My dog jumps the fence...

Question
I have a 9 month old husky/lab mix, Jack.  He weights about 50lbs and eats Purina.  He is mostly an inside dog when we're home and we're trying to make him an outside dog.  He is very smart and a quick learner.  My wife and I are having trouble with him when we are away to work during the day.  We have generally kept him in a crate throughout the day, but would like to keep him in the back yard.  We built a fence for him and he promptly jumped it - 4 1/2 foot wooden fence...  We've chained him up and he rips himself out of his collar...  He has also busted out of his crate.  We're not sure what to do and it's getting very frustrating and embarrassing as we have to pick him up from our neighbor's house every evening...  How can we keep him in our backyard and trust that he won't jump the fence while we're at work?

Thanks,
Adam Ante

Answer
Hello, Adam. I'm sory for taking so long to get back to you, but I've been a little under the weather and not online as often.

Huskys are notorious escape artists and roamers/runners. They are extremely intelligent and tend to get bored easily. May I ask why you're trying to make him an outside dog? That may only serve to make his behavior worse because dogs are pack animals and want to be with their human companions. If you just leave him out in the yard, he's only going to become more and more bored and seek other ways of entertaining himself - like barking, or digging, or chewing inappropriate items like childrens' toys or the sides of the house. Just a few things to think about. If you just want to keep him back there during the day as opposed to keeping him crated in the house, then I don't see a problem with that as long as he does get to come inside when you are at home. ;^)


There are several ways of keeping a fence-jumping-dog inside a fence. One way is by tethering him. You say he rips himself out of his collar when you do this. I have a few questions about this, though:

****What kind of collar are you using? Is it properly fitted? How long is the tether - does it allow him to access all or most of the yard?****

A martingale collar is wonderful for dogs whose heads are the same size as their necks, or for dogs that can squirm their way out of regular buckle collars. It has what is called a limited slip, which means that when it is pulled against, it tightens, but only so far. It is not a choker. Here's an example of one, but it is fitted loosely to show you how it works:  http://www.sitstay.com/store/equip/collars3.shtml



Perhaps the most effective way of keeping a dog from jumping the fence is by using an invisible fence to reinforce the physical fence. Instead of burying the wire, you staple the wire to the wooden fence anywhere between 1/4 of the way up from the ground and the actual top of the fence, and set the boundary far enough back so that the dog cannot get within 4-5 feet of the fence without getting a static correction. Then you put up the flags and train the dog just as if you would if you did not have a real fence in place. This teaches him that he must stay back away from the fence to avoid getting the static correction, so he is less likely to try jumping the fence anymore. You *may* have to get a stronger collar than what comes with the system for your dog, because the one that comes with the system may not be strong enough to keep your dog from testing the boundary. For people who do not already have a fence in place, I recommend having the invisible fence professionally installed, but for what you are going to be using it for, the do-it-yourself fence should be sufficient. Many larger pet store chains sell these systems. PetsMart, Pet Supplies Plus!, and Superpetz are three that I know of for sure, or you can purchase them cheaper from http://www.petstreetmall.com

Good luck and please let me know if there's anything else I can help you with.

Kristen