Fence hopping

Shamas mom

Shamas mom

Location
Canada
I have fence hopper on my hands

she's up to 4 foot fences, and is eyeing the 6 footers now. 6foot is the highest I believe we can legally go......so we need a solution.

Hubby's thinking invisible fence. I'll never forget the story of the little lab who went to run to see her best friend and crossed the bounadry...and associated the pain with her friend and became lifelong enemies.

What are my options?

I do have a remote collar that works with just a beep--I was considering pairing the beep with treats, and having her return to me every time it beeps? That would let me get her attention all the way down the yard even if she's in squirrel mode. I'd have to start it like a clicker...with it in my hand, so it says positive. This was suggested by another shepherd owner, who stopped me on a walk to tell me how they learn best through re-enforcement and I should try the collar and beep with treats for off-leash. But I've not actually started it yet.

I'm planning some landscaping in spring....widening flowerbeds and making them off-limits. Is there substrate dogs don't like to walk on?? That'll deal with the boundary digging. perhaps I'll put twine or something along the edges at shoulder height, to discourage breaching the boundary(though she'll probably just pop over it)

I'm also planning to place a tunnel, and obstacles, to give her something to occupy herself in the yard. She LOVES running around the random hedge that my son planted to play army when he was 6....


As far as Trixie is concerned, gates are there for her amusement and physical activity needs.

I did try attaching her to the porch by leash, like I always have the other dogs....and she nearly pulled my porch off! So if I leash her in the yard, I stand and hold the 25foot lead
 
Emily

Emily

Location
Melbourne, Australia
I have a friend that at one point had 4 (rescue) Huskies. Yes, 4 😱. Lovely dogs but wowee, they needed the most secure boundaries you've ever seen.

To stop the climbing, the installed a row of fencing leaning in from the top of the fence, to stop the dogs climbing over. Is this an option?

Other than that, if she's ever outside by herself then perhaps a dog run might be the best/safest option.
 
Shamas mom

Shamas mom

Location
Canada
Emily said:
I have a friend that at one point had 4 (rescue) Huskies. Yes, 4 😱. Lovely dogs but wowee, they needed the most secure boundaries you've ever seen.

To stop the climbing, the installed a row of fencing leaning in from the top of the fence, to stop the dogs climbing over. Is this an option?

Other than that, if she's ever outside by herself then perhaps a dog run might be the best/safest option.
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For 2/3 of the yard, yes. I'm thinking of a video I saw of a husky owner who installed pvc pipe on a framework on top of the fence. When the dog tries to scale the fence, the pipe spins.

This is probably the route I'll go.

In the meantime, I told my neighbors that if they see a young shepherd in their yard it's mine and I'd like it back please lol.

She seems to have given up jumping and reverted to digging under now that the ground thawed....so I'm looking into gravel and chicken wire
 
Shamas mom

Shamas mom

Location
Canada
Jelinga said:
@Shamas mom , my GSPs would initially jump my fence, but I set it up so that I suddenly appeared the other side and making them surprised and of course telling them off, they never did it again. My Labs have never thought of jumping the fence :)
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That's a good idea. I could text hubby to go where she's eyeing.

He's in favor of never letting her out without a leash...but I look out at 100foot of yard and it seems like such a waste not to let her use it. I know Angel went through a few months during this teenaged phase where we leashed her to the porch because she refused to come back in. She'd head to the end of the yard and refuse to recall. But Trixie's recall is really good. Not 100%, but good enough that I'm not worried about losing her.

Shamas never considered jumping anything. I had a board blocking a gap in the fence for over a year, and he never once went over it, though he could easily have. Never even looked like he might. As far as he was concerned, that board simply marked the boundary and that was that. When he was fence running, I put up snow fence and it stopped him. No re-enforcement, just plastic stakes, and floppy mesh. Good enough for him.

Angel pushed past the snow fence, knocking it over at 7m.

I rebuilt that boundary, with wood frame and fence boards every 2 feet. And a Wooden pallet for a gate. Trixie hops over it.
 
Stacia

Stacia

Location
Malvern Worcestershire
@Shamas mom, I had a friend who had a dog who was naughty and wouldn't come in when called, not just the once but all the time and he got sick of trying to entice her in. One night, when she refused to come in, he just shut the door and left her out all night, she never stayed out again!
 
Shamas mom

Shamas mom

Location
Canada
Jelinga said:
@Shamas mom, I had a friend who had a dog who was naughty and wouldn't come in when called, not just the once but all the time and he got sick of trying to entice her in. One night, when she refused to come in, he just shut the door and left her out all night, she never stayed out again!
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I have to admit I considered that route

One time I shut the door on her.....an hour later she was still bouncing around the yard, unbothered. I think you'd have to shut her out a good while......but with her prey drive, and the neighborhood skunks, I'd be afraid to do it after dusk
 
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