5 Tips For Keeping A Dog In Your Backyard

With all the exciting stimuli outdoors, indoor dogs sometimes want nothing more than to run around the neighborhood and explore. Being in the backyard puts them one step closer to the tempting smells and sounds, so having a fence isn't always enough to keep them on your property. Perhaps your dog has gotten out of your yard a few times, leaving you frantically searching and posting ads. If this is you — or you simply want to be prepared just in case — you can use an invisible fence, block their access points, set up a camera, limit their outdoor time, and give them more reasons to stay home to keep your dogs at bay (and at home).

But why do dogs run away from their yards? Well, for many reasons, and they often do so by jumping over or digging under a fence. Some canine breeds, like the Belgian malinois, can jump over 6 feet high – the height of many fences. They can use the rails of a wooden fence to aid in their jump or hop onto a transformer box or other large object near the property line to shorten the height of each jump. Some dogs can even climb a chain-link fence.

Other breeds dig their way out of their yards. The Jack Russell terrier, for example, can dig wherever it chooses, including the grass under a fence. Many large breeds can dig tunnels as well. Regardless of what type of fence or dog breed you have, these tips can keep your Houdini hound safely on your property.

If your dog is the digging type, you can prevent their getaway by blocking their exit points under the fence. This could equate to simply filling or blocking any holes they've already dug or adding large objects in front of the base of the fence. For the first option, try filling the holes with large rocks. You can also use chicken wire to stop your dog from digging by burying it at the base of the fence. Alternatively, you can try Blingluck's Animal Barrier Fence to prevent digging.

For the second blockage option, you can plant shrubbery along your fence line. This will block any preexisting holes while blocking your dog's access to the base of the fence. Just be sure to add enough plants to make them dense. The denser the shrubbery, the less likely your dog will be to crawl through them.

Dogs don't need much time outdoors to handle their business. While they may want more time to sniff and run around, at some point, they may get bored with their surroundings. After all, they spend every single day in the yard, seeing and smelling the same things. If they get bored enough, they may start craving stimulation beyond the sights and smells of their home, leading them to want to explore elsewhere. This is why limiting a curious, adventurous dog's time outdoors can help prevent them from running away. Unless you plan to supervise or play with your dog while they're outdoors, it's best to bring them back indoors after a few minutes. 

Alternatively, you can monitor your dog's behavior. If they look like they just want to lie down and sunbathe, they may be content to do just that for more than a few minutes without requiring supervision. However, if you see them barking, pacing, or showing excessive interest in the fence, bring them back inside to discourage any attempts at running away.

Sometimes, the only thing a dog needs to stay in their yard is more frequent supervision. This doesn't mean you have to stay outside with them for every minute of their play time or constantly watch them from the window. Instead, you can install a motion-activated camera, such as the Jennov Outdoor/Indoor Security Camera, facing your fence line, allowing you to move about your home while keeping an eye on your pet at the same time.

Although a camera gives you the option to monitor your pet when you're not with them, it should never be used as a substitute for outdoor human supervision. If you know your dog has a tendency to run away or cause a ruckus outside, avoid leaving them alone in your yard when you're not home, even if you have a camera installed.

It's also important to note that a camera alone won't prevent a dog from jumping over a fence if that's its typical means of escape. It only takes a few seconds for a dog to clear a fence, so it's unlikely that you'll be able to intervene after seeing it heading for the fence on the camera. Cameras are more effective at keeping a digging dog in their yard, as it takes much longer to dig a hole than it does to jump a fence.

The Invisible Fence brand has been around since the 1970s, so many dog owners are familiar with its products, like the Invisible Fence GPS Dog Fence & Tracking Collar. The "fence" consists of an underground cable wire, a special dog collar, and a control panel, all of which communicate with each other via digital radio frequencies. The location of the wire represents the boundary that you don't want your dog to cross, so you can decide where to have it placed in your yard.

After the wire has been installed, you'll place the Computer Collar on your dog. The collar generates an audible sound any time it comes near the underground cable boundary. This serves as a warning to your pup to not go any farther, giving them the opportunity to retreat. If your dog continues in the same direction and eventually crosses the boundary, the collar generates a static shock, the intensity of which can be adjusted.

The technology of the fence and collar has been proven to be effective on many pets, but it comes with a high price tag. Expect to pay between $1,000 and $1,500 to have the cable wire boundary installed for a half-acre yard or up to $2,100 for a full acre. It's also worth mentioning that it might not work if your dog is extremely motivated and determined to escape.

One of the most common reasons that a dog runs away is boredom, but if you give your pup more reasons to stay in your yard, they might be less likely to escape. A backyard doesn't have to be a boring place for a dog. In fact, it shouldn't be. You can make your pooch's yard a place for fun and exploration, thereby reducing its desire to seek it somewhere else. Give it toys, praise it for just being in the yard, and play fetch with it, which will provide both stimulation and exercise. You can also try some mental exercises for dogs to keep your canine happy.

Another way you can make your dog want to stay in your yard is by strengthening your bond with it. Some dogs exit their yard via an open gate, but instead of running away, they come around to the front door, waiting to be let back inside. Some breeds form strong bonds with their owners and often desire to be close to them, even when they have an opportunity to be free.

To strengthen your bond with your dog, spend more quality time with it. Show it affection to let it know you love it. Praise it. Take it for walks. Play with it. Give it a new toy regularly. Give it reasons to want to be close to you and please you. The more reasons it has to stay near you and your home, the fewer reasons it'll have to wander off.