Meeks Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 My 17 week old American Staffy has recently started to dig under our fences and escape. Last week I came home to no puppy and when I ran out to the front to my car, my neighbour was standing there with her in his arms. He told me she had been wandering my front yard and he brought her across to his place so nothing happened to her. That night I blocked off where she had dug and put a fence up blocking off the area. That night, we were watching some TV while Missy was outside (meant to be eating her dinner!) and hear a scratch at the front door, only to open it and find Missy sitting there. This time she had dug under the fence we put up and still got out the front. My partner dug deeper into the ground and put a new fence up. Hoping this would stop her from continuing her digging, we were wrong! While cooking lunch the following day, we could hear a little girl screaming, we rush out the front and there is Missy jumping on her trying to play (there was no aggression). She knows if she gets out, I will put her inside on her bed. But I think this is exactly what she wants. Is there something we could possibly do to train her not to leave the back yard when she is outside? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minimax Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 Secure dog run might be good for when she's not inside with you. Does she get inside time? And has she been taught to be outside on her own, with toys and treats to keep her occupied? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leah82 Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 we had a few issues when we first got Sarah of her digging her way into other peoples backyards. Managed to stop her from doing it by screwing welders mesh to the bottom of the fence in places where she could dig. No problems since then. If Missy is unhappy in the backyard alone the make sure to tackle that once she's secure otherwise you might find new undesirable behaviours manifesting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 ..oops... a strong smart pup - not enough to occupy her ... and having learned how to ..... now she has learned .. not much will deter her - it will just make her work harder! You may have to change your management .. 'feed her indoors- teach her to toilet on command - obtain a very secure run - do more brainwork with her in the form of short and frequent obedience/trick training - and , if you are unsure , get advice on how to teach her to lie calmly with you indoors ... have you had a puppy before? fencing needs to be very strong and high and deep before puppy learns to escape ... it is your responsibility to puppy proof a yard/house - pups do not know ... dog runs can be built ..or portable ones used . one will need to be large enough..floored and roofed to keep her safe ..have room for her to get out of the weather ..and to be able to play with toys and not lie in a toilet zone .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megan_ Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 lay concrete pavers along your fence line so that it is physically impossible for her to dig out. Also, how high are your fences? An Amstaff could clear a 6 ft fence pretty easily and as pers says, once they get the "reward" of escaping it is hard to "train" them to want to stay - you need to make it physically impossible to stray. You own an Amstaff in Victoria so I would make very, very sure that she could never escape. Being picked up by the council could be the death of her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 ...yes..and make very very sure she is registered as a purebred amstaff, and that you have her pedigree etc as proof . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simply Grand Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 Exactly what perse and megan say :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salukifan Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 Is there something we could possibly do to train her not to leave the back yard when she is outside? Escaping is self rewarding behaviour - and she's already learned how. You need to stop this NOW. The risk to her safety is considerable. The risk of her being seized is also considerable What sort of bottom do your fences have? Can she see under them? I'd be building a concrete floored run ASAP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meeks Posted January 7, 2014 Author Share Posted January 7, 2014 Thanks for all the responses guys! She does get a lot of inside time, when we are home she can come in for most of the night and also sleeps inside in our room. During day times, I like to keep her outside. This behaviour has only started in the past 2 weeks so I am unsure if something has brought it on? I have tried giving her extra toys, toys that also challenge her (to hopefully keep her focused), giving her a bone for the day, and also taking her for a nice long walk before she is going to be put outside to tire her out. We have 6ft high fences, and you cannot see underneath them. It just seems once she's had a glimpse of what she can get up to once she is out, she is only going back for more! When we go out somewhere and Missy needs to travel in the car, I can open our front door and she will walk calmly next to me (with no lead) and sit and wait at the car door. She is usually very good when it comes to going out the front and will not wander off from me. The backyard - we have her trained that in the morning once waking up, she will go and sit at the back door to let me know she needs to go, and then will usually go outside and do her business then sit at the back door to let me know she is finished. We start obedience training in February (that's when they are doing their first inductions for the year). I am hoping this helps calm her a bit. We also socialize a lot with other dogs during the week and every weekend. Missy is registered - This was one of the first things I did when getting her! I didn't want any issues to come for not doing so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blakkjackal Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 Missy is registered - This was one of the first things I did when getting her! I didn't want any issues to come for not doing so. There's a difference between having a dog that's registered with a council and having a pedigree/registered dog from a registered breeder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 Missy is registered - This was one of the first things I did when getting her! I didn't want any issues to come for not doing so. There's a difference between having a dog that's registered with a council and having a pedigree/registered dog from a registered breeder. yes! Does she have a pedigree ? Unfortunately , if she is picked up /puts a foot wrong, she could be in big trouble Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raineth Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 You really have to make it completely impossible for her to get out. If it's not completely impossible, you are actually in effect just training her to escape. For instance each time you do something that just makes it a bit harder for her to escape, but not impossible for her to escape, she learns how to be a better escape artist, and worse how to be very persistent about escaping. It sounds to me like a secure run may be the only solution. In the mean time, only take her out under supervision, including for her toilet breaks and feed her inside. Have her inside as much as possible as she probably doesn't want to escape if she is with you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minimax Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 Unless the access from your house to your car is 100% secure, taking her to the car off lead is just all sorts of silly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 You really have to make it completely impossible for her to get out. If it's not completely impossible, you are actually in effect just training her to escape. For instance each time you do something that just makes it a bit harder for her to escape, but not impossible for her to escape, she learns how to be a better escape artist, and worse how to be very persistent about escaping. It sounds to me like a secure run may be the only solution. In the mean time, only take her out under supervision, including for her toilet breaks and feed her inside. Have her inside as much as possible as she probably doesn't want to escape if she is with you. sensible advice Unless the access from your house to your car is 100% secure, taking her to the car off lead is just all sorts of silly agree here ... it may be fine , until she gets a fright .. or something .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meeks Posted January 7, 2014 Author Share Posted January 7, 2014 Oops, I think I may have not made myself clear. She is registered (pedigree/papers from the breeder), she is also registered with our council. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 OK :) That's better . She will be safer with the proof of pedigree :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simply Grand Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Unless the access from your house to your car is 100% secure, taking her to the car off lead is just all sorts of silly Agree. The thing is when they are young puppies they are mainly interested in being with you and happily follow you around, once they get to about 16 weeks they start to realise there are other interesting in the world and are less likely to stick close to you. That's when they start to do things like dig out of the yard :) And you don't want to find out the hard way that's she's decided it's more fun not to walk straight to the car anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Either build a secure concrete floored run in the yard for her, or maybe you are going to have to crate train her for when you go out and can't leave her in the back yard due to the escapism. Roaming AmStaffs are not looked upon kindly in Victoria... T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blakkjackal Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 (edited) Or set up a chain spot. A lot cheaper than a kennel run and just as safe. Edited January 8, 2014 by Hockz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 A lot cheaper than a kennel run and just as safe. Not unless an owner is experienced in setting one up ..and very experienced in the psychology of pups& chains . I would never recommend this in a suburban setting , especially for a youngster prone to escaping behaviours . Seems a recipe for a downslide . (and yes, I have many years experience with chained dogs ) . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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