Help! Escape artist puppy

[Karax2]

My 9 month old GSD/Border Collie, Rembrandt, was taught by an expert escape artist dog the joy of running free when she was 5 months old. I was dog-sitting the other one and he almost drove me crazy. After he went home, I was able to get Rembrandt to stay in the yard, but then all of a sudden he started escaping on his own.

It is getting worse and no matter what I do, he still seems to find his way out.

He is cutting through the hedge and walking along the fence, around the other fence, back through the hedge and is out. He can do this in seconds and no matter how much it is tied and blocked he still gets out.

He not only roams the neighbourhood, but he brings home treasures ... bbq covers, rope, ornaments, etc. If it wasn't so frustrating I would be laughing about it.

I don't know what to do to stop him ... any suggestions are appreciated.

[TeriM]

Is he an outside dog? If so I would bring him indoors. A dog should really not be left outside unsupervised for long periods. He is probably not getting enough exercise and/or stimulation at home so is off looking for adventure elsewhere. A 9 month old dog has a ton of energy and needs lots of exercise to keep both dog and human sane.

[rainbow]

I agreee with Teri. If your yard is not secure, then you should not leave your dog out there by himself unsupervised. A young dog will do anything he can to entertain himself.

[jessi76]

I have a basenji-mix who is a true escape artist... he can (and has) open doors, unhook leashes, chew through a leash in seconds, climb trees, leap over 5' fences, and snap a cable run .... so i know what it's like... and as the others said, you must supervise the dog when outside.

my yard is fenced, and my dog is trained, yet I still don't leave him unattended. I watch him then bring him back in the house. all it takes is one squirrel to provoke him and that's it, he's off in a flash and I'm left chasing, searching, and screaming.

I'd say a GSD/Border collie is probably a very smart and energetic mix! as Teri suggested, more exercise would probably discourage him from running off to seek adventure - and supervision or bringing the dog in the house will surely help.

[Karax2]

My yard is secure, plus I also have my other dog, who does not leave the yard. The yard is HUGE! There are toys and chew things.

What do all of you do when you go to work? I think it is cruel to crate a puppy for long hours, especially an active one.

They get a run before I go to work, one when I get home from work, and on weekends they get lots of off-leash park time. I spend time throwing for them.

How long do all of you crate your puppies for?

[zztopp]

With an energetic puppy like that, I would seriously consider having your yard fenced in *entirely* !!

Another idea is a fenced in 'dog run.' Ours had smooth gravel-type footings, a big water dish, a shelter and 8ft high fencing. Three sides were a pagewire type fencing (the other was wood, since it was the property fenceline), which allowed the dogs to see out and air flow. It was a great set up. They could stay out there for hours and play and snooze and play some more and ... The only upkeep, was scooping the turds every month or two and putting in a load of the smooth gravel every 5 or 6 years. (If your pup is a digger, you can put the pagewire down into the ground 1 or 2ft, which means they can't dig out (generally)!

But, we had "Houdini" who I swear could escape from a high security prison! He would sit and jiggle the door, until the latch gave Silly pup. We just had to keep toys in there to keep him busy and/or find ways to foil his plans

Good luck

[zztopp]

Oops, didn't clue in till after I posted that you were the original poster ...

Originally Posted by Karax2

My yard is secure,

Apparently it isn't Just because one dog deems it secure, doesn't mean another dog won't find a way out.

Originally Posted by Karax2

What do all of you do when you go to work? I think it is cruel to crate a puppy for long hours, especially an active one.

I don't consider it cruel, I consider it part of training. We live in the country, so travel time amounts to an hour each day. That means the dogs need to be comfortable being crated for about 9-hours daily. When we come home, they are let out and can run to their hearts contents though. That works for our Golden Retriever and Jack Russel Terrier

Originally Posted by Karax2

The yard is HUGE! There are toys and chew things.

One 'fun' toy is a kong stuffed with a cookie (get a cookie that is large enough to be REALLY hard to get out ) and then stuff peanut butter and some kibble around it. That keeps 'em busy for hours.

Good luck!

[jessi76]

Originally Posted by Karax2

What do all of you do when you go to work? I think it is cruel to crate a puppy for long hours, especially an active one.

How long do all of you crate your puppies for?

my dog isn't a pup anymore - he's 2 now. When he was younger we crated him in the house, BUT my fiance came home at noon and then took our dog back to work with him (a home based business). on days he couldn't or he was traveling, I put our dog in daycare for the day. other times I had a friend or family member stop in to see him in the middle of the day for an hour or so (play and potty time)

now that he's 2, he isn't crated. his crate is available, but he's not locked in it. he is free in the house. we now pay a neighbor to come over everyday and play/walk/let him out etc... our neighbor has a puppy now, so it's a perfect solution. his pup gets a playmate for an hour a day, our dog get's play time w/ another dog and a person, and our retired neighbor earns some extra money.