Training your neighbor's dog

With or without permission

I've had neighbors who trained my dogs, several times. There's really nothing I could do to prevent it, as long as they weren't actually harming them.

In this case they were teaching them to bark. That was a problem for me because I was teaching them NOT to bark. I finally decided to make an exception for them as long as they were only barking at those particular neighbors. I spoke to the neighbors and told them that if they taught my dogs to bark at them I didn't mind, but I didn't want them to complain to me later that my dogs were barking at them. They said they understood. Every time they saw my dogs in my yard they'd call the dogs to the fence and give them treats. Soon the dogs noticed that the neighbors were in their yard and barked to get their attention, and get the treats.

Those neighbors behind my house were friends of the neighbors to the side. Before long my side neighbors were teaching them to bark at them too.

That was all fine until the neighbors to the side sold their house and moved. The new neighbors weren't too happy about my dogs barking at them whenever they were in their back yard. Very understandable. I explained the situation to them, and told them that if they absolutely NEVER, not even once, rewarded my dogs for barking, I could easily teach them to stop. They didn't, and I did. Within a week they had completely stopped barking at that neighbor.

If you want to teach your neighbor's dog to bark, that's easy. Just give them treats when they bark.

Most people would rather teach them NOT to bark. That's a little harder, but not much. It's easiest of all if you have the dog's owner helping, or at least not mad at you. But you can still do it.

I'll let you in on the basic priciples, but you'll have to work out the details on your own, with or without the neighbor's cooperation.

Dogs left alone bark for several reasons. They may be protecting the place, or complaining about being left behind, or just entertaining themselves. No matter why they are barking, the results are the same. They are darned annoying.

The solutions are the same too. It's a two-tiered solution. First, the barking should NEVER result in a positive reaction. Not even one time in 100. Second, the result should be negative. Something the dog doesn't like. It doesn't have to be terrible, but it has to be unpleasant. It could be a sudden shrill noise, like an air horn, or a rattle can (soda can with 5 pennies inside) or a blast of water from a hose (don't do this with a labrador retriever or other water-loving dog, it won't work) or a flash of bright light.

The negative reaction should happen only DURING the bad behavior. If you punish after the dog stops barking he may think he's being punished for stopping. You really don't want him to think that.

It's also best if the bad thing happens to him "by magic" rather than by you doing it. If you can push a button and have the punishent happen without him seeing you he'll learn not to bark even if you're not visible. He doesn't have to be punished every time he barks, but the more frequently you do it the faster he will learn.

Sister sites:
Auntie Donna's Dog care and training tips

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