# He's Houdini reincarnated!



## Oaklys Dad (Dec 28, 2005)

For the short term I would look into a tie out. Just make sure it did not reach the fence. In the long term you might be able to make the fence taller with some sort of extension. Even some light weight lattice may be enough to stop the jumping of the fence.


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## looking4goldengirl (Dec 31, 2009)

*Good idea.*

Never thought of a tie out. This may sound dumb, but how does that work? Is it like a really long leash tied to something? He would most likely love that. He never wants to come in, love to carry sticks around and knock around the soccer ball etc, I hate to just keep him in.

Actually do you know what? I was just thinking... If you tie these to a tree or something, they are all against the 4 foot fences. I dont have anything heavy I could tie it to elsewhere. Hes so strong. Maybe one of those aerial dog runs?


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

I had a beagle we could not keep in the yard. We ended up running an electric wire around the yard, not an invisible fence, it was like a cattle wire. She touched it twice and then never got out again. I don't think it was expensive, and we eventually turned off the power but she had learned not to go near it by then and stayed in the yard.


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## looking4goldengirl (Dec 31, 2009)

mylissyk said:


> I had a beagle we could not keep in the yard. We ended up running an electric wire around the yard, not an invisible fence, it was like a cattle wire. She touched it twice and then never got out again. I don't think it was expensive, and we eventually turned off the power but she had learned not to go near it by then and stayed in the yard.


Is this something my little ones would get shocked with? I just dont understand why he wants to leave? We give him so much attention


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## Oaklys Dad (Dec 28, 2005)

looking4goldengirl said:


> Never thought of a tie out. This may sound dumb, but how does that work? Is it like a really long leash tied to something? He would most likely love that. He never wants to come in, love to carry sticks around and knock around the soccer ball etc, I hate to just keep him in.


With the layout of my yard I can't have a fenced in yard. My guys go out out tie outs. It is not the best system but it works. I make up my own using cable and snaps but they do come premade. Just be sure there is nothing that could present a hanging possibility like the chance of falling off a deck etc.


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## looking4goldengirl (Dec 31, 2009)

I think Im going to call my neighbor and tell them Im going to leave the dog outside but spy on him to see how he keeps getting into her yard. I hope shed be understanding LOL


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

I would not assume he is jumping the fence unless you have seen him jump it. My escape artists never went over a fence but they were geniuses at figuring out how to get under the fence! Like you said, it was never a problem until a visiting dog went under and then boom! They were getting out all the time. I just had to keep blocking the fence where they were going under, and watching to see where all the new places were. I had chain link but did not have a bottom rail, and the yard was not evenly flat. The dogs managed to find all the spots where they could get through, and I swear some of them you would not think a full grown Golden could get under!


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## looking4goldengirl (Dec 31, 2009)

lol. I know he didnt get out under the original hole at least because I put a baby pool on top with a soccer goal on top of that lol, temporarily! Its just insane! He is such a great dog, but this ONE THING, is driving me crazy  Is there a way to train him not to do it?


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## RedDogs (Jan 30, 2010)

Go out and play with him. Keep him busy, use food toys. If you are not being active, have him on a leash.

For the most part, yards make people feel good, but dogs need the leash walks, fetch games, and all for exercise. Off property leash walks are a really great enrichment activity for dogs and I'm super guilty of not doing this often enough!


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## looking4goldengirl (Dec 31, 2009)

RedDogs said:


> Go out and play with him. Keep him busy, use food toys. If you are not being active, have him on a leash.
> 
> For the most part, yards make people feel good, but dogs need the leash walks, fetch games, and all for exercise. Off property leash walks are a really great enrichment activity for dogs and I'm super guilty of not doing this often enough!


He is constantly being played with. He has 3 children that live with him who run with him all day every day, in addition to that I watch 3rd grade twins every day that play with him. I also go out and play fetch with him etc. He is constantly stimulated, but there are times where I let him out for a few minutes just so he can relieve himself and he just disappears. Like I said before even if the kids are outdoors with him and stop playing with him for a moment, they turn around and hes gone! I am afraid to even let him out with people now.. I just dont know what to do.


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

looking4goldengirl said:


> lol. I know he didnt get out under the original hole at least because I put a baby pool on top with a soccer goal on top of that lol, temporarily! Its just insane! He is such a great dog, but this ONE THING, is driving me crazy  Is there a way to train him not to do it?


I was never able to train them out of it :uhoh: However, the Goldens I have now have never been exposed to an escape artist, have never been given the opportunity to escape (just ask my fence installers-I know exactly what I want and I insist everything be installed as I say!), and don't even try to escape.

My ringleader was my old Scarlet girl-she was just like her Grandma Kahli. Those two could open most gates, roll up chain link if there was no bottom rail or it wasn't installed just so, and go under most fences. Kahli never went anywhere once she was out-it was like it was the challenge of getting out she couldn't resist. At the handler's house, she would get out and then let out the dogs that she liked (the Beagles, the other Goldens, the Pugs), so they could play, but leave the Shepherd and the Pointers in their kennels :doh:

Scarlet on the other hand would stage a revolt and head to the creek to play! She loved the water and would head there even if it was below freezing.


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## gold'nchocolate (May 31, 2005)

Nash is my escape artist. He would easily leap over my wooden picket fence. I fixed it so that he couldn't go OVER but then he started going UNDER it :doh:. I didn't realize that he had dug a hole and it took me a couple of days to figure out how he was getting out. I fixed the bottom of the fence where it meets the ground and now he can't get out that way either. 

It made me really nervous whenever he would get out because he would immediately run across the street to visit the golden retriever that lives there. Luckily he never got hit. He was so fast (and quiet) about getting out that even when I was outside with the dogs I wouldn't even realize that he was out until my other dogs would be going crazy. 

If you want I can post some pictures, tomorrow, of what I did to the fence. It doesn't look too bad, either. That's him in my siggie picture, looking sadly   out the window at the other dogs playing outside and he was "grounded" before I fixed the fence.


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## Heidi36oh (Feb 27, 2007)

Jack is my escape artist, that dog can jump a 4 foot fence in no time.

He used to escape a lot when he was younger, he also knew how to open the gate. Luckily he always came back and sometimes he brought us nice things to snack on....lol

He went to the grocery store or some one unloading their car and stole a box of Cinamonrolls once :doh:

I ended up using a 20 foot lead on him for a while, now at 4 years old he don't wan't to leave anymore. He sticks to me like clue, he's the only one I got I can take with out a lead and he will stay right with me.

Go figure..LOL..it will get better, but I would use a tie out for a while. Good Luck!


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## Noey (Feb 26, 2009)

when Noah was a puppy he was covert as well.

Caught him scaling a wall by bracing his legs between two walls and using the tiny little molding ledge like a rock climber.

He learned how to climb quickly and that and added bounce gave him a bit of an advantage at getting over.


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## Jupiter's Human (Aug 22, 2009)

Jupiter can clear a 4-ft fence. No problem. He goes to visit his girlfriend, a sexy black lab, who is across the street. Luckily he has never gotten hit! Since it's winter, we can't install a taller fence right now, so we have resorted to a 30-ft long tie-out when we can't supervise him.


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## coppers-mom (Jan 9, 2009)

Copper is also an escape artist. Here and at the vet's.

I bought an underground fence setup at Lowe's and it is only about $150 and includes a small shock collar. HOwever, for Mr. Hardhead I also had to buy a supershocker collar for another $75 (it uses a 9 volt battery). You don't have to bury the wire. I can't due to terrrain so it is mostly on top of the ground. It is the only thing that has ever kept him in the yard and that is because he can't see what to destroy!

I hope you find a solution. If you use a tie-out, make certain he can't reach the fence and jump over while leashed. That can have tragic results.

Good luck!


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## Abbydabbydo (Jan 31, 2007)

Both of my dogs can clear a four foot fence if there is something on the other side they want.

We reinforced our chain link fence by adding chicken wire to the top and threading a metal stake through the wire and the chain link so it would be six feet high. Not too pretty but ours is pretty well masked by trees. 

Mine don't stay outside alone at all much anymore. They get their 1-2 hour walk and then want to lay around inside, summer and winter, waiting for me to get home from work. 

Good luck!


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## Bob Dylan (Mar 31, 2009)

Lots of good advice, but is he micro-chipped?
We use Home Again.


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## momtoMax (Apr 21, 2009)

You've had him for a few months and you are likely still cementing the pack bond in this eyes. Don't be hurt by his behavior - only if he grabs his favorite toy, jumps the fence and crosses several state lines. He's learned from his hole experience that there is a bigger more interesting world out there. 

Question: Was he/have you had him neutered? This could really be exasperating the problem as well. I know someone who had an unneutered male who liked to roam a lot. When they got him neuterred, he stayed much closer to home.

Also, a tie has a loopy metal stake that you turn into the ground to secure it. You can buy them were I live for 10 dollars. We bought one and took it camping with us.


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## GoldenFan (Dec 14, 2009)

a previous escape artist i had would literally pull the fence pickets off the fence. he would lay down up against the fence and chew and scratch at the bottom of the fence picket until he could grab it with his mouth. once he had a good grip on it, he'd stand up, and start backing up with it slowly until the nails popped and the picket was loose. craziest thing i ever saw. then it was over and that picket was no longer any fun. the solution was 2-fold. first, an above ground cattle like electric fence run around the bottom of the whole fence. i purchased a spool of wire, some of those plastic clips, and the unit itself all at home depot. no collar necessary. very easily installed and fairly cheap. then, i cut a a peep hole in a few places at his eye level. apparently, he didn't necessarily want to get out or destroy the fence, he was just more interested in seeing what the heck everyone else outside the fence was doing.


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## Muddypaws (Apr 20, 2009)

Kirby used to go under the wire link fence in the back of our yard (all woods back there). We put in small garden fencing where there were gaps but she kept finding new ones. I got so fed up I took all DH's fire wood and lined the entire bottom of the fence. She stopped going under and has been perfectly happy in her own yard since. Of course now she is to big to get through.

We have the aerial runs at the Cape, they work well but make sure they are secured high up in the tree and get a coiled "no tangle" tie out or you will be forever untangling the dog.


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