Kind of a silly WWYD

[AimeeM]

We live in a subdivision. Our neighborhood's homes are very close together. When you stand on your back patio, you can easily see into 4-6 yards without a strain. 

The other day when I was on our back patio I noticed the neighbors adorable, sweet young Lab digging a hole in his yard :P 

Now, I have a digger myself, so I know how it feels to spend your time and money patching holes :) I coughed, to get the dog's attention, but the dog only looked at me - and went back to digging. 

I thought, for more than a minute, about telling the dog to stop, but it would have required a louder tone and I didn't want them thinking I was screaming at their dog. I know the neighbor - but only a bit. 

I will note that our subdivision has a pretty strict HOA that covers things like landscaping and fences, so most of the neighbors spend quite a bit of time and/or money on their yards, which colors how I feel when I see a dog digging :P 

 

I wouldn't mind (even a little bit) if one of the neighbors told our beloved GSD to knock it off if they saw him digging. I may be tempted to kiss the neighbor's feet... as we typically have a number of holes we're constantly having to have refilled. 

 

Like I said in my title - it's kind of silly, but I wondered about the Hive when I was standing out there trying to decide what to do, lol.

[TammyS]

Unless I knew and cared about these people, I would do nothing. Not my monkey, not my circus.

 

[Tap]

I wouldn't say anything. Even though you can easily see what is going on without any real effort, it would likely come across as a violation of privacy.

[marbel]

The dog was digging a hole in his own yard? If that's what happened - I'm a little confused - I can't think of a reason to do or say anything. If the dog was digging in someone else's yard, then I might call the dog's owner, if I knew them and had the right kind of relationship with them.

[regentrude]

The dog was digging in his owner's yard? I would not say a thing. They will certainly notice.

Dog digging in a  stranger's yard? Then I would notify the owners.

[happi duck]

I would not say anything.

 

Being in another yard you aren't really in a position to provide any follow through which ultimately just trains the dog to ignore someone saying "no", kwim?

[MotherGoose]

I'd try to meet them and talk kindly about dogs. perhaps they will talk about dog behavior and you can mention the situation, not in a way that condemns them, but in a way that introduces the subject of digging and dog discipline. Because I'd be happy for you to call down my misbehaving dog, or child, for that matter, but other folks wouldn't like it.

[Jean in Newcastle]

As someone who is exasperated by my well-meaning but busy-body neighbors who try to micromanage how I deal with my dogs, please don't say anything.

[heartlikealion]

I don't really understand how the HOA is affected by this. Will they tell the owners to cover holes in their backyard?

 

Their dog, their yard, their problem I guess.

[elegantlion]

I personally would find it a bit creepy to hear that someone had disciplined my dog on my property doing something that young labs do.- says the owner of an old lab. 

[Jann in TX]

Chances are the owners already know about the hole-- and perhaps others their furry baby has made in his landscaping attempts.

 

IF (big if) you ever become close friends with said owners, and THEY mention the hole-digging as being an issue, then you can ask if it would be appropriate to distract the dog if you see him digging.

 

I have big dogs, I want my dogs to obey ME and my family-- not other people (outside of people caring specifically for our dogs).  I want our dogs to respect friends and family we have over, but not necessarily 'obey' them.

[luuknam]

It's kind of like with kids.  If I am in my yard, and see the neighbor's kids digging a hole in the middle of the back yard, I don't say anything.  If it's MY kids digging a hole in their yard, my kids get disciplined.  If it's their kids digging a hole in my yard, I say something to the kids.  But, their kids, in their yard, digging a hole...which isn't DANGEROUS....I leave it alone.   

 

With kids, I probably would ask if their parents are okay with them digging a hole in their yard if it was the yard next to mine, but I wouldn't yell it across yards. And if they said their parents are cool with it, I'd ignore it. I think some kids don't really think and will stop doing something they shouldn't be doing if someone points out their parents may not appreciate what they're doing.

 

With a dog, I wouldn't do anything.

[SJ.]

I have known my neighbors for 10 years. In the past I have tried to distract their dog from chewing their lawn furniture. I wouldn't do it in your situation since you don't know the neighbor nor the dog.

[mellifera33]

If the dog was trying to dig out of the yard, I would try to distract it. Just digging a hole in the yard? I'd ignore it.

[Pawz4me]

I don't know.

 

Was it your immediate neighbor or a few yards away? If it was next door I probably would have distracted the dog. Shoot, I'd probably have been playing with it.  :laugh:  We used to live in a neighborhood like that and I knew all the dogs much better than I knew their owners.

[Carrie12345]

I don't know.

 

Was it your immediate neighbor or a few yards away? If it was next door I probably would have distracted the dog. Shoot, I'd probably have been playing with it.  :laugh:  We used to live in a neighborhood like that and I knew all the dogs much better than I knew their owners.

 

That's what I was thinking.

"Hey! What are you doing, you naughty waughty doggy?!  Silly boy! Don't you do dat! Don't you do dat! No, no, no!  Wook at you!  Who's a naughty doggy?"

 

(FYI, I've always thought it should be criminal to speak baby talk to babies.  Never did it once, other than to tease my teens.  But animals?  I am the dumbest baby-talking dweeb in the world.)

[bettyandbob]

I don't really understand how the HOA is affected by this. Will they tell the owners to cover holes in their backyard?

 

Their dog, their yard, their problem I guess.

If backyards are visible from common areas, then an HOA may have something in their rules about that. For instance, my backyard backs to a large common area playground.

 

But in this case, I'd let the owners deal with their dog and the HOA. My HOA is fairly reasonable, but I'm not going to start being self appointed enforcement for them.

[marbel]

With kids, I probably would ask if their parents are okay with them digging a hole in their yard if it was the yard next to mine, but I wouldn't yell it across yards. And if they said their parents are cool with it, I'd ignore it. I think some kids don't really think and will stop doing something they shouldn't be doing if someone points out their parents may not appreciate what they're doing.

 

With a dog, I wouldn't do anything.

 

Why would you question kids about something they are doing in their own yard?   (I mean something not illegal or inherently dangerous - such as digging a hole.)   Seems pretty presumptuous to me, to assume parents don't know what their kids are doing and/or are powerless to stop them.  

[creekland]

If I knew the owners I'd ask them (when I saw them) if they wanted me doing anything about it or see if they were ok with it.  This would be in a normal tone of voice (purely inquisitive), not condemning.  Different folks feel differently.  Some probably don't mind.  Others might want another pair of eyes.  Either option is fine with me - I'd just need to know.

 

Without knowing I'd have done nothing.

[heartlikealion]

If backyards are visible from common areas, then an HOA may have something in their rules about that. For instance, my backyard backs to a large common area playground.

 

But in this case, I'd let the owners deal with their dog and the HOA. My HOA is fairly reasonable, but I'm not going to start being self appointed enforcement for them.

 

I was picturing a wooden fence that you can't see through, only over, from your porch. I have no idea what kind of fence they have and if it's visible from other parts of their subdivision. Good point.

[DawnM]

If their fence touches yours, the only thing I might have done is to call the dog over to give it some attention, but I would prob do that even if the dog wasn't digging.  I love dogs.

[luuknam]

Why would you question kids about something they are doing in their own yard?   (I mean something not illegal or inherently dangerous - such as digging a hole.)   Seems pretty presumptuous to me, to assume parents don't know what their kids are doing and/or are powerless to stop them.  

 

What, all parents are watching their kids 100% of the time when the kids are playing in their back yards? I really don't see how asking kids "hey, are your parents okay with you digging a hole in the yard?" is the end of the world. They can say "yes", and that'd be it.

[Bluegoat]

I can imagine saying something to a strange dog in that situation, but I tend to speak to dogs conversationally.  "What do you think you're doing?  I bet your people won't like that!"  If I really had to yell though I might not, as I have a quiet voice and am not a great yeller.

[zoobie]

I wouldn't get involved unless the dog was in danger. Digging under fence, digging under something that would collapse on him, digging up and chewing on a electrical cable (true story from BIL's electrician days), etc. Our neighbors in law school had a boxer who would climb their fence. We brought him home a few times. He wound up hanging himself by the collar when it got caught in the chain link on top. :(

[Selkie]

I would figure it's none of my business and stay out of it. However, I do think it's sweet of you to want to be helpful to your neighbors.  :001_smile:

[luuknam]

To me, it's about the amount of effort involved.  So, for example, if I am in my backyard next to the fence hanging clothes, and the neighbor's kids are in the middle of their backyard within a few feet of the fence, I actually might very well say say "is that something you are supposed to do?"  Because it requires no effort on my part to say that line while clipping towels to the line. 

 

However, the OP described seeing 4-6 yards from her back porch and how saying something requires a louder tone of voice.  Which implies to me, she's standing on her back porch and would be not quite yelling across yards to discipline the dog.  That requires a specific effort to discipline the dog, and that's where the issue is, for me. 

 

I already said I wouldn't yell it across multiple yards either.