How to keep my puppy in the back yard?

by **philthepain** » October 20th, 2009, 1:41 pm

ok so i have a fenced in back yard and i thought the pup that i just got would be fine when i was at school. today was the first time i left her here alone. when i got home i could hear her barking but she was still in the backyard. by the time i walked from the front door to the back door she was not there! i was like wtf?!. so i started calling for her and nothing. i went to the front of the house and still nothing. i walked around to the side of the house and i see her trying to dig her way back into the backyard. now i'm scared that shes gonna dig out again when i'm gone and someone is going to steal her or run over her. what can i do?

i was thinking maybe buy some cinder blocks or something and line the inside of the fence to stop it but idk. any suggestions?

and by the way, if this is not in the right section i'm sorry. i'm still new and don't know where everything is..

by **Malli** » October 20th, 2009, 1:54 pm

IMO I'd not suggest leaving her in the back yard anyway - too open to chance and ill-meaning people.

Ideally a fully fenced (including the roof and probably a cement pad for your digger) kennel would be best, or better yet crate her indoors.

by **maberi** » October 20th, 2009, 2:01 pm

Crate her and keep her in the house when you aren't home

There are so many opportunities for something to go wrong. I have a fully fenced in backyard but the dogs are only allowed out back when I am out there with them so I can supervise them at all times.

by **philthepain** » October 20th, 2009, 2:12 pm

i have a 7 ft tall privacy fence and the gate is locked so shes safe that way, i think. i did buy a crate last nite but i really didn't want to crate her up just in case she needed to relieve herself; she would be in there for around 5 hours. shes mostly going to be a house dog, it's just the time when we're both gone that she needs to be in the back. is 5 hours too long to keep her in the crate? she is the first puppy i'm raising on my own. i thought i had done all the research i needed but i guess i missed some.
thank for ur help

by **LMM** » October 20th, 2009, 3:07 pm

maberi wrote:Crate her and keep her in the house when you aren't home

There are so many opportunities for something to go wrong. I have a fully fenced in backyard but the dogs are only allowed out back when I am out there with them so I can supervise them at all times.

+1.

by **LMM** » October 20th, 2009, 3:10 pm

philthepain wrote:i have a 7 ft tall privacy fence and the gate is locked so shes safe that way, i think. i did buy a crate last nite but i really didn't want to crate her up just in case she needed to relieve herself; she would be in there for around 5 hours. shes mostly going to be a house dog, it's just the time when we're both gone that she needs to be in the back. is 5 hours too long to keep her in the crate? she is the first puppy i'm raising on my own. i thought i had done all the research i needed but i guess i missed some.
thank for ur help

5 hours in the crate is perfectly fine and she'll do okay! You can start out on the weekends (or whenever you don't work) trying it for an hour to go to the grocery store and a couple hours while you go out and do something. She'll get used to it quickly.

As for your 7ft. fence is the top of your yard covered too? You know just in case someone tries to toss a antifreeze laced steak over your fence to your pup? Sounds dramatic but it happens.

by **philthepain** » October 20th, 2009, 3:20 pm

thanks for the great advise everyone! this is one of the reasons why i joined the board!!

by **iluvk9** » October 20th, 2009, 4:01 pm

I understand your concern about crating for too long, but I try to look at it this way: Would I rather clean up poop in a crate or have something devastating happen to my dog while I am away?

I have older dogs and try to organize my life to be home within 6 hours. The WORST that has happened when I get held up and walk in later is the smell of poop.

by **Jenn** » October 20th, 2009, 4:34 pm

5th or 6th (lost count) The crating!!

by **kera09** » October 20th, 2009, 4:35 pm

definately crate her!! dont leave her outide. 5 hrs in the crate is fine, she will learn how to hold it pretty quick! i have a very energetic 4 yr old (lulu) that is in her crate about 6 hrs a day when i get home i take her for a walk or throw the ball around in the yard to get that energy out! she loves her crate and will sometimes go and lay in it just cuz she wants to!

by **HappyChick** » October 20th, 2009, 4:53 pm

I agree with everyone else. I have a fenced in backyard, but I do not leave my dogs out there when I'm gone, ever. Too much chance of something going wrong.

by **philthepain** » October 20th, 2009, 6:06 pm

well i tried it out for a couple hours just now. she doesnt seem to mind. :dance:

thank you everyone for the advice and helping keep my baby safe! :mrgreen:

by **Dan+Bec13** » October 20th, 2009, 6:23 pm

I know your question has pretty much been answered by now, but I'll just share with you my experience with this same situation.

We obvisouly crated Maddie when she was a puppy, if we didn't we would be coming home to the house torn up. There is nothing worse then putting your dog in the crate before you head off to work or out the door and looking at those eyes staring at you. Becca and I both worked at the time so Maddie would be in her crate for about 8 hours. I know it may be a bit long, but it was necessary at the time. Because we felt so bad we trained her to be better in the house. Eventually over time she didn't chew what she wasn't supposed too, she stopped going to the bathroom in the house, and she mellowed out and just chilled. We started to allow her out of her crate for small trips around town, and then longer and longer. Now Maddie is able to be out of her crate while we are gone with no problems in the house. We have dog proofed the house so she can't get into trouble, but we feel far less guilty when we leave.

by **pitbullmamaliz** » October 20th, 2009, 6:49 pm

I'm the total opposite, Dan! Inara is so much more relaxed in her crate when I leave. I've tried leaving her out while I run outside for a just a couple minutes and she completely freaks out, barking and throwing herself at the door. But she willingly runs into her crate when she knows it's time for me to leave. She's so much more relaxed in her crate that I don't even bother trying to wean her off of it anymore. I feel much less guilty if she's in her crate.

by **philthepain** » October 21st, 2009, 9:47 am

thanks for everyone's input! my puppy is doing well with the crate training!! i'm going to work with her so eventually she will be able to stay in the house when i'm gone. :kool:

by **Emi** » October 21st, 2009, 3:13 pm

Also my suggestion, is put some thing old of yours in there with the pup that has your smell on, some thing that you don't need any more for like a blankee

... worked for Dottie when Earl was gone, and she was wanting him. hehe

by **amazincc** » October 21st, 2009, 6:41 pm

My two just got out of my fully-fenced yard last week while I was home... all it took was the older one pushing the wire mesh outwards, and off they went - and I was home, mind you. I went inside to grab my coffee and in those ten seconds they made a run for it. Thank God there was no traffic, and the dog/guy they were running after took it all in stride - it *could have* ended very badly. I was out there in my pyjamas and w/bed hair, yelling for my dogs like a crazy person, and of course neither of them listened. :oops:

One of my neighbors caught them and shoved them back through my fence, and I had boards nailed on the bottom and attached to the wire mesh so they can't get out that way again. It was a heart-stopper and a lesson well learned... and I can't imagine leaving them out unsupervised for five hours, ever! :shock:

As long as you take your puppy out to potty right before you crate her, and as soon as you get home, as well as provide some fun toys (like a filled Kong maybe) she should be okay in her crate. Make sure the crate is not too big for her, or put a divider in there if it is. Puppies/dogs don't like to eliminate in their sleeping space... and, as a rule of thumb, most dogs can learn to "hold" it for as many hours as they are old in months plus one (three-months old puppy = about 4 hours, four-months old puppy = 5 hours, etc.).

by **StalkerBlueDog** » October 29th, 2009, 1:39 am

I have non-bully breeds..but I would never leave my pups in the yard alone, shy of a padlocked kennel run..and even then I would be hesitant.. I used to live in the city and I can't even imagine what could happen with my "terrier like temperment" fluffy dogs who would be great bait dogs... or awesome tempermented pups "to sell for cheap"

before I owned a home I walked outside with them on a leash.. or I was outside with my obedience dogs who were glued to my side day in and day out.. in fact Dawn was wicked confused about the yard for a while..

How to keep my puppy in the back yard?

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