How to Keep the Neighbor’s Dog Out of Your Yard?

A dog may be a man’s best friend but remember that your neighbor’s dog may not be your friend as he or she already has one.

If you want your yard to be free of pets, having a roaming dog in the neighborhood can be quite annoying.

Whether they are wild dogs or live right next door, there are ways to keep them out of your yard.

I will discuss all of these ways in the detailed guide below.

So, let’s check them out…

1- Talk to Your Neighbor

If this is about your neighbor’s dog, then the first step should be to talk to the neighbor.

You may find an agreeable solution and do so without causing any hard feelings.

Discuss the situation, propose solutions, and find a way that satisfies both you and your neighbor.

It can be done with a little patience.

After all, the most effective means of keeping your neighbor’s dog out of your yard is to have the neighbor act in that regard.

Of course, it may not be so simple.

2- Alert them Politely

Keep in mind that your neighbor will see their dog differently than you see them.

This is because dogs are family and family members get special consideration compared to other pets or people.

It may be as simple as your neighbor not being aware that their dog is getting out and being a nuisance.

Alerting them to the situation by being calm and friendly in your approach may get the results you want.

Remember to keep calm and not make threats.

Your neighbor is not going away.

So, alert them to the issue, be reasonable, and understand that it is possible your neighbor may still not understand the situation fully or think it is that big of a deal.  

3- Identify the Problem

It may sound simple at first, but you will need to identify why dogs are frequenting your yard.

Keep in mind that dogs that pass through your lawn are not the same as dogs that come back time and again.

So, if you are not getting anywhere with the neighbor or the problem is wild dogs with no owner, you will have to consider other solutions.

• Remove all items that attract dogs to your yard
• Place barriers in your yard to prevent entry
• Try items like a chicken wire that wards off dogs digging under the fence
• Have your female dog spayed

Spaying your female dog will cut down the chances of dogs coming into your yard because they no longer can attract male dogs to mate.

4- Consult Local Laws

Most communities have some type of regulations for dogs.

This may include leash laws designed to keep the dog under control when out of their yard.

Find out about the laws governing dogs in your area.

The local animal shelter is a good place to start.

If the trouble with your neighbor continues, try to have a representative from the animal control agency visit with the neighbor to explain the laws personally.

Quite often, a reminder from the authorities that their dog will be picked up if found outside their property is enough for them to act.

This means that you are serious without being confrontational, at least on a personal level.

And while such action may not make the next community bake sale or barbeque in your neighborhood as friendly, at least you are getting the message across in a non-personal way.

It means that you are serious and have no qualms about calling the authorities about having their dog taken from your yard.

5- Take Away Attractive Smell

Dogs are primarily attracted to a location by their sense of smell.

The odor that comes from the garbage, dog food for your pet, or if your dog is in heat will pull in other dogs.

You can take the following actions to reduce the attractions in your yard.

• Put lids on garbage cans.
• Feed your pet off a dinner plate, then remove the plate
• Encourage neighbors to clean up after their dogs if they walk them by your property
• Clean up all dog droppings in your yard

The last one is a commonly overlooked attraction to dogs.

The smell from the excrement will attract investigating dogs, especially those that left the droppings in the first place.

By removing the excrement, you remove the attraction, but some of the odor may remain.

You can soak the area with water or purchase dog repellent for a lawn to help, but the best and most cost-effective solution is to put baking soda on the area.

Baking soda is a natural homemade dog repellent substance that eliminates odors, so there is nothing for other dogs to smell.

6- Use Bottled Water

This is a cheap way to use dogs’ natural instincts to your advantage.

A dog will not use an area as their personal bathroom if there are water or food sources nearby.

Dogs understand that their excrement or urine should not be near water or food sources as they may contaminate them.

So, placing bottles of water every few feet can discourage the stray dogs as well as your neighbor’s bulldogs who see the water and decide to poop somewhere else.

7- Build a Fence to Keep Dogs Away

This is a more expensive solution, but if you have tried everything else then building a fence may be your only strong option.

You can go with a cheap or temporary fence which is far less expensive compared to a standard chain-link version.

The barrier will prevent dogs from easily getting into your yard.

Just like most people, dogs will find the easiest method when traveling, which means avoiding areas that are fenced off when other places are more accessible.

Before you build the fence, check with the zoning laws in your neighborhood to see if it is allowed.

There may be HOA rules regarding building a fence, so you want to be sure it is legal before you start building.

Remember to extend the fence into the soil, preferably by several inches, to discourage dogs from digging holes to get underneath.

In addition, the fence itself should be high enough so that a dog will not be tempted to climb the fence.

It is possible that a determined dog will climb a fence, but they are not built for that type of activity.

Keeping out cats is another matter since climbing is more their specialty.

If you are trying to keep cats out of your yard, then you will need to make modifications to the fence.

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What scent will deter the dogs?

If you are fed up with French Bulldog, German Shepherd, or Labrador in your neighborhood, worry not.  

You can use a few smells to your advantage that can drive them off automatically from your lawn.

Smells that nearly all dogs hate are the smell of vinegar and citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruit.

Most dog species also dislike the smell of essential oils such as oil of cinnamon, citrus, pine, pennyroyal, peppermint, tea tree, and ylang-ylang.

Since these oils are toxic to dogs, they cannot tolerate them if it’s ingested by mouth or spread on their skin.

To stop your neighbor’s dog from coming into your lawn, you can simply make a solution (of diluted vinegar or essential oils in water).

Fill it in a clean spray bottle and then spray the specific areas (such as near the plants in your garden) from which you’d like to deter the dogs.

Should you use poison to get rid of dogs?

No, I don’t recommend poisoning your neighbors’ dogs.

Not only it’s an act of cruelty towards animals, but also it can get you in trouble due to legal issues.

The fact is – your neighbor can sue you for this even if their dog has been poisoned by mistake.

Remember there are toxic foods (like chocolate, caffeinated drinks, sugar-free gum, macadamia nuts, onions, garlic, alcohol, grapes, and raisins) that can be poisonous to dogs.

Also, if you have used the poison for rodents or mosquitoes in your yard, it can poison the pets.

So, make sure you keep all these toxic items away from your neighbor’s pets and instead try more humane ways.

How can you stop a neighbor’s dog from peeing on your car tires?

Dogs love to sniff the tires because it contains various scents from all over the places you go.

Usually, they pee at weird places to mark their territory, and tires are one among these spots where they can urinate quite often.  

Spraying your car tires with a smell that they hate can help a lot.

You can use non-aerosol /alcohol-based perfumes or can apply vinegar solution on and around the car’s wheel arches.

Remember not to use household products like coffee grounds, mothballs, detergents, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and other hot peppers to repel dogs away from your car.

These can harm and can even cause injury to them.

Also, avoid throwing the dog waste back at your neighbor’s yard or cars.

These revenge tactics can get you in legal trouble. Plus, you will worsen your relationship with your neighbors sooner or later.

The Conclusion

Your neighbor’s dog can be a real nuisance for you and your property if they happen to enter your premises without your permission.

These dogs can be rather determined creatures, so you must be alert if you want to scare them and keep them off.

Remember to follow the above guidelines and keep trying newer methods until you find one that works for your specific situation.