war with the neighbor's kids

[ArcanineShiShis]

I have two chow chows i picked up a month ago for free because the owners just didn't want them anymore. i didn't see why not, they were beautiful. The male is really dominant and the female is really submissive, but no one would take them together. I've always wanted a chow chow so i thought why not, i didn't want to separate them especially if Sorra (female) kept chewing her hair off her legs when there were separated to begin with. I have to admit they are really different than other dogs i'm used to having... huskies, shorkies, shih tzus, german shepherd, etc... They seemed misunderstood and the type of animals that you would have to EARN respect from. It was like "how to train a dragon" (great kids movie).

Anyways, long story short, my neighbor's kids will NOT stop harassing my dogs!

At first i thought they were crazy just barking for no apparent reason, maybe they sensed someone? so, i would yell out my window "stop sorra and chewie!"... they would run to me and Sorra would whimper as if something was bothering her. That's when i decided to step out to my backyard and calm them down. I sat for awhile and observed them... Just then, Chewwie took over to the side of the fence and started jumping and barking... I saw dirt thrown over my fence!!! first, i thought... "okay maybe he keeps jumping, so dirt dust is flying around"... but, i was proven wrong when i heard giggles and running. I would go "HEY!" and i'd hear footsteps running into the house. I have a wooden fence around my complex. I noticed they would peek between the holes, jump onto the fence, bark at my dogs, and throw things over into my backyard. Sorra would whimper, but Chewwie would go crazy and pounce on the fence barking. It irritated them. They don't bark unless they hear the first signs of movement. I noticed if anyone was in the back of their yard surrounding mine, they'll just lie on their side and mind their own business. When i would catch them in the act, i'd go "hey, could you please stop throwing things over the fence and messing with my dogs", "hey stop it", "please stop, they will bite"... and Chewwie, i believe would if they keep sticking their fingers through the fence. I notice that there is a certain way to approach these dogs and it's not a great start when they're being treated that way. they'd taunt them and bark or go "come here doggie". they know what they're doing especially if they run into the house when i make myself noticeable. I think it's because I'm young. I'm 22 and live here with my younger brother and a friend my age, so i don't look intimidating, i don't know, but they won't stop. I woke up to see pieces of a mop broom stick in the backyard. Their older brother would come out and yell at them to stop messing with my dogs, but they do not seem to listen. they'll stop for a couple minutes and do it again. I have also thought of going over and speaking to the parents, but my roommate and brother told me not to bother because they didn't seem like the people that would care. For one thing, i don't want my dogs to feel uncomfortable or get hurt and for another, i don't want my dogs to feel threatened to the point where they might snap.

Any suggestions? i'm at a loss.

[Victory]

First I would talk to the parents. Teasing large dogs of any breeds is dangerous. Yes if the dog bites the child, the odds are the dog will end up being put down, but that will not really fix any wounds the dog inflicts. Large dogs are more than able to remove fingers from small hands. I would also get a couple of webcams and record this, and report it to the police. Throwing things into your yard is a form of dumping and/or trespassing and is illegal in most places.

You are right to be taking the side of your chows, and thank you for working on understanding them. Don't let them just hang out in the yard though, take them for walks. Socialization is very important. Don't give into your girl's fears, take her on walks and if she spooks at something, just ignore it and her behavior, when she begins to approach things that are new, praise her a lot, give treats etc. Same thing when the boy acts aggressive toward the new and unknown, except correct him when he acts out, and praise when he accepts calmly.

And BTW, we love picktures.

Thank you for rescuing these two.

[TJordan]

You have to talk to the parents 100%, when you inform the parents of the dangers cross your fingers it will quit.

Having said that, when I was young we kept finding odd things on our yard. Turns out school kids walking home were throwing things over the fence at my Chow. So my dad waited on day and had Chan on the leash, when they threw something over and were sticking sticks at him through the fence. My dad took him outside and the kids were terrified, so my dad said anything else happens here (throwing things, sticking things, tormenting) I will give you a 3 second headstart and we will see how things even out! Of course those were different times!

We never found any other foreign objects in our backyard!

[sue]

If you speak to the parents & it dosent do any good.Then buy some big thin pieces of some thing like chip board & nail it onto your side of the fence.That way the kids wont be able to see where your chows are in the garden.Or set up a video camara to record things being thrown over the fence then you have evidence if you call the police.

[Tippsy'smom]

This kinda crap makes me so angry. We've had kids torment my chows (and other dogs) and I've just flat out called the cops. I don't play game. 'Cause if my dogs were to bite someone who was tormenting them, I'd be held at fault for it and have my dogs taken away and they'd be put to sleep. I'd be taking major steps to put an end to these kids doing this.

[Rory's Dad]

i dont know if it would help or not, but reading the post, i was thinking to Victory's suggestion of socializing your dogs. Why not try to socialize them with these kids. Walk the dogs over and introduce them to the parents. Then let them meet the antagonizing little brats. Its possible these kids could see them for the real special animals that they are. Unless they are really awful kids, i think they might see that the dogs are something to be appreciated and not harassed.

If that doesnt work, you have made your effort and can get the authorities involved.

[Thomas]

OK, my two cents . . .

We live in a duplex between a four-plex and a six unit apartment building. On the four-plex side, two of the units have children between the ages of six and nine. Before these tenants there were two families with children between the ages of five and fourteen. We have followed the same routine with all of them:

1. Our dogs know they are not allowed to bark at the neighbors under any circumstances. I know it's not the dog's fault but if there's no reaction then there's no "fun" for the kids in antagonizing the dogs.
2. We introduce our dogs to all of the new neighbors, and most especially their children. We had one family whose son was sure that Teddie was going to bite him but after we all sat together for a while and I chatted with his mother things worked out.
3. Some of the kids would put their toys or some food (candy, KFC) through the fence trying to make friends with our dogs by sharing with them. Very cute but not good for the dogs or the kids. I explained to them that if they want to see the dogs when I'm in the yard with them it's OK, they just have to ask.
4. Children who have not been raised with dogs think of them as toys and don't understand why they act the way they do. I have explained to each set of children who move in that our dogs are shy to begin with but when they get to know them they will be more friendly.
5. After some time has passed, when the dogs are ready, I let the children pet them.

The parents have all been very cool with this, and as we live in an urban environment with neighbors changing every couple of years, I had to come up with some strategy that didn't have our dogs going off every five minutes.

For your particular circumstances I think at this stage you probably need to engage the parents directly to get things going. I never tell the neighbors that they might be bitten. I always tell them that what they are doing is scaring the dogs and it's not good for them and that seems to settle them down.

If none of this helps then go directly to telling the parents that you're going to tell the police every time something happens and that if anything happens to your dogs you're going to hold them personally responsible.

Finally, please put up "Beware of Dogs" signs around your property. If it comes to a legal situation that's going to matter, believe it or not.

[Cam Atis]

Sorry to hear that you have such kids next door. The parents know it but we dont know how much these kids will obey them.
Sora and Chewie by this time is so pissed with them that I will never consider introducing them to these kids.
Use the police as threats.

[Auddymay]

You should go over there when the kids and parents are all there andexplain these Chows were re-homed and getting dirt baths over the fence is unacceptable. If the kids want to meet them, by all means offer. These kids have got to think of your Chows as having feelings before they will stop treating them as objects. If things continue, then bring out the threats. The parents may not look like they care, but probably they really do care.