From: richard@sfu.ca (Richard Chycoski)
Subject: Re: Climbing Dog -- Please Help
Reply-To: richard@sfu.ca
Organization: Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, B.C., Canada
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1992 16:32:33 GMT

In article <1992Sep5.163212.6861@infonode.ingr.com> bbrown@infonode.ingr.com  
(Bailey Brown) writes:
> 
> I had a similar problem, and solved it by stringing an electrified
> wire around the top of my fence.  
>
>...
> 
> My jumper dog needed to touch the wire only once, and she has never
> tried to jump the fence again.  I touched the wire myself to check
> it out, and I can see why she hasn't come back for more.  I think
> it is more humane to let the dog touch the wire once and not jump
> anymore than it is to restrict the dog's movements.  I usually leave
> the juice off now.

At our previous house we had a similar problem with our dogs. I first installed
the electric fence along the base of our chain link fence, to discourage
digging. We had tried rocks, cement pads, boards, ... *everything* else! A
friend who had been involved in training dogs for many years suggested the
electric fence. The first day, one of our dogs (the wimp! :-) came and hid
in the kitchen in the furthest spot from the outside door, and wouldn't budge
the rest of the day. He didn't like the 'bee sting', and decided that it was
easier to just stay in the house... By the end of the week, both dogs knew
*exactly* where the wire was, and would play within inches of the fence, but
did not try digging again... for a little while. Having listened to my friend,
we left the fence 'live' for several weeks. He had told us that most dogs will
learn about the fence *very* quickly (quite true!), and then will 'test' it
again, usually about a month later. Yes, our dogs did try it again, but
decided quickly to stop 'testing'.

During the following winter, we got an unusual (for Vancouver) amount of
snow on the ground for a few days, (about 14"), which then thawed a little and
froze again. Our chain link fence was not tall (four feet), and our
spaniel/lab/?? cross decided that it had become entirely too easy to just
hop the back fence. The snow melted quickly, but the dog also discovered that
chain link is not all that difficult to climb with the rear paws. I installed
another piece of electric fence string/wire to the top of the fence, and (as
far as I know) he only tried climbing out one more time....

Surprisingly enough, now that we are in a new house, and have just had a six
foot wood fence built around the back yard, the dogs have not even tried
digging under the fence, even though there are several gaps at the bottom of
the fence that our smaller dog could probably almost wriggle through (and 
she's the champion digger)! I have installed the insulated spools for the
electric fence, but in the two months that the dogs have had the run of the
back yard, there has not yet been a problem. I will still install the electric
fence before we leave them alone in the back yard while we're away from the
house, however. It's very cheap insurance, and we care for our dogs enough
that we're willing to let them get 'stung' a couple of times to save them
from the traffic...

- Richard Chycoski
  richard@sfu.ca