Do I need to do anything about this?

snookums

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#1
I live in Southern California in a house that is in close proximity to my neighbors. In between each house is a 5-6 foot fence. Which is fine for Sophie, but my next door neighbor has a larger dog that they just adopted. He's a german shepard/golden mix and he isn't that big, but he's definitely bigger than Sophie.

He can't reach the top of the fence to look over except where my neighbors have a little pony wall running the length of their backyard. It ends right at the fence adjacent to my yard.

Their kids have always used this little pony wall to stand on to look over the fence and talk to my kids.

Anyway, the other day I'm in the kitchen and I see this thing move down from the fence...without really seeing it I assume it was their son looking for my son. A few moments later I see that is wasn't a human, but their dog Rocky looking over the fence trying to get Sophie's attention. Every few moments I would see his head and paws pop back up. Really cute, but...

Sophie and Rocky have "met" before and Rocky is a SWEET dog, and Sophie, who is 1/8th of his size, is definitely the domineering one. However, should Rocky get his head screwed on straight he definitely has the size and strength to bite her head off. My dh says that if he does jump the fence, that they would just play, but I still worry.

Should I make a stink or hope Rocky gets tired of the novelty? (He's new to their home) I haven't seen him look over the fence since Sunday.
 

flyndog

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#2
Hi Snookums. If Rocky sees the kids using the wall, he might be likely to continue to do the same. Doggie see, doggie do (er - so to speak) I'd be cautious with a new big dog around my little dog. Their encounters should be supervised. Rocky is probably a very nice dog, but better safe than sorry.
Kit
 
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#3
Just keep your eyes open. It might be wise to introduce the two dogs on neutral territory with both on leashes and let them get to know each other. My experience with the big dog/little dog thing is that usually the big dog tends to be tolerant, but you can't take anything for granted, so it's a good idea to do the introductions and do them somewhere that neither dog can claim as territory.
 

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