Do you know who taught your dog to be an escape artist and jump the fence? Well, that’s not as important as it may sound. But the thing is you need to be worried about what wrong may happen if your canine buddy frees herself and roam around the streets.
Your dog sees enticing things going on outside the fence and that makes her a super athlete that can jump no matter how high the fences are. The chances for misfortune to happen are high if she succeeds. She might get stolen, can get hit by a car, she may harm others, or even may get attacked by pariah dogs. You’ll also have to pay fine if your dog gets picked up by animal control agency.
Did you try to find out how she does this? You should, but most importantly, you should figure out why she keeps trying to jump the fence. Let’s find out the reasons.
They Feel Bored
When you put them to the fence in your yard, they might not get enough of entertainment that will outweigh what’s enticing going on outside the fence. When there are no toys to play with or the old toys with which she has been playing for so long is the prime reason for boredom.
That said, she will try to find other sources of entertainment, which are always outside of the fenced area. If you put your dog to the fence without any toys to play with, your dog is likely going to try to escape the fence. Also, you don’t have to buy new toys every time. Keep rotating them so that she will get to play with a new toy every time.
In a nutshell, make sure your dog is not getting bored inside.
The Outside World Is More Interesting Than Fenced Area
Your dog will be able to peek at more interesting things happening outside through the fence. As she is feeling bored and lonely inside, she might want to chase cats outside that she just saw or maybe someone else is marking the territory where she already marked and now she has an irresistible urge to remark it.
Sometimes, other people in your absence can lure your dog with food and treats so she’d feel she will get more attention outside. Moreover, when a dog jumps the fence and escape, the feeling of freedom makes her happy. The escape followed by a happy reward reinforces this behavior of escaping, making confinement worse.
The obvious solution to this problem is proper training for the containment system and enough entertainment inside the fenced area. The same is applicable to a wireless dog fence. Because the dog will more likely to stay in the fenced area if they are trained with electrical containment system and has enough entertainment inside the boundaries.
They Feel Lonely Inside
The truth is that the environment inside is relatively barren. It might be possible that there aren’t enough toys or playmates inside. Moreover, they feel a lack of interaction if they stay confined for a long time without your visits.
Once they taste the happiness of escaping, they recall their memory of playing with children in a nearby schoolyard or playing with neighbor’s dog. These memories strengthen their will to jump the fence even more.
Active types of dogs (like sporting and herding breeds) have to find a super active job in order to spend their energy and be happy. When they don’t find one and feel social isolation, this can lead to escaping.
Well, you might be wondering how long is too long to leave them alone? Leaving a dog alone for 10-12 hours is definitely too long. You should see your dog every four to six hours to see how they are doing and let them relieve themselves a bit.
Sexual Roaming
A dog becomes sexually mature at about the age of 6 months. An Intact male dog has a strong drive to seek females for reproduction. It is quite tough to keep them confined to the fence when the motivation to do so is too high. However, neutered dogs are unlikely to promote sexual roaming. That said, always consider spaying and neutering.
Fear and Phobias
Your dog might be escaping out of fear and phobias. A loud noise of firecrackers, thuds of construction work, and thunderstorms can freak them out and make them anxious and force them to leave the confinement.
You should identify the cause of his fear and see what frightens him. You can also take the help of your vet for this and see what anti-anxiety medication and suppressants can help ease up their phobias. But try to desensitize your dog to the frightening things first instead of sedatives and other medication.
The EndNote
I know how discouraging it is to know your dog makes herself free but vulnerable to dangers and sometimes even life-threatening situations. It is better to know what makes her jump the fence so that you can think of the ways how you can curb that behavior in your pooch. Make a mental note of the main reasons why dogs escape the fence and next time you keep her to the fence, make sure you have done enough to keep your doggie confined.
by Clara Lou