I don't understand. How do the dogs get on your side of the fence? Are they outside of their yard?

I also don't understand how the dogs could be peeing on your side of the fence.

Aside from that, you could try sprinkling pepper on the ground where they pee. Bitter apple or numerous products sold at pet stores may also work.

This issue really gets my undies in a bunch. People who allow their dogs to do their business on other peoples property are very inconsiderate and make good dog people like me look bad.

SG

My guess is that you mean they urinate on the part of the fence shared by both yards, and that it is a fence with slats or other openings so you can smell what's on the other side.

I'm very sorry to hear about your situation -- it does sound gross and I'm sure you don't want to have to use noseplugs every time you're in the hot tub!

Just so you know, it's pretty difficult to teach adult dogs to do their business in a different place than where they usually go.

I imagine the area could be treated with those enzymes sold at pet stores, then blocked from the dogs' access, but you'd have to get the owners' cooperation for that.

Does your townhouse have a community association you could contact regarding this?

You mean you asked the owner not to allowe their dogs to pee on your property, and they resisted that idea?

Can you out up a sign that the area has been sprayed with pesticide that is dangerous to animals? Tell them you are spraying poison for grubs?

I am in no way suggesting you do this; only look like you are doing it!

Yes, I meant to say the dogs urinate on the part of the fence shared by both yards, and it is a fence with slat openings, so I can smell what's on the other side. PU

The dog situation is sad because these are large dogs with large bladders. I am the Pres. of the home owners association and tried every "mannerly approach"

I was just looking for some "pet safe" ideas to maybe keep these dogs away from the fence.

Thank you for all your ideas!

Since this will probably be ongoing, purchase a product made for washing down kennels runs. One that I've used for dog pee onflagstone is linked below. You could mix it in a garden sprayer or a hose sprayer for easier application.

Here is a link that might be useful: odors

I still am having a hard time visualizing a dog squirting pee out far enough to get near your hot tub. It sounds like it may be time to change to a solid privacy fence or move the hot tub away from the fence.

Next time you catch them peeing, hose down the dogs. If you do that every time, I'll bet they won't be back.

"OH, I was just watering." ;)

Um, not necessarily, clg7067. She said these are labs, labs LOVE water. I have retrievers also and if you were to hose them down, they'd be back by your fence every opportunity they had! Even a fairly hard stream of water is a big game to them, they love to bite at the water and play in it.

I was going to suggest one of those motion sensing sprinklers but didn't because they are labs. I didn't search, but maybe you could find a motion sensor that would make some nasty noise when the dogs come within a certain distance? Or possibly spray citronella?

Quirky - Townhouse means small yard... sometimes -very- small. My sister's yard is about 15X20. She doesn't have a hot tub but if she did, there wouldn't be anywhere to move it. :)

I wonder if moth balls (placed where the dogs couldn't pick them up) would keep them from peeing in that spot?

Annz idea may be the best solution.

Not like the dogs are doing anything wrong, so a livable solution needs to be on your side of the fence. A couple ideas I am thinking.

Sprinkle the area with baking soda.
or
Plant some very fragrant shrubs in that spot
or
Maybe some type of sheet of plexiglass that could be attached to the fence right there. Maybe it would keep the urine on their side?

Excellent!
(Moving into the mad science lab, now....)

Hosing will probably be your best bet. Get a motion detector. Labs may like water but it would startle them when they're doing their business which might move them to another area. If they are males, they instinctively lift to keep the stream from hitting their leg. If they feel water on them they might think it's not working and move. I had a spaniel that hit his stream on a fire hydrant just right causing it to stream back at him. The way he reacted was probably the funniest thing I have ever seen in my life. I laughed all the way home. Just a thought.

Not all retrievers like water. Spraying them is worth a try.

Lisa

I like the idea of the plexiglas, combined with the kennel wash. Are you able to sneak around the fence and spray their side of the fence? There are enzyme products that digest the urine, if you sprayed it daily, it might cut down on the smell.

Thanks for all the brilliant and "creative" ideas. My yard is too small 20x32. I can't move the hot tub because of the wiring, concrete, plumbing....
I can't sneak around to their side of the fence (tried that) they keep it locked. We like the idea of washing the area down with kennel wash and then using the plexiglass, to stop the urine from coming over to our side.
I'll keep you posted on my results.
Why do people have two large dogs in small townhomes?
Cheers and have a lovely weekend!
Patrice

I'm sorry you have such inconsiderate neighbors.

I think putting up a solid fence is probably the best suggestion. I'd probably fence the entire yard so I wouldn't have to worry about this happening again with future neighbors.

In the meantime, I'd get an industrial size bottle of ammonia and spritz the fence liberally twice a day. I'd keep the bottle near the hot tub so you can use it each time the dogs come over to whiz.

Some other odors that dogs don't care for are: moth balls, cayenne pepper, coffee grounds, pipe tobacco, lavender oil, lemon grass oil, citronella oil, peppermint oil, eucalyptus oil, and mustard oil. Perhaps you could burn a couple citronella candles when your using the hot tub?

How about one of those whistles that humans can't hear (but dogs can). Blow this nice and hard each time the dogs approach the fence. Spray the fence with the ammonia at the same time and the dogs will learn to avoid this area.

A couple links that might be useful:

Keeping Dogs Out of Flower Beds
www.stretcher.com/stories/981116b.cfm

ScatMat¨ Extension Mats
www.contech-inc.com/products/scatmat/how/

"Why do people have two large dogs in small townhomes? "

It's not the size of the dogs that matters, it's all about the owners and simple cleanliness in the yard.

If you're on the board of the HOA, there should be something in your bylaws that covers this. You should be able to sit in your yard without smelling dog pee. It's not you that should be hosing things down whenever the dogs eliminate, the neighbors should be doing this. I think you need to file a complaint with the board, excuse yourself for conflict of interest, and let them handle it.

I know my last reply wasn't too much help but I was in petsmart the other day and noticed they have some bottles of pee pee odor removers there. I don't know if they work but you can give them a try and if not happy with the results, return them and get your money back. That is the great thing about petsmart. It was in the aisle with some other questionable stuff like supplements to neutralize urine so it doesn't burn the grass.

If the fence is required to be a certain type of fence like those black aluminum fences then you might try getting some lattice and vines and putting that next to the fence.

Yes, dead vines from dog pee is sure to enhance the ambiance.

They're marking their territory and /or saying "hello" to the neighborhood. If it smells , hose it down.

>quirkyquercus (My Page) on Fri, Jun 15, 07 at 17:41
>Put a rain gutter at the base of the fence to collect...
...now that wold be freaken hilarius....

THey also make a product called Ur-in Control, you spray it on the places that you do not want your pets to urinate and it's supposed to drive them away... worth a try. Some years back, we lived in a townhome development that seemed to have a similar lay out as yours. As I recall, The HOA had a set of CC&R's that pretty much laid out the rules for pet ownership and the such. You might want to check out the CC&R's for your Homeowner's Assn' to make sure that your neighbors are in compliance. If there are no covenants concerning the size of pets that members may have, you may consider bringing a motion to ammend your CC&R's to include such an ordinance at your next HOA meeting. The Homeowners Association is a good place to start with a complaint about a neighbor to a townhome setting. If you bring it to the attention of the board, the board will notify the homeowners that they have received a complaint about their pets, and it will remain completely anonymous (although the neighbors will more than likely figure it out). At any rate, it would enable you to let them know that there is a problem without directly confronting them, which can sometimes be uncomfortable for some folks.
Just a thought.
__john

The vines and the lattice don't have to be right up against the fence. I still don't get it how a dog can shoot urine out more than 12". But just put that stuff set back a little so you get a little privacy too from it.

Quirkyquercus, let me explain, the cedar fence is right on our borderline which seperates their side yard from our side yard, the dogs lift their leg and pees against the fence, some of the pee goes on their side of the fence and some of the pee comes through the slots to our side. Is the urine coming onto the cabinet of our hot tub, NO, but the pee lays on the cement and on the fence, which today is baking urine in 90 degree temps and the flies are having a blast. The hot tub is 6 inches from the fence, my bloodhound nose can smell urine from 6 inches away
So far hosing down the fence 2x a day is keeping the PU under control (humm what about my water bill and what's going to happen this weekend when we are away for 4 days)

Start peeing in their yard. That'll stop 'em for sure!

Kidding!

Well, sort of...

Seriously though, you are on the homeowner's board, I'm sure if you've asked nice & neighborly-like yet they still refuse, it must be within your power to create or enforce a bylaw regarding this matter.

Now how about those people who let their dogs poop in other folks yards and don't pick it up! Grrr, that really gets my goat.

Well, how about a motion sensitive ultrasonic dog repellent? I just picked the first web page I saw.

Here is a link that might be useful: ultrasonic

I have the same problem with my neighbor. He brings his dog to our fence line to urinate. It's killing our grass. Of course he's mad at me because I had bird feeders but stopped when he complained. I don't know what to do either. I sympathize with you.

Run a strand of electric fencing at the base of your fence on your side. Dog will get zapped if they pee on it. Won't do permanent harm, but they will avoid that area.

The dogs were "large Labs" ten years ago. They've likely stopping peeing by now.

LOL!!! i had this same problem when we lived in a townhouse. tiny yard, stupid neighbor, 2 big labs. but our problem was a *little* worse. we had a grass yard but the neighbor had his whole back yard decked. he rarely, and i mean RARELY ever cleaned up dog poop. and the dogs' pee would seep through the cracks of the deck so there was no way to clean it up. it was the worse smell you can imagine. my son was a toddler but we could not use our back yard for anything because of the horrid smell. as if that wasn't enough, this guy was gone for days at a time. one of the dogs would get on top of the dog house and jump the fence so the other dog would bark incessantly ALL DAY LONG. i finally got to the point where i walked around and opened the gate to let the other dog out. this place was out in the country, surrounded by woods, so the dogs never went far. it was a last resort because the noise was so overbearing! i finally had a belly full of the smell and ended up calling the health department who gave him several warnings. he finally sold the place and moved. we celebrated!!!

For anyone with a similar problem since after 10 years the original problem is likely moot. What about large preditor urine, sprinkle a little along the fence for a few days maybe the dogs will decide to stay away from the fence.

jakesmom, try some citronella spray on the area. Dogs are not keen on the smell.

Ok, same issue nothing working. I vote the electric fence... We have 3 dogs and never allow this. Unfortunately our neighbors do.

Can you get your 3 dogs to pee on the opposite side of the neighbor's yard? Then the neighbor's dogs will do all their peeing over your dog's.

Cayenne pepper, they smell before they pee. If it burns her nose they will not pee in that area. Or you can use mothballs. This also detours other animals from destroying fence. At the very least vinegar spray sometimes works as well. Good luck I hope you get the annoying neighbor dog keep problem solved.