New neighbors moved in & our dogs hate each other, ugh!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can you ask the neighbor if you can try something to get the dogs to like each other. Maybe go for a walk together a few times?

I have a dog who can be a jerk and my friend got a dog also a jerk. ( we both also have 2 non jerk dogs) so we just kept walking and kept them on short leashes, gradually they started ignoring each other. Now they can walk next to each other and there is no growling or snarling.
Might be worth a try.

We've tried this and letting them meet in a neutral area, but no dice. As soon as they see each other the growling starts. When they get close, lunging starts. We have a fenced in dog park in our neighborhood and we tried letting them meet there again. We both kept them on short leashes but as soon as they were close enough, they were lunging and trying to bite each other. I 100% believe that these two would fight to the death.

I doubt she'd be up for walks together as when she walks her dog, she has one kid in a stroller and one kid on a balance bike.

It's very frustrating that they hate each other. And not something I've dealt with before.

Keeping them on a short leash actually increases aggressive behavior with dogs. It’s better to have them off leash That’s one of the reasons that you’re supposed to take a dog off leash in the little fenced area right before you enter the dog park. I would try it again. However both dogs unleashed.

Yeah - I listened to an idiot once who insisted this to me and so our unleashed dogs proceeded to run all over the place killing each other.
It was not fun and it wasn’t easy to get them in control again.
You don’t let two dogs who currently hate each other off leash together. Do not do that.

Ugh, that sounds awful!
I'm sorry you had to go through that, it sounds traumatizing.

My brother is a K-9 instructor & he said that the greatest way to get your dog away from another dog in a fight, is to get behind your dog & grab his hind legs like a wheel barrel & pull him backwards at least 10-20 feet.

You can accomplish this with any dog, even if it's not yours (like if say it's attacking your dog). The reason this works so successfully is because NO dog will have the reach to be able to bite you from that position... their head will be far enough away (unlike, if you try to stick your hand between two dogs who are fighting, even your own dog will bite you then).

He also said that once you've removed your dog from the situation (again, 10-20 feet away) your dog will almost always begin to calm their demeanor. They'll no longer be infused with adrenaline because you've interrupted their focus.

[Anonymous]

OP, we breed, raise, and train German Shepherd Dogs. GSDs are naturally territorial. It takes work to train them not to lunge at a fence line on their property. Your neighbor’s dog is protecting his property and his people. He hasn’t been trained. You cannot control your neighbor’s dog. You can train yours. Teach him not to run to the fence. It takes work, but it can be done. If you want an easier way, try an electric fence a few feet away from your fence line.

The dog park idea is not a good one. In general, dog parks are a bad idea. You are creating an unnatural pack. It’s a disaster waiting to happen. Walking the dogs together (without kids) is a good idea. But both of you need to be in control of your dogs the entire time. The walk should be purposeful and fairly fast paced. Don’t give them time to interact with each other. Don’t let them stop and smell. Just walk quickly and confidently.

Good luck! I know how scary it can be.

[Anonymous]

When my dog was jumping at the fence and barking at people walking by, our dog trainer suggested finding the place in the yard where he didn't react, and spending a lot of time there. Then moving him closer bit-by-bit and being very free with the treats when he didn't react.

Typically, we'd go out, and I'd play fetch with him for a bit. Then I'd leash him, give him a treat that would take him a while to get through, and he'd lay next to me while I sat on a bench and read a book. We spent an hour every evening doing this. Gradually, we moved closer, until the bench was maybe 10 feet from the fence and our dog would consistently return to us when we called him even if people were walking by. When we got there, we started feeding him dinner outside and playing fetch, no longer using the leash. If he ran at the fence, we'd call him back with treats, and at that point he would return to us. We (the treats) were more important, and the people walking by had become less important.

I'm not suggesting this would work for you, it sounds like there's more going on between your dog and the neighboring dog. I am suggesting talking with a dog trainer. It also sounds like you have a decent relationship with your next door neighbor. You might be able to talk to a dog trainer, get some tips, then talk to your neighbor about those tips and also ask if they might be able to accommodate your conference call schedule.

I also think you need to work on crating your dog. You have nowhere else in the house you can put a dog that would allow you to be on a conference call? We live in a 1000sq foot home, and we have several places I can put our dog when we need him to not be under foot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When my dog was jumping at the fence and barking at people walking by, our dog trainer suggested finding the place in the yard where he didn't react, and spending a lot of time there. Then moving him closer bit-by-bit and being very free with the treats when he didn't react.

Typically, we'd go out, and I'd play fetch with him for a bit. Then I'd leash him, give him a treat that would take him a while to get through, and he'd lay next to me while I sat on a bench and read a book. We spent an hour every evening doing this. Gradually, we moved closer, until the bench was maybe 10 feet from the fence and our dog would consistently return to us when we called him even if people were walking by. When we got there, we started feeding him dinner outside and playing fetch, no longer using the leash. If he ran at the fence, we'd call him back with treats, and at that point he would return to us. We (the treats) were more important, and the people walking by had become less important.

I'm not suggesting this would work for you, it sounds like there's more going on between your dog and the neighboring dog. I am suggesting talking with a dog trainer. It also sounds like you have a decent relationship with your next door neighbor. You might be able to talk to a dog trainer, get some tips, then talk to your neighbor about those tips and also ask if they might be able to accommodate your conference call schedule.

I also think you need to work on crating your dog. You have nowhere else in the house you can put a dog that would allow you to be on a conference call? We live in a 1000sq foot home, and we have several places I can put our dog when we need him to not be under foot.

She said her dog barks, even when it's inside, and she can't control him. So she can't do conference calls with him in the house.

OP, you need to train your dog. Simple. Your dog shouldn't be barking when you don't want him to be. I had multiple dogs in my life and they would NEVER just bark for the heck of it. We didn't allow it, and taught them that it's not okay.

If you train your own dog, then you wouldn't have a problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, we breed, raise, and train German Shepherd Dogs. GSDs are naturally territorial. It takes work to train them not to lunge at a fence line on their property. Your neighbor’s dog is protecting his property and his people. He hasn’t been trained. You cannot control your neighbor’s dog. You can train yours. Teach him not to run to the fence. It takes work, but it can be done. If you want an easier way, try an electric fence a few feet away from your fence line.

The dog park idea is not a good one. In general, dog parks are a bad idea. You are creating an unnatural pack. It’s a disaster waiting to happen. Walking the dogs together (without kids) is a good idea. But both of you need to be in control of your dogs the entire time. The walk should be purposeful and fairly fast paced. Don’t give them time to interact with each other. Don’t let them stop and smell. Just walk quickly and confidently.

Good luck! I know how scary it can be.

Ugh, tell me about it..
We have a 16 month old half GSD & half Rottweiler.

He is the sweetest, most lovable dog & he LOVES other dogs, but when we're driving in the car & he sees another dog, he starts barking incessantly & he goes ballistic like he'd kill them if he got at them & all while he's doing this he's wagging his tail & then he whines & whines when we don't stop and say hi to the dog (can you blame me? He looks & sounds like SUCH an a$$hole).

He sticks his head out of the sun roof like Dino on the Flintstones & when I see another dog I try to pull his head in because it's embarrassing. Most folks in our neighborhood know that he's all bark, no bite & friendly to all animals (we have a huge backyard & he runs the fence from one side to another barking when he sees another dog being walked, but away home it's just in a friendly "hey, hey I'm over here... can you hear me?" kinda way... not in the car ride psychopathic way).

I love taking him in the car with me & he loves sticking his head out the sunroof, but we're in a very walkable neighborhood with tons of dogs & it's mortifying when he reacts that way because he sounds like a maniac. What's even more embarrassing is all of the dogs we pass just stare at him like "what's your problem, buddy?" - but not a single one of them has ever barked back.

Got any advice?

(Sorry to temporarily hijack for a post OP!).