Escape artist

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Arthur Dent
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Escape artist

Post by Arthur Dent »

My dog normally has free access to my backyard through a dog door. This is incredibly convenient for both of us. After three years of essentially no problems with this arrangement, my dog has discovered some way to escape and roam the neighborhood. She doesn't go far and comes back immediately when called, but I can't let her roam in the street especially when I am away at work, so I have had to block the dog door.

I have a couple theories on how she might be getting out but am not sure which is correct. I think it will be difficult to personally catch her in the act, so I need to come up with some alternate method to figure out what's going on. I don't have a video camera and don't particularly want to buy one. I could try to setup something that will get marked when she tries to pass but am not sure how I would actually implement this. Or I could try and trick her into thinking I'm going to take a shower or something, and then try and sneak around to see through a window or similar.

Any other brilliant ideas or suggestions?
Last edited by Arthur Dent on March 18 11, 1:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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cards2468
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Re: Escape artist

Post by cards2468 »

Arthur Dent wrote:My dog normally has free access to my backyard through a dog door. This is incredibly convenient for both of us. After three years of essentially no problems with this arrangement, my dog has discovered some way to escape and roam the neighborhood. She doesn't go far and comes back immediately when called, but I can't let her roam in the street especially when I am away at work, so I have had to block the dog door.

I have a couple theories on how she might be getting out but am not sure which is correct. I think it will be difficult to personally catch her in the act, so I need to come up with some alternate method to figure out what's going on. I don't have a video camera and don't particularly want to buy one. I could try to setup something that will get marked when she tries to pass but am not sure how I would actually implement this. Or I could try and trick her into thinking I'm going to take a shower or something, and then try and sneak around to see through a window or something.

Any other brilliant ideas or suggestions?
Strap an android phone onto her collar with MyTracks installed and running. When she comes back take a look at it and maybe you can figure out where she escaped... or lose/destroy a $200 phone. Doesn't bother me, it's not my phone.

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TabascoElvis
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Re: Escape artist

Post by TabascoElvis »

Are you saying you have possible/probable breach(es) in the fence that she's squeezing through or something else? What kind of dog and what kind of fence? Growing up we had a smallish terrier type that we'd put in the back kennel with 6x12x10' high chain link and he'd beat us back to the front door. He was scaling the fence. So we put hog wire across the top of the kennel. Same thing. He could climb chain link and at the top squeeze him self through the hog wire. We put chicken wire over and had to basically tie down the chicken wire every 2-4" otherwise he'd climb the link and walk on top of the hog wire and under the chicken wire and squeeze out the side.

Arthur Dent
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Re: Escape artist

Post by Arthur Dent »

There are no breaches in the fence. She's either hopping over in some location or hopping up onto the front porch (which would require a high accurate jump to get up and through the railing posts). I know she's capable of jump climbing over my back gate (see photo), but previously she has only done that when I am on the other side and she's very upset or excited. Until recently, she's never tried to get out except to try to get to me. By herself, no problem. It's possible she's reversed that decision for whatever reason.

Image

Another possibility is that she is getting out by hopping over the much lower chain link fence (maybe 4 feet) into the duplex neighbor's yard. I don't think she'd have much trouble clearing it if she wanted to. Normally, there's no reason, but the wooden fence around that yard recently collapsed, so if she did get over there, it's an easy ticket out. I think this is the most likely possibility, but I'd like to confirm it before I decide what to do. In any case, I'll try and get someone to get the neighbor's fence repaired.
Last edited by Arthur Dent on March 18 11, 3:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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wart57
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Re: Escape artist

Post by wart57 »

Arthur Dent wrote:There are no breaches in the fence. She's either hopping over in some location or hopping up onto the front porch (which would require a high accurate jump to get up and through the railing posts). I know she's capable of jump climbing over my back gate (see photo), but previously she has only done that when I am on the other side and she's very upset or excited. Until recently, she's never tried to get out except to try to get to me. By herself, no problem. It's possible she's reversed that decision for whatever reason.

Image

Another possibility is that she is getting out by hopping over the much lower chain link fence (maybe 4 feet) into the duplex neighbor's yard. I don't think she'd have much trouble clearing it if she wanted to. Normally, there's no reason, but the wooden fence around that yard recently collapsed, so if she did get over there, it's an easy ticket out. I think this is the most likely possibility, but I'd like to confirm it before I decide what to do about it. In any case, I'll try and get someone to get the neighbor's fence repaired.
It is so freaking obvious, she is using the shovel in the picture to tunnel her way out.

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Re: Escape artist

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JackofDiamonds
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Re: Escape artist

Post by JackofDiamonds »

Arthur Dent wrote:My dog normally has free access to my backyard through a dog door. This is incredibly convenient for both of us. After three years of essentially no problems with this arrangement, my dog has discovered some way to escape and roam the neighborhood. She doesn't go far and comes back immediately when called, but I can't let her roam in the street especially when I am away at work, so I have had to block the dog door.

I have a couple theories on how she might be getting out but am not sure which is correct. I think it will be difficult to personally catch her in the act, so I need to come up with some alternate method to figure out what's going on. I don't have a video camera and don't particularly want to buy one. I could try to setup something that will get marked when she tries to pass but am not sure how I would actually implement this. Or I could try and trick her into thinking I'm going to take a shower or something, and then try and sneak around to see through a window or similar.

Any other brilliant ideas or suggestions?
Have you asked your local REI?

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arnie.k
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Re: Escape artist

Post by arnie.k »

we have four dogs - 2 males and 2 females. the females both stay indoors all day when we're not there because they are both escape artists.

one of can climb 12 foot fences, and has a tendency to run away at the most inopportune times. she would scale the fence in your pictures within about 3 seconds.

the other is a burrower and would escape under any fence that's not embedded in cement.

if your escape artist is anything like ours, you've got no chance other than to either use extreme measures (electric collar with a radius for a few weeks until she learns she's not allowed to cross some imaginary lines, or a much more heavy duty fence), or admit defeat and just leave her indoors when you're at work...

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lukethedrifter
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Re: Escape artist

Post by lukethedrifter »

I had a neighbor who's dog was a fence climber so they kept it tied up in the back yard. It climbed the fence anyway and hung itself. Horrible. Be careful of that possibility if you are thinking of keeping your dog on a line.

Arthur Dent
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Re: Escape artist

Post by Arthur Dent »

Bought a camera that clips to my dog's collar to figure this out. She's hoping right over a six foot fence that I upgraded with pickets on the inside so she wouldn't have exposed 2x4s to pull herself up with. Kind of amazing. Any suggestions on what I might do to stop this? Thinking of trying to put some kind of cap on the fence so she can't get a foothold on the top to pull herself up. The incriminating footage:

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