can’t trust that she won’t get distracted by a bird or butterfly or something so if we are going somewhere can’t bring her with us (which is rare as she comes nearly everywhere with us) she would be tied outside for an hour so. Its horrible but the alternative is worse.

edwinkane

moving_home wrote: »

]

Oh right well I am guessing that it is not the most reputable of websites so!!
I hate to see dogs chained constantly but sometimes when we go to my in laws, like this weekend, we have to put our dog on a long lead and tie her cos they live on a really busy road and the garden isn’t secured. The dog is really good but I can’t trust that she won’t get distracted by a bird or butterfly or something so if we are going somewhere can’t bring her with us (which is rare as she comes nearly everywhere with us) she would be tied outside for an hour so. Its horrible but the alternative is worse.

,

There is a difference restraining a dog, for its own safety, occasionally when not at home, and keeping a dog at home chained up more or less all the time.

the_syco

edwinkane wrote: »

are you saying you have no objection to chaining up a dog, so long as the length of the chain meets your specifications?

I disagree with chaining up the dog. Someone asked about it, and I answered.

Build a high wall, and ensure the dog has shelter, water, and toys.

pitbull_fanatic

enfield wrote: »

Get yourself a water pistol and bring it with you, they dont like it.

i was just about to say it. even a squeezable water bottle with the hole thing!

Joe10000

I think the chain sounds worse then it is. We use a chain for one of ours that tends to wander and there are sheep in neighbouring fields so it is a solution we use when we can't be watching them.
The dog prefers to be out then in and only ever feels the strain when he is looking to chase something he shouldn't be.