Kids teasing dogs. How to stop it?

[2152hq]

Not a front yard situation but along a back yard stretch of fence.
Kids were always up against the fence on their side trying to get my dogs to bark or pestering them some way.
I was most afraid of one of the dogs biting one of them or one of the kids getting a cut and blaming it on 'your dog bit me',

So I put up a second fence back about 2 feet from the main fence.
That keeps my dogs 2 ft away from anyone right up against the chain link boundry fense.
The extra fence is nothing more than that simple open mesh 2x2" green wire stuff. It's only 30" high I think but even the big dogs never jumped over it as the room betw it and the main fence is only that 2ft or so.

Then I planted fairly quick growing shrubs inbetw the two fences. That packed the space inbetw so the dogs really won't attempt to jump in.
The shrubs grow thick as the dogs never enter under or betw them while growing because of the second fence.
The lightweight second fence blends right into the growth. It's easy to install...pound the cheap green garden posts in and hang the fence on it and wire it tight.
(Plant your shrubbery first,,,it's easier before the secondary fence is in place!)

Even now that those little monster kids are long gone, I still like the second fence there in case someone is on the other side tending a garden or working close to the fence on their side. Keeps the dogs away from them and there's no chance of an encounter.

You can talk with Animal Control (AC) or the local PD about the problem. But if either one of those agencys ends up contacting the problem parents & kids, you know it'll start a 'war'.
That just judging from the attitudes you recv'd already from the kids and from the father.

No one can say much about prettying up the yard with some shrubbery and landscaping.
Let it grow out and up as much as you like. The dogs will always be at least that 2 ft away from anyone inside the yard.

Just my experience.

 

[fishwishin]

My lord, these people are your neighbors, you don’t want trouble with them. The last thing that needs to be done is involve the government—the police and animal control have better things to do. Don’t hose or harass a bunch of little boys either.

You and your wife cook the family a nice meal and invite them over in friendship and fellowship. Introduce the boys to the dogs. Find out when their birthdays are and go to the Dollar Store and blow a dollar or two on some rubber snakes or spiders or little green army men—all young boys love them. Same at Christmas.

I bet you can turn this into lifelong friendship rather than make a family of enemies. I know I am eternally grateful to the adults that reached out to me in kindness when I was a kid and messing up.

This is the direction I was going to go. Give those boys some buy in and responsibility in the matter. Have them come into the yard and meet the dogs. Show the boys how much you love your dogs and show them what obedience "tricks" they can do, then have the boys run them through the tricks.

Let the boys know they can have a semi-active part in the proper behavior of the dogs, but if they go astray of what you expect they will lose your respect and they will let the dogs down.

It may just work. It works on the normal human psyche, so let's just hope those boys have some normalcy in them.

 

[Puller]

I rue the day when I might ever have to move to town.

 

[Alpo]

Get a dog that can jump the fence

That bites........

That will end up with the dog being put to sleep.

 

[Mule Packer]

My lord, these people are your neighbors, you don’t want trouble with them. The last thing that needs to be done is involve the government—the police and animal control have better things to do. Don’t hose or harass a bunch of little boys either.

You and your wife cook the family a nice meal and invite them over in friendship and fellowship. Introduce the boys to the dogs. Find out when their birthdays are and go to the Dollar Store and blow a dollar or two on some rubber snakes or spiders or little green army men—all young boys love them. Same at Christmas.

I bet you can turn this into lifelong friendship rather than make a family of enemies. I know I am eternally grateful to the adults that reached out to me in kindness when I was a kid and messing up.

My previous post was done with tongue firmly planted in cheek. This, however, is excellent advice! As my dad used to say, "You can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar."

 

[Bozz10mm]

Leave the gate open.

 

[wood714]

There is the "Eastwood option".

Just finished watching that...again.

 

[BigBill]

My neighbor had a problem with his neighbors kid he brought up his grandson to kick his butt problem solved.

 

[vt_shooter]

Gotta be careful with this one. I'd bet those kids will graduate to nasty vandalism in another 3 - 7 years, and you'll be on the receiving end of it if they remember you as the one that caused them problems.

 

[Doug M.]

Good luck, your main problem is the idiot parents.

*
Keep the dogs in when the kids come around; protect the dogs from the kids at all costs.

The quoted is true, with this qualifier. Those are not parents; they're gene donors. Parenting is a social behavior. Gene donation is a collateral consequence of a recreational activity.

 

[sigp220.45]

I’d definitely try the friendly neighbor approach. Unattended dogs in front yards tend to be stolen, let out maliciously, or fed tasty meatballs with fish hooks inside.

Our house backs onto a green space with a walking path near our back fence, which is about three feet high and can’t be raised per HOA rules. The moving truck hadn’t even shown up yet when Randy the rottweiler jumped the fence and got into a barking match with a lady and her shepherd mix. I wound up putting an Invisible Fence up along with the visible one. It shocks his collar when he gets too close and there haven’t been any more issues in five years. I still don’t leave him out unattended, though.

Maybe something like that would work - once the little monsters can’t get the dogs to come to the fence they’ll move on to other wholesome pastimes like smashing bird nests or drowning kittens.

 

[Low Country Man]

My lord, these people are your neighbors, you don’t want trouble with them. The last thing that needs to be done is involve the government—the police and animal control have better things to do. Don’t hose or harass a bunch of little boys either.

You and your wife cook the family a nice meal and invite them over in friendship and fellowship. Introduce the boys to the dogs. Find out when their birthdays are and go to the Dollar Store and blow a dollar or two on some rubber snakes or spiders or little green army men—all young boys love them. Same at Christmas.

I bet you can turn this into lifelong friendship rather than make a family of enemies. I know I am eternally grateful to the adults that reached out to me in kindness when I was a kid and messing up.

You're out of your effing mind.

 

[peterdeb]

Idiot Father......got one next door. Doesn't teach his kids respect or boundaries. Don't want to hurt the little darlings feelings. I'm afraid this is the new norm.

 

[Maddog 521]

Does your neighbor have a fence you can beat on in the middle of the night?

 

[Alton]

Like some else posted these kids are training your dogs to hate kids. What are you going to do when your pets bite one of your family members? Sooner or later your dogs will find away out and you cannot afford the vet bills to house your animals. My sons neighbor did this to my sons dog, he found a way out and bit the neighbor, it cost my son about $1,000. Plus he then had to rehome the dog since the neighbor wasn't moving anytime soon. Put up a Wyze camera about $25 and record it to have proof.

 

[yaktamer]

Cujo.......

 

[Grayfox]

The problem is that if something should happen, such as one of the little jerks gets bit, the law will almost certainly side with the kids. Your dogs will likely get taken and put down as "dangerous". Plus, you will probably be sued by the parents.
Video the kids in action. Talk to the father again. Stay calm and explain clearly that if something should happen that YOU will seek legal solutions against him. Record this conversation. Call the Police and Animal Control. Get your complaints on record. Simply put, CYA as best as possible. It would be far too easy to paint you as the bad guy here.