Problematic Situation

2504 Views 11 Replies 5 Participants Last post by TrampolineBoxer, Jan 27, 2016

TrampolineBoxer

Discussion Starter · Jan 25, 2016 (Edited)

I'll start with the basics, my dog, is a highly friendly but protective dog, he is also extremely strong. My neighbour though has a very large German Shepherd/Mastiff mix and recently has been digging holes to come into my property, the neighbour on the other for some reason says my dog is a highly dangerous breed and tells me to keep him leashed or to chain him to a tree?!

But that's just the beginning, recently his dog broke in and started a fight with my dog and his dog got. Few nasty wounds, and my dog was badly wounded too, but what he said after was that you should muzzle up your aggressive dog

What should I do?

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mathilda

· #2 · Jan 25, 2016 (Edited)

- fence your property well enough so that other dogs can't break into your garden.

- catch dogs that manage to do it still and bring them to the police/the shelter.
If the people have to go to the shelter or police to get their dog back, it is embarrassing or atleast inconvenient for them and they hopefully make sure their dog doesn't run away again.

-if animals still can come in your yard, find the wholes in the fences and close them.

- better would be to have a completely fenced area (with netting wire above the area) in a certain distance from the property line, so that not only other dogs can't get in but also people can't throw stuff in that easily. there are always idiots that throw poisened food into garden to kill pets.

- if you can't provide all this, don't leave your dog in your garden unattended for it's own safety.

I love Boxers. they're not more dangerous than other medium sizes working dog breeds, but some people can be pretty unreasonable when it comes to molosser breeds, si it is better to be safe than them hurting the poor dog.

how much does your dog weight? he looks pretty light and small in your picture.

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Kwenami

· #3 · Jan 25, 2016

@mathilda Netting above yards is illegal here....aesthetics. Gross huh?

Given that there is a history of an incident I would set up a video to keep an eye on the yard. When their dog breaks in, you now have footage you can bring to court if you choose. I would also not leave the dog unsupervised in the yard-at least be inside immediately watching so you can intervene (and don't get distracted with something else).

Assuming the dog climbed the fence or was inside your yard due to a reason you have already dealt with, I would ignore the neighbour. His dog was injured too and despite them being an idiot, there's really just no need for gossip.

Also, muzzles are a great tool. I love mine. They aren't necessary for every situation. In Europe, dogs in public need to be on leash AND muzzled-there's much less stigma. Muzzles aren't a bad thing. Don't let your neighbour convince you that they are.

The other thing you should do is take your dog to a trainer/behaviourist for an assessment. If they take you to court that trainer's assessment will be worth tons. You'll also have the great benefit of understanding how to adjust your behaviour so your dog feels more comfortable with trespassing dogs and is more defensive and not reactive-it sounds like your pup reacted very strongly (totally normal!) but that reaction can be changed somewhat with training. A one-time visit with someone who knows what they're doing is worth the money and you can ask any other questions, too. Finding the right trainer is a harder question, and I'll refer you to the sticky on it

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mathilda

· #4 · Jan 25, 2016

@Kwenami

Ah! i didn't know that.
In Germany it depends on the neighbourhood, but generally if it is your property you're allowed to build a kennel on it.

I agree conditioning dogs on a muzzle is always a good thing.

But as far as i know there are no EU-laws for muzzles and leashes...it depends on the country or region...so in generally they're not mandatory in Europe.
in public transport there are some laws in some countries though.
the stigma still exists, sadly. I use it to my advantage (a dog with a muzzle is more unlikely to be touched by strangers), but for some people that have their dog to wear for example because the dog tends to eat everything it finds it it's annoying to be asked all the time if ther dog is a child-eating monster can be quite annoying.

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Kwenami

· #5 · Jan 25, 2016

mathilda said:
@Kwenami

Ah! i didn't know that.
In Germany it depends on the neighbourhood, but generally if it is your property you're allowed to build a kennel on it.

I agree conditioning dogs on a muzzle is always a good thing.
But as far as i know there are no EU-laws for muzzles and leashes...it depends on the country or region...so in generally they're not mandatory in Europe.
in public transport there are some laws in some countries though.
the stigma still exists, sadly. I use it to my advantage (a dog with a muzzle is more unlikely to be touched by strangers), but for some people that have their dog to wear for example because the dog tends to eat everything it finds it it's annoying to be asked all the time if ther dog is a child-eating monster can be quite annoying.

Sorry - yes, it is dependent on region for the muzzle law. But I think it works well, muzzles aren't inherently dangerous for dogs. Are there are some places here that you can build kennels as well-but there are restrictions (too many puppy mills) and not inside most cities. My previous city allowed dogs on public transport but only during off peak hours-no muzzle required (I muzzled anyways, too easy for an accident to occur) but my current one doesn't allow animals whatsoever, including in small carriers (yet...I hope).

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TrampolineBoxer

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jan 25, 2016

Kwenami said:
Sorry - yes, it is dependent on region for the muzzle law. But I think it works well, muzzles aren't inherently dangerous for dogs. Are there are some places here that you can build kennels as well-but there are restrictions (too many puppy mills) and not inside most cities. My previous city allowed dogs on public transport but only during off peak hours-no muzzle required (I muzzled anyways, too easy for an accident to occur) but my current one doesn't allow animals whatsoever, including in small carriers (yet...I hope).

Yes the muzzle I can get (I also use the muzzle sometimes as well if there are too many dogs around) but my neighbour also seems to have a bias and thinks my dog is highly dangerous.

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TrampolineBoxer

Discussion Starter · #7 · Jan 25, 2016 (Edited)

mathilda said:
- fence your property well enough so that other dogs can't break into your garden.

- catch dogs that manage to do it still and bring them to the police/the shelter.
If the people have to go to the shelter or police to get their dog back, it is embarrassing or atleast inconvenient for them and they hopefully make sure their dog doesn't run away again.

-if animals still can come in your yard, find the wholes in the fences and close them.

- better would be to have a completely fenced area (with netting wire above the area) in a certain distance from the property line, so that not only other dogs can't get in but also people can't throw stuff in that easily. there are always idiots that throw poisened food into garden to kill pets.

- if you can't provide all this, don't leave your dog in your garden unattended for it's own safety.

I love Boxers. they're not more dangerous than other medium sizes working dog breeds, but some people can be pretty unreasonable when it comes to molosser breeds, si it is better to be safe than them hurting the poor dog.

how much does your dog weight? he looks pretty light and small in your picture.

40 kg , around average for a boxer, he just looks small from the angle of the picture

Thank you for the helpful tips, My house is. Dry large so it is sometimes quite difficult to manage the fencing but I have tried to make it as secure as possible, also my dog is now taken into my rather large living room when there is no need for him to be outside

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timber

· #8 · Jan 26, 2016

I would tell your neighbour to control HIS dog as it is his dog going onto other peoples property. I agree, muzzles can be a good tool to use if used properly, but I would not feel comfortable having my dog muzzled while another strange dog is coming onto the property and potentially taking away his ability to defend himself. I too would set up a camera and use it to show the neighbour that HE has to do something about his dog...not you.

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TrampolineBoxer

Discussion Starter · #9 · Jan 26, 2016

timber said:
I would tell your neighbour to control HIS dog as it is his dog going onto other peoples property. I agree, muzzles can be a good tool to use if used properly, but I would not feel comfortable having my dog muzzled while another strange dog is coming onto the property and potentially taking away his ability to defend himself. I too would set up a camera and use it to show the neighbour that HE has to do something about his dog...not you.

Thank you for the helpful advice, as for currently my neighbour remains ignorant of the fact that it is his dog invading MY property *sigh*

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mathilda

· #10 · Jan 26, 2016

TrampolineBoxer said:
Thank you for the helpful advice, as for currently my neighbour remains ignorant of the fact that it is his dog invading MY property *sigh*

next time, catch the dog and make your neighbour come to you to get it back...or bring the dog to the police/shelter so they can get their dog back from there.

I would not let my dog wear a muzzle when there's another dog around that areally got in a fight with it. it can't defend itself and a mastiff-mix is probably bigger than your boxer.