Neighbor lets dogs out to do their business in my yard?

[zing]

Wow! Thanks for sharing that link, newbury.

Really helps to put my little problems into perspective. And gives me a few new ideas on how I might proceed in the future.

sjmarbu, I have two border collies and I can tell you that the breed is very smart and very driven. They are like intelligent ADHD kids. Lots of energy, but they get bored easily. If you do not train them, they will find a job to do and dedicate themselves to that job with great enthusiasm. What you are describing really sounds like a border collie trying to do the job it has designated for itself, which is either herding your UTV or protecting the borders of its territory.

I'm not saying your neighbour is not an a$$hat because he clearly seems to be one. He also sounds too lazy and clued out to train his dog to chase your UTV. If it was me I would spend $3 on a box of dog treats the next time I am at the grocery store, and stick them in the UTV. Then the next time he charges you, stop the vehicle and talk nicely to him. Wait until he slows down a bit and toss him a treat. Then talk nicely to him a bit more. When you leave, drive away slowly. If he chases again, stop again and when he slows down give him another treat. The key is to reward the behaviour you want to see, so don't throw him a treat when he charges you, instead throw him a treat when he stops. Take the time to go for a drive when you have a few minutes to kill, so you have a few minutes to dedicate to "training" him.

Border Collies are extremely trainable, and I would bet money that it would take less than 20 trips to have that dog run to meet you each time you drive by, and then sit pretty while you call him a good puppy and give him a treat, then continue on your way. Just imagine how much that would pi$$ off the a$$hat. Well worth a couple dollars a month for dog treats, IMO.

 

[RedNeckGeek]

zing, that would be a very nice outcome, one well worth a few dog treats. But how do I train the thing to not bark all night and crap in its own yard?

 

[newbury]

sjmarbu, I have two border collies and I can tell you that the breed is very smart and very driven. They are like intelligent ADHD kids. Lots of energy, but they get bored easily. If you do not train them, they will find a job to do and dedicate themselves to that job with great enthusiasm. What you are describing really sounds like a border collie trying to do the job it has designated for itself, which is either herding your UTV or protecting the borders of its territory.

Yes they are extremely intelligent, but when not doing a trained task sometimes they work up the oddest on their own. Ours just passed last summer. One of her oddities was the requirement to bark whenever the UPS truck went by on the street. ONLY THE UPS TRUCKS! All others were met with silence. The street was about 20 yards from our living room. She'd be laying there and one could barely hear it going down the court and she would start barking her head off.

I'm not saying your neighbour is not an a$$hat because he clearly seems to be one. He also sounds too lazy and clued out to train his dog to chase your UTV. If it was me I would spend $3 on a box of dog treats the next time I am at the grocery store, and stick them in the UTV. Then the next time he charges you, stop the vehicle and talk nicely to him. Wait until he slows down a bit and toss him a treat. Then talk nicely to him a bit more. When you leave, drive away slowly. If he chases again, stop again and when he slows down give him another treat. The key is to reward the behaviour you want to see, so don't throw him a treat when he charges you, instead throw him a treat when he stops. Take the time to go for a drive when you have a few minutes to kill, so you have a few minutes to dedicate to "training" him.

But be sure the dog doesn't get close enough to bite!

zing, that would be a very nice outcome, one well worth a few dog treats. But how do I train the thing to not bark all night and crap in its own yard?

I would think that your goal would just be to get it to perform it's business ANWHERE but in YOUR yard. Let it's other neighbors fend for themselves.

 

[zing]

zing, that would be a very nice outcome, one well worth a few dog treats. But how do I train the thing to not bark all night and crap in its own yard?

If you really want him to stop barking, get an ultrasonic trainer. Basically it makes a high pitch that annoys dogs whenever he barks. You can mount it to a post on your property but near his range. If you make it inconspicuous, the dog's owner won't even know it is there. Google it. It will cost a couple hundred dollars. Either that, or start complaining to the police.

If you want him to start pooping in his own yard, that would be easier than stopping him from chasing your UTV. Just wait until he is friendly with you from the treats, and willing to listen to your commands. Then watch for the pooping to happen. It will definitely happen first thing in the morning when he gets let out. Then when he starts to sniff around getting ready to poop, guide him over to the place where you want it to happen, and then reward him when he does his job.

Training a dog is not rocket science, there are hundreds of websites with good advice. I realize this is not your job and it should not be your responsibility to train someone else's dog, but you are already in the situation and so you have to decide which is the way you want to go. Police, litigation, years of frustration, punishing the dog for something outside of its control, feeling like a prisoner on your own land, etc. Or taking control of the situation by befriending the dog and training it to behave properly around you and your property.

If the "owner" decides he doesn't like you feeding or training his dog, tell him to keep it on his own property or shut up. Its not like you are going to make your relationship with this guy any worse than it already is.

 

[RedNeckGeek]

zing, the border collie is only one of about four or five dogs on the property, but near as I can tell not all of them run free all of the time. None of them are house dogs, so they poop where and when the urge strikes. I know enough about dogs to expect that shortly after a feeding, but at this point haven't done enough spying to figure out when that is.

Training the Pyrenees that are the worst barkers isn't an option as they are kept in pens that the owner moves around the property as the sheep graze the browse down to dirt. I have no doubt that if the ultrasonic trainers were found by the neighbor they would be destroyed. He or one of his sons pulled the survey stakes for the phone land line when it was being installed, so there's no compunction against trespassing or damaging property. But maybe I could rig a trail cam to monitor the trainer, and catching him in the act would go a long way toward convincing the authorities that they need to help deal with the problem.

So even if I make friends with the border collie, I won't be getting much sleep once temperatures rise to the point that my windows are open at night. Getting the collie to stop chasing is worth a few dog biscuits though, so I'll pick some up next time I'm in town and give it a shot. But in parallel I've already mailed a letter to animal control in hopes that a two pronged approach will be successful. Make that three prongs: Yesterday I enjoyed bacon'n'eggs and used the grease as suggested.

 

[SandburRanch]

I've found that .22 bird shot in the butt at somewhere between 60 and 100 feet imprints a very long lasting memory on the mind of a dog where it shouldn't be.

 

[caver]

Saw this story and it reminded me of this thread.
Woman mails cow-pies to her neighbor over barking dog. Read responses at bottom of page.

 

[dusty3030]

Pack a center fire cartridge. Rim-fire is not always reliable. I only gave warnings because I was new to the area. Bears and coyotes will not wait for you to clear a jam. Remember that people depend on you...

Agree 22 long rifle out of a handgun won't penetrate a dogs skull very reliable

 

[RedNeckGeek]

Just an update on the situation here. I'm now packing both dog treats and bear spray in the UTV for my mail runs. Can't get the collie to come in close enough to take a treat, and when I toss one near it runs away. Haven't had to use the bear spray, but it's there if needed.

Yesterday I came back from a motorcycle ride with a malfunctioning clutch. It was OK once underway, but very difficult to get going once stopped. I was able to ride slowly enough toward the electric gate to have it open far enough to ride through, but sure enough the collie met me on the other side. I wasn't stopping and once I was able to dodge past it was able to stay in front and safely make the garage. Then was awakened at 3:30 this morning with the rest of their dogs barking. So this morning I called animal control again and managed to get through to the supervisor. She told me that they hadn't heard anything from me since last summer, and were assuming the problem was resolved. I'd called them several times, and even mailed them, since that last visit, so not sure where they got that impression. Anyway they're supposed to follow up with me this week. One thing she did pass along is that the neighbors told her officers that the neighbors were experiencing marital problems and would soon be moving. If that was true I think it would be the best news I've gotten in my whole life, but here we are six month later and nothing's changed. Apparently some people will say anything to avoid addressing their own problems, and know no bounds to the depths to which they are willing to stoop.

I also asked her specifically under what conditions the animal could be put down. She said only if it was harassing my livestock or I felt I was being attacked. To be clear I've always considered shooting as a last resort because it's really not the dog's fault and I don't want to create even more ill will with the neighbor. She did mention trapping as an alternative though, but I'll wait to see what her enforcement folks have to say.

 

[RedNeckGeek]

Just an update on the situation here. I'm now packing both dog treats and bear spray in the UTV for my mail runs. Can't get the collie to come in close enough to take a treat, and when I toss one near it runs away. Haven't had to use the bear spray, but it's there if needed.

Yesterday I came back from a motorcycle ride with a malfunctioning clutch. It was OK once underway, but very difficult to get going once stopped. I was able to ride slowly enough toward the electric gate to have it open far enough to ride through, but sure enough the collie met me on the other side. I wasn't stopping and once I was able to dodge past it was able to stay in front and safely make the garage. Then was awakened at 3:30 this morning with the rest of their dogs barking. So this morning I called animal control again and managed to get through to the supervisor. She told me that they hadn't heard anything from me since last summer, and were assuming the problem was resolved. I'd called them several times, and even mailed them, since that last visit, so not sure where they got that impression. Anyway they're supposed to follow up with me this week. One thing she did pass along is that the neighbors told her officers that the neighbors were experiencing marital problems and would soon be moving. If that was true I think it would be the best news I've gotten in my whole life, but here we are six month later and nothing's changed. Apparently some people will say anything to avoid addressing their own problems, and know no bounds to the depths to which they are willing to stoop.

I also asked her specifically under what conditions the animal could be put down. She said only if it was harassing my livestock or I felt I was being attacked. To be clear I've always considered shooting as a last resort because it's really not the dog's fault and I don't want to create even more ill will with the neighbor. She did mention trapping as an alternative though, but I'll wait to see what her enforcement folks have to say.