A question for dog owners...How do you restrain your pet?

[stinkerbelle]

How do you restrain your pet?
Has your dog ever broken free of it's confines?

Do you feel that you are doing enough to ensure the safety of your pet and neighbors?

 

[Phrebert]

We had a Beagle and learned the hard way about needing a fence. Now we have and it's the best investment we have made.

 

[Toby'sFriend]

a leash when I have him out and walking around.

We also bought 2 of those 10x10 dog runs and made him an extra large dog run. It is out under the trees and he loves it in warm weather. We also bought a seperate wooden garden shed and set it up next to the dog run and cut a doggie door in it.

That way if I've left him outside in the dog run and gone shopping or something and it starts to rain, he has his own nice house to go into.

 

[mickeyfan1]

Currently leashed as all times when outside. No fence in the yard and won't be (rental). I would love to have a run of some type for them, (2), but we are moving again soon to a condo, and won't be able to use it in the non existant back yard. We had a block wall around our last yard in AZ, and chain link in GA, which they were smart enought to dig under more than once.

 

[Harley Chick]

She has a 300 sq. ft. pen with her own covered porch. I have to keep her penned up all the time or she'll bolt.

 

[LindaR]

My dogs are always in the house during the day while I'm at work. When I get home, they go outside to play (and release pent up energy!). My entire lot is fenced with chain-linked fencing at the height of 6 feet. I am not worried about them getting out. I am worried about others getting in. We live in a terrible neighborhood with gangs and meth labs and people dump dogs out here all the time. I average one call a week to animal control because a pitbull is trying to get INTO my yard. MY dogs are trained and loved.........others don't appear to be.

 

[Kermit]

We have a tie-out that we use when he goes outside to potty. When we walk him, we obviously use a leash. We can't have a fence in our yard. You'd have to see our yard to understand, but suffice it to say that there's a dropoff and our living room would end up in the creek below us if we put a fence post too close to the dropoff and made the ground less stable. So the tie-out is our only option. He only goes outside to potty, though, so it's not like he spends a lot of time on it.

 

[Jolie C]

Fully fenced yard with no gates. The only way into and out of the yard is through my house. My dog has never gotten out. Of course, she is an indoor dog and doesn't spend much time out in the yard.

 

[KathyTX]

The yard is completely fenced, and we keep Sam on a leash when we're walking.

She doesn't try to wander too far away... she does her "business" and then sits at the door, making little squeaky noises until you let her in. (Not quite barks, unless you take too long!)

After all, INSIDE is where the T*R*E*A*T*S are. (Gotta spell. If she hears the word, she goes nuts!)

 

[olena]

We have a privacy fence. The leash is also handy.

 

[poohandwendy]

Our dogs are obedient and we rarely have to worry about wanderlust...My cocker spaniel (9) doesn't like to leave my side ...I have to walk outside with him or he will just follow me right back in. Our golden retriever is almost 13 and has cataracts and hip dysplasia...so he pretty much doesn't go very far away from the house, and the back yard is large. Even when another dog, animal or person walks through the yard or on the road in front of the house, if the start to walk or run towards them....all I have to do is say "STOP" and they come to a screeching halt.

When my GR was younger, we walked him on a leash (but every now and again, he would take off for the nearby creek...BAD muddy boy!!!)...my cocker spaniel has always stayed right by my side, even as a pup.

 

[TNCarole]

We have a fenced back yard. If we take Max outside the fence, he is on a leash at all times.

 

[Kallison]

Fence did not work -- we have an invisible fence. He hasn't worn his collar in a year, but still stays in the boundary. In 5 years he has broken out twice. My neighbors love my dog, they have a key and come get him while I'm at work. My other neighbors are always over here playing with him, he is the Mayor of the neighborhood. People we don't even know call him by name and throw treats in the yard.

 

[browneyes]

If anyone other than I am outside, I have to use a leash. If it's just me and my puppy, he won't wander too far from me and doesn't need a leash.

 

[disykat]

Fence in the back yard, on the leash if we're out front or walking. We have lots of pretty well behaved dogs that have no fences in our neighborhood - that is, well behaved until we try walking by with our leashed dog. It drives me crazy that because of people's dogs who supposedly "stay in the yard" my kids can't walk our dog without me there to run interference.

Ever tried to pull a Jack Russell Terrier off of a Miniature Schnauzer? The big, old dogs seem to do okay with a simple shout - but the JRT is only about 3 and is way too impetuous to be that obedient. There is also an Australian Shepard that is very nice unless we have our dog with us, then we ALL fear for our lives - the kids run ahead and check to see if he is out before we can walk past.

 

[KristiKelly]

We've had "Dog Watch Hidden Fence" for about a month now. They did our entire yard, she's learned her boundaries really well with it. When we're not home, she's inside in her crate, when we're home & the weather's nice she's in/out all day - in & out, in & out, in & out, in & out - you get the picture