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Topic Dog Boards / Behaviour / training calm behaviour - neighbours border
- By Noora Date 12.07.11 11:59 UTC
I have three Leo girls, 4 years, 2 years and 8 months.
Our neighbour has a lovely bichon who is also 8 months old.

Now the problem we have is that their dog just loves to wind mine up through the fence and sends them nuts by running around in loops, diving closer to the fence and off he goes again. My girls start barking and generally going nuts on our side of the fence.
It started as a game but has very quickly escalated to just general chaos and this is happening quicker and quicker now.
They have met the bichon and my youngest used to play with him which has actually made her behaviour worse.

The problem I have in training them out of their little habit is that if I have just one of my girls in the garden to train, they do not react but all three together and it is chaos!
Also, if they are on leads again they hardly react to the bichon or if they do, firm no gets them to behave.
 
The middle dog seems to be getting worse in her behaviour and sends herself to this world of yapping and going nuts very quickly, it is almost not playful but stressed behaviour. Again, if she is on her own, she just looks and sniffs the bichon through the fence, if she starts tensing, firm no gets her to stop and come off from the fence.

The issue really is my dogs triggering each other on when they are all together as a pack.
I have been trying to catch them before they misbehave, getting them to sit and wait but if they get started, it does take a while to get each of them to listen and if one jumps up they all try to start again, getting more and more excited in the process (including the bichon on the other side).
So I have been getting them to concentrate on me and doing sits/downs etc "ignore the bichon" for a while now but don't seem to be making much of a progress.
They will do what asked but given a chance, go loopy so I'm failing miserably in teaching them the correct behaviour.

I'm little lost on where to start and what way might work the best.
The older two know clicker training, could I work with a clicker somehow?

My girls have started to mouth&growl at each other, that is how wound up they get when running up and down the fence so I really must stop the behaviour now before there is a fight between my own dogs due to them being so wound up!
The noise from them is also rather bad when they all bark, don't want the other neighbours getting annoyed with it either!

I want them calm and not barking so that is my goal :) but what would be the best way to get there?
- By Merlot [gb] Date 12.07.11 12:13 UTC
Is there any way you can erect another fence inside your garden to keep them a bit further away? It may diffuse the situation a little and give you an extra few moments to get thier attention before the sillyness starts in ernest.
Aileen
- By happyhoundgirl [gb] Date 12.07.11 14:23 UTC
Can you simply block the dogs view of each other? You have my sympathy I have 4 collies and my neighbours dog, which never gets out, comes sniffing up at the fence,which is fine but then launches a fullscale attack at the fence. Sends 2 of my lot barmy. A firm stop command and sending them inside works for me, but dogs can't see each other. Will never resolve completely as neighbours dog is plain bored, not nice people so we're moving!! Neighbours dog also guards our patio if we are outside or if french windows are open it will react if I move in my own house!!! Nightmare!!

Try teaching stop command and see how you go or a touch to distract
- By happyhoundgirl [gb] Date 12.07.11 14:24 UTC
Meant touch command not physical touch!!!
- By tohme Date 12.07.11 15:04 UTC
Good fences make for good neighbours, so:

replace current fence with one through which they cannot see other dog, or
plant fast growing hedge in front of fence or
erect your own fence in front of existing one
cover existing fence with something like bamboo/netting etc to achieve same purpose
- By Noora Date 12.07.11 20:36 UTC
Thanks everybody.

If we were here to stay I would replace the fence but as the house is riddled with damp and the landlord is not doing anything we are looking to move as soon as we find a new place(which is not easy with animals!). The border is such length that it would cost hundreds to fence with fence panels and as the situation is as it is I can't justify spending the money as we are hopefully not here for very long. Can't think of anything cheaper that would block the view than proper fence panels?

So really looking tips/ideas on how I can work the situation as I don't seem to be getting anywhere with what I'm trying to do...
I have thought about putting a another wire fence so there is a cap inbetween but I still need to get them to stop going loopy.
They really are good girls usually and listen but in this situation seem to be getting so worked up so quickly&they do not hear a thing once in that mode.
- By Brainless [gb] Date 12.07.11 20:48 UTC
Had similar issue last year with Inak and the bored Russells next door.

the only thing that has worked is to be consistent with making sure they do not approach the fence and if they bar or start to react then she was sent indoors.

She still occasionally joins in their barking, but a  quick oi, not allowed reminds her.  Same with the teasing tortoiseshell cat, which is worse as it sits in the back of my garden beyond the weld-mesh barrier splitting my garden into dog and non dog areas.
Topic Dog Boards / Behaviour / training calm behaviour - neighbours border

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