A puppy -- A brick fence -- A puppy on the other side of fence -- Need suggestions !!

[krazyboutWDW]

We have a 6 month old lab/border collie mix puppy. She is adorable but is very, very, active. We also have a brick fence (wall) in the front. Most of the wall is about 5 feet high but in two spots the wall gets shorter (4 feet) where the iron gate (which goes across the driveway) connects.

Reese has learned to run and jump at the fence. She gets her two front legs over the top and pulls herself over the fence-- and away she goes!!! Has anyone ever had any experience like this. Anyone have any ideas of something simple to do that will keep her from doing this? Once she gets out she is hard to catch. She is not real good about coming back when you call her. I hate to keep her inside all the time as she loves to be outside running and playing. I know if anyone can come up with a good idea someone here on the DIS can.

 

[FergieTCat]

You might need to get a leash -- the length of which is shorter than the distance to the fence so she doesn't hang herself. If you have a tree in the yard, tie it to that. If not, you might have to sink a pole.

Of course, I don't own a dog.

 

[Spinning]

BUY an invisible fencing system.It is wonderful! We don't have any type of fencing and have a Lab who loved to get loose and wouldn't come when you called her! It was a nightmare! We had a run but it didn't seem fair to her. I bought the kit on line and we put it in on the weekend and she is now a very happy dog! You would just put the wire in near your brick fence!

 

[helenabear]

I would go for a leash that is about 5 feet shorter than the distance to the fence and you can attach them to small steak that are made especially for long leashes like that so they can roam the yard. We did that with our dog so he could run and play w/o having a fenced in yard. You can find any of these things at a local petstore or probably even Walmart or the like.

 

[peg2001]

Please don't tie your dog. It's a shame to have a nice safe area for your dog to run and play and then tie him. I like the idea of the invisable fence.

Also, they have jumping harnesses that your dog can wear that lets him walk and run at will within your walled property but won't let him jump. If you are interested, I can look around for a place where you can order one.

Peggy

I found a link to this product on my favorite pet supplies company:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?siteid=12&pCatId=640

 

[krazyboutWDW]

Thanks to everyone for their ideas. I knew if I asked here on the CB I would come get some great ideas.

I am very interested in an invisible fence and am starting to look into people that install them or perhaps Spinning as you said we could install it ourselves. Peg2001 - I had never heard of a jumping harness before. Thanks for the link. It looks like a really good idea.

Thanks helenabear and FergieTCat for the idea of a leash. My husband thought of that. I am just not sure how happy she would be. It is a better alternative than risking her getting out and getting lost or even worse, hit by a car.

You guys are great. Any other suggestions out there?

 

[Dodie]

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE do not tie or stake your dog, no matter how much "room to run" he/she has. Staking/tying is both psychologically and potentially physically harmful and most vets would warn that it is NOT the answer.

Dogs can become aggressive and less predictable if they are tied up, and particularly while they are tied up. As such they can be a danger, especially a large dog, to innocent visitors or children. It doesn't just happen suddenly in a few days; but over the weeks, and months, or even a year, symptoms may start to appear. The insidious part is that it is so gradual you may not notice. www.worldclassdogs.com

Set a Containment Policy
It is essential that you have a secure method of keeping your dog on your property. Check your fence for spots vulnerable to chewing or digging. If your yard is not fenced, consider a large dog run or invisible fencing. www.akc.org

Tying Dogs Out San Fransisco SPCA

I agree with the invisible fence idea. It sounds like you might not even have to do the entire yard - maybe just the areas the dog can jump?

 

[helenabear]

Wow, I had no idea about tying even if you had a long leash... like I said we did this with our dog when I was a kid as we had a huge back yard (invisible fences weren't an option... not sure if they weren't available or were too expensive for a common person) as did/do most of our other family and friends. Our dog loved it and must have had about 40 feet on his rope... he never even used it all. He was always a happy dog. Then again we never let him go w/o watching him or being near him so I don't know if that had anything to do with it. I guess I didn't see how it would be different than a leash that we weren't holding. Sorry for a bad suggestion...

 

[Cinders]

Invisible fencing is great!!! You'll have to go out with your pet and show her the boundary lines and even though it seems cruel take her across once so she gets shocked. Once she associates the warning the coller gives with the shock she wont cross it again. We havent had to put the collar on our dog since last fall....she knows where the line is and never crosses it. But if your pet is already jumping at the gate she may be inclined to jump on people so I'd look into the harnass too.

 

[Pumbaa_]

Have you taken the pup to obedience school? (Not as a solution to the jumping, for that the invisible fence is a great idea) but for general obedience and coming when called.

We do puppy trining and basic level with our dogs. It really helps with the headstrong ones!

Good Luck!

 

[Laurajean1014]

Does anyone have any pointers on housebreaking a 4 month old pup?

 

[Pumbaa_]

Sorry, I have had great luck with potty training my 'kids'. We have had 2 dogs, so the younger one follows the older one and we have made out ok. Sorry!

 

[MomE@Home]

For housebreaking a puppy try crate training. Crate training uses the dog's natural instinct to 'den', a dog won't soil it's den. We used this type of housebreaking for our Siberian Husky, it worked for us. Make sure to use a crate that will be large enough for the dog to stand and turn around when it's full grown. We would take our puppy out to walk after she ate and any time we noticed her sniffing around the floor. At night and whenever we weren't actively watching her she went in her crate. You need to take a puppy out to go potty often! We took our pup out to the same area each time and always left a little of her poop (gross, I know) so that she knew where to go. We also used the same phrase to get her to go (ours was hurry up). It took about two weeks with diligent effort. Our dog had a few accidents but that was our fault for not watching her close enough. Make sure to use a pet stain & odor remover on all accidents or they will go to the same spot again & mess. Don't use newspaper or puppy training pads, they just teach your dog that they can go potty in the house. Hope this helps! Our dog is five years old now and still uses her crate for her bed-we don't need to shut her up in it at night, she's a good girl.

 

[Pumbaa_]

Excellant advice! We too did the crate training with dog#3 and dog#4 (we have been married almost 20 years and have had 2 dogs at a time, about 6-8 years apart)

Dog #3 LOVED her crate, it was a safe place and puppy training went so well with her. She was crated for about 2 years or so (lab/shepx)

Dog #4 HATED being crated. He has separation issues and would actually soil in his large cat carrier when he first home. He was crated for about 6-8 months, then after he broke the steel bars and rolled the thing to set himself free, the crate was destroyed. But amazingly, he dod no damage in the house so we never replaced the crate. But when it is time for the next poochie, she too will be crated.

(The first 2 poochies were not crated because I thought how cruel it was to crate them. How dumb was I! Crating would have prevented alot of chewing damage and yelling )