Good/bad neighbor dogs

Question
I own an almost three-year-old Great Pyrenees/black lab mix.  She behaves in a manner I expect of that type of dog.  She's a barker when someone or something new comes into her territory, but immediately calms down when addressed.  She has had several playmates visit to play, both at our old house and at our new one.

The neighbor has several dogs that he allows to run loose, including a very tall yellow lab mix.  The dog is about two inches taller than mine at the shoulder, and she's minimum height for a Pyr bitch.  

I rarely let her out in the front yard off leash, just because I'm afraid she might find something fun to chase and end up hurt.  I let her outside off leash and was keeping a very close eye on her while we were planting trees, and the neighbor's dogs came over.  She heard them before I did, and was standing very still in the clearing.  To me, it looked like she was waiting to see if they were going to be friendly or not, if that makes any sense.  

The yellow dog gave out a snarling growl and went for my dog's neck (I was still about thirty feet away, but I know I yelled very loudly).  I yelled, the dogs dropped their attack, and Merri chased them to our property fence before returning to me.  

I put her in our fenced backyard, but she managed to escape almost immediately, and began to patrol between us and the neighbor's house (it's through woods, several hundred yards away).  

All of this, to me, seemed very in keeping with Pyr behavior.

Today, a week later, I was in the house and she was outside.  I started hearing a terrible ruckus and went out to find the neighbor's dogs in our side yard by our back fence, growling and snarling and charging the fence where my dog was standing.  She was like before.  Hackles were raised, but she was actually just waiting for them when I got out there.  Most of the noise, for some reason, was on the other side of the fence.

My dog is neutered, and until this, I was pretty sure she was well socialized.  Is there a way I can get the neighbor dogs to get along with mine, or is my dog condemned to a life that is in the backyard only?  I have never had her have a problem with another dog, and though I know most dog owners can probably be favoring, I can't believe that she is instigating all of this herself...

Answer
Hi Lisa,

You have a neighbor problem, not so much a dog problem. You also have a tendency to defend your dog's behavior based on her genetics.

Bottom line, this problem needs to be addressed on a human level and yes I would not allow my dog in the front yard until it had been resolved.

To me it seems like your dog is acting defensively, but the problem is the recurrence-these two (I suspect the other dog to be female as well) may never get along.

Speak to your neighbor. Hopefully he will keep his dog out of your yard. If not, speak to animal control. Your dog is being attacked on your property.

Proof your back yard to ensure no one can break in or out.
And document every step you take to fix this just in case it goes legal.

www.dogbitelaw.com may have some articles that you could print out for your neighbor so you can make the message clear that you are looking for solution, not excuses. Play hard ball. Keep your dog safe.