It's not the dog's fault - just poor or non-existent training on the part of its owner. These dogs have a bad rep but if properly socialized and trained, they make great pets. It is just the yahoos that own them that in reality neglect and/or abuse the dogs, making them overly aggressive, in some desperate attempt to make themselves seem more macho. Rather, they are just pathetic.

But knowing that doesn't solve your problem :-( If not a restricted and therefore reportable breed in your area (as they are in many areas), then your only alternative really is to replace or strengthen the fence. Personally, knowing how powerful and strong these dogs are, I'd go with a very solid replacement. And I wouldn't necessarily discount a chain link fence - you can get them powercoated a dark color so they seem to disappear - and they are very sturdy. Plus, growing vines or climbers on them disguises them very well and makes a great support to show off attractive plants. In fact, I'd be inclined to leave the existing fence intact if I went with a chain link, because seeing/sensing activity next door obviously gets this animal excited and I'd want to avoid its ability to see through.

And please, DO supervise your little pet whenever it is outside until you get this resolved - don't leave it alone!! Pits tend most often to be very dog-aggressive rather than people-aggressive but they can be both. Stay safe!!

I was working in a customers back yard and the neighbor to the back had a pit bull running back and forth chasing me and barking. Eventually the temptation was too much and he pulled himself through a hole in the fence and came barreling across the yard to me. He proceed to snuggle up against me, give me licks, and roll over for belly rubs. Pits have a scary bark and if you aren't familiar with them, they may seem meaner than they are. I actually picked the dog up and handed him back over the fence to the owner, who admitted he needed to upgrade his fence.

Of course not every dog of any breed is friendly, and if you are concerned, putting in a new fence is a fine solution. There are wooden privacy fences that I have seen people slam up next to their neighbors fence, if the neighbors fence is falling apart or if its unsightly. So I would say your own solid wood fence would be the way to go, if you do think the dog might hurt yours.

Finally, spraying the dog with a hose is not going to solve anything. Don't do that.

I used welded wire plastic coated fencing, 3'x50'.

The neighbors dog broke through the wood fence, I caught him in my yard two times. After the second time, I gave the neighbor the roll of fencing. He stapled the fencing to the fence posts on his side.

A year of so later, the wood fence was replaced, the neighbor and I split the cost. The neighbor returned the wire fencing.

The wire fencing was purchased fr use as tomato cages, didn't work, spacing was too small, so I repurposed it.

Spend $40-50, or fear for your dogs life.

You can get chain link that is black. It almost completely disappears. I would put up 6 foot chain link with an addition of a barrier that leans toward the neighbor. No, I am not afraid of all pit bulls, but better safe than sorry. ( We had to put the leaning in barrier on our fence to keep our own Shepard in the yard. He didn't attack anything, he just wouldn't stay in the fence and could pole vault a 6 foot privacy fence!)

Make sure the chain link is secure at the bottom. Two pit bulls charged my chain link fence, went under it when it kind of "stretched" at the bottom, and killed my cat. The dogs were nice to us, so stayed until animal control came. A month later it went to court, they were euthanized, and the owner was fined $700. The judge apologized that it wasn't more but he imposed the maximum fines for each offense.

By far the majority of dog caused fatalities are due to bull terriers. The neighbor accosting you for attempting to deflect his inadequately contained dog with your hose demonstrates that he is going to be of no use in this matter. If you can possibly afford it have a secure fence installed on your property as quickly as possible. Also make sure you know where the property line is before having this fence built, so that your new fence will be erected in the correct location.

It really is the owners responsibility to keep his dog in his yard. But, since it's not exactly neighborly to remind him of this,and probably wouldnot do any good anyway, it's better to replace the fence.And although you can get the black chain link,and it does look almost invisible , I wouldnt. The reason being that most colored chain link is coated in vinyl. This can be deceptive when choosing which gauge of chain link you get. For example, when I was fencing in some of my land at my new house for my dogs (all pit bulls btw, though at the time the fence was put up I had a German Shepard as well) I was going to get the 9 gauge black chain link. Only to find out it is really only 12 gauge fencing coated in enough black vinyl to make it 9 gauge,which is not as strong as plain 9 gauge,which is what I ended up going with. I had them dig an 18 in trench along the entire length of the fence so that the bottom of the fence was underground, to prevent both digging in or out, or bending the bottom to make a hole. Ive never had a problem with my dogs trying to either dig out or bend the fence, but you never know. None of mine are dog or people aggressive, but now that we live in the boonies, stray dogs,cats and wildlife are abundant, and I would rather not chance my dogs getting hurt or lost. And they are incredibly nosy. I dont want one of them getting to close to a skunk or bobcat or something. I might adopt an attempted escape artist one day,and it's best to be prepared before I do. It has kept all my fur babies in, and all undesirables (coyotes, stray dog packs, etc) out. One day I hope to upgrade to either iron fencing or a stone wall. Maybe when I win the lottery.

I know you said you dont like the look of chain link. Would you be willing to purchase a roll of chain link for your neighbor to put on his side of the fence where the dog is and where you can't see it? If not, if you can, I would say replace the wooden fence with another, and have the installers run chain link or welded wire a foot or 2 deep underground along the length of the fence, in case either dog wants to dig underneath it. It is an expense, but any sort of reinforcement done to a fence that is rotting away is temporary anyway. Better safe than sorry.Think of it as an investment, both in your home and in yours and your dog's wellbeing.

Btw, is this fence yours,your neighbors,or both? Maybe the neighbor would be willing to split the cost of replacing the fence, since it's his dog that seems to have a boundary problem.(not the dogs fault,but still)

Also, don't spray the dog with the hose. It's mean and ultimately does nothing but tick off both dog and owner. It won't discourage the dog from trying to come over there. Spray your neighbor with the hose instead. But wait to see if he'll split the cost of the fence first. ;)

If you install your own fence on your side you are not subject to depending on the neighbor to cooperate. Also the existing fence can be left in place to provide a barrier while the new one is going up. Whereas if the existing fence is to be replaced then there will be a period when it has been taken out and there is nothing at all to restrain the dog. The only drawback would be if his fence is right on the property line so that you would have to put the new one up well back into your lot, which might result in a slice of your property being lost to adverse possession at some point.

If it was me, I would get an electric fencer, the ones that farmers use, and put a hot wire down where the pit bull can reach through the fence. They are not inhumane but accomplish what you want it to do. Make sure your dog stays away from it, though.

If they can keep a bull in, they can keep a pit bull out.

Start by calling animal control. Then, tell him to replace the fence with a very strong on as you are going to protect yourself and your dog by attacking anything that comes through. I agree it isn't the dogs fault but you need to protect yourself. He is causing the problem with a vicious animal so make him fix it.

Get the dog declared as a Dangerous Dog according to your State Dog Laws and once declared dangerous the dog will be euthnized according to the

I got bit my barbers pitbull in the neck and now i feel a certain way about that bread of dog. A neighbor just moved in with a couple females and have wondered over a couple times already. I have a dog and small children so this obviously concerns me. What should i do?

Wilkie, did you read any of the responses.

If you did, then I recommend you move somewhere you will feel safe.

I talked to the barking dog on the other side of the fence. Mostly, I sang things like, "Oh, dog, you are so tedious". The dog became accustomed to me. He still barked when I garden near the fence, but not aggressively.

Silkie,

pictures I get from my security cameras and my phone of the neighbors pittbull in my yard are enough to email my State Warden to ticket my neighbors dogs. Each ticket accumulated increases their fines. Look at your states dog laws and dangerous dog laws. I have my fence in a foot so that I can capture their loose dog not retained because it takes only one bite to injure/kill. To take a picture of their dog loose in their yard, the picture has to be out from a public road.

"Good fences make good neighbors," as the old proverb goes.

Im having the same problem just put up a new fence neighbor has 4 pit bulls . im retired and just hurt i cant enjoy outdoors. they have broken thru twice

i am lucky to be alive, i was attacked by a pit bull in a family's home, they kept it locked up in the cage/kennel because it had become vicious throughout the years. i clean homes and all was good til one day the woman forgot to lock the kennel! he came around the corner and slowly approached me -i stood still but when he got close, he just ripped right into me. he was an older dog. i think he could not really see me in the lighting, bad sight.... so, when he sniffed me, it was over! 3 hospitals, surgery on my left leg, inner thigh, nursed coming 3 days a week, for about 4 months hooked up to a wound vac! i am surprised that i still have a leg let alone survived! the husband was somewhere in the house, but it was a big home, so it took him awhile to hear the noise..... by then the dog had already gotten me to the floor and was attacking me on my back etc. he got him off of me -otherwise the dog would have probably kept going til i stopped moving. when they attack, they do not stop. unlike other breeds that might bite and stand back, bark at you like a warning. pitbulls have it in them that once they attack, they intend to kill their victim. be very careful. i think you should maybe have some pepper/bear spray on you at all times.... maybe look into a gun too, even a strong Pellot gun would at least be something. i am not one for guns and would not normally suggest such a thing, but it could save your life if he comes through that fence. stun gun? flare gun, any of those things might help ---some of my customers keep a can or hornet spray nearby, because it shoots so far out they can use it to give them time to run. i could not figure out why the old ladies seem to have a problem with hornets! lol that is some kind of trend with the older women. but smart as can be! aim for the eyes, and run!

My dog and I were viciously attacked by my neighbor's new pitbull night before last. I'm lucky to be writing this and my dog is next to me with a cone so he doesn't mess up his stitches from surgery. My dog is 100 lb Chesador, 9 yrs old, the sweetest thing in the world. When neighbor got this dog, it was climbing on top of a dog house or something, jumping in the air over the privacy fence. I thought it was a puppy being playful. It watched us run in our backyard every day. The second it got out, it made a beeline over here and attacked us on our own property. I hope they kill it. I'm trying to figure how to move or get enough fence to protect us. I'm not sure I can stay in my lovely home anymore. I'm bit, bruised, heartbroken and terrified to let my dog out to pee. It lasted only 2 minutes and he almost killed us both. The owner came to get him. Didn't have the rabies certificate, so in quarantine so I can know whether I get to have shots or possibly die from rabies. I've had big dogs my entire life and never experienced anything like this. It is partly the breed. Sorry.

Older thread, but I also know people who were attacked by dogs. You can’t control other people and animals will always act like animals. The best route in this specific situation is to put up a sturdy fence that will keep the neighbors dog and other dogs out so you can enjoy your back yard and your own dog.

Same thing . I'm trying electric fence

same here! pitbull jumped over the fence last weekend and attacked my Shih tzu. my son and I had a hard time take him away from her. we are installing a 6ft vinyl fence tomorrow but I heard its not enough. Once they think thats their territory they will try to come back and they are strong to jump. So Im looking for more options.