Meh?

[kyburg]

The kids down the street have taken to feeding the dog some of their dog's kibble under the gate.

And opening the gate to play with her.


Awww.




FUCK.

On a lot of levels.

One, the dog food under the fence isn't entirely a problem (though I'd prefer she not get anything I haven't cleared first - yanno), largely because it's the large-piece kibbles n bits she won't eat because it isn't in teeny-squishy pieces she can swallow whole.

But the getting out bit...and that she's being let out....

How do we know? She shows up under the bedroom window instead of the kitchen door at the crack of dawn wanting in. Absolutely delighted.

Okay, make the gate harder to open. Putting a lock on it would be self-defeating (let alone dangerous) - and we'll see what happens.

Comments

[riverheart.livejournal.com]

Are you positive that the kids are letting her out, that she's not getting out on her own? She may have found a way to open the gate. One way to defeat this is to get one of those double-ended clips and put one end on the gate, and the other on the fence; this is ideal for dog-crate doors and chain-link fences, but can also work with a wood fence with some easy modifications. Adding an extra closure will also help reinforce the idea to the kids that the gate should stay shut.

Mine are smart enough to figure out a gate pretty easily. In fact, I had to install an electric fence inside the chain-link fence to keep Sky, in particular, from getting out; she's able to climb fences (but not with the electric fence there), and has defeated electric fences alone by listening to the pulse of electricity through the wires, figuring out when it was off, and going through. That's why the double fencing.

I've also put locks on the gates which are keyed the same as the house, because I don't trust her not to listen to the tumblers in a combination lock and figure out how to open it. My dogs are *smart*, especially her. Mine are also purebreds and Taz, in particular, is valuable enough to be stolen (it's happened to other excellent Flat-Coats in the past couple of years), another reason for the locks. Dog show catalogs always list the owner's name and address.

I'm strongly considering adding a dog door; the dogs would be able to protect the house, but not able to get out and run around loose on the property or the street.

Why not put a lock on the gate? Why is it self-defeating and dangerous? (My dog yard is at the back and side of the house, not all the way around the house, and I'm rural...situations may differ.)

[snobahr.livejournal.com]

In an urban environment, it's not safe, In Case Of Emergency. Also, getting into/out of a car to manually unlock a gate (if it stretches across the driveway) can be unsafe for the driver.

I'd suggest an extra loop around the top of the gate post and the gate itself that unclips easily for people with thumbs, and a sign that reads "PLEASE DO NOT OPEN GATE" or the like.

Just a suggestion...