HELP.... I'm totally frazzled!!
Submitted by bulldogs4me on September 14, 2012 - 12:56pmI think of myself as a good doggie mommy but lately I've been taking off my rose colored glasses and what I see without them is making me question my role as doggie mom!!
Fence Fighting ... ok my neighbors are the best I really really like them, when I moved in they had a bulldog so in my mind they are the perfect neighbors, we've become friends over the 2-1/2 years I've lived next door and we were talking one day and they had mentioned they would like to get another bulldog, well my cousin was looking to re-home her bulldog so I made the connection with them and they of course wanted her ... WELLLLL LOL ... the dogs get along just fine when they are together, I even babysat their two for a weekend and everyone stayed in the house together ran around in the backyard together not a single scuffle but when they are in their separate yards they fence fight almost everyday ... my Molly knows she is going to get in trouble for it and once "in trouble" she will peek around the corner of the house as if to judge how much trouble (cute yes ... but I'm goin nutz) and the one that makes me scared and really worried is my son's lab Ally she is very protective over my bulldogs and when Molly & Lucy start at the fence Ally jumps in to protect Molly and the sounds of aggresstion are intense! I don't normally see or hear their other girl Nelly in on the fights so mainly its Molly, Lucy & Ally ..... Diesel & Nelly are innocent watchers (I think) I can call Molly & Ally off they listen to me and will turn away from the fence but my question is ... how do I keep them from advancing in the first place?? I've done dog training classes in the past but Diesel & Molly haven't been to official dog classes themselves and Ally either for that matter ... is it time to go to school will that help?
I'm so frazzled with the fence fighting it makes me feel like a bad dog owner and I pride myself on my healthy happy and well taken care of pooches and I just don't want my neighbors to start disliking me and the kids because of the fighting :(
any suggestions?
Leesa, Diesel & Molly
What kind of fencing do you have?
First you have to stop the behavior from starting. You'll have to go out with them and keep them away from the fence. Everytime the dogs fence fight, they are getting more practice at it, the more of a habit it becomes and the harder it will be to change it.
Can you put up another line of fencing like a solid wood fence, maybe 5 to 10 feet back. This will give them a visual and physical barrier, keeping them apart.
Lynn King CPDT-KA
thank you for responding :)
we have a soild wood fence but they had somehow broke a board and now they go to that one spot even though its not open anymore ... I always run out there when it starts but honestly I'm slow so I've normally yelled/told them "enough" on my way out which is normally enough to call my two off but I really want to be able to stop it all together at least with mine ... hard when they have taunts from the otherside so to speak
Leesa, Diesel & Molly
Unfortunately, you can do nothing to control the behavior
of the other dog. But, you can work with your own dogs. I suggest that you go out with them and stand near the fence to prevent your dogs from barking/lunging at the fence, they can't be allowed to do so, even for a second. Reward and praise heavily for backing away/ignoring etc. Stay calm, you want your dogs to be calm and quiet, so you have to be also.
Lynn King CPDT-KA
so true
I guess the reason I was so frazzled is that I had broke them of it then out of the blue the barking from the other side set them off again and it went from nothing to high intensity super fast ... I was so proud of them for staying away and ignoring so I know I can do it again I was just so frustrated when I typed that message LOL thank you for listening to my frustration and I will start working with them again :) keep your fingers crossed for us, my fur-babies are normally super good and listen/mind I just let my frustration overrule my common sense today :/
Leesa, Diesel & Molly