Hi got an 18 month old Lab from the Lost dogs home. We have had him for a couple of weeks, and while left home alone he jumped my fence. The fences are 2 meters tall and our vet believes Bear (our boys name) is prob only 10-12 months old. He was in the lost dogs home because he kept jumping fences, not sure what to do to stop him. I am sure in 12 months when he knows this is his home and is being loved he wont try this. But until then we are very worried he will get out and be lost to us for ever. Any suggestions?
Re: Jumping fences I assume from your post that Bear was left in your garden while you were out? That's probably the first thing to think about. Does Bear live outside? In which case, maybe you need a run on his kennel (with a roof) to keep him safe. If he lives inside though, I wouldn't leave him out free in the garden when you are not with him. That, or higher fences. I can't think of a way you can stop him jumping fences when you are not there. My boy couldn't jump the fences and walls I have, but I still don't leave him in the garden on his own. If I want to confine him in the garden, say I want to do some gardening without his "help", he has a sort of enclosure right at the end of my garden, with a high wall on one side, and a tall, anti-dig (concrete base set into the ground) fence on the other. That's the only place I leave him for any time when I'm not with him. My garden is triangular, and I already had one side of tall wall, so it wasn't expensive to create the enclosure - I only needed about 6 tall panels of anti-dig fence. Could you do something like that or would it be impractical for you?
Re: Jumping fences 2 metres that is a seriously high jump? He must be getting some short of leg up or run up. I know some agility dogs can scale high fences they almost run up the fence. Have you seen him scale the fence? How does he do it? If he is running up it,he needs to grab the top of the fence with his feet or dew claws. So attach something at right angles to fence on the top, facing inward.
Re: Jumping fences Having owned an accomplished escape artist for almost 14 years, I think my best piece of advise would be to just accept they don't change, regardless of what you try or how old they get, and manage the problem. Never leave him outside unattended, make sure he wears a collar and ID tag at all times, get him microchipped, oh and if he isn't castrated, get that done now. Mine could jump my 7 ft fences, open doors and windows, undo bolts and child safety catches and squeeze through ridiculously small gaps. She was a much loved dog and she was more than happy here all her life, but she had Wander Lust genes. Sometimes she would go months without bothering to escape, then all of a sudden, just as she had lulled us into a false sense of security, she'd be off again. No wonder I have grey hairs.
Re: Jumping fences He is castrated, microchip and has tags with his name and our phone number. He sleeps inside but while we are out he will be put outside. It is a massive jump was thinking of putting up a low voltage electric fence on the top of the fence line so if he does attempt the leap of freedom he will get a shock and im tipping he would keep trying after that but with 80 meters of fence not a cheap option
Re: Jumping fences Does he have to be outside when you are not there? Most people would not do that, they would leave indoor dogs inside, in a crate or pen if necessary. How long do you leave Bear in the garden for?
Re: Jumping fences His an indoor /outdoor dog, he doesnt stay inside all day we have a massive yard and he loves to hang out there. Have had a lab before him and he never wanted to jump and loved being in the back yard
Re: Jumping fences This is his 4th home in his short life so hoping that soon he will realize this is were he belongs, I havent seen him jump over he has only done it once. He will spend the evenings inside with us but in the yard during the day playing catch and hanging out with the kids
Re: Jumping fences I really wouldn't recommend leaving any dog outside, unless you have a solid padlocked compound to put them in. So many dogs get stolen from gardens these days. And I definitely would never recommend any sort of electric fencing. Far too many dogs still get past that, but after being shocked then run off in blind panic. Why does he have to be outside? Is he destructive or something? Could you not crate him indoors? Did the rescue know you were going to keep him outdoors for part of the day, as I know the rescues I home check for would never allow anyone to have one of their dogs, if that was the new owner's intentions. The risks of dogs being shut outside, without being in a purpose build compound/ kennel and run are so large. But this isn't your previous Lab, this one is a whole new dog, with an already established problem. Also times have changed and the risk of dogs being stolen whilst left outside have doubled/ tripled/quadrupled over the last few years.
Re: Jumping fences I'm detecting some cultural differences here - where do you live Bear18? In the UK, unless a dog is outside in a kennel and a run, it's not at all normal to leave them in a garden. But things might be different where you live. Are you in the US?
Re: Jumping fences Bear is in Australia and I can tell by everyone's feedback that there is a cultural difference and I dont think you guys are understanding how things work here. Thanks for the feedback anyways
Re: Jumping fences There are some very good clicker training videos on you tube and one from kikopup demonstrates establishing boundaries. If you clicker train then this is a good idea, but if not, starting up clicker training with the goal of boundary training maybe a way ahead. Good luck
Re: Jumping fences [quote author=Bear18 link=topic=4751.msg58873#msg58873 date=1394093573] Bear is in Australia and I can tell by everyone's feedback that there is a cultural difference and I dont think you guys are understanding how things work here. [/quote] Ah ok. I'm guessing you don't have the dog theft problem we have here in the UK then. That said, you are still dealing with a completely different dog to your previous one, and this one has an already established problem, so you need to adjust your treatment of this dog accordingly. Electric fencing is still not the way to go either, as dogs all over the world do still escape from this and panic when shocked. Maybe think about building him a shelter and large enclosed run, instead of spending the money on electric fencing, then he'd be safe and you wouldn't be worrying about where he could be off to, while you're out.
Re: Jumping fences I am in Australia and yes it is not considered at all unusual to have a dog out in the yard when you are not home. I would say that it is the norm. It is not considered risky or wrong - as long as the dog can be secured (which is what Bear is trying to achieve) and has plenty of human contact when the family is home. That is what I did with my first dog for the first half of his life (he slept inside). Bear, are you sure he is jumping? Might there be a gap he squeezed through? My old dog's mother was an escape artist and she used to work and work at fence palings till she could loosen one. Then she'd get through the gap made by one fence paling. I'd do a really, really thorough check of your yard for any gaps of the width of yor dog's skull (or thereabouts) in or under the fence or gate. He may well be climbing the fence but I'd want to be ruling out gaps. If you have ruled out gaps then I'd consider the suggestion of making an overhang on the inside of the fence. Given the construction of your current fence would that be feasible?
Re: Jumping fences There are a few other ideas on the RSPCA website http://kb.rspca.org.au/How-can-I-stop-my-dog-jumping-the-fence-and-running-away_14.html
Re: Jumping fences [quote author=Oberon link=topic=4751.msg58878#msg58878 date=1394094800] There are a few other ideas on the RSPCA website http://kb.rspca.org.au/How-can-I-stop-my-dog-jumping-the-fence-and-running-away_14.html [/quote] Good website. Although, it's the first time ever I have seen the word "undesexed" ! Love the international links on the forum!
Re: Jumping fences My sister in Australia rehomed a black lab who was an escaper. She kept him in her back yard, with her other female lab, while she was out at work. This is completely normal in Australia. Unfortunately the rescue dog kept escaping, and in the end caused so much trouble out on his forays that he had to be put to sleep. It was a very sad end, considering she only wanted to help this dog. I am thinking your best bet is to make an enclosure in your yard which is really truly dog proof, with a kennel. Then he can be safe in there when you are not at home. Otherwise I suspect he will continue to try to escape. Good luck, do please keep us updated!
Re: Jumping fences Why not get one of these or you can buy the panels and make your own just put a roof on it for shelter. http://www.spotonpetenclosures.com.au/shop/listings/pet-enclosures/ I am sure if you do another search on the net you will something that is suitable.
Re: Jumping fences Here in Canada it is the same, dogs are often left outside when people are gone, it is the way we lived with our first two dogs and it was just fine, with the following exceptions: 1) Dog was not barking or disturbing the neighbours 2) Dog had adequate shelter if weather turned bad 3) Dog not left alone for too long (which would depend on the dog) When we got Simba as a rescue last summer, we soon discovered this wouldn't work - he is a fence jumper. So, for now, we have nailed up some plywood over the gate, to raise the height, which is where he is getting over, but once spring comes we will have to revisit all this. I looked into options, found there are some ideas out there to modify the fence to discourage jumping. I will not use the electric fence option, because of reasons previously mentioned. Good luck with this, keep us posted, maybe your solution will work for me too!
