Neighbour and our dog :(

babysonia

Helen2k8 wrote: »

I hope you get somewhere with the council/police and also with the dog trainer.

I have noticed that often people on a forum pick at the tiniest details of a query, over and over again, despite the answers being provided. Not to mention some judgemental types!

Is there any way to "screen" the back garden/kennel from your neighbour? So dog can't see him/camera can't film you?
I guess not as he's upstairs though. Hmm.

Thank you for that. I feel i keep on repeating myself with some questions.
We have moved his kennel to another part of the garden where he is less visible to the neighbour.

babysonia

melanzana wrote: »

I dont have pets. Just need to say that first off.

I live beside a neighbour with a dog. Dog barks when they are gone. They don't believe me. Dog is a good dog and all that in their eyes. So I recorded said dog barking with date and time. No go. He was just bored, or saw a bird or something. Aren't you glad he's keeping an eye out for you too? Answers I got!

We are all friendly still, but that fuppin dog barking is really doing my head in now. It's like kids, parents will Never think THEIR kid is naughty. Oh no.

Get rid of the dog, and buy an alarm system. Everyone's happy.

Or get something done with the vocal chords of barking dogs.

I know you will all hate me for saying what I did. But the reality is that dogs are a bloody menace in an urban setting. Owners love them, neighbours do NOT.

I would never give him away. He is part of family. Simple as.

Re to your situation, like your neighbour i do not say that my dog is innocent i have already admitted he will bark but that is very RARELY and never ever more than a few barks as we go out and make him quiet. IF he was at fault i would own up to it.

I would rather my neighbour go to enviromental health and complain as i have even suggested to him rather than try and bang our door down.

babysonia

krlyr wrote: »

Unfortunately it doesn't matter what you, me, Joe Bloggs on the street think, ultimately the only views that matter are those 'officials' and the cases like the recent Lennox just go to show what a very, very difficult battle it is if you object to those officials. There was a TV show on recently (didn't see it myself but heard about it) where I believe a Labrador cross was seized as 'of type'. The law does not recognised the American Pitbull breed but goes by Pitbull type, and this means that if it meets x, y and z measurements, it's of type and therefore illegal.
As you can't really do anything to alter a dog's physical appearance to prevent it looking of type, my advice to anyone who thinks their dog is at risk of being seized does everything they can otherwise.

So, for example, not doing anything that puts the dog on the council's radar, such as nuisance noise - OP cannot control the neighbour's actions here unfortunately but they can control the dog to an extent. This is why I think a contained kennel and run would be far better than a kennel and a loose dog in the garden - a contained dog cannot be tormented at the fence/gate, for example. You can buy runs separately that could be build around the existing kennel, or even section off a part of the garden for the dog - my last house had a huge garden that went all the way around the house, so the dogs had a 40' section from the back door - it meant no one walking past could even see the dogs, let alone aggravate them, fake a bite, throw anything harmful in, etc. - however much you trust your dog, unfortunately in today's world you cannot trust others.

They should ensure the dog is well-trained, well-socialised and well-liked - a vet reference or the views of the majority of neighbours could help show that the dog has never been any cause for concern. I would definately recommend a trainer who uses modern, fair methods, nothing "Dog Whisperer"ish using physical force, spray bottles, rattle cans, choke chains, 'sssht' noises, and so on. Train using fear and you have a dog who behaves only when the fear of the consequence is greater than the desire to not behave. These make for unpredictable dogs that tend to misbehave when no one is around to reprimand them, or who will lash out severely when in stressful or scary situations because they have been surpressed so much before reaching the point where they 'snap'. Train using positive methods that teach a dog that behaving benefits them, and you have much more longterm, stable behaviours, and a dog who trusts you to keep them safe in scary situations. The APDT website will list trainers in your area who have promised to follow the APDT code of practice

Avoid giving the dog an 'image' - no choke chains, chain leads, leather collars, definately no spikes, probably no studs either. Give the dog a family dog look - you can get fleece lined harnesses and collars from the Dog Games online shop, I'd go for a nice 'fluffy' look (I know in America lots of Pitbull owners put bandanas on their dogs to soften their look too). Even the name can play a bit part in people's perceptions - macho names like Spike, Bruno, Butch, etc. give an image of a tough dog, so it's often advised to go for a much softer name (I know someone who named their Staffie "Pup" as it brings up the mental image of a cute, innocent puppy!)

Would recommend caution on the guard dog thing for similar reasons too. I do not object to people viewing their dogs as a bit of additional security, I certainly appreciate owning a GSD and a Rottie x when home alone or walking out in the dark, but I see that as a bonus and I do not think it is wise in this day and age to purposely portray a dog as aggressive. Not only are there legal ramifications to owning a guard dog (so if you tell people he's your guard dog or use signs to suggest it, be very careful - for example, I believe a guard dog must always be kept on-lead or tethered by law, not roaming loose) but possible backlash in regards to the Dangerous Dogs Act, especially with the latest proposed changes (that make owners more liable for incidents on private property). Remember that a dog doesn't have to bite to be deemed a dangerous dog either - the fear of being injured is enough for someone to report the dog too.
I also think that many of the trainers who would help you train a guard dog would use the old-fashioned fear-based methods mentioned earlier so would be very wary having a professional come in and help. Dogs have a natural instinct to guard and I am more than happy to rely on that to protect me should I need it in my home, I don't feel the need to train or encourage any behaviour, I think that if the time came they would do it naturally. However, I do make sure that they're not pacing the boundary scaring off everyone who walks past, or encouraging any other guarding behaviour, because it could so easily backfire - I think in reality the chances of someone innocent walking in like a postman or a kid who's ball flew into the garden are far higher than a burglar, and the legal consequences for me and the dogs if they were to bite, and it be found out that I was training them to be guard dogs, are far worse a risk than a burglar IMO. I think the presence of a dog is going to be enough a deterrent on its own - but remember that if the dog is shut outside all day, a burglar could easily watch your house for a while and realise this, and then just break in through the front of the house. So another good reason to encourage the dog in the house more, if he's meant to be helping protect your house!

Thank you for that list. I have been looking online to buy him a run that i can add on to his kennel.

Had the trainer over and he does not really see a problem with Ringo outside and also noticed that Ringo might 'fear' coming inside- he visibly shakes and is distressed. We are going to work on bringing him inside slowely. Used treats, toys and quiet.

Ringo does understand the word quiet and will respond, my only issue is that i would rather have him not start barking at all rather than having to be told to be quiet.

He is well socialised. Loves kids and other adults in the park but is slightly posessive in the garden- we live in a corner house and there is only one path up that leads to my house and a dead end. If a neighbours ball does fall over he wont bark rather he will start playing. He will only bark if the child climbs over the fence and looks directly over into the garden.

We have agreed to let our neighbour keep a audio recording device to see if his claims that 'The dog barks all night' are true. We also showed the officer all the safety precautions we have taken RE the kennel, garden fences, gate padlocked. So there would be no threat. He came upto the officers and belly flopped on the floor to get a stroking. Officer seemed to like him which was a plus.

Welshwoofs

That is not a pitbull -he doesn't look anything like a pitbull. I think he's an American Stafordshire (their heads are much bigger and squarer than The English Staffies we know) crossed with bullmastiff.

Definitely keep a log on this neighbour and keep complaining to the council because whether or not this dog is an inside or outside dog isn't relevant IMO - what's relevant is that he's being anti-social and threatening.

Person_one

Welshwoofs wrote: »

That is not a pitbull -he doesn't look anything like a pitbull. I think he's an American Stafordshire (their heads are much bigger and squarer than The English Staffies we know) crossed with bullmastiff.

I think we all know that he isn't a pitbull, but sadly it doesn't tend to matter whether they actually are or not.

It sounds like the OP has taken steps to check he won't be seized, which is a relief, but I was worried that the nutty neighbour might use that angle against them, hopefully he won't be able to.

Raksha

Sadly, it doesn't have to be a nutty neighbour, just an uneducated Constable spying the dog while driving round the neighbourhood. There are so many stories of dogs being removed from their owners for appearing to be 'of the type' i.e. a Pitbull type

babysonia

Quick Update-

Wow i havent been on this site in a long while.

We have had a long road but he is finally domesticated!
Currently sleeping downstairs in his custom made bed lol

The idiot next door moved away a few weeks ago- He lives in a council flat and had to move due to the bedroom tax they are bringing in. Well this is what one of the other neighbours told me. Never the less this has been a welcome relive for me as he did take to banging on his walls if he heard the dog bark inside.

Ringo is still very vocal but better trained and lovable mutt even though he gets on my wick at times.


Happy ending!