My dog fights neighbor's aggressive dogs. How to keep them off my property?

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! I’m sorry you are going through this. Some suggestions are 1) to keep calling the SPCA and police and reporting them. 2) Keep trash cans inside the garage. 3) fence your yard 4) take them yourself to the SPCA 5) get a motion detector noise deterrent. There are many places online. Below is an example. https://homeshielders.com/products/battery-powered-ultrasonic-animal-and-bird-repeller?gclid=EAIaIQobChMImNDu5p-f3gIVjaOzCh3uhAKxEAQYAyABEgKz8fD_BwE Good luck!

Some dogs can be aggressive towards other dogs regardless of their upbringing. I recommend walking Sammy on a leash with a basket muzzle. Take treats with you on your box and when you see another dog have him sit until the other dog passes. Then give him a treat and praise him for being a good boy. This will take time in order for him to concentrate and focus on you rather than the other dog but with consistency he should start to focus on you and the treat. You can also look into hiring a dog trainer to help you train Sammy with his aggression towards other dogs. It is important to remember that this is not necessarily a consequence of how you raised him and may just be the way he is. Some dogs are never OK with other dogs.

Yes, this does sound very scary. I would look for a collar that he cannot get out of like a pinch collar or a harness that is properly fitted. This could be a liability to you if your dog is running into another person's yard and being aggressive. I would also consider talking to a behavioral specialist to help train him so he doesn't do this. You could also talk to your vet about starting him on a anti-anxiety or calming medicine like trazadone that you can give before your walks. Finally, you can be safer by either not walking him if you have a backyard or try to walk him when no one else is around. I hope this helps!

The first best thing you cn do with a territorial dog is invest in obedience training. This will allow you to have greater control over her when she displays her aggressions to those she feels are 'trespassing'. Additionally, makes sure she gets plenty of physical and mental stimulation. Take her for long walks, runs, play ball or fetch, take her with you wherever you can, rides in the car, anything and everything to tired her body and mind. A tired dog is a happy dog. Highly intelligent dogs are often the most anxious and therefore need a 'job'. She seems to have chosen guarding her yard as her job, you need to convince her to choose somethign else as her primary function. Never punish her for being protective as this may escalate the aggression. Try teaching her tricks or tasks, get her a Kong toy to keep herself entertained, even consider a slow feeder or a puzzle feeder to make her work and think about how to get food and treats and therefore keep her mind occupied with matters other than who's in the next back yard. Also, I highly recommend the books by Victoria Stillwell. He training methods are always based on positive training and never punishment.

You can fence in your property or a small section for your dog. A tie out with a long lead can also work for exercise. Lastly, leash walking and correcting the behavior immediately may help. Walk with him by the horses regularly so he becomes acclimated to their presence. Be patient and be consistent.

Oh dear! I'm sorry to hear that you're having this problem. Aggression between dogs in the same household is a complex behavioral problem that's difficult to address in a forum like this. If you want to keep both dogs, I would strongly suggest getting in touch with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate them in person and help you determine why the fights are happening. He/she can put together a detailed training plan to work on the problem, and may also recommend medication for one or both dogs as part of the overall treatment plan. In the meantime, since it sounds like these fights are quite serious, I would recommend keeping the dogs separated from each other to prevent further problems until you are able to get some professional help. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org

If your dog can be dog aggressive then truthfully I would keep them separate. If a dog fight ensues and you are caring for the other dog then you will likely be held financially responsible. If this is going to be a dog you will care for frequently then you may want to schedule time for you and the other owner to go for a few walks together to allow them to meet on mutual territory several times before trying to allow them to be together. Best of luck and I hope they get along well. Thank you for using Pet Coach.