Fence-jumping solutions?

[PilsnPinkysMom]

My dog jumped our 6'4 cedar privacy fence this morning. We built it this past July because she was routinely jumping our 4'6 fence. Every time she has jumped the fence I've been outside playing with her, and she is never left unattended in the yard. Really.

The problem: Squirrels. There's a HUGE willow tree right behind our fence and a power line that runs across the length of our yard. Squirrels regularly hop from the tree to the power line, and Zoey goes NUTS chasing them. She'll do anything to get to one.

Zoey is a lab-pitbull mix. The height of a lab + muscle of a pit + terrier hunting instinct is a bad combo. We've been through training and she's quite responsive, but the moment she sees a squirrel all bets are off. She turns into a wild, powerful beast. Now that she knows she can clear the fence, we're "screwed."

Any suggestions on what to do? She gets lots of exercise, regular training, and attention... I'm just at a loss Perhaps Zoey cannot be in the yard unless she's going potty on a leash.

 

[Tuckins1]

Wow, 6'4"!! My friend has Pits and I don't think they have ever leaped that high! I don't really know what to do about that one... Good luck!

 

[AGBF]

Thank you for sharing this! I will think about it. I have no answer for you right now. I can tell you that age will help, but that (one would hope) is not around the corner! Age was the only thing that slowed down my (yellow) Lab, but it was sad to watch that happen! Until then, he terrorized everyone and I walked around with a bottle of hot sauce when I went to open the front door in case he had the urge to bite the person on the steps!

Deb/AGBF

 

[AGBF]

As I was looking into fences, I saw additions that could be placed on top of existing fences. That might be your best route. Just add even more height. It will at least provide a psychological deterrent!


Here is a fence to which a lattice top was added:

http://www.hammerzone.com/archives/landscape/fence/extend1/lattice.htm


Deb/AGBF

 

[lyra]

I think it'll have to be considered a training issue. A bigger fence won't help necessarily if she doesn't respond to your commands while you're outside with her. She could hurt her joints or pull something doing that sort of thing, especially as she ages. Can you consult with a dog trainer?

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Okay, so I realize that fence-jumping is dangerous, but I can't help but be impressed by Zoey's athleticism! Nearly 6 and a half feet?? My dogs try to find their way around a 2-foot log if it's blocking their path.

I find training against a dog's natural instict to be incredibly frustrating for everybody involved. Not that it can't be done--there is always a way--I'm just not sure if it's worth it. As you said, Zoey gets lots of exercise and is well-trained, she just goes into a completely different place mentally when she sees a squirrel.

If it were me, I would probably just keep her leashed for pottying. I hate to say that because I know how frustrating it must be to have worked this hard and still need to leash her in the yard, I'm just afraid that even if you get an 8 foot fence, she'll still attempt to jump it. I'm sorry she's such a jumper, but I'm so glad you've always been there when it's happened!

 

[waterlilly]

http://www.coyoteroller.com/home

I think these are pretty pricey, but you may be able to come up with your own version using some pvc tubing along a cable run across the top. I like the idea of adding some lattice to the top. Once she tries and does not succeed a few times, she may not to try again...but given her drive - you might need a permanent addition to the fence. Now that she knows she can do it, she'll keep trying though. You could consider an E-collar to train her since this behavior could be quite dangerous due to the escape factor. I'm all for an e-collar when it comes to correcting behaviors that can lead to the dog becoming injured/lost, etc.

There's a demo of how it keeps dogs in here:
http://k.b5z.net/i/u/6045677/h/Coyote_Roller_Demo.wmv

Very nice fence, by the way!

 

[packrat]

We had to build onto our kennel fence a portion that went from the top of the fence in towards the kennel at an upward angle so that our pits could not get over.

I'm glad you've been there when she's done it as well-our dog Sadie lost a hind leg getting hung up in the fence during what ended up being her last adventure over the fence. (and nobody was home so she hung there for about 4 hours)

I would be worried putting lattice up top that her paw might get stuck in one of the openings-that's how Sadie got stuck.

 

[JewelFreak]

Have you looked into electric (as in, horse) fencing on top of your fence? You could run a wire just above it that your little jack-in-the-box couldn't help touching as she tried to get over. One or 2 times should discourage her. You can adjust the current & it doesn't injure her.

I have had Siberian Huskies for 25 years so do understand your worry & the problem! This is a solution quite a few Siberian people use with success.

One other hint: until you get a handle on fixing this, I'd strongly advise you not to let her out there when you aren't present. She could get stuck or hung up on the fence & not be alive by the time you got to her. It happens all too often, as other people wrote here.

She sounds like a bright, smart dog. Nothing harder to keep ahead of than a dog with intelligence! (It's embarrassing, in fact.)

--- Laurie

ETA: This isn't a matter of training; it's pure instinct. The dog reacts without thinking. Even if they do think about it, in most cases they'll do it anyway.

Is the tree on the other side of the fence on your property? If so, you might also consider trimming branches so squirrels aren't close enough to be so much of a temptation.

 

[Puppmom]

Wow! That's a really tall fence he's leaping. Is he clearing it in one jump or is he boosting himself with the little ledge about three-quarters of the way up?

My dog is extremely prey driven so squirrels and bunnies really get him worked up. With training, we've been able to curb it a bit. We use *leave it* and treat him whenever we pass either while on a walk. It took a LONG time (over a year) but he's to the point that he looks to me when he sees a small animal. I guess he's asking for a treat! It's still not perfect though - we had a bunny hole in our backyard recently and the poor guy was salivating at the kitchen window!

 

[Miss Sparkly]

http://www.catfencein.com/brochure3.php

We made our own system like this and it worked very well for a fence jumping border collie that we had.

 

[Haven]

My mom has a Border Collie, Tallulah, who used to easily clear their 6 ft fence from a standstill in her prime. After trying multiple things to get her to stop jumping that fence--training her to stay away from the fence by shaking a can with pennies in it whenever she went near it, providing activities for her in the yard so she wouldn't jump and run away--we ended up adding extra fence to the top that looks a lot like the Cat Fence-in like the one Sparkly Blonde linked to.

Good luck. I know how it feels to be panic-stricken and searching for your pup when you realize she's jumped the fence. Tallulah usually used to jump it during the warmer months and then she'd find yard parties to crash, so we typically found her hanging out with a bunch of neighbors, but once we found her standing right in the middle of a busy street. She also learned how to stand on her back legs and hit the doorbell when she wanted to come back inside.

Oy. Good luck!

ETA: We trained our Pit mix to leave squirrels alone. She had a HUGE prey drive when we first brought her home, and we have a lot of squirrels and small animals around here, so we worked hard to train her to "leave it." Now we can walk her off leash and she won't chase a thing. It might be worth a shot.

 

[AGBF]

I had to say that I am constantly amazed at how much I learn when people start posting about their dogs here! I have owned, or lived with (as a child) several breeds of dogs, yet there are just so many things about dogs about which I am unaware. Some breeds have quirks that none of "my" breeds did. And my breeds included: spaniels (as a child); then an Irish Setter; a Golden retriever; a yellow Labrador retriever; and a cocker spaniel. Plus I have always gravitated towards dogs and had friends who had dogs! Everyone in my family kept dogs!

As I said when I was asking about Newfoundlands and fences, it is better to ask questions first rather than to assume, because with dogs one never knows!

Deb/AGBF

 

[JewelFreak]

Hey, that fence-in thing looks great, SB. You might try it, PilsnPinkysMom. It's similar to what Siberian people put onto chain link fencing (but wouldn't work on wood so I didn't suggest it) -- a chain-link barrier that tilts inward. This might work as well.

You can often train a dog not to chase prey while you're there, but it's never reliable when you're not. Having done years of rescue work & behavior work w/pet owners, I can't count the number of times I heard, "He NEVER did that before!" The sadness that can result the ONE time a dog does it his way always scares me, so I'm extra cautious. If he collides w/a car or gets truly lost, you don't get a do-over. This might be from living with Siberians for so long; they're bred to make independent decisions which save lives on the trail if a musher can't see ahead in a blizzard or the dark. Unfortunately, the stinkers can't turn it off when they live as pets! Many breeds are similar -- terriers included, which you have in your dog.

--- Laurie

 

[PilsnPinkysMom]

Wow! Thank you so much for all the insight! Some of these contraptions might really work! The coyote roller would cost a lot to purchase and install, but the safety of my furball is certainly worth it.

The tree on the opposite side of the fence does not belong to us (unfortunately). The owners want to cut it down but can't swing the 4k tree-cutter cost, which is completely understandable.

DH & I must continually work on training Zoey. Any suggestions on how to overcome or slightly reduce prey instinct would be WONDERFUL and very much appreciated. I don't know if it's do-able and it certainly won't be easy. I guess I'd always live fearing that she'd have one moment of weakness and jump, even if we find success through training & working with a behavioralist/trainer.

In the meantime we're leashing Z when she goes out to potty. Stupid, stupid squirrels.

 

[JewelFreak]

Wow! Thank you so much for all the insight! Some of these contraptions might really work! The coyote roller would cost a lot to purchase and install, but the safety of my furball is certainly worth it.

DH & I must continually work on training Zoey. Any suggestions on how to overcome or slightly reduce prey instinct would be WONDERFUL and very much appreciated. I guess I'd always live fearing that she'd have one moment of weakness and jump, even if we find success through training & working with a behavioralist/trainer.

In the meantime we're leashing Z when she goes out to potty. Stupid, stupid squirrels.

Good on leashing, even if it drives you nuts.

You can re-direct prey drive by providing other outlets, though you can't train a dog out of having one any more than you can train it out of having 4 legs. Part of their genetic programming. However, ball chasing if Zoey likes that is a great thing -- involves prey drive and wears 'em out (if not you first). I've found toys such as Buster Cubes or Kong Toys filled w/tiny kibble treats that they have to figure out how to extract to be good distractions. A friend of mine used to hide treats for her dogs -- at first, just naked (treats, not her); then moved up to putting them into empty margarine tubs the dogs had to find & open; finally she wrapped biscuits in a piece of cloth, then in the margarine tub, & hid a few of those around. It's a mental challenge they love. You can come up with ideas of your own. Also, the more exercise, the better! Dogs are noisy or troublesome in directly opposite proportion to the amount of exercise they get.

You can teach her not to go after squirrels when you're with her, but dogs unsupervised will be...well...dogs. You don't mention how old Zoey is -- she looks young in the pic. They do calm down as they get older, believe it or not! Also, pits are so darned eager to please, she should be fairly easy to work with.

Yeah, as to cost of keeping them safe, it can escalate, but you sound like a wonderful dog mama who'd feel awful if something happened to her. The hard part is they don't know how to be anything but a dog, so their security is our responsibility. Here's consolation by comparison: Siberians consider any barrier merely a challenge put there for their amusement. To get on the other side they will go under, over or through. Horrible diggers, major jumpers, and some of mine learned to open the most complicated gate locks. I put in a chain-link fenced area in the back yard, about 20' x 60'. (One of my current ones simply unwound the chain link on the gate -- why she still has teeth is a mystery.) It is 6' tall & has to be buried a foot to prevent digging out -- plus cemented under the gate & where tree roots offer an opening. Cost? $2000. I gulped & postponed some other stuff to know they're safe -- but still NEVER leave them outside when nobody is home. Too many people I know have found their dogs hanging from the fence, strangled when they tried to go over & missed.

Working with a good trainer is a super idea -- classes help a lot by socializing the dog to other dogs in the process. If you have somebody come to the house, it's good to check references & what training associations they belong to -- many will promise the moon, and not being too skilled, eventually tell you your dog is too dumb or something similar. You don't want to waste time & money!

Good luck -- would love to hear what you decide to do & how it works out.

--- Laurie