How many of you have a puppy who
became an escape artist? I adopted a cute Spaniel mix puppy who changed my
life, not to mention the money I’ve spent to keep her in my back yard. You
should see her sail right over a 3 ½ foot chain link fence. Doesn't she look so sweet and innocent? This is her adoption picture. (not my yard)
Max and Sophie lived here for two
years without jumping the fence. Of course, they could have, but I think they
just respected their boundary. Max, an Australian Shepherd, and Sophie, a Pit
Bull, belong to my granddaughter. After they left, I adopted Luna.
We are in the process of erecting a
six foot wooden privacy fence. All that remains to do is build the gates. Luna
will once again have the run of the back yard.
Please tell me that it will contain
her. I mean, six feet seems like along way for a dog to jump. Her agility amazes me though. Will she dig under the fence? God forbid.
If your dog is an escape artist, how did you solve your problem?
We don't have pets, Leona, but know lots of people who do. It's always the ones with the most melting expressions which cause the most adventures. anne stenhouse
ReplyDeleteHi Anne, I think you're right. They sure steal your heart in spite of it.
DeleteI've never dealt with an escape artist dog, but have friends who have. It's a long and frustrating process to break them of this habit. One thing you could do...only might be too late now...is to put narrow chicken wire down into the ground below the fence. Then if she does dig, she will run into the wire and won't be able to go under it to get out. Another thing is to buy Bitter Lemon and spray her with it whenever she tries to dig. Of course, this means watching her closely when she is outside...hard on you. One friend bought a harness to put on her dog, and attached a thin but strong rope to it. She attached the rope to a stake sunk into the ground right where the dog is let out of the house, and the rope itself is long enough to let the dog travel all over the yard, but not get close enough to the fence to dig under. You might try that. She would be free to run the yard, but still couldn't get closer than a couple of feet to the fence, so she couldn't dig.
ReplyDeleteGood advice, Mikki. We tried the no-jump harness first, but she managed to demolish it and make strips out of it. Thus far, the only thing that holds her is a metal chain that she can't bite through. There is a big tree that we tie one end onto and she has plenty of room, but we're afraid she'll damage her throat trying to get off the chain.
ReplyDeleteIn an unrelated matter, she's chewed up two different sandals and an expensive running shoe in the past month or so. Not mine, but my daughters. She is 15 months old now, so I hope her destructive stage is about over. I'll have Barb check out the Bitter Lemon.
Thanks for stopping by.
What beautiful dogs, all of them. I hope this works for Luna, Leona, either physically or psychologically as with Max and Sophie. Luna is a most excellent name for a dog, I think. Best wishes!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Les. You might know, I call her Woona most of the time. lol
ReplyDeleteBeautiful dog and yes, I know the escape artist scenario well. We have one dog, Jasper, who is constantly jumping over the fence to visit the dogs next door. It's a six foot block wall but he does have to get on something first to boost his way. Our other dog, Pup Harry who lives in Austria with us while Jasper is in the states with our kids, could probably make the leap if he wanted to. He's a Parsons Russell Terrier and is great at agility though I think I'd worry more about digging with him.
ReplyDeleteThe thing is to keep them occupied and they won't have any reason to jump or dig. Yet, that is the hardest thing to do. LOL! That's why we also trained them for the house as well.
Hope it all works out as Luna is adorable and reminds me a lot of Pup Harry.
I hope so much that a six foot jump will stop her. She digs huge holes now and lays in them, just looks around like she's waiting to pounce on something.
DeleteWe put a wading pool out for her and she loves it, but a big problem is neighbor dogs all around us. With the wooden fence, she can no longer see them. She might not like that.
Thanks for your comments.
Oh, my Leona, you do have a problem. Our pups didn't jump over fences, though I believe our Jack Russell could've. But she and our long haired red Chihuahua were experts at scooting through an open door or gate. Off they'd go for a lovely adventure, giving me heart failure. I learned to watch my feet, but they were fast, especially when young. I wish I had some good advice for you. Do you have nice neighbors? I rescue our neighbors dog anytime she gets out. :) I hope your fence works and Luna slows down a bit as she gets out of her puppy years.
ReplyDeleteLuna escapes out the front door too and runs like a silver streak. In the winter, she blended in with the snow and was hard to catch. We live just a block from a major roadway and I'm so afraid she'll get hit.
DeleteYes, our neighbors have helped. I can't do much from a wheelchair so my daughter does all the chasing..
Thanks for stopping by, Marsha.