I own two male labs that are 6 1/2 years old. We lived in the same house with a fenced in backyard for the past 7 years and moved four months ago to a new house. We thought they would love the new backyard because it is quite a bit bigger and has some big shade trees, but so far we have not had a good time. We can't afford to fence it in, and we are at a loss of what to do with them. It's gotten to where they either won't come out of their kennel, or they run off.
Hi Kari, and welcome! You are obviously disappointed about this. I know others have talked before about how to secure very large gardens with no great consensus. Sometimes in the long run cheap boundary fencing is the best option. Have you considered making a large outside run for them under the shade trees? This smaller area may be more affordable and if you could sit in there too they may feel it more "comfortable" to begin with? Maybe someone else has some ideas..... Jac
Thank you Jac! No we hadn't thought about only doing a part of the yard. We will have to look at that. Thanks again!
Definitely agree that fencing in a smaller area would be a good idea. That would give you the peace of mind you need. Do you know why they won't come out of their kennel? Are they scared of something?
Similar to what @drjs@5 mentioned, a friend created a small enclosure in her garden for her boy, for when she goes out. He was once stolen by being hauled over their locked garden gate, so when she got him back (very lucky!) she created this small grassed enclosure far away from her boundary fence. It's about 2m x 2m. He has his kennel in there and he knows that's where he goes when she goes out. It's also been useful when she's had a BBQ and needed to keep him from stealing all the food! He still was part of it, could see everyone, close enough, but much easier to keep under control!
