I had a client reach out this week about her new neighbors. They just moved in with their male dog who barks and scratches at the door and gate, barking, any time my client and her dog walk past their house. And when the new dog was out for his walk, he proceeded to urinate all over my client's lawn and trees, causing her dog to bark from inside the house! My client is a lovely dog owner and she'd really like to relieve some of the pressure between the two dogs, so she asked for my advice.
All dogs are territorial, some more than others, and it is usually the case that male dogs are more territorial than female dogs. Having this new dog urinate all over their lawn was an infringement on my client's dog's territory. I know this dog well, so I'm sure he felt compelled to race out there and re-mark all of those areas! While most of us (and our dogs) have gotten used to people walking past our houses, letting their dogs sniff and relieve themselves (hopefully, picking up the feces!), there are some dog owners who missed the unspoken etiquette rules about this. First and foremost, don't let your dogs off leash on someone else's lawn. Don't let that flexi-lead go to it's full length allowing your dog to urinate close to someone's patio, porch, driveway, potted plants, etc. Keep your marking dog to the edges bordering the city sidewalk or path. There truly is nothing worse that walking out your front door onto your own lawn and stepping in excrement left behind or seeing that someone let their dog urinate at or on the potted plants at your doorstep!
Beyond this, it is important for dogs who share fence lines to meet one another off of home turf. They don't have to be best friends (though that is nice!), but knowing who that dog is on the other side of the fence will hopefully curb some of the territorial barking that is likely to be occurring. Talk to your neighbors about going for a leashed walk together outside the immediate neighborhood. If the dogs look like they are getting along, you can even take them to the dog park together to run around in a fenced area off leash. If they are quick to become friends, maybe a few playdates set up in your yard and your neighbor's yard will help curb any overt territoriality between the two dogs.
It is totally normal for a dog behind a gate or fence to bark when people and/or dogs walk by. What isn't normal is for the barking to persist past a few barks, or to trigger excessive scratching and digging at the gate/fence. If it's your dog that barks incessantly at passersby, or scratches at the gate, it's time to work on those behaviors! When your dog barks at the fence, go outside and tell them that you heard the neighbor walk by and then say "Quiet" in a firm voice. If your dog doesn't quiet, go collect them and bring them indoors, redirecting them to another task that doesn't involve territorial vigilance. If you see your dog scratching at the fence or gate, again tell them "Leave It" in a firm voice, and redirect them to another activity. If the incessant barking and scratching is happening when you aren't home to correct and redirect, then you will need to explore other options for your dog's care when you aren't home to supervise. It simply isn't fair to your dog or to your neighbors to allow that dog to bark incessantly all day long in a yard. Maybe crating inside would be better, or confining to an outdoor kennel away from the shared fence line works best. Or maybe your dog would benefit from doggie daycare when you are away from home.
My client has spoken to the new neighbor about a walk together this week, so she is hopeful that her very social dog will make a new dog friend and the territoriality between the two dogs will subside. Fingers crossed that the neighbor's dog is looking for a new friend as well!
As always, if you have any questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.
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