Yesterday afternoon I saw the neighbor's visiting grandson (7 or 8 years old) on the neighbor's side of our mutual fence. My dog was on my side of the fence, approaching the kid, then backing off, barking, reapproching..

Repeat above behavior. Several times.

I could hear the kid saying something to the dog and could see the kid reaching his hand toward the dog through the fence.

I figured the little brat was teasing my dog and headed out into the yard to tell him that is not a good idea. My neighbors are wonderful, and I couldn't understand why they hadn't said something to stop this behavior.

As I got closer, I could hear what the boy was saying. "Give it back. Come on, give it back!"

Only then did I see that the dog had a ball in his mouth.

The kid had accidently tossed the ball into my yard, and was trying to coax the dog into returning it.

My dog, a retriever, had done what a retriever would do -- fetched the ball. But then he would approach the fence with ball in mouth as if to give it back until the boy's hand reached through the fence. Then the dog would back up, and the "game" would start all over.

I returned the ball to it's rightful owner, and walked back into my house realizing that I had been wrong in thinking that the kid was teasing my dog.

Nope. The dog was teasing the kid!

:rotfl:

Yesterday afternoon I saw the neighbor's visiting grandson (7 or 8 years old) on the neighbor's side of our mutual fence. My dog was on my side of the fence, approaching the kid, then backing off, barking, reapproching..

Repeat above behavior. Several times.

I could hear the kid saying something to the dog and could see the kid reaching his hand toward the dog through the fence.

I figured the little brat was teasing my dog and headed out into the yard to tell him that is not a good idea. My neighbors are wonderful, and I couldn't understand why they hadn't said something to stop this behavior.

As I got closer, I could hear what the boy was saying. "Give it back. Come on, give it back!"

Only then did I see that the dog had a ball in his mouth.

The kid had accidently tossed the ball into my yard, and was trying to coax the dog into returning it.

My dog, a retriever, had done what a retriever would do -- fetched the ball. But then he would approach the fence with ball in mouth as if to give it back until the boy's hand reached through the fence. Then the dog would back up, and the "game" would start all over.

I returned the ball to it's rightful owner, and walked back into my house realizing that I had been wrong in thinking that the kid was teasing my dog.

Nope. The dog was teasing the kid!

:rotfl:

Just like a retriever! I love 'em!

Just like a retriever! I love 'em!

Sometimes I wonder when I see people "training" their dogs just who is training who.

Sometimes I wonder when I see people "training" their dogs just who is training who.

I had a cat that would hang out just beyond paws reach @ the fence--the neighbor's dog would bark his head off, when I finally looked out the window to see why he won't shut up--there's Turbo grinning up @ me, "Hi, Mom, I'm teasing the dog!" Turbo looked quite pleased w/himself.

I had a cat that would hang out just beyond paws reach @ the fence--the neighbor's dog would bark his head off, when I finally looked out the window to see why he won't shut up--there's Turbo grinning up @ me, "Hi, Mom, I'm teasing the dog!" Turbo looked quite pleased w/himself.

I had a cockatoo that would walk around the yard watching the dog and when the dog was not looking "George" the cockatoo would zoom in and bite the dog on the rump. The dog would invariably levitate into the air yelping and when it hit the ground again here was George doing the best nonchalant "gee I'm innocent" walk you have ever seen.

I had a cockatoo that would walk around the yard watching the dog and when the dog was not looking "George" the cockatoo would zoom in and bite the dog on the rump. The dog would invariably levitate into the air yelping and when it hit the ground again here was George doing the best nonchalant "gee I'm innocent" walk you have ever seen.