Jumping Fences

[Casster17]

Hi All,

My dog has finally worked out how to jump fences... its taken 3 years and in the end watching the next door neighbours dog come over our fence.

The problem is she is currently living at my parents house while I get my yard dog proof at the new house I have just moved into. Can anyone offer any good temporary solutions??? My dad would prefer not to do fence extensions.

Edited August 26, 2009 by Casster17

[Aidan]

Can you keep him inside?

It depends a bit on how much fencing you need to cover. If it's not a long fence, a few lengths of downpipe and some fencing wire are cheap. You put the wire through the pipe and nail the wire to the top of the fence so that the pipe becomes a roller just inside the top edge of the fence. Does that make sense?

[Seita]

innotek radio fence.... run a wire around the yard in a loop (you can zip tie it to the fence), plug it in, put out the little flags and do a week or two of training (will depend on your dog) and bingo dog won't get out provided you follow the training instructions. I tried everything to keep my girl in and nothing worked. This is the only thing that has kept her in. It cost around $600 and it removeable and reusable - I've used it at 3 different properties now.

[Casster17]

Thanks for the feedback.

Unfortunately she cannot be kept inside.

I had thought about the pvc on the wire idea. Will have to see if that will stop her.

Seita, I had thought of that, used an e collar on her once had to use the highest level to get any response. Does the innotek radio fence increase in levels as the dog gets closer???

[Malinworx]

Thanks for the feedback.

Unfortunately she cannot be kept inside.

I had thought about the pvc on the wire idea. Will have to see if that will stop her.

Seita, I had thought of that, used an e collar on her once had to use the highest level to get any response. Does the innotek radio fence increase in levels as the dog gets closer???

Have you thought about getting a pen made. Probably cheaper than fixing your whole yard and you know she can't get out.

[poodlefan]

Send her to kennels with an enclosed run?

Buy a portable run?

Did she ever jump fences before staying at your parents place?

[Seita]

Thanks for the feedback.

Unfortunately she cannot be kept inside.

I had thought about the pvc on the wire idea. Will have to see if that will stop her.

Seita, I had thought of that, used an e collar on her once had to use the highest level to get any response. Does the innotek radio fence increase in levels as the dog gets closer???

Problem with e-collars is that you need to be there all the time to issue a correction. The beauty of the radio fences is once you've trained the dog to avoid the flags (they mark where the correction will start) the dog usually steers clear of the fence. The way the innotek fences work is that at a set distance from the wire the collar emits a beep as a warning to tell the dog that if they don't move away from the fence then they will get a correction. If the dog doesn't move or goes closer it will start getting the stim from the collar. The innotek collars don't increase in stim intensity but they are fitted with a sensor that notices when the dog is headed for the fence at speed and will start giving the stim ahead of that. There may be other electronic fence systems that do increase in intensity but I am unaware of them.

Chances are that when you used the ecollar the dog was in a high state of drive and committed to going over the fence hence the lack of correction. The radio fence works as a barrier to the main fence so the dog can't quite get to the fence without recieving the stim so it doesn't get the chance to commit to going over the fence. I highly recommend this sort of system but I would speak to someone like Steve at K9force about what would best suit your situation and your dog.

I know some people who have used a proper electric fence (livestock type) with a lot of success - this set up is especially good if you want to keep things out of your yard as well as in it! I believe they are around the same cost as the radio fence to set up but you just need to be careful and everyone and thing will get zapped by that sort of fence!

I hope you find something that will suit you soon. It can be soo stressful when you have a dog that escapes and I speak from experience here. I tried everything with physical fencing which is why I resorted to the electronic sort of fencing in the end.

[Casster17]

Send her to kennels with an enclosed run?

Buy a portable run?

Did she ever jump fences before staying at your parents place?

She has never jumped the fence before... Created a hole and squeazed through yes, but not in the last 2.5yrs.

And she is only staying at my parents place until my yard is dog proof, probably 3 more weeks.

[poodlefan]

Send her to kennels with an enclosed run?

Buy a portable run?

Did she ever jump fences before staying at your parents place?

She has never jumped the fence before... Created a hole and squeazed through yes, but not in the last 2.5yrs.

And she is only staying at my parents place until my yard is dog proof, probably 3 more weeks.

So the behaviour might not have been "learned" from your neighbours dog but has been triggered by her current situation. Is kennelling a possibility.

Whatever you do, you want the behaviour stopped.

[Casster17]

Thanks for the feedback.

Unfortunately she cannot be kept inside.

I had thought about the pvc on the wire idea. Will have to see if that will stop her.

Seita, I had thought of that, used an e collar on her once had to use the highest level to get any response. Does the innotek radio fence increase in levels as the dog gets closer???

Problem with e-collars is that you need to be there all the time to issue a correction. The beauty of the radio fences is once you've trained the dog to avoid the flags (they mark where the correction will start) the dog usually steers clear of the fence. The way the innotek fences work is that at a set distance from the wire the collar emits a beep as a warning to tell the dog that if they don't move away from the fence then they will get a correction. If the dog doesn't move or goes closer it will start getting the stim from the collar. The innotek collars don't increase in stim intensity but they are fitted with a sensor that notices when the dog is headed for the fence at speed and will start giving the stim ahead of that. There may be other electronic fence systems that do increase in intensity but I am unaware of them.

Chances are that when you used the ecollar the dog was in a high state of drive and committed to going over the fence hence the lack of correction. The radio fence works as a barrier to the main fence so the dog can't quite get to the fence without recieving the stim so it doesn't get the chance to commit to going over the fence. I highly recommend this sort of system but I would speak to someone like Steve at K9force about what would best suit your situation and your dog.

I know some people who have used a proper electric fence (livestock type) with a lot of success - this set up is especially good if you want to keep things out of your yard as well as in it! I believe they are around the same cost as the radio fence to set up but you just need to be careful and everyone and thing will get zapped by that sort of fence!

I hope you find something that will suit you soon. It can be soo stressful when you have a dog that escapes and I speak from experience here. I tried everything with physical fencing which is why I resorted to the electronic sort of fencing in the end.

At the new house we are ensureing that its fairly dog proof but I have been thinking a boundary wire might be worth trying if she continues to jump fences.

She's injured at the moment, tore her claw off trying to jump fence, so She confined in her crate until its healed (not something i can do ongoing, she's a working breed) but I want temporary measures until I can get her at my new house.

[Casster17]

So the behaviour might not have been "learned" from your neighbours dog but has been triggered by her current situation. Is kennelling a possibility.

Whatever you do, you want the behaviour stopped.

I believe it is learnt behaviour.

We are thinking it is also a seperation related behaviour. She used to escape when we first got her and that was because she was so close to me. Always escaped when i wasn't at home. She still is close to me but we thought we had done enough independence training to get around it.

If I could afford it at the moment i would, cheapest around here is $25/day. She would have gone there from day one but circumstances worked against me... (too many things went wrong with the new house)

[Czara]

Hi All,

My dog has finally worked out how to jump fences... its taken 3 years and in the end watching the next door neighbours dog come over our fence.

The problem is she is currently living at my parents house while I get my yard dog proof at the new house I have just moved into. Can anyone offer any good temporary solutions??? My dad would prefer not to do fence extensions.

I don't know that you could reliably teach your dog not to jump fences while she is at someone else's house. You need to do something. Perhaps the plasic roll out trellis stuff attached on top of the fence might be cheaper and more temporary that wooden fence extensions? Otherwise you'll need to make some sort of secure enclosure. Be careful - if she gets out and tries to go home, she may get lost!

[alpha bet]

Not all kennels are $25 per day.... I charge $18/d and there are others around who are similar.

For the cost of $126 per week - sounds like money well spent to provide a safe short term solution.

If dog gets out and caught by ranger you are up for perhaps $150 if the dog is injured you could be up for vet bills of $350, worse case senario - Dog lost or dead in car accident.

Shop around and save yourself and your parents the worry.

[sandgrubber]

So the behaviour might not have been "learned" from your neighbours dog but has been triggered by her current situation. Is kennelling a possibility.

Whatever you do, you want the behaviour stopped.

I believe it is learnt behaviour.

We are thinking it is also a seperation related behaviour. She used to escape when we first got her and that was because she was so close to me. Always escaped when i wasn't at home. She still is close to me but we thought we had done enough independence training to get around it.

If I could afford it at the moment i would, cheapest around here is $25/day. She would have gone there from day one but circumstances worked against me... (too many things went wrong with the new house)

In looking at kennels for sale, I'd swear I've seen a couple in the Melbourne hinterland that were getting $12 to $14/day for small dogs . . . they allowed lots of yard time and had high fences. You might find that kenneling is more affordable if you're willing to drive for an hour or so.

[Ons]

For peace of mind I would be putting him in a good boarding kennel for the last couple of weeks. But go a bit further out of town, cheaper and I would think that the runs would be bigger which is better for a longer term stay. My kennel only charges $50.00 a day and that's for 2 big dogs, 1 medium dog and 3 cats, Bit far for you though this kennel

My working dog jumped the fence when i was in the front garden once - I yelled at him to get back over and he did so immediately and he never jumped the fence again - he was a rescue dog that just wants to please me so much. I was very very lucky.

[Kelpie-i]

Once a dog has learned to jump, there's usually no stopping him/her since this can be a highly rewarding act for the dog.

Increasing exercise and obedience does help immensely since the dog is receiving much needed stimulation.

However, the problem is certainly a serious one as the consequences of fence jumping are many. I good cheap solution is to purchase an electric fence unit which will cost all of $170 or so and can be moved if needed. There are no attachments to the dog and does not cause any harm to the dog.

Do a google search for the Thunderbird 12 volt pet containment system which comes with all the wire and gadgets required to set it up. Works very well! The company who distributes the kit is in Sydney....sorry I forget the name.

But you must also, as mentioned above, increase exercise and obedience for your dog as well.

[Casster17]

Once a dog has learned to jump, there's usually no stopping him/her since this can be a highly rewarding act for the dog.

Increasing exercise and obedience does help immensely since the dog is receiving much needed stimulation.

However, the problem is certainly a serious one as the consequences of fence jumping are many. I good cheap solution is to purchase an electric fence unit which will cost all of $170 or so and can be moved if needed. There are no attachments to the dog and does not cause any harm to the dog.

Do a google search for the Thunderbird 12 volt pet containment system which comes with all the wire and gadgets required to set it up. Works very well! The company who distributes the kit is in Sydney....sorry I forget the name.

But you must also, as mentioned above, increase exercise and obedience for your dog as well.

Thanks Kelpie-i, I 'll have a look...

Thanks to all who have offered suggestions...

Edit: AS much as i understand putting her in a kennel will solve the problem temporarily, i need more perminant fixes. She suffers with SRB's and we think this is just a new one, she has not done it again and we are not goin to give her the option, for now she is tethered when there is no-one to supervise her, with plenty of exercise and the continued obedience that she has always had minus visting a training centre, as we were adt and I haven't found a new training school I am happy with yet. I'm fussy. And without going into her whole story we have had numerous behavioural issues with her...

Edited August 30, 2009 by Casster17