It was funny to watch the dog's in my uncle's neighborhood. He was an electrician and he wired all his bushes so when they peed on them they got a mild shock. It only took a few days, and then you'd see them come to his property and cross to the other side of the street to do their business. Of course, you'd get in trouble with the neighbor for that. I think either fence will be fine but they may figure how to get through the rail fence. You might have to attach chicken wire to the bottom two rails so they realize they can't get through. After a while you should be able to remove the wire. Who knows, you may set a neighborhood trend for picket fences.

LOL, believe me I've thought of an electric fence but, no, I do not want any lawsuits!

The 3 rail fence will have wire, that would be done by the installer.

The only house that has a fence also has a pool but the fence starts in the back of the house. I just don't want it to be blinding.

Before going to the trouble and expense of extending your fence, you might want to try a pet deterrent. I’ve added a link to one below but there are several available. As the animal enters the sensor area, it gets a hypersonic blast. It takes a few experiences but it eventually avoids the area. I used one similar to this to stop the neighbours cat (Cat Stop) from shredding my doormat and a bark controller (Guardian) to quiet my other neighbours dog. I really love animals but their behaviour needs to be controlled.

https://www.amazon.ca/Ultrasonic-Repeller-Waterproof-Repellent-Deterrent/dp/B073FHKH1R

It's really the people's behavior that needs to be controlled but we know how well that goes.

I have tried ultrasonic deterrents and they did not work at all. Their one dog is a fast wiry little thing and I honestly don't think anything but the barrier will stop him. Their other dog is really slow because he is sick and it didn't even stop him.

I really do not mind extending the fence because it gives me a chance to landscape areas that would otherwise remain just grass open to their yard. Just not sure about having two different styles close to the front.

Problem solved. Found a poop closer to the house yesterday than ever before, right off our patio and deck. No longer care what a fence will look like or whether or not the neighbors will like it. They should have been thinking about that as they were letting their dog out to relieve itself on their neighbors lawn. Are people with dogs really that naive???

Not all but most. Sadly, many who think they are great owners really aren't. Your neighbors dog is your dog.

Don't you have leash laws? If this were happening in my yard, the owners would be fined. It's not ok for the neighbor's dogs to be on your property. You shouldn't have to go to the expense to fence them out. They should be fenced in by their owner.

DC- No good dog owners are not that naive. You have neighbors who really aren't looking out for the best interest of their dogs. I don't want my neighbors angry at my dogs- I have no idea what they could do to them. Glad you are a nice person who is taking the high route. I think a wood picket fence would look nice in the area you pictured.

@cdee18 - Yes, we have laws in my twp that state "It shall be unlawful for the owner of any dog(s) to allow or permit such dog(s) to run at large in ***** Township.

But as Blue Onblue said, I am taking the high ground. It doesn't matter if I call the township or talk to the neighbor; they won't change. They know it is an issue and for a while they became very responsible (or she did, he is just lazy) but they slowly slip back to their original ways. That seems to be the way it is with dog owners who cause their neighbors this sort of trouble. It's all over the internet. I'm glad there are some owners who care but it would seem most don't. In my old neighborhood we had an HOA. I was president for 4.5 years and the single biggest complaint I heard from owners was this issue. Over and over and over. So now I choose to nip it in the bud the only way that will really stop the problem. I love the idea of a fence and the cost is much lower than I expected so it really isn't a problem. A fence is the only way to reasonably solve this problem once and for all. I don't want to have to call the police or the twp every few months. Or be posting on the internet about it ad infinitum. That might make me (and others who take to the internet for the same problem) feel better but it won't solve the problem. And I certainly do not want to police my neighbor's behavior until I retire and move. We cannot teach others to respect their neighbors, you either have it or you don't. And that seems to be at the core of this issue, really.

This won't help but it may be good for a laugh. My neighbours dog used to like to come over to my house and do his business on my front sidewalk. I happened to catch him at it one morning and yelled at him to get out of my yard. I waited and watched for him the next morning around the same time. Sure enough he came back. As soon as he squatted to go I pulled the door open and let out an ungodly yell for him to git. I scared him so badly every time that he took off for home. This happened 1 more time. By this time I'm sure he was constipated but even if he wasn't he got the message that he'd better find another place to do his business. I never had another problem with that dog and he never came in my yard again. I had a good relationship with my neighbour. Of course they never knew what went on with their dog and me

As soon as I waiver regarding the fence their damn dog comes back for more. Right in front of our deck yesterday afternoon. My husband opened the window, shouted very loudly, did his ear piercing stadium whisle and nothing! The dog stood there looking at him and did his business anyway. And did the neighbor bothert to eveb call him over or get off the couch to peek out the door to see what the commotion was? No cause they are clueless. This is strengthening my resolve for the fence.....meeting the fence contractor for a firm estimate on Thursday.

@Revolutionary - I don't think these people would make the connection. The million piles of dog poop all around their patio seems not to bother them at all! They are just lazy....

Maybe a little loss of line of sight is a good thing. I am a firm believer in the 'tall fences make great neighbors' theory.

@Kevin - Agree, which is why the existing picket is great; it blocks the view of their driveway extension which has become junk storage. How hard is it to call Junk Removal?? That's another story.

But I just realized as I was typing this that extending the picket through the front might block sight of the pond across the street. Definitely don't want that. I can't see their patio from my backyard because of their landscaping which is mature and they never go beyond that part of their yard, which is at least another 150 feet deep, and I can see the woods and wildlife back there which I also don't want to block. So that's why I am doing the three rail fence back there. And the deer can still go through my woods to navigate to where ever they need to go.

I think you can go ahead with extending the picket fence. I don’t think that would be a problem. Having two different fences would look kind of odd. You can also add some shrubs along the fence to enhance the curb appeal.

The fence is actually on hold. I guess like other fence posters for the same problem I just couldn't bring myself to spend $3,500 to police their behavior. I bought a small temporary fence, 2 feet high, to place where the dogs come through the most and actually spoke with the neighbor yesterday. She said her dogs love to lounge on my property and she hoped I didn't mind. She said to call her anytime we find poop and she would gladly pick it up. (I think I'd never get off the phone.) I said I don't mind the visits but not the presents and that I was putting that temporary fence up in front of her landscaping planted on what she once considered her property. Couldn't gauge her reaction to the fence but its see through, temporary and on my property so there really is nothing to protest.

She is a reasonable person and we get along otherwise; I'm hoping the gentle reminder is enough to once again get her to police her pooches. And, if I have to purchase more of the temporary fence I will still save thousands. I'm still toying with extending the white picket down the front yard, not for the entire length though, just enough to hide their driveway and landscape in the area.

Good for you that you approached it head-on and gave your neighbor a
chance to respond and reflect. Hopefully her dogs will find another
place to lounge. I'm at the other spectrum wishing my neighbors dogs
would come chase away the deer! : )

Should you decide on something more permanent in the future,I think a split rail backed by some sort of wire would really suit the naturalness of your landscaping. You have a very pretty setting and while the white fence is charming, it's hard to judge from the pictures how well it will mesh with the mature trees.

Have you checked with your city, town or HOA regarding fence rules? In my area fences are only allowed in the back yard and cannot extend past the rear corners of the house.

@vaporvac - I think she must have been offended but didn't say anything at the time. Her moron of a son was home for the weekend with his dog and is obviously deeply troubled at my audacity. Yesterday my husband and I watched him walk well into our yard with his dog as if he owned the place. Pathetic really but it did bother me at the time. I wont give him the satisfaction of any attention whatsoever since he is obviously looking for a reaction. Its not the first time he has walked around in our yard since we moved there. He obviously has an issue with the fact that some of their property is actually ours. Not my problem. I just constantly shake my head at these type of people.

I continue to be dumbfounded by the sheer ignorance and arrogance of the wrongdoers when those being literally shit upon assert their rights. It's no wonder the world is in the state it's in.

BTW - I haven't seen her two dogs since our conversation so obviously she has a little more of a conscience than her idiot of a son.

I agree about the existing picket mixing with the setting.

@bichonbabe - Yes, in my township pretty much anything goes as far as fencing. Until recently its been a rural area and the rules haven't yet caught up with the development spurt.

On behalf of responsible dog owners I apologize for your lazy neighbors. There are no leash laws in my area and my HUGE dogs were trained since puppyhood to "go" in one area of my property. It's quite funny to see one of my dogs run from the neighbor's yard to "the spot", make a deposit, then run back over.

"We cannot teach others to respect their neighbors, you either have it or you don't."

We can, but it requires starting when they are small children.

chiflipper it's so true that dogs can be taught where to go. All of our dogs have been taught that their poo goes in the cow pasture. When our last dog had to be boarded for a few weeks while we travelled I told her host family that they could teach her to go in a specific spot, and if they didn't teach her she would probably choose one for herself. They were sceptical but sure enough when I picked her up three weeks later they proudly brought me to her spot and told me she had never deviated from it!

It seems as if respect has been bred completely out of the last couple of generations.