Paintball gun.
Dog goes home with a visible indicator that you are a good enough shot to hit the dog, a visible indicator the dog was somewhere it shouldn’t be, and the dog isn’t “hurt” beyond bruised skin.
Hopefully the owners will take notice and assume maybe next time it will be a bullet and not a paintball.
I considered paintball too.
But if dogowners are the inconsiderate asshats they seem to be, they could retaliate by claiming OP shot & “injured” their dog for no reason.
W/O video backup of dogs off their own property, it’s all hearsay.
avjudge While S may be legal in some areas many people still advocate the SSS. This way the irresponsible dog owner doesn’t know who S’ed their dog and retaliate. Regretfully there are many irresponsible dog owners that will retaliate and it is way too easy for them to do a lot of damage. Roofing nails in horse field, poisoned meat for your dog, damaging fences/opening gates so horses get out.
They may suspect that you had something to do with the disappearance of their dog but at least they don’t have confirmation.
With 3 dogs you only have a couple of options.
Alter your fencing to something that will not allow them in.
Talk to the owner of these dogs in a way that they can’t blow you off and threaten legal action and law enforcement if it continues and then get proof on video that they are in fact harassing your horses.
Dispose of them yourself if they trespass again.
I agree with 2Dogs, try the ammonia. I had a problem with feral dogs chasing my pony on a trail when I was a kid. The vet told me to squirt it in the face with ammonia. it worked really well.
[QUOTE=2DogsFarm;9025324]
I considered paintball too.
But if dogowners are the inconsiderate asshats they seem to be, they could retaliate by claiming OP shot & “injured” their dog for no reason.
W/O video backup of dogs off their own property, it’s all hearsay.[/QUOTE]
Not hearsay, a “swearing match.” 
The SSS system is great until somebody talks. Then it definitely isn’t.
Video of the dogs is a Good Thing, particularly if some form of violence against them is to be used. Luring them into a trap on the farm falls into that category.
G.
We don’t really have animal control here either and the deputy told us we can shoot any animal that is harassing our horses. We had a loose calves issue here once that required a call to the law since I did not know where they had come from.
I used hot wire to discourage a neighbor dog when I had a foal born, but with an Aussie’s heavy coat may not help much. Thankfully my neighbor was kind enough to keep the dog tied up until my fill got big enough and brave enough to find it fun chasing dogs around.
What about a pair of guardian dogs?
I have not talked to the Sherrif’s dept about this issue, but did speak with them previously when I was trying to relocate some feral cats & kittens that were here when I moved in. That is when I found out there is no Animal Control in this county.
Video taping the dogs on my property is a good idea. It would be solid proof they were here and harassing my horses.
I had considered the paintball option, but was concerned it might spark some kind of retaliation. The neighbors are inconsiderate asshats - frequent loud music until 6am, etc.
Some type of guardian dog had crossed my mind, but I’m not sure what I would do if the new dog roamed off property. Seems I may need to start saving for some dog proof fencing.
Thank you all for the suggestions.
Around here, people use llamas to guard sheep herds from coyotes and dogs.
I don’t know how that would work out with horses. Any comments?
Get yourself a BIG honkin’ squirt gun and fill it with water. Do they make machine gun squirt guns? Carry it with you to the mailbox. So what if the dog’s owner sees you, it’s only water in the dogs faces .
But yourself an air pistol or rifle. Shooting the dogs in the hind end with an air gun won’t hurt anything but their feelings.
FWIW, I had the same issue with dogs owned by a family clear up on the ridge, the next road over. A county deputy is my thru-the-woods neighbor. He happily went to that neighbor and told him if I shot his dogs on my property, don’t come whining to him. That worked for awhile and I do think the man tries but, I still see the dogs in my pasture. I go after them on the 4-wheeler and that’s been enough — so far.
But get a water gun and an air gun. Take aim at the face with the water gun. Take aim at the a** with the air gun.
Good luck:)
[QUOTE=candyappy;9025341]
With 3 dogs you only have a couple of options.
Alter your fencing to something that will not allow them in.
Talk to the owner of these dogs in a way that they can’t blow you off and threaten legal action and law enforcement if it continues and then get proof on video that they are in fact harassing your horses.
Dispose of them yourself if they trespass again.[/QUOTE]
Please do video dogs on your property, thoroughly, and make a note of when they do/date and time/how often, etc. That will help protect you if something were to come of it later…
Otherwise, this list- 100%. I would add, as #4-you can move. Sounds like they are not wonderful neighbors to begin with,…:no:
Depending on your state’s “trespassing laws”, you may be able to take legal action against the owners for allowing the dogs to trespass and harass. Get it on video first.
As far as notes on the list-livestock fencing attached to existing fencing is an option for ‘dog/small animal proofing’ your horse area and/or property. And, if it comes to ‘disposing’ the dogs in “SSS fashion”- I would do so in a way where you take care of it all-dogs just go “missing”, and owners are unaware of what happens, unfortunately.
With nasty neighbors, I would NOT paintball, BB gun, or otherwise on the dogs-dogs go home and owner finds them ‘attacked’, they will retaliate and that is never nice-esp. with horses. If you decide to trap the dogs, I would discreetly take them to the pound, SPCA, or have some other sort of ‘rehoming’ set up, and again, dogs go “missing”.
Go into it assuming if owner is aware it is you in regards to any ‘retaliation on the dogs’-they will act on it against your animals.
Good luck.
Please do talk to LE via calling the non-emergent number and asking LE to respond. If these dogs really are a neighborhood-wide problem, if everyone contacts LE, a pattern of behavior can be established.
If no one complains, then there must not be a problem.
IMO … At this point, it is too late for adverse consequences to change the behavior of the dogs, permanently. The problem is that they have gotten their jollies far more often than they had the consequences. Animals actually become more relentless in their attempts to hit the joy button when results are inconsistent - studies prove this.
This was studied especially where wildlife are invading towns, going after garbage bins and cooking smells. Some part of the animal instinctively realizes that it’s like a slot machine - unless you keep pulling the handle, you will never get what you are looking for.
For the squirt guns et. al. to work, you would have to make a full-time job out of it and hit them every. single. time. Every hour, every day, every night. Without fail. It would take a long, long time for them to realize this is not changing. And even after you think they have finally given up, at some point they WILL try again. This is animal behavior at it’s most basic (people behavior as well, actually).
Your neighbor will be no better. Perhaps if there is some way to prove to him that you can sue the bejesus out of him and you will … the neighbor gets lawyer letters with large sums printed on them … otherwise, the neighbor is as trainable as the dogs. Not trainable, too long already without consequences he cares about.
Trap & remove is probably the only solution. If you trap and remove, do NOT take them to the local shelter. They’ll be back. This is not your neighbor’s first rodeo. Keep in mind that your neighbor is far, far more experienced than at this than you are.
Take them at least 60 miles away to a shelter or rescue. 100 miles would be better.
And never speak of it to anyone. Ever.
Good luck.
[Years ago, one time in my life, I had to invoke the 100 mile rule for a neighbor’s invading pet that was doing physical harm to my pets & property. Neighbor was spoken too, etc., no change. Neighbor was not caring for this pet, and that was why pet was on my property. But not forever. I had to look out for my own first. Neighbor’s pet was turned over to where it would receive better care than it got from my neighbor … 100 miles away. I had a plan, and it was executed, problem solved, honestly everyone was better off including the invading animal.]
Smart phones are wonderful. I have in mine pictures of my neighbor’s cow on my property, and his dog chasing my dog. I also have pictures of another person’s husky dog in the middle of the road in front of my property, which has been trying to eat goats in the area.
I have already told the ACO that if anything acts malicious towards my animals, I will shoot it if I can’t catch it. If I can catch it, it goes to the pound. My neighbor has already been talked to and I suspect will never be neighborly to me.
OP, I suggest you don’t use a paintball gun. I was advised against it (I had also asked). Basically I was told if it isn’t doing anything, shoo it away or catch it, and if it is, shoot it with a real gun. End stop.
[QUOTE=SonnysMom;9025332]
avjudge While S may be legal in some areas many people still advocate the SSS. This way the irresponsible dog owner doesn’t know who S’ed their dog and retaliate. [/QUOTE]
Ah, that didn’t occur to me.
We did have someone shoot one of my mom’s dogs - SCS (Shoot/Carry/Shut up). She was in the vegetable garden, dog (German Shepherd) was just up in the woods (our woods, there are 100 acres up the mountain behind the house), and she heard a single shot. By the time she was up there & searched around, nothing to see. The town cop brought in a tracker and he found footprints - heavier leaving than arriving. I believe my parents might have pressed charges if anyone had been found, and it definitely would have affected their attitude toward whomever it was (probably not someone they knew, since it was someone who had driven in & parked in an old gravel pit nearby), but we aren’t the sort to retaliate.
That was the last of her dogs that would behave himself around the horses when we were mounted, so the last of them that I really liked - 30 years and 2 dogs ago.
I think this is a situation with ‘I wish I could’ and what’s safest for you. While it would be so satisfying to tag those dogs with a paint ball gun to teach them to sta out of your pasture, it could up the ante with neighbors who sound pretty rough. That could lead to retaliation and a worse situation for you and your horses.
My advice is to video tape everything and also buy dog-proof fencing. It’s a small price to pay for your peace of mind and your horses’ safety. I had neighbors like yours when I lived in Maine and it’s not worth getting into an ugly situation with people like that if you have no police or sheriff support.
Dog trouble
I live next to game land and sometimes lose dogs would come into my pastures. My own dogs take care of that problem, i have 2 large Rhodesian Ridgebacks and they are people friendly but not dog friendly. I have the perimeter of horse pastures with underground dog fence so my dog will just “protect” their livestock but not leave the property.
IMHO this is what farm dogs are supposed to do, when I hear coyotes at night i send them out and the barking alone puts a end to the issue, I’m even got them keeping the Canada Geese out of the pond. Funny they think they are bird dogs and watch the sky waiting for them to arrive.
Nothing like a good dog!
With neighbors like these, I’ve found that the best solution (although not the cheapest by any stretch) really is to fence them out. Try the extra electric and if it works, awesome- but keep squirreling away your pennies for some stout perimeter fencing. The first thing I look at each time I look at acreage is what it will cost me to do the perimeter in mesh.
[QUOTE=littlebaymuzzles;9035608]
With neighbors like these, I’ve found that the best solution (although not the cheapest by any stretch) really is to fence them out. Try the extra electric and if it works, awesome- but keep squirreling away your pennies for some stout perimeter fencing. The first thing I look at each time I look at acreage is what it will cost me to do the perimeter in mesh.[/QUOTE]
Ditto.
Cattle dogs are more aggressive than are shepherds.
Get a paint ball gun and start shooting them if the owner refuses to fix the fence.
Or pay the price and put up no climb.
Just to protect my dogs, I’ve always paid for 6 for chain link fencing and then inside of it, 6 ft stockade fencing.
Now I need to put up no climb for my horses. Always something and the person who is aggrieved and has the animals at risk always ends up paying for fencing.
You don’t want herding dogs chasing your animals because of injuries that will be more expensive than fencing.
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