escaping.

Ave Sodalis

Our labrador has started escaping from his den. he is well fenced in but he tries stuggles through the fence and gets out. he has not always done this. does anyone know why he does this or how to stop it.? we are afraid he will hurt himself while getting out or run of when we are away!

Sigma Force

What part of the fencing is he getting out of is there a hole under the fence or a hole in the fence?

Fixing the are of the fence or replacing that section will help but you need to work out why he is doing it. Find out if he bored, is he not neutered, is he doing it just because he can. Is he doing it only when you leave the house.

For the times when you are out perhaps keep him indoors, invest in a dog run or if you are out for long periods of time perhaps a dog walker may help.

Once you figure out why he's doing it it should be easier to solve.
Hard to say why from reading the post you prob. can hazard a guess yourself as you would know the dog best.

In the mean time keep him occupied, make the garden a fun place to be plenty of toys and kongs and walkies before you go out.

kerrysgold

Does he get enough exersize? Labs usually need at least an hour of exersize a day, preferably another half an hour of chasing a ball or whatever. Sound's like he is bored. Also, how long is he left alone for when you go out?

Ave Sodalis

he does get bout an hour walk and we dont really leave the house for any more than two hours. we have tried toys but he rips them up in under five minutes.

he isnt neutered but he hasnt shown any signs that he needs to be. the fence is six foot sheep wire with posts along the bottom. he gets out the gate by pushing it out. there isnt any way of locking it but we do have bars against it. he just struggles through the place it opens!

Glowing

sup_dude wrote: »

he isnt neutered but he hasnt shown any signs that he needs to be.

Eh ... escaping is the perfect sign that he needs to be neutered! He'll be able to smell a bitch in heat over 4 miles away ..... that's why he's probably trying to get out.

Sigma Force

The gate should be easy enough to solve, just get a chain like a bicycle chain with a lock on it and that should keep the gate held closed, you might need more than one chain if it's a biggish gate. Sometimes you just need to wrap the bike chain around the gate once or twice.

If that doesn't work there should be other ways of fixing the gate so it doesn't open without costing a fortune.

Neutering wise, a dog doesn't have to show any specific signs. Any dog that isn't being specifically responsibly bred (god knows there are hundreds of lab breeders and unwanted labs and lab crosses in this country already) he should be neutered straight away. This will stop him from wanting to go after the ladies but also it's the responsible thing to do as he may of already mated with strays or loose dogs in the area causing more unwanted litters.

Let us know how the chain on the gate goes.