Gun Dog Forum

Hi new member here. I have a 8 month old GSP who has figured out he can climb his indoor kennel (4 to 5 feet tall) and escape. My indoor kennel is in my house and is attached to an outside kennel so the dog can come and go as he pleases. I was planning on starting to put the dog outside as the weather warms up but I don't won't my dog climbing. Has anyone experienced this before. My solutions was to attach Plexiglas or a smaller gauge wire (one his paw can not fit in to climb) to the indoor kennel and installing the smaller gauge wire on the outdoor kennel? By the way no way to put a roof over the outdoor kennel way to big, could probably put a roof over the indoor kennel but was trying not too since I take the kennel down so I can use my back door. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Use a tarp until he starts to rip it down.... my dog was jumping and hitting the corners at 4 months. She would hit one jump off it hit the other side and get over. Welcome to the world of escape dogs.

Thanks Good idea! You are right because he is also a chewer it would last a few days - escape artist is right he unlatched the gate yesterday with his nose (I didn't lock it because we was home) will have to from now on.

Get the toppers they use for razor wire and place them facing into the kennel. Between each upright, thread wire through a 1" piece of PVC pipe so the pipe spins when the dog touches it. You will likely need two courses of this to eliminate squeezing through. It works. I wouldn't suggest tarping because then you'll have a dog at large with an intestinal blockage.

Once they have escaped it can be almost imposiblle to stop them if they are so determined.The first GSP I owned was only about 20 inches tall at the shoulder but Tough as I have ever see.I tried everything she would eat through it,tear it,pull it,stretch it,or break it.

The only way I found to keep her in for any length of time was put a stake in the midlle of her kennel with a chain just long enough to reach the sides so she couldn't climb over & hang herself.
That was pretty effiecint unless she saw me leave with a gun in my hands then it was game on she would lunge untill something broke & find me.
I now have Scott kennels & never had a dog escape YET!! but I do have to ocassionaly repair them.When the bitches are in heat don't seem to attract dogs like on the ground kennels.

GOOD LUCK!!

I had thought of something similar but I was going to hang chains from it so he would hit his head when climbing but i definalty like your idea better

my other idea was to use a smaller gauge wire and install over the wire I have already have but let leave it a few feet longer so it drapers back into the pen similar to what you are talking about.

Have you seen him climb it or is he just jumping it? Four to five feet isn't that tall.

I seen him climbing it (the inside kennel) I have not seen him climb the outdoor kennel but if he can climb the inside I am sure he can climb the outside kennel.

If its a family dog and your just leaving for the work day and you do play with him when you come back, you may have too big of a kennel. I discovered after my dog distroyed a hunk of carpet that he's much more behaved if he stays in his car kennal during my work hours instead of a large indoor kennel. He knows to sleep this way and also its just small enough he knows he can't mess the kennel and move away from the mess, so he hold its it and continues his house breaking.

You must play and let him run after you come home. He really needs to burn that energy he's stored up during the day before bed time.

He is a family/hunting dog. I have been keeping him in a wire crate while we are at work. I had planned on moving him to this area as it warmed up and as the pup became older (did not want to leave a puppy outside or in my larger kennel area). I just recently moved him into the indoor kennel area to get him used to the area (which i also put his wire crate in this area so he would have something familiar) but did not give him access to outside yet. He does not mess inside. The indoor kennel is not super large. My indoor kennel is one of those wire cage play areas that is 10" or so round by 4 to 5 feet tall. I have it bolted to the wall on both sided of my door with a dog door leading to the outdoor kennel so the dog can come and go as he pleases in bad weather. I built this set up for another GSP I had (had to put him to sleep a year ago) and never had problems with him and I know that all dogs are not the same.

I know all about burning off that energy. Wish I had just a smidgen of that energy!

Agree with VonZeppelin: Once he climbs out a single time, he knows he can, and there will be times he'll try in the future.

You are eventually going to have to put a top on the kennel, or go with one of the more stout kennels (e.g. Preifert). Unless you pup knows how to use a cutting torch, there is no way he'll get out of one of those.

I agree also didn't really mention that but I amused once he learned to climb he would keep on. I do wish he could use a cutting torch then I would not have to be gone at work all day I could stay home and supervise my Welding GSP ha ha. Thanks again for all your post and keep them coming I have a few ideas but I am still open for suggestions.

Tops didn't work for my dog.I said she was TUFF

Only way I could keep my last EP in was a hotwire along the top of the fence. Otherwise he could get out of anything.

Hot wire is probably the best bet. Other than that, I always had good luck attaching strips of fencing around the top edges with them hanging over the inside of the inside of the kennel. It is quick, easy and doesn't take much material. However, if you have a true escape artist, it will be tough.

Charlie

birddogger wrote:Hot wire is probably the best bet. Other than that, I always had good luck attaching strips of fencing around the top edges with them hanging over the inside of the inside of the kennel. It is quick, easy and doesn't take much material. However, if you have a true escape artist, it will be tough.

Charlie

I tried that, it helped for a while. But then I had a dog that was out, and bloody

Our Britt pups learned to climb 2 weeks ago, they were 6 weeks old and climbed a 3' fence.

I guess GSP's are slow learners.

Seriously, though, we cut card board and wire tied the cardboard to the inside of the fencing. My son accidently attached one piece of cardboard on the outside and the puppies escaped 45 seconds after he walked away. I guess the pups are smarter than he.

Now the puppies have chewed a hole in the cardboard and are trying to climb out by using that hole for a foot hold. Persistent little buggers.
It is a challenge to keep them contained.

If cannot cover the outside kennel then use a hot wire with a controller same as use with livestock. They will only hit it once.

I think I am going to go with something similar to what Cajun Casey suggested (for the outside pen) for starters then if he gets out I am going the hot wire route! Probably going to do something similar to the indoor kennel as what A/C guy did with the card board but I will probably use Plexiglas on the inside (I know my pup will eat cardboard he eats everything else part goat I think).

A/C guy sounds like you got got a hand full !

When mine was roughly 10 weeks or so he climbed a 10 foot ladder that was leaning on my kids club house i was working on turned around and he was almost at the top rung. Glad he didn't start so soon!!

Man this brings back some memories of my GSP. When I was in the city she could climb a 6' wooden fence. I solved that by an electric fencer until the neighbors caught wind. I then moved to the country and had to install the electric fencer in her run. She would figure out ways to jump the fencer and claw her way up the side of the fence. After to many escapes I moved her to the farm with my father. We ended up with cattle panel buried in the dirt 1' and a tin roof. After she dug out the bottom I lined the edges with 1/2" steel plate. That seemed to stop her. A few people are right, once they start there is no stopping them.

The only advice I can give is once you come up with a plan you think will stop them go two steps beyond that.

If it's not too big of a run, just put another panel on top and it will be escape proof. My GSP and our older EP both are climbers. We had to buy an extra chain link panel to use as a top for our runs for those two wild dogs.

Good luck!