Neighbor's dog pooping in my yard. A LOT

[MaryCatherine]

What can I do? I really don't feel like a simple request is called for. I mean, really, what's she going to say? "I didn't think it would bother you." She's a human - she know it's wrong. Not one of my family members has ever pooped in someone's yard. Why do some think it's ok?

 

Anyway, is there some kind of spray that I can use to get rid of the dog's scent so that it won't come back? Any other ideas?

 

Thanks

[LauraGB]

Are you my neighbor? I'm horrified that my dog has decided that pooping in the neighbor's yard is acceptable. It's a lot line thing for us - the line is literally 8 feet outside our side door. Talk to her. Guilt her into making the dog stop, or at least following her dog around to pick it up immediately. It's disgusting and wrong and she needs to train her dog not to do it. This, from someone who is in your neighbor's position! I'm aware of it and we are working on it. :o

[EarleneW]

Scoop it all up and put it on her steps.

[iluvmy4blessings]

What can I do? I really don't feel like a simple request is called for. I mean, really, what's she going to say? "I didn't think it would bother you." She's a human - she know it's wrong. Not one of my family members has ever pooped in someone's yard. Why do some think it's ok?

 

Anyway, is there some kind of spray that I can use to get rid of the dog's scent so that it won't come back? Any other ideas?

 

Thanks

 

Is the dog getting out and not on a leash? There are laws about this. Animals are not really allowed to be out on their own wandering around. Where I live this is illegal. People do let their animals out to poop and wander the neighborhood but they are not supposed to.

[stormy weather]

A motion detector scarecrow sprinkler? :D

[Love2Smile]

I'd pick it up too and deliver it to her front door...nuf said!

[MaryCatherine]

Are you my neighbor? I'm horrified that my dog has decided that pooping in the neighbor's yard is acceptable. It's a lot line thing for us - the line is literally 8 feet outside our side door. Talk to her. Guilt her into making the dog stop, or at least following her dog around to pick it up immediately. It's disgusting and wrong and she needs to train her dog not to do it. This, from someone who is in your neighbor's position! I'm aware of it and we are working on it. :o

 

 

No, you're not my neighbor!! The owner of the house next door only rents to unemployed nasty people who leave every two or three months. We've only had a dog once, and not for long. We loved her dearly but she got sick and died about four years ago. Anyway, I would let her out into my fenced backyard to do her business. THEN, we went for our walks, she on her leash, of course.

 

The house next door is probably 3 or 4 feet close to my house. I know that's it - they open the door and she runs into my yard. I understand the dog's perspective (LOL), but I don't appreciate it. I mowed today for the first time this season - UGH!!

 

Thanks for your comments. :)

[MaryCatherine]

Is the dog getting out and not on a leash? There are laws about this. Animals are not really allowed to be out on their own wandering around. Where I live this is illegal. People do let their animals out to poop and wander the neighborhood but they are not supposed to.

 

 

I need to check what our laws are. Haven't done that yet - thanks for the reminder. And yes, they just open the door and "take" the dog out. They let it back in later.

[MaryCatherine]

A motion detector scarecrow sprinkler? :D

 

 

I like the looks of this, but I can almost guarantee that it won't stay in my yard for long, or remain unbroken. Great idea!

[Lara in Colo]

Cayenne pepper works I've been told. It really screws up their nose and is unpleasant enough to not want a repeat. It takes quite a bit. You might want to research further.

 

Lara

[CalicoKat]

Scoop it all up and put it on her steps.

I'd either

 

1. Ring the door bell and hand her the bag of crap with a smile, "Your dog left this in our yard." Maybe you could include a copy of the dog laws for your town.

 

2. Leave the bag of crap with a pretty cart saying the above.

 

It belongs to her. Give it back, sweetly and with a smile.

[CalicoKat]

A motion detector scarecrow sprinkler? :D

ooo, I need this to keep my kids out of my garden! :lol:

[SonshineLearner]

How about, "Looks like your dog isn't observing the yard boundaries. My kids have been looking for summer jobs. Would you like to pick it up? OR Would you like to hire my kids?

 

:)

[momtolgd]

Scoop it all up and put it on her steps.

 

My DH did this once when we had this issue with a neighbor in a common grassy area between the apartments...it made her angry with us and she started complaining about the kids playing outside in that area. But it got the point across and she did stop.

[Hockey Mom]

How about, "Looks like your dog isn't observing the yard boundaries. My kids have been looking for summer jobs. Would you like to pick it up? OR Would you like to hire my kids?

 

:)

 

:iagree:

[cougarmom4]

Oh, I feel your pain. If the motion-detector-sprinkler wasn't so expensive, I'd buy a bunch right now. I've heard about cayenne pepper, but haven't tried it yet. Where exactly do you find cayenne pepper at the store? (I've looked near the spices, but couldnt' find it once)

 

Our neighbors have two yippy obnoxious dogs--they open the door & let them out for a lot longer than a few minutes at a time. They come straight to my yard and poop. Then anytime someone comes to my front door or when my kids are outside in OUR yard, they come over and bark at them (not a few barks...like ten minutes) as if this is their territory. My dd2 is now terrified of dogs. And half the time they poop right on our front walkway.

 

We've tried a couple things. I yell at the dogs & chase them away. I yell at their kids to come and get their stupid dog out of our yard. Dh picks up the poop with a shovel & throws it into their yard. He's called over before to have them send their kids over with a shovel. In the summertime, we turn the sprinklers on whenever we see their dogs. In the winter, we throw snowballs.

 

Obviously our attempts are not direct enough. We need to talk to them directly, but I just hate confrontation so I'm putting it off. Mostly because when I get ticked enough to talk to someone about it, I tend to spout off a little more than necessary. :D I'm afraid I'll say too much and completely burn the bridge, yk? I'm thinking of sending an email (how lame is that? but I can control my emotions...) and saying, "Hey, we're having a few problems with your dogs...dog poop & scaring my little one. Will you please keep your dogs out of our yard?"

 

But I just don't get it when people LET their dogs do this. If we loved dog poop, we'd have a dog ourselves. If we thought barking, yippy dogs were cute, we'd have a dog ourselves.

[cougarmom4]

The owner of the house next door only rents to unemployed nasty people who leave every two or three months.

 

This is lucky, at least...maybe they won't be there much longer? And who cares if you make them mad...they'll be gone soon enough.

 

In our case, we go to the same church, my dh is their son's scout leader, she cuts all of our hair...it's not like I can just say something & not worry about how they react. Ugh...I very much dislike in-person confrontation situations!

[Georgiana Daniels]

I FEEL YOUR PAIN!!!! For years with had this problem with our neighbor's cats. Ugh!!!! It is so foul and disgusting. There is something you can buy at Home Depot that supposidley keeps critters away (look in the lawn and garden section.) Of course, as soon as we sprayed the stuff it rained--and it was hard to go spend another $13 for the bottle.

 

Anyhoo, how gross!

[LauraGB]

Cayenne pepper works I've been told. It really screws up their nose and is unpleasant enough to not want a repeat. It takes quite a bit. You might want to research further.

 

Lara

 

Please don't do this. If they get it in thier eyes...oh my goodness.

 

Georgiana D - I am going to look at Home Depot for that product today!

 

Since op's neighbors are renters, I suppose they can't look into some sort of inexpensive fencing - that's what we are doing. Our dog is leashed when she goes outside (because she is a runner), but once she steps off the patio, she's in the neighbor's yard - there is a 6 ft grass walkway to get to the back of our house and inot the yard, at which point she is too far from view. We do go out with her and pick up the poop asap, though. The last thing I want my neighbor to have to do is pick it up or worse yet, run through it with her lawnmower.

[MaryCatherine]

Please don't do this. If they get it in thier eyes...oh my goodness.

 

Georgiana D - I am going to look at Home Depot for that product today!

 

Since op's neighbors are renters, I suppose they can't look into some sort of inexpensive fencing - that's what we are doing. Our dog is leashed when she goes outside (because she is a runner), but once she steps off the patio, she's in the neighbor's yard - there is a 6 ft grass walkway to get to the back of our house and inot the yard, at which point she is too far from view. We do go out with her and pick up the poop asap, though. The last thing I want my neighbor to have to do is pick it up or worse yet, run through it with her lawnmower.

 

 

This is how I found it. Today's mowing was the first of the season - lots of weeds and clovers and tall stuff so I didn't know it was there. Now when I walk outside, instead of smelling fresh cut grass, I smell sh-t.

[stephanie78]

We live on ten acres in the middle of nowhere, however we have semi-close neighbors. Our neighbors across the street always seem to bring in dogs that they can't care for, they come to our house, and cause problems. When my husband complains they think it's funny, and laugh about what their dogs are doing. Our Golden Retriever can't get to our front yard because she is fenced in, and we have a Maltese that when he goes outside is in a run (we have a fear that a hawk will carry him away). That said our neighbors dog took to pooping on our front porch! Not on the lawn but the porch, as soon as you'd step out the door you would step right in it. At Thanksgiving we had family here, and they looked out to see it with it's leg hiked up relieving itself on our blow up Turkey. My husband talked to the guy about it, and he laughed, telling DH to "shoot it next time". I mean really! Obviously, we haven't shot the dog but we have really tried to get it to stay away. We just aren't having any luck.

 

My husband's grandmother had a neighbor dog who constantly used the bathroom in her yard and she shoveled it up and threw it back into their yard, another time she left in on their porch. And finally on a day when she knew the temperatures were falling below freezing she sprayed their car down with a water hose so that it would freeze shut. I don't really recommend it - she was a mean lady and that was one of the nicer things she did.

[Desert Rat]

Cayenne pepper sometimes works. Really, I would bag it up and hand it back to them. My parents have done this and didn't have a problem after that.

[dirty ethel rackham]

Cayenne pepper sometimes works. Really, I would bag it up and hand it back to them. My parents have done this and didn't have a problem after that.

 

I agree with the bagging it up and giving it back to them. I'd also include a bill for Pooper-scooper services - $1 for each oz.

 

I asked my kids and they voted for a backyard ballistics day - which device would toss the poop further - a ballista, a trebuchet or a plain old catapult? Disposable gloves and face masks would be required equipment as well. Okay, so we've watched a bit too much Monty Python and Mythbusters.

[Laurie]

I had this problem with someone in our neighborhood a few years ago. She was renting a mother in law unit from a neighbor and didn't have access to their backyard so she'd always stand in front of our house and let her dog do its business while she smoked a cigarette and talked on her cell phone and then she never cleaned up. Talking to her didn't work, so I went to Pet Smart and bought a carton of "Repel Dog and Cat Repellent". These are granules that you sprinkle over the area...a hand-held fertilizer spreader works great. The Repel worked , she moved not long after that, and I've never had to buy the stuff again.

 

You'll have to decide if you want to give them advance warning that you're treating your lawn with something.

[MBM]

We have neighbors -- not just one -- who let their dogs drop their dumplings on our parkway and front lawn and then don't clean up after them. I must clean up at least four per week. The fine in our suburb is $100 per *load* but for now, I just pick 'em up and try to forget about it.

 

You have my sympathy.

[Oakblossoms]

Send your husband out to pee all down the property line every night:tongue_smilie:

 

Call the local human society/ASPCA/pound/shelter. They probably can tell you something.

 

If you see the dog or them open their door, run out screaming and making strange loud noises at the dog. You will look funny, but it will jolt the dog. Many dogs will stop coming over because of it.

 

Mark the property line with some cheap sticks and string. Hang a sign that says, "NO CRAP ALLOWED".

[NorthwestMom]

OP, although I think you are totally and completely in the right, I think you're getting bad advice to just bag the waste up and leave it on their doorstep, or fling it onto their property without saying a word. That's very passive aggressive and childish. If you have a problem, I think it's polite to start the conversation by stating your problem and how you'd like to see it fixed. Moving the waste without a word is really no better than what they are doing.

[MaryCatherine]

I had this problem with someone in our neighborhood a few years ago. She was renting a mother in law unit from a neighbor and didn't have access to their backyard so she'd always stand in front of our house and let her dog do its business while she smoked a cigarette and talked on her cell phone and then she never cleaned up. Talking to her didn't work, so I went to Pet Smart and bought a carton of "Repel Dog and Cat Repellent". These are granules that you sprinkle over the area...a hand-held fertilizer spreader works great. The Repel worked , she moved not long after that, and I've never had to buy the stuff again.

 

You'll have to decide if you want to give them advance warning that you're treating your lawn with something.

 

Why would I need to tell them? Will this hurt the dog in any way? It sounds like a good solution for me.

[RanchGirl]

Be polite but direct -- just knock on the door and ask them to please come pick up the poop their dog has left in your yard. If they won't stop the problem, then call the landlord. After that, I would escalate to the police if it continues.

 

I have a dog and I don't let her go in other people's yards (except when she is invited for doggy playdates:)). I think it's rude to do that and the owner should take responsibility.

[Laurie]

Why would I need to tell them? Will this hurt the dog in any way? It sounds like a good solution for me.

 

Apparently it smells badly enough that it made the doggie toss its cookies and decide to take its "business" somewhere else in the future.

It might be a good idea to let the neighbors know if you're going to use something like this so they don't think you're trying to poison their dog and then try to sue you or something.

 

According to the label the active ingredient is something called d-Limonene which comes from citrus rinds. Maybe you could just try grinding up some lemon peels and throw those around to see if the dog minds the smell?

 

I'm sorry you've got this unneighborly neighbor to deal with. We've been lucky and haven't had any problems since she moved away but there's a street in our neighborhood that's apparently going through the same thing now. My dc and I were taking a walk recently and there was a big message written in sidewalk chalk telling people to clean up after their dogs.

[MeanestMomInMidwest]

Do what kids are taught: Give them "a bug and a wish and an if"

 

It bugs me when ________(your dog craps on my lawn)

I wish you would ________(either keep the dog off my lawn or pick up the crap)

If this keeps happening ___(I will be forced to take further action in the form of X)

[samba]

I FEEL YOUR PAIN!!!! For years with had this problem with our neighbor's cats. Ugh!!!! It is so foul and disgusting. There is something you can buy at Home Depot that supposidley keeps critters away (look in the lawn and garden section.) Of course, as soon as we sprayed the stuff it rained--and it was hard to go spend another $13 for the bottle.

 

Anyhoo, how gross!

 

Please, oh please, try to remember the name of this stuff. We have no pets...but constant dog and cat mess in our yard. I am sick of it!

 

Carolyn

[Dobela]

We bought some repell stuff in a spray bottle at the local pet store to keep cats out of a particular area of our yard. After spraying it my yard smelled like something vile died there. Honestly, we oculdn't go out the back door for gagging. But it worked and the cats stopped coming to that area of our yard to do business.

 

I also feel your pain. We have several neighbors that will sometimes walk 2 or 3 blocks just to let their dog use our yard as the toilet. It just makes me furious that they do not see the need to clean up the poop. We finally stuck up some signs with the city ordinance # that says they must clean up after their dog. When that didn't make any difference, we put out other signs (next to the old signs) stating that our yard was now under video surveillance and we would be reporting any illegal activity captured on tape to the authorities. It worked, and no, we didn't ever set up a video camera.

[LadyR]

My MIL used to put moth balls on her front lawn to discourage dogs. I don't remember if it actually worked.

[Sputterduck]

Do what kids are taught: Give them "a bug and a wish and an if"

 

It bugs me when ________(your dog craps on my lawn)

I wish you would ________(either keep the dog off my lawn or pick up the crap)

If this keeps happening ___(I will be forced to take further action in the form of X)

 

 

I like that! I've never heard it before.

[Angie in VA]

Cayenne pepper works I've been told. It really screws up their nose and is unpleasant enough to not want a repeat. It takes quite a bit. You might want to research further.

 

Lara

 

This or hot pepper sauce (Tabasco) was my suggestion, but depending on the area, that could get costly and would need reapplication after it rained.

[Gratia271]

Scoop it all up and put it on her steps.

 

:iagree:

[Supertechmom]

Scoop it all up and put it on her steps.

 

I'd either

 

1. Ring the door bell and hand her the bag of crap with a smile, "Your dog left this in our yard." Maybe you could include a copy of the dog laws for your town.

 

2. Leave the bag of crap with a pretty cart saying the above.

 

It belongs to her. Give it back, sweetly and with a smile.

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

 

1.Type up a note and let her know your poop picker up rate.

 

2. mix apple cider vinegar, red pepper flakes in a spray bottle. Spray the line about 2 feet wide path, If the dogs are coming into your yard and yapping at your kids, you can spray this on the dogs. They hate it

 

3. call the landlord and let them know you are not liking this.

 

I've had to deal with this from big dogs and it is not a nice smell. I only hope my cats aren't pooping in the neighbors yard. :glare: We did try to train them for months where to go.

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

I'd either

 

1. Ring the door bell and hand her the bag of crap with a smile, "Your dog left this in our yard." Maybe you could include a copy of the dog laws for your town.

 

2. Leave the bag of crap with a pretty cart saying the above.

 

It belongs to her. Give it back, sweetly and with a smile.

 

 

:iagree::D

[MaryCatherine]

 

 

 

2. mix apple cider vinegar, red pepper flakes in a spray bottle. Spray the line about 2 feet wide path, If the dogs are coming into your yard and yapping at your kids, you can spray this on the dogs. They hate it

 

 

 

 

Haven't heard about this before - thanks.

 

 

I caught the dog out there this afternoon. I opened the door and raised my voice; it tucked tail and ran back to its porch. I filled a WalMart bag (literally, over half full), tied it, and set it on the porch next to the dog. As I was taking the trash can to the curb, the front door opened and the dog disappeared.

 

Now I'm really nervous. Someone here mentioned "Repel Dog and Cat Repellent" that's sold at Pet Smart. So while I'm in Dallas this weekend, I'll pick some up. Hope it works. I hate confrontation, especially since it's just me.

 

Anyway, thanks for all the comments - advice and empathy!

 

-Anne

Edited March 31, 2010 by MaryCatherine

[babysparkler]

Do what kids are taught: Give them "a bug and a wish and an if"

 

It bugs me when ________(your dog craps on my lawn)

I wish you would ________(either keep the dog off my lawn or pick up the crap)

If this keeps happening ___(I will be forced to take further action in the form of X)

That's great! I'm going to use that with my kids! Thanks :)

[Tap]

We have a neighbor who likes to have big dogs that act like puppies and are never trained. If I see a particular animal in my yard several times, I call animal control. They will come out and talk to the neighbor about the leash laws and after so many visits, they get a fine.

 

I have tried talking to the neighbors and being civil and kind. It hasn't worked yet, and just creates an awkward relationship. Now, I skip that step and just call the animal control.

 

Most of my 'pet free' or 'indoor pets only' neighbors have taken up the same policy.

 

I also try to make sure to and warn any new neighbors about our neighborhood isn't loose dog friendly, so they at least have some advance warning.

[Laurie4b]

I'm not getting why you can't talk with your neighbor. Are you sure she knows? And there are some things that bother a lot of people which don't bother some people. If those people use Golden Rule, they may not "get" that there is a problem. It's also possible for a person to have a "Dogs will be dogs" attitude and think you share it. I think talking is the first step.

[StephanieZ]

Honestly. . . a FENCE! :) Motion detector sprinkler could help, but a fence would be ideal. I'll say it again. . . "Good fences make good neighbors." I learned this the hard way. Ever since. . . we budget a good fence into the purchase price when we move. We put up our fence before we moved into our current house. I simply refused to move until the fence was up.

[MeanestMomInMidwest]

I like that! I've never heard it before.

and also to babysparkler - I'm glad you like it. I stole it from someone, and I can't remember who!

 

I actually use this formula frequently - it helps to avoid conflict if I know what I'm going to say, and it seems to work on most people.

Edited April 1, 2010 by MeanestMomInMidwest

[KnitWit]

Send your husband out to pee all down the property line every night:tongue_smilie:

 

Call the local human society/ASPCA/pound/shelter. They probably can tell you something.

 

If you see the dog or them open their door, run out screaming and making strange loud noises at the dog. You will look funny, but it will jolt the dog. Many dogs will stop coming over because of it.

 

Mark the property line with some cheap sticks and string. Hang a sign that says, "NO CRAP ALLOWED".

 

I loved this! I read this to my husband and kids and we had a huge laugh! LOL! This post makes the thread!

[EKS]

Well, you could do what my grandmother did back in 1938. She shot the dog in the behind with a bb gun. The dog *never* did its business in her yard again.

[Cindyg]

I filled a WalMart bag (literally, over half full), tied it, and set it on the porch next to the dog. As I was taking the trash can to the curb, the front door opened and the dog disappeared.

 

Now I'm really nervous.

 

Holy cow! You put a bag of poop on their porch? You know, they may not realize this is their dog's. They may think it's vandalism (from you, from an enemy, or random). They may not connect this with the situation you want resolved. :confused:

 

Really, is there some reason you can't put a fence up?

 

In considering tactics, please don't select one that punishes the dog (red pepper, bb gun). The dog doesn't understand property lines at all (I know you know this), and doesn't deserve pain.

 

I vote for one of the Repel-type products. The sprinkler might be fun to try. I do think you should have sent your husband over to talk to the neighbors (or called the landlord). It might be too late to do that now. But, really, a fence is your no-fail solution.

[MaryCatherine]

Holy cow! You put a bag of poop on their porch? You know, they may not realize this is their dog's. They may think it's vandalism (from you, from an enemy, or random). They may not connect this with the situation you want resolved. :confused:

 

Really, is there some reason you can't put a fence up?

 

In considering tactics, please don't select one that punishes the dog (red pepper, bb gun). The dog doesn't understand property lines at all (I know you know this), and doesn't deserve pain.

 

I vote for one of the Repel-type products. The sprinkler might be fun to try. I do think you should have sent your husband over to talk to the neighbors (or called the landlord). It might be too late to do that now. But, really, a fence is your no-fail solution.

 

I'm POSITIVE that she knows it's her dog. If I were married, my husband WOULD be taking care of this, but I'm not. And I can't put a fence around my front yard. I mean, a fence around my entire house? Do I understand correctly?

 

I'm going to get some repel stuff this weekend. There was no poop this morning, so last night and this morning, the dog went elsewhere. Maybe the bag worked? I'm hopeful.

[dirty ethel rackham]

Honestly. . . a FENCE! :) Motion detector sprinkler could help, but a fence would be ideal. I'll say it again. . . "Good fences make good neighbors." I learned this the hard way. Ever since. . . we budget a good fence into the purchase price when we move. We put up our fence before we moved into our current house. I simply refused to move until the fence was up.

 

So she is supposed to spend $3000-$5000 of her own money to keep dogs out of her back yard? Because someone else is inconsiderate? Wow. And what about her front yard? Dogs poop there too. I could see getting a fence if it was her animal causing other problems for other people.