Basenji Escape Prevention

[MacPack]

Escaping: We have been fortunate and have never had a fence climber or serious digger, but that front door was a personal challenge for almost every one over the years. Back when we had 5, and 3 young ones, we decided we were through chasing dogs down the street.

Our front door opens to a small concrete stoop, about 3 X 5 feet. Using lattice and a strong gate with a self-closing latch, may husband fenced in the stoop. Like the safety areas at dog parks. The door may be open, but they can't get far, as the gate is closed before the door is opened. Afer a while, they didn't even rush the door. My current 3 wil stand there with the gate open and not bolt, amazing, but they are 8,10 & 12 and have always had the gate in place so bolting from the front door is not something they have ever done. It is not the most lovely front door on our street, but….we have not had a dog escape that way in many, many years.

Now the meter reader leaving the side gate open is aonther matter! A sign saying something like"please keep gate closed, nice dogs will escape" can be helpful, I understand.

But the number one thing you cna do, IMHO, is train your basenji to come to a whistle! I culdn't whistle so kept a sports whistle on a string beside the front door. I trained them all to come to that whistle for very special, extremely yummy treats, it took about 15 minutes with occasional reinforcement. Most of mine would turn on a dime when they heard that whistle, and the one that didn't come back at least stopped his sprint to think about it.

Those are the ony pointers I have to prevent escaping. I am very lucky to live on a very quiet street, and when mine do get out, helping my husband take the trash out usually, they run up the street a bit and come home and race back in the house.

Anne in Tampa

[Barklessdog]

We have a 5' wood fence and buried boards all the way around the bottom.

We try to not leave them unattended. Also it's a good idea to check that the gates are closed. My neighbor called me, saying our dog was in our back yard. I put the phone down, ran to see, the gate was open, the dog was nowhere to be seen, I closed the gate, got back on the phone telling my neighbor I don't see the dog in his yard. I turned around and he was standing right behind me. He snuck back inside!

Ours too can open the sliding glass door, but will not close it behind her!

Our male saw a squirrel outside once and just lowered his head, charged full steam at the sliding screen door and blew it out of its tracks! Went right through it.

Also we think of our house as a submarine, with air locks, in that we close all doors behind us, while looking out for the dogs.

[RockysWoman]

@renaultf1:

I'm glad this works for you, but I could never do it where I live. We have coyotes, bear, fishers, etc. that if they came into the yard and Ruby couldn't escape, that would be the end of her. Also, my friends have Invisible Fence around their yard and their professionally trained German Shepard chased something, ran thru the fence, but then was afraid to come back in the yard…it took them a day to get him back...not good. For those 2 reasons alone, I couldn't ever feel comfortable with it. The prey drive is so strong, that I don't think it can ever be 100% predictable what Ruby would do.

I was told once that electric fences are not good for any of the sight hounds, simply for hte fac they will blow thru them onc ethey catch sight of something, and then be afraid to come back into the yard.

Rocky has proven to us that electric fences or other minor annoyances of that variety (think wood piles, going over chain link or thru it, screen doors - again thru, and other various items of this nature) are not worth the money to try to stop him. We can only trust him when he's leashed and we (aka me or my husband) are attached. He lulls others into a sense of security, making them believe all he likes to do it sleep and then bam! he's off with the leash trailing behind him.

I love being owned by a Basenji!

[tanza]

Electric fence (and not the invisible kind), but a "het" wire works well with a regular fence. Sometimes you need to wire the top and the bottom with your regular fence, but 99% of the time it works well.

I would never trust a Basenji (or any breed for that matter) with an invisable fence…

[wizard]

I took MacPack's suggestion and started training EL D with a dog whistle and an extra special treat (reserved only for the whistle). He's been doing real well with it. Sometimes he sneeks down to the basement or is out behind some bushes where I can't really see him - but so far he has always come to the whistle and lately it's only one whistle (at first I had to whistle twice). Yesterday he was out in the corner of the yard trying to get at the neighbor dog. With the snow pack I was a tad concerned he'd get over the fence so I used the whistle to call him - he hesitated but then came. I don't ever want to have to use it in the street or someplace but I'm glad to know he responds to it and will continue to work with him on it.

[MacPack]

I'm glad the whistle is working for you! I can't whistle myself, so have to use a coach's whistle. And the sound carries much further than my voice. And when they actually escape, it may not work 100% but if it just makes them stop and turn around, you have a chance to get their attention. Any escaped basenji instantly loses the ability to recognize their name.

Anne

[Garret]

Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum and I was wondering… Is ok to use electric collar fences? I want to be able to bring my basenji's out in the yard with me and my family, but the city I live in doesn't allow me to build a fence that would be capable of keeping my basenjis in. They would easily jump over it since the maximum height of a fence for the front yard is only three feet. I am in a dillema because I don't have a usable backyard either. The only thing I can think of is an underground electric collar fence, but I'm not sure if that will work for basenjis. Any suggestions?

[sharronhurlbut]

Re escaping b's.
Put up a baby gate on the front door. You train the b's to stay behind it, with squirt bottles, and treats, and have visitors step over them.
Re dogs who get outside.
Before this happens work on calling your dog in the house and in the fenced yard using a word. We use "bisket" and when they come they get a bisket.
Once they got outfront, and we picked up the treat container and stood on the stoop and shook it.
They turned around like they were on a military parade and raised each other to get to the treat jar.
So, my advice is start training while they are inside and work on it so it can help you when the dogs do get out.

[tanza]

@Garret:

Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum and I was wondering… Is ok to use electric collar fences? I want to be able to bring my basenji's out in the yard with me and my family, but the city I live in doesn't allow me to build a fence that would be capable of keeping my basenjis in. They would easily jump over it since the maximum height of a fence for the front yard is only three feet. I am in a dillema because I don't have a usable backyard either. The only thing I can think of is an underground electric collar fence, but I'm not sure if that will work for basenjis. Any suggestions?

I know that there are people on this list that use one… for myself I never would, nor would I ever trust a Basenji with one. The other thing that really bothers me about them is that they do not keep anything "out" of your yard..

[sharronhurlbut]

The only true way to keep your dogs safe is with a physical barrier to keep them in and other critters out.

[youngandtired]

I have an electrical fence in my front and back yard. Sahara did cross it once or twice in the beginning but once I stepped the shock up a bit she stopped. She will not cross it, and believe me she has been tested. My cat sits on the barrier line just to tease her sometimes, daily really. I have gone next door and talked to my neighbor in the yard and Sahara will whine at the barrier watching me, but she will not cross it. Of course I praise her lots for this, she is so good. I love the underground fencing, it is so convenient, she has a doggie door and to be honest she comes in most of the time while I am gone and sleeps. She is not home very long with out someone here, I work days, and my hubby works nights. I will leave her for hours sometimes when I have errands to run or whatever and I have not had any problems. I have had it since she was about 6 mos. old and she will be 2 in Jan.

[sharronhurlbut]

What happens if some loose dogs get in and attack her…where does she go?

I am happy that its working for you so far, but this isn't something anywhere close to perfect.

I don't recommend these type of so called "barriers" sic to anyone.

Sorry, but they give a false sense of security to owners and little protection to animals who are in them.

[lvoss]

I would also add that there are many stories of people who thought their dog was solid with the electric fence and could offer many examples of how their dog would be tempted but would not cross for certain temptations and then one day there was a temptation that they found was worth the shock. In some cases the dogs were unharmed and in some cases the end was quite tragic.

Often when it comes to a barrier we can become quite complacent about our dogs respecting it when the reality is they are quite capable of ignoring it when something they really want is on the other side. I use baby gates frequently in my house. My dogs will sit nicely and whine at them as I feed Rio a special snack or feed my cats. These same dogs have each escaped the same baby gate for various reasons. I would never use a baby gate as a barrier if I really needed the dogs to stay on the other side. Though they are reliable probably 90% or more of the time, I know they can and will go over them if they really want to.

[youngandtired]

Well, I believe it is just a personal decision and I would recommend it to anyone that has to work. There are no animals that will come in my yard, not one in all these years. There is a law here that you have to confine your dogs, so no dogs roaming. If Sahara gets scared she would run in the house via the doggie door. I don't believe that keeping a dog in a crate 6-8 hrs. a day while someone works is right either, they are dogs they love to be outside. Definitely a personal decision, for me and my dog it is great.

[lvoss]

It is a personal decision and one that should be made with all the facts in place. There are leash laws where I live that require all dogs to be leashed if not confined by a fence and yet my dogs and I have been attacked no less than once every year by unleashed dogs most times with their owners present. Laws and rules do not mean that there will be no infractions.

The other thing that anyone using an electric fence must consider is that any human being that wants to can come into your yard and if your dog bites that person you will be held liable and your dog can be euthanized.

[renaultf1]

@youngandtired:

Well, I believe it is just a personal decision and I would recommend it to anyone that has to work. There are no animals that will come in my yard, not one in all these years. There is a law here that you have to confine your dogs, so no dogs roaming. If Sahara gets scared she would run in the house via the doggie door. I don't believe that keeping a dog in a crate 6-8 hrs. a day while someone works is right either, they are dogs they love to be outside. Definitely a personal decision, for me and my dog it is great.

Yup, it is definitely a personal decision and glad it works for you. In my case and this is JUST MY OPINION and my situation, I'm always worried about the one off chance that either another dog or animal will come in and the kids couldn't or WOULDN'T escape. I know neither Ruby nor Brando would be afraid of another dog or animal initially enough so they would run off…they would engage and that would potentially be their demise. Therefore, for me, they are crated (well Ruby has an expen and a crate - so effectively a condo) during the day when I'm not home. I stopped feeling bad about it for a couple of reasons. First, my two only prefer to be outside if family is outside...if we are inside, they want to be in with us. Two, I have seen them both sleep at least 7 hours on a weekend days when we're at the house. After I saw they slept all day when I was there, I stopped feeling bad because I know that is all they do when I'm not there...just different accommodations, but still comfy.

There are leash laws here as well, but based on the issues I've had, people don't always comply with them and it only takes one time for there to be a problem. Again this is only MY OPINION.

[Robin_n_Jack]

We took Jack to visit my brother in law and family, and my mother in law was also there. The BIL has a lab that can go outside off leash, and will come when called. I explained to everyone that Jack must be on a leash, because if he gets out, we will not be able to catch him….he is just that fast, and he doesn't listen at all.

Well, the MIL apparently did not ay any attention. Every time she went out the door, she would open the door really wide, and move really slow, and not wait for me to grab Jack.

Finally, the last day we were there, she opened the door really wide and Jack ran out. Jack was right around the corner going potty, so while he was occupied I put his leash on- no harm. But DH was really angry, and told her to start watching what was going on. DH hadn't really wanted a dog in the first place, so it was nice to see how much Jack had come to mean to him.

[sharronhurlbut]

Another issue I have with these type of electric fences is that if your dog gets out, it will be shocked trying to come back into your yard.
So, where does the dog go then??

[Jylly18]

@Robin_n_Jack:

We took Jack to visit my brother in law and family, and my mother in law was also there. The BIL has a lab that can go outside off leash, and will come when called. I explained to everyone that Jack must be on a leash, because if he gets out, we will not be able to catch him….he is just that fast, and he doesn't listen at all.

Well, the MIL apparently did not ay any attention. Every time she went out the door, she would open the door really wide, and move really slow, and not wait for me to grab Jack.

Finally, the last day we were there, she opened the door really wide and Jack ran out. Jack was right around the corner going potty, so while he was occupied I put his leash on- no harm. But DH was really angry, and told her to start watching what was going on. DH hadn't really wanted a dog in the first place, so it was nice to see how much Jack had come to mean to him.

Wow, can I relate to this one! So many people I have come in contact with are the same way, you tell them over and over, and yet they open the door wide open, stroll on in, watch the dog bound up to them, and not even move to close it…it drives me crazy! And then they look at me weird when I get paranoid as to where she is at all times...I get "Jill relax, she is fine." Yeah, right, fine with chewing up all your stuff, or running away...some people just drive me crazy! Especially when I then get labeled as "the weird dog person.":mad:

[sharronhurlbut]

Barriers work, if you use them…but sometimes a basenji will get out.
So, its not too early to start with a word/treat to get the b's attention.
Be it in the house, in the back fenced yard, or when they are playing together.
Have a word that will make them stop what they are doing and rush to a wonderful treat.
It could save their lives.
I am saying this because I did lose a basenji who ran out into the street and was hit and killed.