I have a 10 month old yellow Lab who is quite large. I love her to death, but unfortunately the neighbors are not so fond of her. I can't put her on a chain, because there is too much in our yard for her to get tangled up on (basketball goal, five cars, steps, trees, etc). I have an electric fence which works pretty good except for when she gets really excited and runs through it, at which point she won't come back through it.
She's driving my neighbors crazy, because she will steal pillows off of their porch. I just bought her three new toys and I got a new puppy for her to play with in hopes that she would stay home. However just this morning she escaped. Any suggestions short of giving her up and or moving to Alaska?
By Meagan from NC
Those electric fences cause more problems than they are worth (except to a dog trainer like myself who can then charge you a good sum to retrain your dog to be willing to go into your yard and your vet for when a roaming dog attacks your unprotected dog). You should put up a real fence or get a dog run. Do not chain your dog, that can be deadly and will encourage aggressive behavior.
If you cannot afford to fence your yard in (or rent), consider getting a kennel for your dog. Ours is 6x12 feet--we paid extra for a panel for the top. It is really heavy duty chain link and extremely sturdy. While you shouldn't keep a dog in one constantly because they need to be walked daily, they are great for allowing a dog to be outside without you for periods of time. We have it ours on a covered porch for our cat. He has a dog house in it, a litter box, food bowls, and ramps to climb and lie on.
We have a Lab puppy that digs and chews up the new chain link fence. She is about 9 months old. She has a buddy in the yard to play with, but still leaves the yard to wander the neighborhood.
I need an inexpensive way to solve this problem. The poo has worked on the digging in the dirt, but now the fence is being eaten. Please help or we will have to give her away.
By Ben from TX
When my lab mix did this, we set up a dog cable run in our yard. It was far enough from the fence that she couldn't get to it, and was attached to the house near the back door at one end, and to a tree at the other end. All I had to do was open the back door, and clip the lead to her collar. If you google dog run cable system, you will find information about it. The best site was called Unchain Your Dog. By the way, Ma Barker lived to be 14.5 years old, using the run every day.
We recently adopted an approximately 2 year old neutered male miniature Australian Shepherd. I am about at my wit's end with him! After coming home to find chewed things and poo a couple of times, we decided to let him out into our fenced back yard while we were away from the house.
He has consistently managed to get out of the back yard every time we've been away. We've plugged up every hole in the fence we could find. There is another dog out there with him (an older, much larger dog that he has known pretty much all his life). We make sure he has food and water before we leave.
As long as someone is out there watching, he's a perfect little angel, but the minute we have our backs turned, he escapes somehow. I don't want to chain him up, as there are days we're gone 7:30 am to 6:00 pm. I can't leave him inside or he chews everything up and leaves messes on the carpet. I can't let him outside because he escapes. I don't know what to do!
Glad that you care because this can be resolved in time. For now, sounds like he really needs to be with you at all times. He has been uprooted from everything he knows. He is afraid and trying for familiar things. It will take time for him to adjust. Do not tie him as this often results in hanging death.
For less than 30 dollars you may wish to buy an electric fence. Little more for wire and stakes. Normally avoided method but if he is unsafe out there, he must stay home. If only he could stay at your side all the time, that would fix the problem.
Another thing he desperately needs is exercise. He is a herder by nature and high activity animal. Jogger in the family? Play ball. swimming. Any physical activity would help, especially if he is with family. You get to wear him out then love him to pieces. He will then be very happy to relax at home, safe and warm.
Ah, you have a Houdini. So do I, so you have my sympathies. How is your dog getting out? Over or under the fence? Either way, I suggest running an electric wire at the top of the fence, and the bottom. That should catch the dog however he tries to get out. The top wire you might want to put a bit above the fence, not right at the boards.
Also, does he have toys to play with in the yard? Shade and water, perhaps a dog house for upcoming cold weather? What about hiring a pet sitter to come play with him for an hour or so during the day? Good luck, I know where you are coming from with this. <--signed, the owner of a very aggravating, sneaky Houdini.
My dog is a 5 yr old wonderful Chow/Lab mix. We live in a rural area, and we are responsible pet owners, shots are up to date, etc.
We have a fenced in back yard, and he has almost an acre where he can roam and play. We have a lot of logging truck traffic, so I fear for all dogs that are roaming free. Times are different from when when we were a child growing up in the country, you can't let pets roam free like you used to. A lot of people still don't get their pets rabies shots, etc. (which is a state law here)
The only problem we have is when there is a "female" in the neighborhood in heat. We have not been able to get him fixed and there's a dog from across the road that comes over to the fence and marks her territory and leaves. It works him up so, that he digs a hole and gets out. We catch him before he leaves the yard, but I wish my neighbors would not let their pets roam. How can I keep this "temptation" out of my yard? How can I make my four legged son not want a girlfriend? One time I sprayed vinegar where she sprayed, and that seemed to help some. Any other ideas?
By Denise
You have not stated any Veterinary reason why your beautiful boy can not be castrated. This will, in time, solve the problem. And if your neighbour desexed their female, you would not have to ask advice about this simple solution. Good luck.
My dogs are kept on leads because while we are at my folks' house in the country, they have no fence to keep them in the yard. They must be kept in the yard. In any case, I've tried all different types of collars and harnesses (they chew through the harnesses and slip out of collars) and there's just no way of keeping them on their chains and leads. Help us please!
I cannot afford a dog run or I would have bought one by now. The whole reason we're living with my folks right now is that I'm unemployed so, money is an issue.
I appreciate any advice/help anyone can give us. I love my dogs and really need to help them remain in the yard for their safety.
By Diana
About six years ago I adopted a wonderful Corgi mix. At the time she was about 3. Our first couple of years were lovely until a robbery occurred at my home. In the process she was badly injured and has suffered from serious anxiety since. I added another dog to the mix after a couple of suggestions that it would help ease her anxiety. Things improved with the second dog and a dog walker during the day.
I recently moved out of the city to a house with a large yard with a dog door. I was so excited for them to have some room to run. The first two months went smoothly until one day I came home and she was not there. It turns out some neighborhood kids saw her through a small hole in the fence and with some encouragement an escape ensued.
This just opened up a big can of worms and escapes were becoming a daily occurrence. I had to wait for my landlord to fix the fence. In the meantime a family down the street started feeding her. Taking them into their house while I was at work. There have been some comments made like it looks like your dog adopted us.
My concern is now I have a family that has made it pretty clear they want her although they have never actually said it. I do not fault the dog, she gets attention and food when I am not at work. I thought my problems were fixed when my landlord finally fixed the fence. But to no avail she busted through it. I have tried talking to my neighbors saying not to feed her or let her in the house, but it is very hard because they are very nice well intentioned people. I do not think they understand that what they are doing is wrong, encouraging bad behavior and damaging to my relationship with my dog.
Any suggestions would be helpful with how to deal with the fence or the family would be greatly appreciated.
By Katherine M
We have a 6 year old yellow Lab that is used to being a farm dog, but recently we moved to town and we can't keep him in our yard. He is too big to be in the house so we have a wire kennel in the back yard, but he manages to get out of it either by ripping the door off or digging a huge hole. We had him on a cable so he could move about the yard and that worked for a while, but now he is slipping out of his collar.
We thought the solution to this was to get a harness, but this morning he was gone again. My boyfriend has had it and says we should get rid of him, but I know he doesn't really want that. Please help!By MO
My family and I have a German Shepherd that keeps on running to the neighbors. We live on a dairy farm, so we can't put a fence up and she already ran out on the highway.
By Rebecca M
Lois Lane is a 9 year old Cocker Spaniel and she has been with me since she was a puppy. I have had several grandchildren since she came to me and because she sheds I have recently been keeping her in the backyard which she resents tremendously. If she is not on a leash she crawls under the gate. If she is on a leash she barks all day. Can you suggest an inexpensive fix to keep her in the yard and my sanity?
By Pandora
I am looking for some advice. At the moment I own a lovable black Lab. We have two parks in either direction not far from my home where we walk and she has a fair sized back yard to play in. We attach her to a chain only long enough for her to go outside and do what she has to do and comes back in.
I'm considering adopting her a companion in the future, but unsure as to how I can manage both outside. There are busy streets surrounding our house where it would be too easy to wander off without a chain, if I attach another chair to our doorstep it would be impossible for either not to become tangled amongst each other.
I'd hate to put them in an outdoor cage, that would be cutting off less space for them, any advice on how I can manage two dogs outside on some sort of chains? I would like to let them roam as freely as possible without causing any danger to their well being, a large fenced in area is a possibility, but would would be somewhat expensive I imagine, but still a possibility.
By Jo
Is there a tree or a pole of some kind that you could attach a wire run to? Or could you install a pole? With the dogs' chains attached to the wire, it is more difficult for them to get tangled, and they could have some freedom to move around safely. With the swivel type attachment on the wire, and a regular leash type catch on the other end to attach to the collars, it should work. Hope this helps.
I just moved outside city limits and have no fence. I have two dogs and have them on a dog run, there are a lot of dogs that run loose. I don't want my dogs getting pregnant from these dogs. Does anybody know if there is something I can do before I get them fenced, are these dogs supposed to be neutered/spayed?
By Melissa S.
