How to stop one dog from constantly harassing the other
Unrelenting pestering between household dogs triggers aggressive fights the moment anyone tries to intervene, turning the home into a source of constant dread. This relentless tension leaves owners trapped, exhausted, and seriously questioning whether they have to re-home a pet.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Trying to separate them during a fight
- 2Considering rehoming the harassing dog
- 3Using noise-canceling headphones
- 4Running white noise machines
- 5Moving the desk to the other side of the house
- 6Talking politely to the neighbor once
- 7ignoring the dog
- 8leaving the room
- 9using puzzle toys and chew toys
- 10enforced naps and crate training
- 11training the dog to relax and lay down
- 12keeping the puppy on a lead
- 13avoiding owners who let their dogs approach
- 14getting a FOB activated cat flap
- 15talking to the neighbour and asking her to pay for vet bills
- 16asking the neighbor to keep her violent cat indoors or get a catio
- 17calling animal control and reporting the aggressive cat
- 18taking pictures of any injuries that occurred
- 19cat proofing the garden
- 20keeping cats indoors
- 21installing a gate around the home and keeping it closed 24/7
- 22calling the police and animal control
- 23carrying self-defense tools like bear mace, pepper spray, or a firearm
- 24contacting the landlord or dog warden
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Over the last about six months they dogs have escaped 5 times.”source ↗
“They’ve gotten out and almost attacked me and my kids 4 times since the first incident.”source ↗
“For now we are prisoners of our home.”source ↗
“Neighbor's dog won't stop barking and I'm losing my mind. What are my options that won't start a war?”source ↗
“I work from home and I've had to apologize on three separate client calls because the dog was going nuts in the background.”source ↗
“I'm running out of patience and I'm starting to dread being home, which feels insane to even type out.”source ↗
“We have a terrier chihuahua mix and a regular chihuahua and the mix WILL NOT leave our other alone. Ever.”source ↗
“If I try to separate them, they start rolling and tumbling growling and attacking each other.”source ↗
“I don't know if I should get rid/re-home of her at this point.”source ↗
“his barking is truly making me lose my mind.”source ↗
“He will just bark and bark at me for no apparent reason.”source ↗
“It’s really impacting my mental health. I live in a large apartment, too, so I’m worried it’ll impact my standing with my landlord.”source ↗
“There are aggressive dogs off the leads in the parks and they have attacked my puppy 3 times already.”source ↗
“Now I am afraid that my dog will develop fear and aggression and I myself am now scared of any dogs”source ↗
“Sorry, this is more of a rant, but I am simply desperate at how things are here.”source ↗
“Last night, i heard muddy screaming downstairs, i went downstairs to see that the bengal had come into our house and had attacked muddy while she was sleeping.”source ↗
“muddy now doesn’t feel safe in her own home, What’s to stop the bengal simply following muddy close behind into the FOB cat flap, and the neighbour has not historically been a reasonable person, i doubt she will be reasonable in this situation- what can i say to her?”source ↗
“i do not feel they are safe now that the bengal knows to get into my garden- of course they are locked up at night but they roam in the day.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 4How to handle a dog with intense guarding instincts
- 3What to do after your adopted dog tries to bite you
- 2How to stop my pets from attacking each other
- 7How to stop a dog from escaping the crate while at work
- 4How to handle fake emotional support animals in restaurants
- 2How to handle severe leash reactivity in a busy city