Relax, it’s not my dogs.
I saw this on a friend’s facebook page. In the comments she said she was thinking about adopting one of her dogs out.
Seems her two dogs are jumping the 6 foot fence to get to the Boxer next door, and this is ticking off the neighbors.
I went to her page and left a comment, oh and of course I threw in a shameless promotion of this blog, by posting a link and asking her if she read it.
Later in the evening we had a facebook chat and I found out, the dogs don’t jump the fence when someone is outside with them. Hmmm this means you would always have to be outside with your dogs, which in my opinion is counter-productive to having a fenced in yard.
She said she was the primary care-giver seeing she was home during the day, and she was frustrated. It had been a bad day. I told her I could relate to that and posted a link to my Defeated and Lost post.
I suggested tethering the dogs when she wasn’t able to be outside with them. I also told her I would throw the problem out to my readers and see if any of you had any suggestions.
Last night when I signed on we chatted again. She had spoken with her husband and they were going to invest in an electric fence. Her husband has installed and used electric fences before.
I totally forgot about how we solved our problems last winter with Delilah going over our fence.
In the winter of 2010/2011 New England got smacked with gobs and gobs of snow.
We have a five-foot fence in our yard. We got so much snow you could literally step over it in some spots. We have a chocolate lab who did precisely that.
I tried tying her out, but stupidly gave her too much room and she went over the fence on her leash!
Hubby went out to Home Depot and bought some deer fencing and some sturdy sticks, then he used zip ties to secure the deer fencing along the top of our fence. Basically he made our 5 foot fence about 7 1/2 feet high.
It looks like this:
Our ghetto fence.
I know it looks ghetto, but we are set far back from the road, it is only the back yard that is fenced in and it keeps my dogs safe.
I said I’d throw it out to you, so here it is. Have you have an issue with your dogs going over your fence? If so, how did you handle it? How would you work with your dog to stop them from going over the fence?
Ok, first off, please don’t use an electric fence. Second, why are the dogs stuck outside anyways? Why have dogs if you just leave them outside all day?… Using an electric fence is like punishing the dog because the OWNER is too lazy to play with them or train them… Sure shocking the dog might help keep them inside the fence but then with no additional entertainment for the dogs, they WILL start being destructive – they are BORED, so give them something to do – exercise them, train them, play with them… simple as that, so quit being lazy… Make the fence taller and give them some mental stimilation and they will be fine. Dogs a SMART! I am speaking from personal experience because my rescue was returned twice to the shelter for being destructive, but with me – with training and exercise – he hasn’t chewed a thing!
One more thing.. when children misbehave you dont put shock collars on them, why would you put one on your dog?! Put some effort into them, you got them for a reason, now work with them! 😉
Ummmmmmm you would have to have 6 feet of snow fur ME (Frankie Furter) to go over the top of a 6 foot fence. I’m just sayin…. BUTT now UNDER might just be another matter. BaaaaWaaaah.
Dogs that jump fences unattended?
Dogs that bark incessantly in the back yard? Or dig? Or do other destructive things?
Call it militant and simplistic but there’s a very easy solution for that: don’t leave them unattended in the back yard.
If you can’t supervise them and you can’t trust them then it’s not a good idea. And tethering can really often lead to more serious problems.
Supervise the dogs. Maybe seek help with some training (could these dogs maybe use a bit more attention and exercise – I don’t know the full story, but there’s a decent chance the answer is yes) or a professional dog walking service.
Well said! 🙂
I have to say that my advice was going to be and is pretty similar to what ‘the crossover trainer’ said…I believe that the electric fence is a band-aid fix for another problem and as you know some dogs will go through it–I’ve had several that I know would.
But In the past I’ve had foster dogs that were supposed to be escape artists and I never had a problem with them. And I have to say that I think it was because they got lots of walks, playtime and had something to do and weren’t left outside unattended, especially if they couldn’t be trusted. To keep the dogs from going over the fence, she should work with them on their training to keep them away from the fence. Again, and electric fix, in my view, isn’t the answer. Just my thoughts…
My little guys couldn’t jump a baby fence even if they wanted to, but there is a product i wrote about called a coyote roller. It keeps dogs in and coyotes out and it isn’t horribly ugly. The cost depends on how many feet are needed.
Alright lets be nice here… doesn’t sound like this person has not tried, maybe they are just lacking ideas of what to try with their dog. We all have bad days, our dogs have bad days… and sometimes that boxer next door is just too darn cute to resist.
In anycase, Luna is not a fence jumper, but if she were I would do as you suggest either tether, or be out with her to supervise. Once or twice she got out the busted gate since our neighbors like to unlock it and not relock it, and that was within 5 minutes of her being out to pee. She by nature does not like to be outside by herself and will sit at the door till you let her back in. The second idea is as you mentioned, make your fence taller, even if it means something risking looking ghetto. Another idea may be to actually built a top to the fence that points inward, so that they can’t actually get a foot over a lip because it points in and up still. Probably would be expensive and I don’t know how to even start going about that, a lattice at an angle maybe?
From experience, my breeder has a Vizsla girl who figured out she could go over her board fence (lined with wire) so she found the corner she was using and reinforced the height with more wire and boards… she recently also installed an electric fence hot wire for the top, last I heard she had not attempted to jump it again. This was one of the first dogs she has dealt with that did this, and she has raised quite a few, and given them all sorts of fun and outlets including dog walkers 3 times a day. But it was simply too much of a liability. If tools like these are used right (as in a low level, not a horse level) it is far better than your dog getting out and getting hit by a car. You know how I am about e-collars so we won’t even go there. I don’t think people should judge a tool simply by the couple dogs they have heard it not work for… different strokes for different folks, same goes for dogs.
Anna
http://www.akginspiration.com
I completely feel for your friend. Although I have not witnessed it, I’ve been told Meadow can scale a seven foot fence. Toby eats dog poop. Leah tries to kill cats. Soooo….even though I have a fenced in yard, I have to be outside with my dogs at all times.
It can be completely frustrating, and I’m sorry your friend is going through this. It sucks. But, you do what you have to do….
IMO – If both dogs are jumping the fence though, I would guess rehoming one of them isn’t going to solve the problem. And if she needs to be outside with one of them all the time, whats the harm in watching two of them?
So, what should she do? I love the idea of making the fence higher with the deer fencing…that’s awesome Jodi. Maybe she can hire your hubby? 🙂
It certainly sounds cheaper than doing the electric fence thing, and in my opinion, it’s more humane for the dog. Can your friend talk to the neighbor and maybe get on a schedule where her dogs and the Boxer go out at different times? That might help a lot too.
Well you know we use electric fence (and e-collar but not that is another story). When used properly electric fence can be very effective. Electric fence must be trained and it may help keep them off the real fence, or it may not. If they are serious about it, they should contact a reputable company like Invisible Fence and have them come out and assess the situation and they should pay for their training and not try to do it themselves. Our dogs have never broken the electric fence and they don’t go around shocking themselves either because there is a warning tone which causes them to retreat. That is where the training comes in. Tone = backup.
The other thing they could do is to put in fully surrounded runs like we have where the dogs cannot climb or dig out and it would give them space to stretch their legs. Our dogs love their runs. We do leave them unattended at times and feel comfortable because they are fully enclosed.
Jodi, your solution is a good one too, but I have seen dogs who can still climb any fence without a top enclosure. Don’t know if these dogs could do it or not.
Seems to have sparked quite a bit of conversation. : )
My yard has high walls Jodi so I have no experience of this problem but my cat is itching to get out of the yard into the street. It’s not a busy street and very few cars go by but he is young and inexperienced.
I kind of like a combination of the deer fence and angled fence idea – putting deer fence in, sloped towards their yard would probably help a lot in preventing the dogs from getting out. Or the electric fence, if done properly as the two Brown Dawgs mentioned.
I actually just read this http://www.clickertraining.com/node/2409 article yesterday, whcih might help, though it would take a bit of time. It’s actually more for teaching dogs to not go past an imaginary line, but I think it could apply for within a fenced in yard too.
I think people are being a bit harsh on this woman – the plus side of a fenced in yard is that you do have the ability to just let them out to do their business and then come back in, without having to go out yourself. Not to say that this is all the outdoors time that they should get (and I don’t get the impression that it is), but especially with two dogs, it’s likely that they’d be more interested in staying outside for a little bit with each other than just going out to do their business and come back in. Gwynn wants to be with us – he goes out on his own with the intention of coming right back in. And he thankfully hasn’t figured out fence jumping. Good luck to your friend.
well….WOW. now I’m not sure how to feel about the variety of responses. I would like to say that I am not “lazy” with my babies…and they are NEVER stuck outside for any length of time. Both are primarily indoor pups and love to be with mama most of the time. I certainly wish that I could set up play-dates with Katie(the neighbor boxer baby)…but my neighbors are very private and seem to want to stay that way. I’m hearing alot of radical opinions on the electric fence issue. So…we are going to re-consider before we invest in this option. I certainly appreciate all the wise words of wisdom regarding my babies. I”m sure that I am not the only dog owner who has gotten frustrated at one time or another. Our hearts were totally in the right place when we rescued these guys…I simply lack all the experience that some here have. Thank you so much for caring enough to put this issue “out there”…I need all the help I can get!
Glad I came back to check out other replies. Best of luck to you. I hope you find a solution that works for you. On the internet you will find all kinds of varying opinions. Take what works for you and please update us through Jodi, (sorry Jodi if I overstepped and offered up your blog…lol).
Love the ghetto fence, and that you called it the ghetto fence. Ugly doesn’t matter as long as it works!
I think you already saw this, but just in case you didn’t, we gave you blog award: http://lifewitharie.com/2012/04/13/life-with-arie-awards-games-and-ways-to-follow-us/
I like the idea of extending the fence (I don’t think it looks too ghetto!). Cali is mainly an indoor dog, but she does love to hang out in the backyard on a sunny day 🙂 We have been very lucky in the fact that Cali really has no desire to leave the yard – sorry your friend is so frustrated, I hope she figures something out!
Our problem is kind of odd. Queenie likes to go “around” the fence at the vacation house we will be moving to permanently in June. The back yard backs up to a canal which eventually goes out to a lake. The yard is fenced in all around except at the water. When she gets the urge, she can go into the canal and swim over to the neighbors yard which is not fenced in and off she goes through the neighborhood. We will probably have to put in an electric fence for just that portion of the yard after we move there.
Hi, While I don’t particularly like the idea of the electric fence I have also not been in your friends shoes. I truly believe that most behavior problems can be solved with a TON of exercise. Molly, my foster dog has a few issues and after many miles on the paws I now have a much more content dog. Good luck to your friend…
It’s kind of tragic to me that she would think the only solution to her problem is rehoming her dog. I am so glad you approached her!
Since we don’t have a fenced yard I can’t really offer any suggestions. Even if we are lucky to move to a place with a fence this summer I probably still won’t be letting our dog outside by herself. It’s just too much of a risk for her to pick up bad habits. Since I am already used to taking her out every few hours, why take the chance?
I hope your friend figures out a positive solution that works for her and ends in keeping both her pets.
Sage is mainly an indoor dog too, but has had her moments of digging UNDER the fence…never over. We surrounded the bottom of the fence with inexpensive wire fencing that is only a foot or so high and just sticks into the ground with wire prongs. Works.
We keep a close eye on her when she’s outside and as she gets older, there seems to be less and less problems. We also keep her well exercised!
A lot of opinions on this topic…..
I get to go outside and play sometimes during the day, but luckily for Mum I’m not interested in jumping the fence so I can’t really add anything further, but it was interesting to read all the comments,
Good luck,
Your pal Snoopy 🙂
Hmmmm. There seems to be a lot of blame placing here. I don’t think that’s right. Dogs are not computers. You don’t input training and get a robot. Dogs have personalities and minds of their own. Yes, train your dog, absolutely, but realize too that dogs will be dogs whether you train them effectively or not.
My dog and I walk 2-4 hours a day. We play in the backyard a couple of times a day. He has chew toys and other toys. We play games that stimulate his brain. Don’t tell me that I’m not giving him enough attention when I tell you that he will escape the yard if left unattended. If he’s in the backyard by himself he will pull the pickets out of the fence and wander the neighborhood.
He hasn’t done this in over a year because he doesn’t go outside unless I go outside with him. Yes, this is a pain in the arse. Believe me, I hate going out with him when it’s frigid, rainy, or I’m half asleep because he needs to go out in the middle of the night. He loves to lie in the grass, soak up the sun, watch the birds, and search for squirrels, now that it’s warming up. This means that mommy (me) has to sit outside bundled in a blanket so he can have some time in the yard doing what he loves to do. I can’t tether him because the last time I did that he broke his collar charging after a squirrel.
I can’t afford a halter, I can’t afford to have the fence reinforced, I can’t afford to have the fence replaced, and I can’t afford to rehome him because I can’t tolerate the idea of life without him. So I go outside when he goes outside, even though we have a fenced yard.
That’s my solution, and it’s not ideal, but it works. He’s forgiving enough that when I decide I’ve had enough, or when I have things I need to get done inside, he comes in. I’m lucky to have such a good dog. (Yes, that’s due in part to me being home with him almost all the time and to training and to making sure he gets lots of activity and attention, but it’s also largely due to him having a really great personality. I just plain lucked out getting such a good natured dog.)