An escaping dog is a road accident waiting to happen, and it is the one behaviour problem where “we’re working on it” is not an adequate interim position. Fix the physical barrier first, then address the reason.
Find the exit
Walk the whole boundary at dog height. Look for:
- Gaps at ground level, including under sheds, gates and fence panels
- Loose or rotten panels
- Low points in a fence, and points where a bank, a bin, a log pile or a compost heap provides a step up
- Gate latches that can be nosed open, and gates that swing if pushed
- Hedges, which look solid and usually are not at the base
- The gap between a gate and a post
Get down and look from the dog’s eye level. It is a different view.
Fix by method
Digging under
- Bury wire mesh vertically along the fence line, 30 to 50cm deep, or lay it horizontally at the base extending inwards and peg it down
- Paving slabs or large stones along the base
- Concrete gravel boards at the bottom of a fence
- Re-turf over buried mesh so the lawn recovers
Climbing or jumping over
- Raise the height. Many determined escapers need 1.8m
- Add a coyote roller — a rolling bar along the top that gives no purchase. Genuinely effective for climbers
- Angle the top inwards at 45 degrees
- Remove the launch pads — bins, furniture, log piles, raised beds near the fence
- Trellis on top, which is unstable to climb
Squeezing through
- Small dogs get through remarkably small gaps. Fit chicken wire or fine mesh over the lower section
- Check the gap at the hinge side of gates
Bolting through the gate
This is a training problem as much as a fencing one.
- Two barriers. A porch, an airlock, or a second gate, so there is never a single door between the dog and the road
- Teach a threshold wait at every gate and door: hand on the handle, dog moves, hand comes off. Door opens only when they are still
- Everyone in the household knows the rule, and so do delivery drivers and visitors. A sign on the gate is not excessive
- Spring-loaded self-closing gates, and a latch a dog cannot operate
Then ask why
The barrier stops the escape. The reason tells you whether it will keep happening.
Boredom. The most common. A dog left alone in a garden with nothing to do will find a project. Gardens are not a substitute for walks and mental work.
Entire males detecting a bitch in season. Extremely powerful motivation, and dogs will travel miles. Neutering is one answer; secure fencing and supervision is the other.
Separation distress. A dog who escapes only when alone, and who is distressed rather than exploring, needs a behaviour plan rather than a taller fence.
Chasing. Cats, squirrels, birds, joggers, other dogs. Manage the fence, supervise, and work on recall and impulse control.
Fear. Fireworks, thunder, building work. More dogs go missing on firework nights than any other, and a dog in panic will go through or over things they would never normally attempt. Bring them indoors well before dark, close windows and curtains, and never leave them in the garden.
Adolescence. Six to eighteen months, when the world becomes interesting and recall stops working. Expect it, supervise more, and do not rely on a dog who was reliable at eight months.
What to do meanwhile
- Do not leave the dog in the garden unsupervised until it is fixed
- Go out with them for toilet trips
- Use a long line in the garden if necessary
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Dog Training Lead 30ft Long Line
A trailing long line in the garden gives a dog freedom while you fix the fence, and it lets you prevent the rehearsal of escaping. Attach it to a harness, never a collar.
- Meet the need indoors — puzzle feeders, scent games, training — so the garden is not where the dog goes for stimulation
KONG Wobbler Treat Dispenser
A dog who has worked for their meal has had a job. Boredom-driven escaping usually reduces noticeably once the daily routine includes something to think about.
Build an emergency recall
Every dog should have one cue, used rarely, paid enormously, that means “come back right now”.
- Pick a word or whistle you use for nothing else
- Charge it: say it, then give something extraordinary, free, no behaviour required. Ten times a day for a week
- Practise at short distance with an attentive dog, paying hugely
- Build distance and mild distraction
- Use it two or three times a month at most, and always pay it
This is what you want available the day the gate is left open.
And prepare for the worst
- ID tag with a current phone number, worn at all times
- Microchip details checked today. Out-of-date contact details are the most common reason a found dog is not returned
- A recent photograph on your phone
- Know the local rescue, vet and dog warden numbers
If your dog does get out: do not chase. Run the other way calling cheerfully, drop to the ground and look fascinated by something, or open a car door. And never tell them off when they come back, however frightened you were.
What not to use
Invisible or electric fences. They work by delivering a shock when the dog crosses a boundary. They do not stop a dog leaving when motivation is high enough — a dog chasing something will take the shock and go — and they then prevent the dog coming back. They also do nothing to keep other dogs, or people, out. They are banned in several countries, and there are better options for every situation.
A physical fence, a threshold wait, and a dog whose needs are met will solve almost every case.
