Have you tried small talk and compliments? Spend a few minutes each day talking to her when she comes by. Tell her something complimentatry about her dog. Do this for a time, maybe a week or so. At some point you'll be able to include your dogs in the conversation. She may even bring them without a word from you. You can casually mention how worked up the dogs get when people go by, especially other dogs. She may offer to keep her dog farther away if you build a rapport with her, "Oh my. I didn't realize that my dog was upsetting yours".
Then again, your hubby may already have put up a wall between you.
Chuck D.
'03 Jayco Kiwi 17a, '03 Chevy Trailblazer EXT, Garmin Nuvi 200 GPS
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I freak out when people let their dogs on my front lawn at home. We had alady one time who kept on letting her dog pee on my grass and it was leaving burn spots. Next time I saw her walking I kindly explained this to her and asked politely if she could keep her dog off my lawn. Of course she gave me an attitude so when she came around next time I was ready for her. The dog got the jet stream of the hose nozzle and her dog never came on my lawn again....lol
Although that's a little extreme, some people just don't get it.
I have two VERY large dogs and I understand that many people are extremely afraid of them, especially given the breed's reputation. I keep my dog as far away from other people and other people's property as possible. My dogs are kept on a 2 ft leash while walking beside me. I guess people just don't give a damn anymore...lol
GACampnGirl wrote: I agree with othertonka. Plain English. Said politely with a true smile and maybe you'll even get a nice wave as she walks by with her dog on a short leash.
othertonka wrote: Plain english. Mame, I would sure appreaciate it if you could shorten the leash on your dogs collar so he won't come so close to our space. Since you have a dog, you know that dogs are very protective of their home turf and when you allow your dog to get that close, our dogs get real protective and I am afraid they will get away from us and attact your little dog and we don't want that to happen. So we would appreciate that when you pass our space, that you shorten up the leash. Is that to much to ask of you?
Another vote for plain english. "Please have some respect for our home by keeping your dog off of our lot". If she doesn't like that, or is offended by it, then she probably isn't the type of person you want to be buddies with anyway.
Sit outside on the picnic table cleaning the biggest knife you have and smile real big.
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I'm sure you could ask your neighbor for a little more distance when she walks her dog past yours. Most dog owners would understand an explanation of the territorial imperative.
But you're missing an opportunity.
Most friendly dogs would be very happy to have another dog friend. Your dogs figure its their job first to protect you and act accordingly in their space. So solve the problem by offering to take your dogs on a walk with hers in the neutral territory of the rest of the rv park.
Once your dogs have socialized a bit they won't have to defend you from her dog so much. And who knows, they might enjoy a new friend.
You can decide on your own if its worth inviting the neighbor in for a beer.
Dan
02 Freightliner Sprinter 2500 long tall home brew conversion
Have you tried small talk and compliments? Spend a few minutes each day talking to her when she comes by. Tell her something complimentatry about her dog. Do this for a time, maybe a week or so. At some point you'll be able to include your dogs in the conversation. She may even bring them without a word from you. You can casually mention how worked up the dogs get when people go by, especially other dogs. She may offer to keep her dog farther away if you build a rapport with her, "Oh my. I didn't realize that my dog was upsetting yours".
Then again, your hubby may already have put up a wall between you.
Ok to respond or not to respond HMM..... My inner voice is telling me that I probably shouldn't but.....
As John Stossel on 20/20 so famously says... "Gimme a break".
In a perfect world I suppose this matter could be handled the way you suggest but in a perfect world this problem wouldn't exist in the first place either now would it?
There isn't a whole lot of time for small talk and compliments when I am trying to keep my dogs from a confrontational situation that neither myself or them are causing or are responsible for. I am sorry but plain respect and common sense goes a long way. For me, that seems to be the whole problem here. The lack of respect she has for us and common sense on her part. I get that you want me to handle this with more patience and diplomacy and maybe to some what my DH said to her wasn't the politically correct thing to say but I feel if you have to actually say something at all to these people in the first place they just don't get it. I doubt any amount of small talk or compliments are going to sink in with these type of people anyway. I guess I just expect better from people. How could anyone think that behavior like this doesn't disrespect others and is OK?
We have decided that we are going to give it a couple of days and we will be speaking with the office.
I'd give anyone the courtesy of some nice conversation at least two or three times. If that isn't enough, it would be time to escalate to the park management or even local law enforcement.
Russ
Some people just Don't get it. We have a neighbor lady who walks her big black lab around the entire area where we live letting the dog go way out on the leash, right up in our yards to do it's multiple business, including leaving piles behind. She lets him stop in the yards where the rest of us have dogs, because that way Her dog goes faster! What a Deal!!!
Something similar occurred at the State Park we stayed in last summer multiple times. This is Non-Animal related mostly, but because we were on an end lot by the entrance road, people would stop on our site and let their dogs do their business as they walked them. There was also a big Chestnut Tree on our lot. All times of the day, especially early AM, people would be out under the big tree on our site, picking up the Chestnuts, (Thinking they were Buckeyes). Some were even driving in from outside the park in cars and parking at the wash-house, coming on our site, right up within 5 feet of our door like we didn't even exist on the site. There were plenty of equal trees all over the park on empty sites. We thought that took a lot of nerve, apathy or stupidity or a combination of all of them...
We reported it to the Park Office and they said to "Run Them Off!"
We weren't that bold, but did start heading outside from breakfast as soon as we saw the "gatherers" out there rummaging all over our site,
to at least let them know somebody was home. Sometimes glaring works.
There, I feel better now, been holding that in since last October!
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