I'm a first time homeowner. I'm probably going to have a lot of
homeowner questions, so here's my first one.

I have a neighbor across the street who I have never met. He recently
got a dog that he allows to run loose. The dog has taken a particular
liking to my front and back yards as toilet facilities. I would like
to maintain a civilized relationship with this neighbor while getting
him to keep his dog off my property. I'll be fencing the backyard
within the next couple of months. I do not want to fence the front.
Tact is not a member of my skill set.

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Request for Question Clarification by hagan-ga on 20 Jan 2006 11:53 PST

Hi, Cohda.  I answered another question similar to yours with
information about dog repellents.
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=548584
If that would suffice as an answer to your question, it's yours, on
the house.  If not, were you looking more for advice on dealing with
your neighbor directly?

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Clarification of Question by cohda-ga on 20 Jan 2006 13:17 PST

This is an idea that I hadn't thought of. Since I really don't want to
introduce myself to my neighbor and tell him to curb his dog in the
same sentence, this may be a better solution. My only question is if
any of this stuff really works. I'm going to leave this question open
while I do some research and try one or more of these products.

Thanks, Hagan. I'll report back on my results and if I need another solution.

Have a friendly word with your neighbour.

Tell him that you have bought some weedkiller that contains a notice
that it is harmful to animals ...

Just wondering ... 

Is it possible that you have either a cat or a dog that might be allowed to wander?

Of course, he'll probably shoot you, so wear a bullet-proof vest, just in case.

I'm kind of a stickler for honesty, so the weed killer wouldn't work.
It would be an obvious lie anyway since I have two dogs, so I
obviously wouldn't use something that could harm them.

Ah, you read the part about my lack of tact. Since I can't believe I
even have to approach this guy, my first instinct was to introduce
myself to him with my two dogs by my side crapping all over his lawn.
I don't have a bullet proof vest, so I'm looking for something a bit
more tactful than that.

Take some pictures first so he doesn't say, "It isn't MY dog, it's your's!"

Go over to him, introduce yourself, maybe evn take a little welcoming
present or offer him a drink at your house. When you get chatting,
casually bring up his dog and then mention how it goes to the toilet
in your yard occasionally and don't even ask him to stop letting it
loose. Due to the fact that you have already been nice and friendly to
your neighbor and had a little chat about other stuff previously to
his dog he will be sure to feel bad and say I won't let it happen
again. Byadopting the friendly approach you won't anger him by
bringing it up like you would if you just rang on his doorbell and
told him

Toby, founder of:

http://www.open-your-mind.co.uk

I decided to try Liquid Fence as my first plan of attack. I couldn't
find it in my area so I had to order it. It arrived this afternoon,
and as promised, boy does it stink!! It's supposed to rain this
evening so it will be tomorrow before I can try it.

Good luck!  Let us know how it works out.

I tried the Liquid Fence. It got very good reviews, but it didn't work
for me. I generously applied it to an area of my back yard that I
didn't want dogs near. A few hours later, one of my own dogs sniffed
the area where I had sprayed and promptly made a deposit right on top
of it. The stuff has a horrible odor. The only place I had to store it
was my garage and it fouled up the entire area. I could even smell it
from my patio, which is just outside the back of the garage. I spilled
a small amount on my jeans and could still smell it a little after
washing them.

This morning I stayed home from work and spotted a neighbor entering
the area with two large Boxers. I went outside just in time to catch
both of them squatting on my property. I told the owner that this
behavior needed to stop. She stood on my property and replied, "I'll
beat the sh*t out of you if you don't shut up." Apparently I glared at
her and this did not set well. Neanderthals are overly sensitive.

Fortunately, I had a discussion yesterday with the other owners in
this building. We all agreed that fencing the backyards was the only
solution to the problem. I emailed the homeowner's association last
night and have a meeting this afternoon. The threat I received this
morning will only strengthen our case.

Thanks to all for your input.