Re: What is proper fence etiquette?

surfk · ‎07-12-2010

@Buck-i-Nana wrote:
@surfk wrote:
@Lipstickdiva wrote:
@Lovethesea wrote:
@IamMrsG wrote:
The topic is about fence etiquette.
... and that was thoroughly addressed. Now we're getting to the core of the problem.
No you aren't. And besides, the OP didn't ask you about that.

You are assuming an awful lot in your post.

Some of you are acting as if the OP is planning on leaving her dog outside 24/7, 365 days a year to just bark.
In all fairness though, it was the OP in her/his originating post who characterized her/his own dog as being a barker.

And its s/he who also linked the desire for or necessity of a fence to his/her barking dog.

S/he could have just asked which side of the property line does one place the struts or supports when constructing a fence. But s/he didn't.

So the whole dog barking issue arose from her original description of her dog and the problem or reason for the fence.

Most dogs will, of course, periodically bark. If for no other reason than to clear their throat after a particularly dry Milkbone.

But for an owner to characterize her/his OWN dog as being a barker is telling ya something. Its not like s/he's the neighbor wanting to slap up a fence in the hopes it will quiet a neighboring dog whom everyone else calls a barker.

Instead its the owner of the dog telling us s/he's putting up a fence in an effort to maybe get her dog, a barker by her own admission, to bark less.

The fence situation and dog barking issue are two separate things though, really.

I mean, after all, one can put up a fence even in a neighborhood without dogs.

(Sounds like a children's book: "The Neighborhood Without Dogs").

Some people just put up a fence to block out the nakie neighbors as they prune their roses in nothing but garden clogs, gardening gloves and a sensible sun hat.

I just personally haven't experienced a fence itself being the cure for a dog that's a "barker". There are other solutions to that problem than thinking that a simple wooden fence is going to fix.

I just didn't want to see the OP go to the effort and expense of a fence if the real reason for it is his/her barking dog. Its a big move - and risk - to think that will quiet things down. Miost likely her dog is bored. A dog barks for a reason. And even if the reason is that it barks at everything that moves generally points to a dog that is, at its core, bored.

I live in a neighborhood of 12 foot high, 18-in thick walls and none of that stops a barker. Trust me. I hear one particular barker who must live over 2 blocks away. So that's thousands of yards, maybe eight walls, 300 trees and four sprawling house between us. And yet, some days, this dog still never stops talking to me (well, to the entire neighborhood).

Until animal control is called, of course. Then its owner apparently hears the barking for the very first time. Funny how that works. lol

You must have incredibly sensitive hearing, or a vivid imagination and need to blame a dog?

Your rant at the expense of the OP is beyond over the top. You attempt to disguise it as wanting to spare the OP from an expense? Oh puhlease....

You don't need incredible hearing in the quiet, beautiful, vastly sprawling terrain of the West. Sorry. One can hear the coyotes in the hills, a neighbor power-blowing leaves and secret planes at night, too.

And if you READ my first post, I do think its a total waste of money to slap up a fence when the OP admits to having such a BARKER (her own description) of a dog that it causes her to need to slap up that fence.

She came to us with the problem and described it for what it was.

It wasn't only about which way fence struts should face.

The bigger issue really is whether a fence would have any effect on a BARKER of a dog (which she admits to having).

It IS a total waste of money to slap up a wooden fence (in particular) thinking its going to be any sort of a real sound barrier AS WELL as an effective cure for her barker of a dog.

And my posts have not been rants. They've been giving the OP a reality check as millions of home owners have dogs who aren't barkers and millions more are forced to endure the oftentimes ONE barker in the neighborhood. A barker usually already a few wooden fences away in most situations.

If she has that barker...best she deal with it rather than take what she thinks is the easy approach by slapping up a wooden fence. The money would be faaaar better spent on doggy obedience training. IMHO.

Is that clear enough?

Lovethesea · ‎03-15-2010

@1jenniferjuniper wrote:
Dogs should be trained, that's what people do.
@brii wrote:
Perhaps the fence is a safety measure for her dog. It keeps the dog in the yard and other animals out.

Dogs bark. It's what they do.

ITA! People should control their dogs and not the reverse!!!

Buck-i-Nana · ‎09-28-2010

@surfk wrote:
@Buck-i-Nana wrote:
@surfk wrote:
@Lipstickdiva wrote:
@Lovethesea wrote:
@IamMrsG wrote:
The topic is about fence etiquette.
... and that was thoroughly addressed. Now we're getting to the core of the problem.
No you aren't. And besides, the OP didn't ask you about that.

You are assuming an awful lot in your post.

Some of you are acting as if the OP is planning on leaving her dog outside 24/7, 365 days a year to just bark.
In all fairness though, it was the OP in her/his originating post who characterized her/his own dog as being a barker.

And its s/he who also linked the desire for or necessity of a fence to his/her barking dog.

S/he could have just asked which side of the property line does one place the struts or supports when constructing a fence. But s/he didn't.

So the whole dog barking issue arose from her original description of her dog and the problem or reason for the fence.

Most dogs will, of course, periodically bark. If for no other reason than to clear their throat after a particularly dry Milkbone.

But for an owner to characterize her/his OWN dog as being a barker is telling ya something. Its not like s/he's the neighbor wanting to slap up a fence in the hopes it will quiet a neighboring dog whom everyone else calls a barker.

Instead its the owner of the dog telling us s/he's putting up a fence in an effort to maybe get her dog, a barker by her own admission, to bark less.

The fence situation and dog barking issue are two separate things though, really.

I mean, after all, one can put up a fence even in a neighborhood without dogs.

(Sounds like a children's book: "The Neighborhood Without Dogs").

Some people just put up a fence to block out the nakie neighbors as they prune their roses in nothing but garden clogs, gardening gloves and a sensible sun hat.

I just personally haven't experienced a fence itself being the cure for a dog that's a "barker". There are other solutions to that problem than thinking that a simple wooden fence is going to fix.

I just didn't want to see the OP go to the effort and expense of a fence if the real reason for it is his/her barking dog. Its a big move - and risk - to think that will quiet things down. Miost likely her dog is bored. A dog barks for a reason. And even if the reason is that it barks at everything that moves generally points to a dog that is, at its core, bored.

I live in a neighborhood of 12 foot high, 18-in thick walls and none of that stops a barker. Trust me. I hear one particular barker who must live over 2 blocks away. So that's thousands of yards, maybe eight walls, 300 trees and four sprawling house between us. And yet, some days, this dog still never stops talking to me (well, to the entire neighborhood).

Until animal control is called, of course. Then its owner apparently hears the barking for the very first time. Funny how that works. lol

You must have incredibly sensitive hearing, or a vivid imagination and need to blame a dog?

Your rant at the expense of the OP is beyond over the top. You attempt to disguise it as wanting to spare the OP from an expense? Oh puhlease....

You don't need incredible hearing in the quiet, beautiful, vastly sprawling terrain of the West. Sorry. One can hear the coyotes in the hills, a neighbor power-bloewing leaves and secret planes at night, too.

And if you READ my first post, I do think its a total waste of money to slap up a fence when the OP admits to having such a BARKER (her own description) of a dog that it causes her to need to slap up that fence.

She came to us with the problem and described it for what it was.

It wasn't only about which way fence struts should face.

The bigger issue really is whether a fence would have any effect on a BARKER of a dog (which she admits to having).

It IS a total waste of money to slap up a wooden fence (in particular) thinking its going to be any sort of a real sound barrier AS WELL as an effective cure to her barker of a dog.

And my posts have not been rants. They're been giving the OP a reality check as millions of home owners have dogs who aren't barkers and millions more are forced to endure the oftentimes ONE barker in the neighborhood. A barker usually already a few wooden fences away in most situations.

If she has that barker...best she deal with it rather than take what she thinks is the easy approach by slapping up a wooden fence. The money would be faaaar better spent on doggy obedience training. IMHO.

Is that clear enough?

Oh, it's clear enough. It's clear that your mind was made up and you will continue to take the opportunity to rant.

IamMrsG · ‎08-29-2010

The OP is cognizant of a having a barking dog. Her intention is to control the barking by installing a fence to block the dog's view of perceived intruders.

What is too hard for some of you to understand about this?

Strive for respect instead of attention. It lasts longer.

Sooner · ‎03-10-2010

Where we live, the owner of the fence will have the posts on the outside of their yard. If it is a co-op fence, then both owners decide how that goes.

The big problem is the barking dog. A fence does NOTHING for that. That's the real issue one would need to address.

surfk · ‎07-12-2010

@Buck-i-Nana wrote:
@surfk wrote:
@wismiss wrote:
I am sorry I ever posted my question about fence etiquette. My dog is NOT a junk yard dog. In addition, my presence in the neighborhood doesn't make it a neighborhood to stay out of. How rude. I can't believe how this post when from a very nice, helpful thread to where the bullies of the board took over. I won't name names,, but just read and it will be evident where the atmosphere changed and the bullies, immature, rude people took over.
Before you start to spin...out of control. Nobody called YOUR dog a junkyard dog.

Re=read this thread and show anyone where anyone called YOUR dog a junkyard dog.

The loose use of terms like bullying are so exaggerative especially when its neither bullying to discuss the behaviors of dogs NOR was any particular dog called any names (including junkyard dog).

Usually I don't say much when reactions are over-kill. But save the exaggeration for genuine bullying and for things that people ACTUALLY say.

The only thing directed at YOUR dog is that a fence probably won't work in cutting down on its being a BARKER and that perhap other methods would work better (than a fence) to combat that problem.

Actually, YOU are the only person who insulted your own dog by calling it a BARKER. That was, ironically enough, the toughest word used in direct connection to YOUR dog throughout this entire thread.

And it came from YOU.
Oh come on. You saw an opportunity for more "creative writing" and went on a tangent at the OPs expense.

"Barker" is hardly an insult - dogs bark. Obviously, she's an owner who pays attention to her dog. If you really read what she posted, she just moved to a more populated area. Previously, the dog wasn't exposed to all this stimulus and it will take time for it to adjust. Personally, I find a privacy fence to be an absolute necessity when you have dogs, especially in an urban or suburban area, for the dogs safety.

You must have barkers. Barker is an insult when talking about dogs.

There is a difference between a dog that barks or has the ability to bark and one who barks so much as to garner a reputation as being a barker.

We ALL know what a barker of a dog is. So don't try to pretend all dogs bark like maniacs around the clock. They aren't all barkers. And they don't all bark all of the time or even a lot. Well trained dogs and dogs who get proper care and attention usually don't get the rep as being the neighborhood barker.

Anyone in any neighborhood can usually POINT to that one house where THE BARKER lives. And trust me, they don't usually have much good to say about its owners either.

That's the difference between a barker and a dog who can bark.

Did that reeeeally need explaining? Or would you prefer I write it out in verse?

surfk · ‎07-12-2010

@IamMrsG wrote:
The OP is cognizant of a having a barking dog. Her intention is to control the barking by installing a fence to block the dog's view of perceived intruders.

What is too hard for some of you to understand about this?

Because the OP obviously isn't much of a dog expert. She doesn't know for certain that the dog is barking because it can see things. That's but one (weak) theory. She can slap up the fence only to discover then that her barker of a dog continues to bark at everything it HEARS.

I mean, does anyone LIVE with well-trained dogs or with dogs of a good temperament? Or is everyone's dogs just off the chain when it comes to so much barker as to prompt a futile erection of a $1500 fence to try to stop it?

One can tell who has the barkers here. The tolerance for it is one indictator of the problem.

One can stop it with some proper training. Spend some time and money on the dog and you won't need to place blinders on his eyes to get it to shut up.

HappyDaze · ‎06-13-2012

@Lovethesea wrote:
Since the O/P's dog is barking so frequently, it isn't serving as a watch dog and I would think that the O/P wouldn't know if the dog is barking to serve as a warning. How unsettling!

If the dog is "part of the family" as someone said, it should behave as a family member. You wouldn't allow your child to scream frequently, would you? So why would you allow your dog to bark frequently. As JLF posted above, the dog should be trained!

lol, many people do, unfortunately. I can hear my neighbors' kids screaming all the time when they "play" and they are over 1/4 mile a way at least but it echoes here. Screaming kids seems more and more acceptable these days, at least to their parents. My parents always told me to never, ever scream unless I was in danger.

But no, I don't agree someone should get rid of their dog because it barks- the owner needs to take it to training to learn how to break that behaviour.

Sooner · ‎03-10-2010

If a dog barks and barks and barks and those living around that dog are constantly listening to it, it should be kept inside, trained, or yes, given to a loving home in the country. NOBODY deserves to live around a constantly barking dog in an adjacent yard. Sorry but that is simply inconsiderate for everyone around you. And in some places against the law.

Buck-i-Nana · ‎09-28-2010

@surfk wrote:
@Buck-i-Nana wrote:
@surfk wrote:
@wismiss wrote:
I am sorry I ever posted my question about fence etiquette. My dog is NOT a junk yard dog. In addition, my presence in the neighborhood doesn't make it a neighborhood to stay out of. How rude. I can't believe how this post when from a very nice, helpful thread to where the bullies of the board took over. I won't name names,, but just read and it will be evident where the atmosphere changed and the bullies, immature, rude people took over.
Before you start to spin...out of control. Nobody called YOUR dog a junkyard dog.

Re=read this thread and show anyone where anyone called YOUR dog a junkyard dog.

The loose use of terms like bullying are so exaggerative especially when its neither bullying to discuss the behaviors of dogs NOR was any particular dog called any names (including junkyard dog).

Usually I don't say much when reactions are over-kill. But save the exaggeration for genuine bullying and for things that people ACTUALLY say.

The only thing directed at YOUR dog is that a fence probably won't work in cutting down on its being a BARKER and that perhap other methods would work better (than a fence) to combat that problem.

Actually, YOU are the only person who insulted your own dog by calling it a BARKER. That was, ironically enough, the toughest word used in direct connection to YOUR dog throughout this entire thread.

And it came from YOU.
Oh come on. You saw an opportunity for more "creative writing" and went on a tangent at the OPs expense.

"Barker" is hardly an insult - dogs bark. Obviously, she's an owner who pays attention to her dog. If you really read what she posted, she just moved to a more populated area. Previously, the dog wasn't exposed to all this stimulus and it will take time for it to adjust. Personally, I find a privacy fence to be an absolute necessity when you have dogs, especially in an urban or suburban area, for the dogs safety.

You must have barkers. Barker is an insult when talking about dogs.

There is a difference between a dog that barks or has the ability to bark.

And one who barks so much as to garner a reputation as being a barker.

We ALL know what a barker of a dog is. So don't try to pretend all dogs bark like maniacs around the clock. They aren't all barkers. And they don't all bark all of the time or even a lot. Well trained dogs and dogs who get proper care and attention usually don't get the rep as being the neighborhood barker.

Anyone in any neighborhood can usually POINT to that one house where THE BARKER lives. And trust me, they don't usually have much good to say about its owners either.

That's the difference between a barker and a dog who can bark.

Did that reeeeally need explaining? Or would prefer I write it out in verse?

Actually, no, I don't have dogs that bark incessantly, but they do bark on occasion. I have had dogs all my life and I rescue, train and re-home neglected and abused dogs, so I do know a lot about dogs. This dog is in a new situation, new stimuli, new stresses and a concerned owner. Instead of getting support from some, she gets slapped and lectured by the self-proclaimed perfect pet owners and at least one person who jumps on every opportunity to trash a dog owner who doesn't profess to have the perfect pet.

It takes time to train a dog to a new environment. The OP asked questions about a fence. She didn't say it was the only thing she was planning to do with her dog, or to join the ranks of a good neighbors in her new community.