Aggressive dog next door. What to do?

When I bought my house two years ago, there were no dogs in my neighborhood. Now, both houses next door have dogs that start barking the second my door opens. The one is a lab (like my dog) and is harmless. I've met the dog, petted her. She's a good dog, but just barks to bark. That's fine, but annoying.

About a month ago I was shoveling snow and this pit bull comes running at me, hard. Growing, snarling, he was pissed. Got about 40 feet from me and the owner came running yelling stop wait stop at the dog. It stood down but was still growling aggressively. The neighbor who I've yet to meet says, "sorry dude" and left.

Fast forward to today. I was out doing some work in the yard. Whole time he was on a chain barking, snarling at me aggressively. This greatly concerns me. I have two small kids. I don't want to have this staring us down every time we go outside.

I have little patience for aggressive dogs, especially when it involves my family. I'm not sure what to do honestly.

Hidden outdoor dazer? Every time dog barks it sends out super high pitched screech that can shut them up:

After a while they learn through classical conditioning to shut up. Does not work on all dogs, however.

This does, but makes you kind of a douche:

however bonus points when the owner gets it all over himself while petting the dog he should've been training better.

Disclaimer- I do not advocate harming animals when it's the owner's fault. I'm mostly joking about the mace.

Dogs are easy. Feed him. Every time you wander by ... give him a treat. If he runs up to a fence to get it... show him some love. Train him. That is essentially what you are doing. When he barks it will be because he wants something not because he wants to eat you babies. It will be a "yip" rather than a "#$#%$#@"

A man with a steak need fear no guard dog.

EDIT: If this does not work (100% it works) then get a hyena. Because berkeley you, thats why.

Nothing works 100% on dogs - not kind words, not steaks, not "dog-whisperers", and not any kind of spray. Certainly try to make friends with the dog, but be ready for if/when that fails.

Piss in the dog's face from over the fence, that tends to show then who's boss and put them in their place. You may want to check local laws on having a dog chained outside as well, in some places it's not allowed, even with water and shelter in place

OK, the piss on the raging pit bull is about what I expected. What I did not expect, was solid advice from thr get go from GPS.

First I'd contact my local authorities to find out just what my legal rights and limitations are when dealing with such an animal, and their owner. Then I would find the time to go over for a friendly introduction to my neighbor. This would be a great way to learn more about both the dog, the owner, and what is or isn't being done to train the dog. I would offer encouragement of training efforts. But as soon as it becomes evident(either right then or at any point in the future) that this will continue to be a problem, I would immediately follow up to let him know that under no circumstances will aggressiveness from his poorly handled dog be tolerated by me...Regardless of whether it's towards me, my family that I'm highly protective of, my dog, or anybody else. And that I would take use any means necessary against the dog to stop an attack if the dog ever gets loose and out of control, as well as all legal measures against the owner to prevent such an unfortunate occurrence from happening in the first place.

It also mght not be a bad time to pick up a can or two of a dog intended peppper spray, like Sabre Red, to keep in strategic locations...And maybe even carry on you whenever outside. If you have a CCW/CPL, that's somethong else to make sure is on you at all times.

Do not let your kids outside unattended for as long as this is a problem. If they're old enough to understand, now would be a good time to bone up on basic aggressive dog/dog attack safety measures and teach it to them.

Pissing on the dog is one I hadn't heard of, would probably work though if you're crazy enough to get your johnson that close to an animal that can and possibly will bite it off. I prefer a solid kick/knee to the ribcage when one comes running at me, knock the wind out, go from there.

I don't think I'd want to open my dangly bits to a charging dogs mouth, by trying to kick it in the ribcage...I had alwaus heard to imagine it's head is a football, and that you're the punter on a 3-and-out.

Driven5 wrote: I don't think I'd want to open my dangly bits to a charging dogs mouth, by trying to kick it in the ribcage...I had alwaus heard to imagine it's head is a football, and that you're the punter on a 3-and-out.

I'm not poking fun at anyone's spelling, but I read that as walrus herd and couldn't stop giggling.

Having been through a dog bite with my youngest when she was three (100+ stitches) from a dog that everyone thought was friendly and I was 15' away. E36 M3 can happen fast and no matter how quick your reflexes are, dogs are quicker.

If you think even a little that either one could get loose to munch your little ones then you need to get Mr. Agressive dealt with. I'd suspect that if you call in a noise complaint every time the dog barks more than once and the law has to come knock on his door he may get tired of being hassled by "The Man" and take the dog to a farm where he can yap all day. People who chain dogs up are E36 M3heads who shouldn't own them. And leaving an aggressive dog out where it can get to kids is worse/dumber than leaving a loaded gun on the ground in a playground.

Kenny_McCormic wrote: I prefer a solid kick/knee to the ribcage when one comes running at me, knock the wind out, go from there.

This worked in our situation. Neighbors always let their dogs out off leash. They had an electric fence but dogs never had collars on 90% of the time so they always came over to visit, barking and growling at us and our on leash dog.

They finally tried to pick a fight with our dog when we were out of town and my wife's dad delivered a swift kick to the chest. This was last October and I have literally never seen the dogs since. Even in their yard. Which is sort of weird. Not my concern.

The fact that it's been out off-leash and come after you once is pretty bad. I don't know that kicking a pit bull will stop it, if it's untrained or douchebag trained.
Driven5's point about having something defensive on your person is a good one, if something does happen, it will be over before you can get in the house and back. I'd call the police today with your concerns.

If you train him as GPS suggest, change his name to "degenerate owned" it shouldn't be too hard seeing the owner isn't giving the dog instruction, feedback or enforcement.

If you call the police go to the store first and get some carpet remnants, dirty them up well so they look properly soiled. You may even want to get a roast beef to cook, but hold the raw roast over them to drip blood for a good 5 minutes or so. Then toss the remnants into the neighbors back yard and call the cops for suspected fighting ring

Thanks for the advice everyone. I didn't want this to be about the fact that the dog is a Pit. Fact is I have two dogs that are a pain in the ass next door. One has been friendly and one has been overly aggressive with me. Still, I don't trust the lab to be near my kids anymore than the pit.

The new neighbors with the aggressive dog have already shown their ignorance on other occasions, so I have zero trust that they have any control over the dog. Also leads me to believe any confrontation about the dog will not end good.

Right now I'm going to hold onto the 2nd amendment if it crosses my property line aggressively. I will likely call the local PD if it stays on a chain in their front yard and barking at us when we go outside.

Driven5 wrote: .I had alwaus heard to imagine it's head is a football, and that you're the punter on a 3-and-out.

unfortunately, as a browns fan, this is not too hard to imagine.

Call the town office or dog catcher and ask. Aggressive dog, little kids, what's my obligation? What are my options? Safety First.

You can't be paranoid in your own home. Period.

In reply to 914Driver:

Agreed. Such bull E36 M3 that I even have to put up with this. I just can't understand some people. This isn't the type of township that you move to only to put a pitbull on a chain in your front berkeleying yard.

That said, I'm going to chit chat with the other neighbors and call the township office tomorrow.

Before all else make the effort to talk to the owner. It may not get you anywhere, but it should be your first action. From there you'll have a better idea of how to handle the situation.

I noticed you said that when the dog did come towards you the owner was able to halt him via verbal command and he did say sorry. It shows the dog isn't totally untrained and the owner isn't a total shiny happy person. He may be a bit clueless and you may not like him, but going straight to police,animal control, council could see him become a bigger pain in your ass than what he is now.

Pit bulls cop a bad rap, and I don't for a moment believe that they are the evil that people seem to see them as. Vicious dogs are usually the result of nurture not nature. Here in Australia there are increasing regulations surrounding pit bulls despite clear evidence in dog attack statistics that they are no more represented than any other similar sized breed. In fact small dogs like fox terriers and the like are leading the statistics, its just the unfortunate case of when a larger dog does attack it tends to have more dire consequences

As has been suggested, food reward training could go a long way, as would knowing the dogs name. The difference between a dogs responsiveness can be night and day when using its name or not . Also, although its hard when you have a dog snapping and snarling at you try to stay relaxed and don't try and stare the dog down.

In reply to daeman:

While true that the rates of canine attacks are relatively even across breeds. An angry chihuahua knowing at your ankle is a far cry from a pit in full attack mode taking your face off. I've seen the results of both. I've owned several days and love them. My sister is a veterinarian and knows dogs very well........ There is a reason certain breeds have certain reputations and no matter what you have to go with the odds when dealing with something that can change your (or your children's) life rather than a mild annoyance.

When my daughter was bitten she weighed 30 lbs the dog that bit her was about 70. I go about 185 and was trained by the U.S. Army. If there were dogs weighing 350-400 lbs that stood eye to eye with me you can bet I'd never leave home without a hand held cannon. Next time your kids are around dogs, your own or someone else's, think about that analogy.