Dog Raiding Bird Feeder

[Owly055]

The dog has a home, and is well fed, nor does he belong on my front porch at all. This is the cheapest dog food available, not something special to get excited about. I know for a fact that there is a self feeder that is always full in the garage, and a dog door for access where he lives. The alternatives are either the owner keeps the dog at home, or I fence my yard to keep stray dogs out..... the others bother nothing, or I "train" the dog to leave my feeder alone. The feeder is 7 feet off the ground, and about 3' off the edge of the porch, above eye level, not within easy reach at all. It's not like I'm baiting the dog with delectable treats of some kind, within easy reach. This is my home, my territory, not his and he knows it.
Dog training / control is the responsibility of the owner. This is a dog I've seen jump up on the picnic table and grab something off someone's plate when their back was turned, basically no training, and no respect.

Interestingly he hit the feeder again this morning after being nailed yesterday.... I heard the yelp and looked out to see him high tailing it home........ I wonder how many more lessons it will take to convince him to stay off my porch. I'm quite sure he's not allowed to jump up on the counter at home and grab a steak when he feels the urge.

Dog training is not "cruelty" as some people seem to think, it's a necessity if we are to live around dogs. I've had dogs of my own in the past and never had to resort to anything more than a sharp word, and a relationship of respect and friendship. They weren't spoiled pets, but working partners. I have little use for dogs that take down trash cans, chase livestock, etc, they are little better than coyotes, worse actually as they do not fear humans.

H.W.

 

[Billy-Klubb]

it's funny. my wife was an animal trainer. she has trained many, many dogs and cats. always with positive reinforcement. and they all were very well trained. she had even trained cats to use a toilet. something else that's funny: the more you use negative reinforcement on any animal (this includes humans), the more likely they are to turn on people.

if you were to "train" your children with the same negative reinforcement, it would be child abuse and they would be taken away from you.

 

[MaxStout]

Another thought: Can you surround part of the feeder with some wire mesh on the side or sides that the dog gets in? Leaving open part of it for the birds to get at it, of course.

 

[lump42]

I would not hook a 120 line directly. It could cause damage to your system. Fence chargers aren't that expensive, usually high voltage but very low amperage. So it hurts like the dickens but isn't likely to kill much.

 

[Owly055]

I would not hook a 120 line directly. It could cause damage to your system. Fence chargers aren't that expensive, usually high voltage but very low amperage. So it hurts like the dickens but isn't likely to kill much.

I was using a fencer..........

 

[Hobanon]

Chicken wire, you jerk. Make a column out of chicken wire. Just saying, there were a lot better options you could have chosen.

 

[Owly055]

it's funny. my wife was an animal trainer. she has trained many, many dogs and cats. always with positive reinforcement. and they all were very well trained. she had even trained cats to use a toilet. something else that's funny: the more you use negative reinforcement on any animal (this includes humans), the more likely they are to turn on people.

if you were to "train" your children with the same negative reinforcement, it would be child abuse and they would be taken away from you.

I've never had problems training any animal of my own, nor have I resorted to using pain. This is someone else's dog running loose...... Not a situation where I am going to resort to conventional "training". He cruises by and checks to see if I've put anything out for the birds and makes his raid with enough frequency that I can't leave anything out for the birds without taking measures to thwart him. The fencer is simple and effective, and it is not the kind of "negative reinforcement" he associates directly with me, as it would be if I shot at him with a pellet gun. He will associate raiding the bird feeder with getting shocked, rather than with me shocking him as there is no visible action on my part.

My solution to dogs or any animal that becomes aggressive toward people is simple and final, effective and permanent. Dog bites me without "justification", dog dies.... No trial, no appeal, it's final.

As a teen, I implemented this the first time when a German Shepard attacked me as I walked down the sidewalk on a public street. The dog attacked out of nowhere for no discernible reason. It was wintertime and I was wearing one of those heavy navy P-coats. As he attacked, going for the throat, I gave him my right arm, knowing he couldn't hurt me seriously through all that wool fabric. I went down on the lawn, taking him over with me, pulled his head back and broke his neck, just that quick. This happened on a residential street in Portland in the late 60's. The owner came out of the house just as we went down, and started screaming at me, and his wife called the cops. I was not even aware of the dog until he charged me, I didn't know the dog or normally walk down that street. When he came at me, I went into "primal survival mode". At that point nothing would have saved the dog. Something inside me snapped, and I "saw red" as they say.

I've "put paid in full" to the account of two pit bulls, and numerous dogs who were "just having fun" chasing and tearing up sheep over the years since. My tolerance for that kind of behavior is less than zero. My custom built 257 Ackley with Shilen match barrel, Mauser action, etc is extremely effective.......There are no appeals.

People who own dogs are responsible to train them to live in human society. If they fail in that, the dog pays the consequences. The consequences may be a harmless but painful shock, or it may be a well placed bullet. They are not people, they are not children, they are animals, and sometimes people seem to forget that. Dogs I've owned have never run loose, bitten people, chased livestock, spread people's garbage down the street, etc. They have known what is acceptable and what is not, and it does not require extreme measures like shocking or beating to instill that knowledge in them. I have been on good terms with every dog I've had for a neighbor in the 20+ years I've lived here and generally get along with this one, but he's been problem from day one. He will either learn to behave, or he will suffer the consequences. That's all there is to it. I'm not going to go out of my way to accommodate a problem dog.

H.W.

 

[Billy-Klubb]

and yet you're too chicken s#!t to talk to your neighbor about his country livin' dog. I get it. you're a "no nonsense" kind of guy. we have lots of them out here in rural MN. the ones that won't spay or neuter their cats then drown every litter of kittens because they're a nuisance. you're just doing what's gotta be done, which does not entail having a civil conversation with the neighbor. just shock the dog.

 

[Billy-Klubb]

Your being more eloquent then me, probable just a lonely, pathetic old man that got his jollys when he heard the dog yelp. Done.

I'm working on "people skills".

 

[passedpawn]

I'm working on "people skills".

Aw billy, I'm proud of ya! Mom and I knew ya'd come aroun one day.

This thread is horrifying and funny all wrapped into one. I can't wait to see how it ends.

 

[Billy-Klubb]

Aw billy, I'm proud of ya! Mom and I knew ya'd come aroun one day.

This thread is horrifying and funny all wrapped into one. I can't wait to see how it ends.

hopefully not with the ban hammer, but more with an open mind. the latter of the two seems highly unlikely and I predict this thread get's the lock.

 

[ChefRex]

Aw billy, I'm proud of ya! Mom and I knew ya'd come aroun one day.

This thread is horrifying and funny all wrapped into one. I can't wait to see how it ends.

Thanks PP, didn't think this thread could make me laugh again!

 

[GenIke]

mix pepper spray into the bird food. Supposedly birds are not affected by it.

Id try this. They sell hot pepper powder at the hardware store that you can mix with the seed. It's usually used to repel squirrels, but Im sure it would work on dogs too. Apparently, the birds cant taste the "heat" of the capsaicin.

Edit: I missed post 54, but this still could work

 

[Rhumbline]

To set the record straight... The feed is dry dog food.

H.W.

Well, that makes things different. The dog is probably on some dog forum somewhere talking about his sick psycho neighbor who puts the dog dish seven feet off the ground and then electrifies it.

His buddies are all "Pi$$ on his car", "Hump his cat", "Stand outside his bedroom window and bark all night"

There's always at least two sides to every story.

 

[MaxStout]

 

[hunter_le five]

Just put the dog in the steak toaster on high for 10 minutes.

Problem solved.

 

[MaxStout]

Wanted for questioning.

 

[Singletrack]

Turn off the power. Nothing to be concerned about. Just another friendly bird at your feeder.

 

[Singletrack]

Me too.

 

[vanishingpint]

Sonsabitch'n Bumpus's

 

[Owly055]

The problem seems to be solved.... I he hasn't been back since the second time he got zapped. Basic simple dog training.

I find it interesting that resorting to electric fencing where dogs are concerned is considered by many bleeding heart wimps to be "cruelty", though I don't hear the same thing about using electric fence for cattle, sheep, horses, etc. Shock collars are a very common tool in dog training, as are invisible fences which are a buried wire that sends a signal to a shock collar, not to mention anti bark collars.

I'm looking out my window at the moment and he's digging in a trash can across the street, but he won't even come near my house anymore. The other two dogs who are frequently loose in the neighborhood come over to visit me when they see me outside or on my porch, but never even think about bothering my bird feeder. It's a very selective solution that targets only the problem dog, and nothing else.

H.W.

 

[MaxStout]

I don't think electric fences are cruel. Just enough juice to make it unpleasant, but not harmful. If you had used 120/240V mains power, another story entirely...

Glad to hear the dog learned his lesson and has moved on to other things.

 

[Grannyknot]

9 pages and nobody has suggested to even attempt to talk to the dogs owner?

 

[passedpawn]

9 pages and nobody has suggested to even attempt to talk to the dogs owner?

Billy did

and yet you're too chicken s#!t to talk to your neighbor about his country livin' dog. I get it. you're a "no nonsense" kind of guy. we have lots of them out here in rural MN. the ones that won't spay or neuter their cats then drown every litter of kittens because they're a nuisance. you're just doing what's gotta be done, which does not entail having a civil conversation with the neighbor. just shock the dog.

 

[Rhumbline]

...
I find it interesting that resorting to electric fencing where dogs are concerned is considered by many bleeding heart wimps to be "cruelty", though I don't hear the same thing about using electric fence for cattle, sheep, horses, etc....

H.W.

I have a problem with using 120 volts in the manner you originally described without considering other, non-lethal options. That's all.

 

[Grannyknot]

Billy did

since when is billy the voice of reason?

 

[DrunkleJon]

I know I am kinda late to the party and that you seem to have trained the neighbors dog how you want. I am not going to condemn your or anything else, but there are other simpler tricks that could have been tried first aside from talking to the dogs owner. Old car floor mat or carpet protectors(upside down) where the dog stands is one way. The pointy grip part should be just uncomfortable enough to dissuade the dog.

One argument I have is the difference between dog shock collars and electric fences and your comment about the following

I find it interesting that resorting to electric fencing where dogs are concerned is considered by many bleeding heart wimps to be "cruelty", though I don't hear the same thing about using electric fence for cattle, sheep, horses, etc. Shock collars are a very common tool in dog training, as are invisible fences which are a buried wire that sends a signal to a shock collar, not to mention anti bark collars.

Have you ever shocked yourself on both types of shock sources? Dog shock collars are designed for dogs. Most of them are very slow frequency shocks that are more to surprise than to hurt. Electric Fences (not designed for pairing with the collars for dogs) are a whole different monster. Cows and horses and other large livestock are the targets of electric fencing which are calibrated for animals much larger than a dog (which few get to or above 100 lbs). The type of shock hurts a crapload more.

My final comments are pointed at the fact that this is not your dog. There are/can be legal ramifications to behavior such as this. Firstly since it is not your animal, your rights on punishing it are nil unless it outright attacks you. If the dog is just being a nuisance, your legal rights most likely (I do not live in your town) are only to call animal control or the police and file formal complaints with your neighbors letting their dog run free into your yard.

Other issues come from the fact that you have dog food in the bowl. If it were bird seed, you may have an argument, but anyone who does not know your intentions could easily be expected to conclude from seeing your setup in action that your whole goal is to shock the dog to get your jollies.

TL : DR
Be careful what you do to your neighbors animals. Many people feel as strongly about their pets as if they were their actual children and for moral (and most likely legal) reasons you should manage a nuisance animal like you would a nuisance neighborhood child. It may be more difficult at the onset, but in the long run can save you quite a bit of money, liability and hassle.

PS - I am not a police officer, lawyer and all of these statements are solely my opinion and are intended to be constructive rather than attacking. Frankly, I am kind of surprised this thread has not gotten a lock yet.

 

[Newsman]

(snip)
My final comments are pointed at the fact that this is not your dog. There are/can be legal ramifications to behavior such as this. Firstly since it is not your animal, your rights on punishing it are nil unless it outright attacks you. If the dog is just being a nuisance, your legal rights most likely (I do not live in your town) are only to call animal control or the police and file formal complaints with your neighbors letting their dog run free into your yard.

(snip)

Just wanted to point out that the OP doesn't live in an urban area. He lives in a VERY rural area, from what he's said, where, presumably, the population density is such that there is no "animal control" officer per se. There are still a lot of areas like that -- back in the wilds of the western USA, and in some parts of Canada.

Not trying to pick a fight one way or the other, just pointing out something you appear to have missed.

 

[TX_Brewing]

Entertaining thread, but I still have one question.

Does the dog sit or stand to pee?

 

[DrunkleJon]

Just wanted to point out that the OP doesn't live in an urban area. He lives in a VERY rural area, from what he's said, where, presumably, the population density is such that there is no "animal control" officer per se. There are still a lot of areas like that -- back in the wilds of the western USA, and in some parts of Canada.

Not trying to pick a fight one way or the other, just pointing out something you appear to have missed.

granted.