Teach your dog to leave it. Start with a treat, put it on the ground in front of his nose. He can get it only when you say OKAY. Same tactic applies with the neighbor. You may have to be a bit more assertive and not ASK your dog to leave it, but tell him to leave it - deep firm voice. No PLEASE in there at all.
Next tell your neighbor that the dog does not like his teasing, and tell him to stop it. No asking, just like the dog, just tell him. Point out that you have asked him to stop once already. I visit my mechanic and there are a nmber of destiture guys wandering around drunk and ready to pick a fight. When they see my dog unattended in the car, they always go for him poundng on the car and riling up the dog. They never seem to realize Im only 20 feet away watching them. I yell at them to knock it off and go away. Other than putting up a bigger fence there is not much you can do, you may call the business line of the police department or sto by the local department and ask them about your neighbors taunting your dog.
NOTE - You can teach your dog to leave anything, and you can show him black tee shirts or black things and get him use to these things. I understand you needing to get a handle on this right away, because if your dog were to get out, and the neighbor there, trouble would certainly ensue. I do know that my friend had the UPS man taunt his dog to the point where the dog jumped the fence and went after the UPS man. The UPS man lodged a complaint, and it tuns out he had done this with most every dog on his route. They never learn!!!

In addition, you need a fast growing hedge.

Isn't that weird how dogs associate things? We had a German Police that hated uniforms of any type (kind of ironic) My little dog hates masks (Halloween is difficult for him) neither one had been teased with these things (unless the people that trained Klink, teased him, can't say for sure) but Gizmo has no reason to fear masks, even if I put one on he will start growling at me, so we avoid those types of things.
It isn't right that he is teasing your dog like this, I would make sure to call the police on this so they have a record of your complaint on what he is doing, that way if your dog takes the back pocket off his pants, you have a filed complaint on this guy.

I just can't believe some people. What did he say when you asked him to stop?

You need to start documenting what happens and what time.

Then, politely tell your neighbor that he is agitating your dog. Make the point that your dog sees this behavior as a real threat, and is being attacked trained for your protection. For this reason he is protective of you when ever he sees this behavior.

Then, make the point that the dog is growing and will get bigger, especially his teeth. As this happens, so will his protection of you.

The fact that you should have to tolerate this is unacceptable. Documenting what happened will be for your records only in case something happens.

The dog hates the person, things could get ugly as the dog's hate grows.

SG

I am not so sure that exaggerating your dog's attack training is such a good idea. If the neighbor is ever hurt by your dog, the fact that you told him that he was trained to attack verifies that you knew and encouraged your dog to be aggressive. Not a good thing for the authorities to think about you and your dog!

I would do the opposite. Call around and see if you can get private lessons at a training school where they will help you train your dog to ignore people waving and making noise, black clothes, and dark-skinned people. Using positive reinforcement, you can start this at home. Get treats and a clicker and teach the dog that when the clicker clicks, treats happen. Then when the dog is exposed to people wearing black (you stage this), call the dog to you and click and treat for him sitting quietly by your side. Continue to get him to understand that those scary black colors mean that sitting by mom will get him treats. Move on to teaching him to ignore loud people making large movements. If he comes to you and sits quietly, he gets treats. You may need a few professional lessons to help you with this.

If you have any black friends, you might ask them to help you teach the dog that they are not scary. You do it the same way. The black person is seen at a distance, you call the dog and tell him to sit, and he gets treats for remaining calm. As the person comes closer, the dog gets treats for remaining calm. If it looks like the dog is going to break the sit, have the person back off. A trainer can help you with this. It should not be too difficult to do.

Teenagers are not likely to respond to a polite request for them to stop taunting your dog. The fact that you have a dog that is considered a guard dog is probably seen by the young man as a challenge to get the dog to act badly. Prove him wrong with extra training. Get your dog so focused on you that a parade of clowns waving flags can go by and he will sit quietly until you release him.

I can't help with an answer especially since neighbor has refussed to stop when asked but I will say I sure would find a way even if it means call the animal control or police. People like this can cause real problems - you have what will be a large, protective dog soon and he may feel the need to protect you from such a person. How sad when you seem to be doing everything right in raising him.

Send your neighbor a little friendly certified mail letter setting forth that you have asked him politely not to instigate the dog into a frenzy. Describe your neighbor's behavior in the letter exactly the way it occurs. In the letter, warn him that should the dog get loose, he will try and bite him. Protect yourself by sending this letter. Keep a copy of the letter and the receipt card that he signed when he receives the letter. I have a feeling you may need it at sometime in the future.

If the idiot is dumb enough to keep teasing your dog, he will sue you if he eventually ends up getting bitten. Some people are just plain stupid.

I think the problem is the idiot teenager not your dog. Take pictures openly or hidden of this kid taunting this dog. than take pictures to police,humane Society,anyplace you can to get kid on record so he cannot sue you if he ever does get bit.
Try wrapping treats in black paper. Wear black clothes sometimes,washable of course. LOL. Dog and cat hairs find black clothes a mile away. ;~)
If you know a dark complected person that loves dogs ask if they will come meet your dog.
Try to teach him that black can be good. Not every dog can be taught to ignore taunting. Thats why alot of dogs don't make it as police or helper dogs, people either.
vickie

In the letter, warn him that should the dog get loose, he will try and bite him. Protect yourself by sending this letter.

This would actually make her more liable. She would be acknowledging a 'known hazard'. If the dog ever does bite the neighbor, or anyone for that matter, it would be a slam dunk lawsuit.

Yes, Weed is right. Even having a "Beware of Dog" sign can be used against you. If you felt you had to warn people about your dog, you "knew" it was aggressive before it bit someone and it makes you more liable when you get sued.

I agree with Nancy - distract him when the man is out agitating him by giving him treats. Just for ignoring the man is worthy of treats - constant treats, not just one here and there. We do this all the time with dogs who are dog aggressive, as another dog passes by, we treat treat treat. Get your dog to focus on you, not the neighbor.

What a shame you have to live by such a dufus. I can't imagine anyone deliberately taunting a dog, especially in front of its owner.

If the offending neighbor is a minor, could you speak with his parents?

Is he a renter rather than a homeowner? Perhaps you could contact the landlord and inform him of what's happening?

Could you have someone video his actions? Then show the Police the evidence and perhaps they might have a "friendly" talk with this person?

Then there's always a letter from a lawyer warning of a lawsuit charging threatening and harrassing behavior.

He's gotta be nuts! Who would want to deliberately make an enemy of a large dog that could inflict major damage?

Thanks for the advice everyone! I wasn't sure if giving him treats to distract him would be mistaken as a reward for his behavior. He know the "leave it" command, but when the neighbor does this his listening ears are broken. We are going to start that with the black shirts and jackets this week.
We do not let any of our neighbors pet or touch Kaiser outside, only people that are allowed in the home pet him. He is fine with people coming in after we introduce him with friends and family and he is great when he comes to work with me. We have done this due to problems with other neighbors involved with theft, drugs, and peeping toms. (yeah I know great neighbors)
The neighbor is about early 30's and he should well enough know better. DH and I have think the neighbor is actually scared of Kaiser, but since Kaiser is still "small" and leashed he thinks he is being big and bad to him. We have decided what will do is on the next incident we will immediately take Kaiser back in and come out and speak with neighbor. We have decided to tell him that his actions are uncalled for and could result in a horrific situation that should and can be avoided. This is not just for his safety but for Kaiser as well. We will also ask if he does this to other dogs and what does he think would happen in a worse case scenario?
I don't think the guy has thought out the potential scenario, he teases a dog that breaks from the owner, dog does not listen, dog attacks him, man is either seriously mauled or dead. What is worse is the dog will be the one to ultimately suffer because someone was acting stupid.
We hope this will end the tormenting if not we will videotape him and contact a lawyer about pressing charges. Not so much to win a case, but to prove to him this is not a joke.

Once again thank you so much guys, Kaiser and I appreciate your help!

I think you are right about the neighbor being afraid of your dog. You must be 100 percent certain that he cannot get out of your yard at all times.

This is a form of harassment; you can ask the police or talk to the humane society to collect more information.

Try to have your first talk with the neighbor on the friendliest basis you can manage. Sometimes that approach pays off very well, even though it might not reflect your real attitude.

mazer had a great suggestion. Working on "leave it" and giving him treats will definitely not reward the paying attention to the distraction (person yelling). It will definitely reward the dog paying attention to you regardless of distractions. Ant that is exactly what you want with a large protective dog. You want him calm and unruffled until you say differently.

He know the "leave it" command, but when the neighbor does this his listening ears are broken.
Also, you can reduce the stimui and slowly increase it. FX, when your dog is inside, show him the person through the window and say leave it and treat. Or do it right at your front door farther from the street and the person. Or get a friend to wear a blackshirt from far away and practice.

An obedience class is a wonderful thing. Your dog sounds smart and you seem caring. Basic obedience is a good start, but I think the dog could make wonderful progress with even more advanced training!

To OP: Writing the letter is putting the neighbor on notice that he is putting himself in danger. When someone files a lawsuit, the biggest defense is did that the person act prudently with knowledge or facts he/she should have known when he came into contact with the dog. It doesn't invite a lawsuit or make it anymore possible that your carrier will pay. It will protect him as does a beware of dog sign. When you have a sign, it alerts passers by not to enter your yard, then if they do, the person has a hard time proving to anyone that he was acting prudently and in his own best interest to enter a yard where a dog is kept, or in your case, where a dog is on a leash that he is teasing. You are putting him on notice of his behavior being dangerous to him. You are offensively dealing with a problem before it happens. Better to be two steps ahead. All the training in the world may not stop your dog if this guy persists. At the very least, if this man is bit and he sues you, his damages will be reduced by the percentage of his own negligence in not exercising reasonable care...

Also, make sure your dog license (Township) is up to date, as well as all of its shots.

Good luck to you.

groomingal, sorry to hear you are having such problems. FWIW, I'd suggest talking to a lawyer in your state before you either send a letter or have a chat with your troublesome neighbor. Seems to me that's the best way of understanding your rights and liabilities in this situation.

Just my $.02.

Yes, Anita is right. Things are changing in the world of dog law, I think. What used to protect you is used against you (such as a sign showing that you had prior knowledge that your dog might bite instead of acting to inform others and lower your liability). Talk to a lawyer in your area and see how things are working there today.

You have some interesting dynamics in your neighborhood, and in your desire to feel safe there, you have a guard dog. Part of having a guard dog is having that dog under your control every second, no matter what is going on around him. It is a big responsibility for you, but you will feel safer when you have accompished it. It will take a lot of training and being consistent, and I wish you only the greatest success!

Your neighbor needs to be educated on the proper way to greet your dog, and if he refuses to follow your request then you need to tell him to ignore your dog. (And you can work with teaching your dog to ignore him also.) But the real training in this situation needs to be done with your neighbor.

Tell your neighbor that your dog is being trained specifically not to attack anyone or anything. More specifically "We do not want a dog that is a fighter." You may call it a chicken, but we call it a polite and responsible dog.

And we approach our dogs in a calm, friendly manner with hand down for the dog to sniff. Anything actions that provoke the dog in anyway is not acceptable for OUR dog.

micke- what exactly is a german police dog? My dad says he had one when he was a kid but what is it? Is it a Germ shepherd or belgian malinois or someting else? Daddy-o doesn't have any idea what breed it was just called it a german police dog.

qq= German Police is a Shepard, just a larger one, he was a beautiful black and silver. Never seen one quite like ours since he has been gone. I believe they are actually "German" and the ones you normally see around here are "American". I was a youngster when we had him but I would say he was around 125lbs, something like that, will have to ask my mother for sure on his weight. Wonder if they are even around anymore, think mom got him in 1976. She got him from a man that couldn't control him, this guy had him tied to a tow bar with a log chain. Had to push the food over to him with a stick. He was in our family for about 10 years, never hurt one of us kids or my mother, he did bite a kid for dumping sand on my head, back in the days when the kid got his bottom busted and no one thought of sueing the animal owner:)

correction to make, Klink was NOT the dog my mom got that was tied up with a log chain, that one was a dog that had been in the army (didn't know they even had dogs but anyway) she says I keep getting those 2 confused as she had the other one for a short period right before we got Klink, she got him from a actual breeder/handler. I have some pics of Klink, I can scan them in and maybe if I can get the size issue down (they turn out very tiny) I can post some of them:)

micke, some 30 years ago my grandfather had a 125-lb black and silver German Shepherd, I was told he came from a breeder outside the USA. I've never seen a GS like that since, either in size or conformation...he was a very intelligent, muscular, powerful version of the GS, with beautiful lines and proportions and without the strange hips you see now. He was immensely strong and until the day he died had no health problems of any kind. My grandfather kept him for protection on his horse farm and had voice-trained him to all obedience commands. Pop told me that at first the dog understood only German, not English...

What can I do if my neighbor kids behind our house tease , yell, hit on the fence with sticks or climb over the top on their side hanging over the fence. They also mimic every sentence I say. This makes my my Aussie / German Shepard service dog is have a potty break very upset. She runs up and jumps at the fence which makes the kids encouraged. . I already have a wooden privacy fence. Please. I could use any advice. I think the parents know and care less. .

I scared kids who put their portable basketball hoop underneath my apartment windows away by playing operas really loud. It worked great. Is the fence yours, on your property? If yes, and it is not a shared fence right on the line with the other neighbor, maybe you can report them for trespassing? Nuisance behavior? I would be really tempted to put a livestock electric fence wire at the top, but if you live in town, it is probably not allowed.
A coyote roller would cost some bucks, but would stop them from getting to the top of the fence. Google it and have a look.