ESCAPING:
Does your dog's ability to escape from the back yard have you convinced
that he's nothing less than a hairy Houdini? Your never-ending attempts
to keep your pet confined to your yard may seem comical at times, but
every escape opens up the possibility of tragic consequences. If your
dog is running loose, he's in danger of being hit by a car, injured in a
fight with another dog, or hurt in any number of other ways. You're also
liable for any damage or injury your dog may cause, and you may be
required to pay a fine if he's picked up by an animal control agency. To
prevent escapes, you'll need to find out how your dog is getting out of
the yard, and more importantly, why he's so determined to get out.
Why Dogs Escape
Social Isolation/Frustration
Your dog may be escaping because he's bored and lonely, especially if...
He is left alone for long periods of time without opportunities for
interaction with you.
His environment is relatively barren, without playmates or toys.
He is a puppy or adolescent (under three years old) and doesn't have
other outlets for his energy.
He is a particularly active type of dog (like the herding or sporting
breeds) who needs an active "job" in order to be happy.
He visits places after each escape that provide him with interaction and
fun things to do. For example, he may go play with a neighbor's dog or
visit the local school yard to play with the children.
Recommendations:
We recommend expanding your dog's world and increasing his "people time"
in the following ways:
Walk your dog daily. It's good exercise, both mentally and physically
(for both of you!).
Teach your dog to fetch a ball or FrisbeeĆ¢€˛¢ and practice with him
as often as possible.
Teach your dog a few commands or tricks. Try to hold a lesson every day
for five to ten minutes.
Take an obedience class with your dog and practice what you've learned
every day.
Provide interesting toys (KongĆ¢€˛¢-type toys filled with treats or
busy-box toys) to keep your dog busy when you're not home.
Rotate your dog's toys to make them seem new and interesting.
Keep your dog inside when you're unable to supervise him. (This will
also keep him safe and prevent any possibility of his being stolen from
your yard.)
If you must be away from home for extended periods of time, take your
dog to work with you or to a "doggie day care center," or ask a friend
or neighbor to walk your dog.
Sexual Roaming
Dogs become sexually mature at around six months of age. Like a teenager
first feeling the surge of hormones, an intact male dog has a strong,
natural drive to seek out females. As you can imagine, it can be
difficult to prevent an intact dog from escaping when his motivation to
do so is very high.
Recommendations:
Have your male dog neutered. Studies show that neutering will decrease
sexual roaming in about 90% of cases. If an intact male has established
a pattern of escaping, he may continue to do so even after he's
neutered, which is even more reason to have him neutered as soon as
possible.
Have your female dog spayed. If your intact female dog escapes your yard
while she's in heat, she'll probably get pregnant (and she could be
impregnated even if she stays in your yard). Millions of unwanted pets
are euthanized every year. Please don't contribute to the pet
overpopulation problem by allowing your female dog to breed
indiscriminately.
Fears and Phobias
Your dog may be escaping out of fear, especially if he's exposed to loud
noises, such as thunderstorms, firecrackers, or construction sounds.
Recommendations:
Identify what is frightening your dog and desensitize him to it. You may
need to seek out the help of a professional trainer, or talk to your
veterinarian about anti-anxiety medications that might help your dog
while you work on behavior modification.
Keep your dog
indoors if there's any chance he may encounter the fear stimulus
outside. You can even mute outside noises by creating a comfortable spot
in a basement or windowless bathroom and turning on a television, radio,
or loud fan.
Provide a "safe place" for your dog. Observe where he likes to go when
he feels anxious, then allow access to that space, or create a similar
space for him to use when the fear stimulus is present.
Separation Anxiety
Your dog may be trying to escape due to "
separation anxiety" if:
He escapes as soon as, or shortly after, you leave.
He displays other behaviors that reflect a strong attachment to you,
such as following you around, greeting you wildly, or reacting anxiously
to your preparations to leave.
He remains near your home after he's escaped.
Factors that can precipitate a separation anxiety problem:
Your family's schedule has changed, and that has resulted in your dog
being left alone more often.
Your family has recently moved to a new house.
Your family has experienced the death or loss of a family member or
another family pet.
Your dog has recently spent time at an animal shelter or boarding
kennel.
Recommendations:
Assuming your dog has been correctly diagnosed as suffering from
separation anxiety, the problem can be resolved using
counter-conditioning and desensitization techniques.
How Dogs Escape
Some dogs jump fences, but most actually climb them, using some part of
the fence to push off from. A dog may also dig under the fence, chew
through the fence, learn to open a gate, or use any combination of these
methods to get out of the yard. Knowing how your dog gets out will help
you to modify your yard. But until you know why your dog wants to
escape, and you can decrease his motivation for doing so, the
recommendations below won't be nearly as effective.
Recommendations for Preventing Escape:
For climbing/jumping dogs: Add an extension to your fence. It's not so
important that the extension make the fence much higher, as long as it
tilts inward at about a 45-degree angle. Be certain there are no
structures placed near the fence, such as a table or chair or dog house,
that your dog could use as a springboard to jump over the fence.
For digging dogs: Bury chicken wire at the base of your fence (with the
sharp edges rolled inward), place large rocks at the base, or lay
chain-link fencing on the ground.
Never chain or otherwise tether your dog to a stationary object as a
means of keeping him confined. Tethering is not only cruel, but it leads
to aggressive behavior in dogs.
Correction
Never correct your dog after he's already left the yard. Dogs associate
punishment with what they're doing at the time they're punished.
Punishing your dog after the fact won't eliminate the escaping behavior,
but will probably make him afraid to come to you.
Never correct your dog if the escaping is related to fear or is due to
separation anxiety. Punishing a fearful response will only make your dog
more afraid, and make the problem worse. In addition, avoid
inadvertently reinforcing a fearful behavior such as petting a
frightened dog and saying, "It's okay."
Only correct your dog if you can administer correction at the moment
your dog is escaping, and only if he doesn't associate the correction
with you. If you can squirt him with a hose or make a loud noise as he
is going over, under, or through the fence, it might be unpleasant
enough that he won't want to do it again. If he realizes that you made
the noise or squirted the water, however, he'll simply refrain from
escaping when you're around. This type of correction is difficult to
administer effectively, and won't resolve the problem if used by itself.
You must also give your dog less reason to escape and make it more
difficult for him to do so. Ultimately, that is how you'll put a
permanent stop to that "Hairy Houdini" act.
Adapted from material originally developed by applied animal
behaviorists at the
Dumb Friends League, Denver, Colorado. All rights reserved.
If you have questions or need our services, please contact the shelter
at
618.346.5213 or contact us today via
e-mail
Copyrights 2009 WARREN BILLHARTZ ANIMAL SHELTER OF
COLLINSVILLE. A KTLLC Communications Solution