# Going crazy at neighbors?



## DreamingGold (Mar 16, 2011)

So over the last few months Cooper has started going NUTS at my neighbors. We have an elderly woman that lives on one side and only comes out to water her flowers. He will stand and bark incessantly at her. On the other side we have a super nice, late 40's single guy. He has always been really friendly with Cooper- Coop will jump on the fence and he'll pet him, that sort of thing- but again, he barks at him non-stop! Well recently he has started getting just wild when the neighbor guy comes out. We are in typical Chicago homes, so our garages are behind the house. Well obviously then he walks from his house, on the sidewalk along the fence, to his garage when he comes and goes. Coop is crazy-- like zoomies wild, running along the fence, barking, and jumping up at him EVERY time. Well talking to my neighbor this morning he told me Cooper bit him the other day and it drew blood! It was not an evil bite, more barking, jumping and Coop happened to get him as he was walking by. But I am mortified and clearly that is not acceptable! What is going on with this behavior and do you have any advice on reigning in my crazy pooch?!!! 

Cooper is really a good dog and is not aggressive with any of us! I have three kids, ages 11, 8 and 2 and he is wonderful! I just don't understand what is going on here and am really hoping you have some thoughts? He clearly needs to go back to training- but do you have any advice on anything immediate to help for this? Huge thanks in advance!


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

This is why dogs should not be left outside unmonitored.... they get turfy and exhibit behaviors that you otherwise would correct if you were out there with them. You can get in trouble if he injures somebody who decides to sue you. A few years back somebody stuck their hand into somebody's yard, got bit by the dog there - and later on sued the pants off the dog's owners.


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## Nairb (Feb 25, 2012)

I would get a bark collar in this instance.


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## DreamingGold (Mar 16, 2011)

Wow. I thought I might actually get some help here instead of merely being judged. And for the record, we are almost ALWAYS out there with him.


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## DreamingGold (Mar 16, 2011)

Thank you, Nairb-


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Dream*

Both of my dogs do this, if they see one of the neighbors or their dogs_
I think they just want attention, which they get a lot of.
We, too, are always out there when they are.
Tucker is going to be 4 and Tonka will be 3, and I just think they needs lots of exercise and stimulation.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

DreamingGold said:


> Wow. I thought I might actually get some help here instead of merely being judged. And for the record, we are almost ALWAYS out there with him.


 
If you have him on leash or are close to him - train him not to bark (he does not go outside without you and without you reinforcing) and never let him interact with ANYONE without you right there next to him with a hand on the collar. Please. It's for his safety.

And remember that when your dog is barking out there, the first thing that people wonder is where exactly their owner is and why they are not out there getting their dogs to hush. If they do not direct anger at the dog himself.


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## Sammy&Cooper (Dec 28, 2011)

how old is cooper and how much exercise does he get? also when you are outside when he's doing these behaviors what have you done/tried to do to stop them? 
I know personally my dogs can get rowdy when our neighbour is also outside with his little dog but I either redirect them to play fetch with me so that way they're focused on me and the ball and not the neighbour or if they're too overexcited and ignore me that's when we go straight inside for a time out so to speak. 
maybe you can talk to your neighbour and ask for the time being to ignore cooper when he's outside. if he's not being petted or acknowledged by the source that makes him jump and bark and get excited there's no need for those behaviors then and he might stop. hopefully others will have some advice for you but this is all I can offer  


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## Bentleysmom (Aug 11, 2012)

Bentley does this too. He knows and likes our neighbors but he will bark at them like he's never met them. I will be standing right next to him telling him "NO BARK!" and he continues barking so we go in the house.
It seems to be getting better because the neighbor understands and is working with us. He used to bark whenever he saw them now It seems that Bentley barks more when J (neighbor) has something new or different in the yard. For instance, they're putting up some tiki torches. That sent Bentley into a barking frenzy. J brought a torch to the fence and let Bentley see and smell it. Now he doesn't bark at those.

The other side of us is a church and that's a different story. It's always different people and they let their kids run circles around the yard which makes both of my dogs insane. I really don't mind that so much because it's once a week and they are alerting to strangers close to my yard.

Mostly I think it's a waiting game. I used a bark collar on him for a short while which worked really, really well. Barking at the neighbor he knows is something new (month or so) and it seems to be getting better with time and training.
Good luck, I know how frustrating it is.


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## Golden4Life (May 6, 2009)

My advice would be to never let him out alone and when he is out with you, have him on a leash so you can control him. He does not seem to know what behavior you want. As far as he is concerned, he is doing what he is supposed to be doing. Sorry about the bite.


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## DreamingGold (Mar 16, 2011)

I do believe that it is totally an attention thing. I think he gets so rowdy with the male neighbor because he HAS played with him so much and used to encourage him to jump up up on the fence to pet him. He doesn't jump for the other neighbor, so this makes sense to me. 

He is 2 years, 2 months old and as far as exercise, he gets quite a bit. I run and he is my running buddy, so that's not the problem. He behaves very well in our home- but not so much outside, so I need to work on that more. 

Thank you all for your input.


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## DreamingGold (Mar 16, 2011)

Bentleysmom said:


> Bentley does this too. He knows and likes our neighbors but he will bark at them like he's never met them. I will be standing right next to him telling him "NO BARK!" and he continues barking so we go in the house.
> It seems to be getting better because the neighbor understands and is working with us. He used to bark whenever he saw them now It seems that Bentley barks more when J (neighbor) has something new or different in the yard. For instance, they're putting up some tiki torches. That sent Bentley into a barking frenzy. J brought a torch to the fence and let Bentley see and smell it. Now he doesn't bark at those.
> 
> The other side of us is a church and that's a different story. It's always different people and they let their kids run circles around the yard which makes both of my dogs insane. I really don't mind that so much because it's once a week and they are alerting to strangers close to my yard.
> ...


This is EXACTLY how it is! And I too end up bringing him inside because he won't stop!


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

IMHO - this is not a barking issue...and frankly putting a bark collar or any kind of stim collar on a dog that is over threshold with excitement and/or possible territorial aggression and who has no other appropriate, learned, alternate behavior...is a disaster waiting to happen. (again, JMHO)
When you start pairing pain/discomfort with seeing people...YIKES!

This is an under-stimulated dog....who needs much more to do on a daily basis.

This is a dog that has no recall....lets face it, if he barked once or twice and you called him and he came running back to you...this would be a non-issue.
He has no impulse control....which can be taught and learned at any age...

There are TONS of threads here about teaching a reliable recall...there is a video called the 'really reliable recall'... there are TONS of other books and videos on the market Welcome to Dogwise.com - Dog Books, Training Books, DVDs, Ebooks and Toys is a good source.
Most local libraries have FREE training books and videos...

There is no 'almost' always attended outside any more. He now has a bite history. The reason and explaining it away as excitement wont cut it in court or at the hospital emergency room especially if he tags a child...

I know this will be hard and difficult especially with three young children...but someone has to *leash walk* this dog *EVERYTIME* he goes outside...no exceptions...each and everytime he is allowed to get whooped up he gets better and better at escalating......

You are at a VERY critical tipping point with this dog...


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## Bentleysmom (Aug 11, 2012)

Just to be clear....the bark collar causes NO pain or discomfort. When they bark it beeps. Period. The end.
Bentley has 100% recall.


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## Wyatt's mommy (Feb 25, 2011)

It sounds like you don't have a privacy fence? Is he able to see them or just hear them? If he is just barking I would certainly look into the bark collar. Eventually most dogs as they mature will become comfortable with the neighbors and settle down. I would also ask the neighbor who plays with him to just ignore him until he learns his manners.


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## solinvictus (Oct 23, 2008)

"So over the last few months"

What have you done to prevent Cooper from having the opportunity to have this behavior? 


" Cooper has started going NUTS at my neighbors. We have an elderly woman that lives on one side and only comes out to water her flowers. He will stand and bark incessantly at her."

Where are you as he does this? What have you done when he does this? What have you done to prevent it before it starts?

" On the other side we have a super nice, late 40's single guy. He has always been really friendly with Cooper- Coop will jump on the fence and he'll pet him, that sort of thing- but again, he barks at him non-stop! Well recently he has started getting just wild when the neighbor guy comes out."

What do you do when your dog is doing this? Where are you as it is happening? What have you done to prevent it before it happens?


" We are in typical Chicago homes, so our garages are behind the house. Well obviously then he walks from his house, on the sidewalk along the fence, to his garage when he comes and goes. Coop is crazy-- like zoomies wild, running along the fence, barking, and jumping up at him EVERY time."

How long have you let this behavior go on? What have you done to prevent it from becoming a habit?


" Well talking to my neighbor this morning he told me Cooper bit him the other day and it drew blood!"

Where were you when your dog was biting the neighbor? Why didn't the neighbor mention it right then if you are there with your dog? Did the neighbor stick his hand into the yard or did your dog get him over the fence?



" It was not an evil bite, more barking, jumping and Coop happened to get him as he was walking by"

Where were you? How do you know that the dog did or did not intend to bite the neighbor did you see it?


I don't need answers to the questions I asked.


the behavior is a habit and Cooper likes it enough to do it over and over again so it is self rewarding.

You need to decide what you want Cooper to do instead of barking and running the fence line and train those behaviors first without the neighbors being about. You have to figure out what is rewarding enough to Cooper for him to do the behaviors you want when he has the choice to either bark at the one neighbor or run the fence at the other neighbor. So he will make the right choice and ignore them and do the behavior you ask for.

Until he will listen to you in those very highly rewarding instances you need to limit his access so that he cannot do them.


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

Lots of good advice in this thread and I'm sure some of it is hard to hear. The problem is that this escalated because no one put a stop to it. To be fair, it probably escalated slowly; so slowly that perhaps no one noticed until it got to the point it's at now. Now, however, you need to fix the behaviours that were allowed to escalate which will be harder - not impossible, but harder - to stop than if this had been nipped in the bud.

OP, you say this dog is your running partner. How long do you run for per day? Does he get any exercise outside the yard, besides running? 

The reason I ask is that running is a double-edged sword. Most runners, myself included, go for a run once a day. That might be anywhere from 30-60 minutes and in the beginning, it does a nice job of tiring a dog out. But they build up stamina faster than we do, so soon a 30 min run is nothing for them. Then the run is bumped up to 45 min, then 60...and the dog is still building stamina and now running for an hour straight isn't tiring him out. Now, you've got a super fit dog who goes for a run once a day, recovers quickly, and then has nothing to do for the rest of the day. I'm wondering if that isn't the point your dog is at. What time of the day do you run and what does HE do later in the day for more exercise? 

When I was running with my dog, we'd go out for 30-60 min in the morning, depending on the run. He'd get walked at lunch for half an hour, and then an hour walk in the evening. It's best to split exercise up for dogs. They exercise, sleep, then are ready to go again. I'd rather do 3 20-min walks throughout the day, then one 60 min walk because after the dog recovers, he's going to need more exercise to be calm again. 

I'd recommend you split your exercise up throughout the day. Go for your usual run (I'll assume a morning run), then walk him for 30 min after work, and another hour walk after supper/before bed. Or if you run at night, walk him for an hour in the morning, a half hour walk at lunch, and your run in the evening. I think you need to need add those walks to his exercise because it sounds like the run isn't doing the trick anymore. His behaviour sounds like a dog who has to much energy and is looking for something to do...which has turned into barking at the neighbours and running wild around the yard.

Personally, I like using up a dog's mental energy rather than pure physical. Once my dog started getting too fit, I stopped running with him. It was making him worse rather than better since he was so full of energy. A good walk, which made him use his brain, tired him more...and kept him tired longer. When I walk my dog, it's a "working" walk. We walk at a fast pace and he has to walk at my side on a loose leash. I do frequent 180s to see if he's paying attention and sometimes I slow way down and walk toe-to-heel to make him slow down - anything to engage his brain and make him pay attention and think. Whenever I stop, he has to sit. I stop randomly and at road crossings. If he doesn't pay attention, he gets corrected and we do it again. Walking him like that tires him out way more than just a walk where you go in a straight line and let him sniff and play around and basically ignore the person on the other end of the leash.

I'd also look into some interactive toys. Does he have a kong wobbler? Or even an XL kong? I'd start feeding all his meals in those so he has to engage his brain and 'work' for his meals. Or you can stuff an XL kong with some little hot dogs in the bottom, then kibble, then put water in it, freeze it for a day, smear peanut butter on top, and then when he starts acting up at the neighbours, call him to you and give him the kong as a reward. Then you start channeling his bad behaviour into good behaviour: he comes to you and licks a kong instead of biting and barking at the neighbours.

Finally, as others have said, you need to stop the behaviour. He can no longer go out there unsupervised as he is no longer trustworthy. I'd start with a short leash and do training sessions when the neighbours are out. Does he know the commands "leave it" and "watch"? Now would be a great time to teach them. Once he starts ignoring the neighbours on the short leash, try a long leash. As soon as he starts focusing on them, give him the cues (that you trained him) to leave it. If he doesn't, correct him, and bring him inside. 

And lastly, I'd tell the neighbours you're working on the problem and to ignore him in the meantime. Especially the guy who likes to play with him over the fence. Teaching a dog to jump up and interact that way wasn't a good idea and I'd ask him to stop. It's frustrating for a dog to have something fun "just out of reach" and it's possible the bite was a result of over-stimulation and excitement, exacerbated by having the "object of desire" out of reach, and to the dog's mind, teasing him.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

I'd go a step further with the neighbors.

I'd tell them that you are concerned since your dog bit one of them on the hand and your dog is off limits if you aren't out there.

You need to protect your rear now and really make sure they do not visit or play with your dog if you are not out there with your dog. This is common courtesy and common sense. You should not have to treat your neighbors like they are children (do not touch else's dog without the owner's permission), but the fact is this is not about being nice and friendly with your neighbors. Your dog can very quickly become a liability if he jumps on somebody and injures them. They have NO BUSINESS reaching over a fence and touching someone else's dog, but that's not how lawyers will look at it. 

Wyatt's mom brought up the privacy fence, and that is one option. You could get a solid wood privacy fence which does not permit interaction between your neighbors and your dog if you are not out there. If your neighbors can reach over the fence anyway, it is not tall enough. 

The quick and easy fix besides training - you need to use a leash and go outside with your dog each and every time, if he doesn't have a 100% recall.

If he has a 100% recall, the instant you hear that first bark, you are going to the back door and calling him inside the house. And be consistent. Absolutely no barking should be permitted.


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## DreamingGold (Mar 16, 2011)

Thank you so much Ranger- Megora too. That was beyond helpful. Indeed you were right, some of this was really hard to hear, much easier now that I took a couple days away and came back to it. While much of it is very useful information, there are some rather rough individuals who don't say things as nicely as they could and jump to conclusions without knowing the full details. 

So let me clear your horrid thoughts that I am a bad owner. Cooper has gone through several sets of obedience training. I did my research and waited until he was almost two to have him neutered, because I thought that was better for him. He has ICH and I again researched it to make sure I was informed and doing the best possible things, so I give him a spot on treatment, shampoo and condition him with special products for it and give him daily fish oil. He runs with me early in the day AND my 11 year old takes him for a walk every afternoon. I work from home and sit at the kitchen table right by the back door. Cooper prefers to be inside with me and is most often sleeping by my feet. When he's not doing that, he's sleeping on the couch-looking out the window. When he goes outside without me, I am three feet from the door. If he barks, he gets called in immediately. He does not like to hang around outside, so he's rarely out there for more than five minutes going to the bathroom. The only time that is different is if the kids are out in the back playing, he does like to be out there with them. They play fetch with him and he goes crazy for bubbles- so he gets lots of activity that way too. My two year old tells everyone in the world that Cooper is his best friend EVER. This is one insanely well loved, and far from neglected dog. He just happens to be a bit of an attention junkie and I honestly think that, and not having a sufficient recall outside are the big problems.

Now to answer your questions- we have a tiny, tiny backyard that is surrounded by a tall, chain link fence. When this happened we were outside with him, working on the yard. The neighbor came out and we were all talking. Cooper was jumping and barking a bit- but as I said, my neighbor likes him and frequently plays with him that way. When I asked him why he didn't say something when it happened, my neighbor said he thought we knew. We absolutely did not- with all this talk of attorneys, I need to mention that my husband IS a lawyer, so we know EXACTLY what this could mean. We are both mortified and are taking strict action. Cooper does not have any freedom in the backyard anymore- I take him out on a short leash and that is it. I've contacted a trainer to get him further obedience training and I am pulling in the reigns on his freedom completely until we have this under control.

To all of you that offered your understanding and took the time to share your experience and give such good advice, I thank you with all my heart. Truly. This has been so very hard for me and it means an awful lot that you took the time. So thank you.


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*DreamingGold*



DreamingGold said:


> Thank you so much Ranger- Megora too. That was beyond helpful. Indeed you were right, some of this was really hard to hear, much easier now that I took a couple days away and came back to it. While much of it is very useful information, there are some rather rough individuals who don't say things as nicely as they could and jump to conclusions without knowing the full details.
> 
> So let me clear your horrid thoughts that I am a bad owner. Cooper has gone through several sets of obedience training. I did my research and waited until he was almost two to have him neutered, because I thought that was better for him. He has ICH and I again researched it to make sure I was informed and doing the best possible things, so I give him a spot on treatment, shampoo and condition him with special products for it and give him daily fish oil. He runs with me early in the day AND my 11 year old takes him for a walk every afternoon. I work from home and sit at the kitchen table right by the back door. Cooper prefers to be inside with me and is most often sleeping by my feet. When he's not doing that, he's sleeping on the couch-looking out the window. When he goes outside without me, I am three feet from the door. If he barks, he gets called in immediately. He does not like to hang around outside, so he's rarely out there for more than five minutes going to the bathroom. The only time that is different is if the kids are out in the back playing, he does like to be out there with them. They play fetch with him and he goes crazy for bubbles- so he gets lots of activity that way too. My two year old tells everyone in the world that Cooper is his best friend EVER. This is one insanely well loved, and far from neglected dog. He just happens to be a bit of an attention junkie and I honestly think that, and not having a sufficient recall outside are the big problems.
> 
> ...


DreamingGold: I truly care about you and Cooper and please keep us posted on how things are going!


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

Nairb said:


> I would get a bark collar in this instance.


Actually I would worry the bark collar would frustrate him and make him more likely to bite.

Try doing practice sessions with him in the yard, when your neighbors come out have him to to a particular place and lay down, praise and treat him for being calm and quiet laying down while the neighbor is in their yard. It will take practice, but hopefully eventually he will make a habit of going to lay down instead of charging the fence.


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## Nairb (Feb 25, 2012)

mylissyk said:


> Actually I would worry the bark collar would frustrate him and make him more likely to bite.
> 
> Try doing practice sessions with him in the yard, when your neighbors come out have him to to a particular place and lay down, praise and treat him for being calm and quiet laying down while the neighbor is in their yard. It will take practice, but hopefully eventually he will make a habit of going to lay down instead of charging the fence.


Except that it doesn't sound like the bite was out of aggression. It sounds like he gets over excited, and it all starts with the barking. I'm fortunate to not have a barker, but if I did I would do what's necessary to get it under control out of respect for the neighbors. However, after reading the additional information, I agree that the dog should not be outside unattended. If a resolution can be found without a bark collar, great. I happen to live next door to a Cocker Spaniel who has been barking non stop for 10 years, despite never being outside alone. Everyone on our block wishes he had a bark collar. 


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## Wyatt's mommy (Feb 25, 2011)

Ok bark collars do not make dogs bite. Sounds like you have a handle on it Dreaminggold.


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## Wyatt's mommy (Feb 25, 2011)

Nairb said:


> I happen to live next door to a Cocker Spaniel who has been barking non stop for 10 years, despite never being outside alone. Everyone on our block wishes he had a bark collar.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Can't you call the humane society and complain?


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## Nairb (Feb 25, 2012)

Wyatt's mommy said:


> Can't you call the humane society and complain?


The humane society has nothing to do with it here. I would have to call 911 in my city. That's tricky when it's your next door neighbor. I'm not one to try to get people into trouble. 


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## Wyatt's mommy (Feb 25, 2011)

Nairb said:


> The humane society has nothing to do with it here. I would have to call 911 in my city. That's tricky when it's your next door neighbor. I'm not one to try to get people into trouble.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


They shouldn't get in trouble they should get a warning and then fines will follow. Some people just need that motivation. Ask my neighbor


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## Nairb (Feb 25, 2012)

Wyatt's mommy said:


> They shouldn't get in trouble they should get a warning and then fines will follow. Some people just need that motivation. Ask my neighbor


I've already had words with her after her dog tried biting Bella through the fence TWICE last summer. She tries to avoid us when we're out there. No need to call the police. 


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## Nairb (Feb 25, 2012)

One more thing on that....we have a leash law in the city. The woman's back yard overlooks the same park that I allow Bella to run free 2-3 times per day. Even though I have complete control of Bella off leash in the park (with ecollar or without) I can assure you she would retaliate and report me. Sometimes it's better for neighbors to resolve these things without involving the authorities.


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