During yesterday's presbytery meeting, Beatrice somehow escaped again from the back yard.
El Jefe, who came to the meeting for my installation, beat me home. I found him worriedly pacing the front yard calling for her to no avail. He had already driven around the neighborhood once looking for her.
I went inside to check the phone in case someone had called to say they found her. (She has our phone number on a tag on her collar.) Eureka! The neighbor down the street had picked her up and kept her at her home. She said Beatrice was shaking with fright in front of her yard because of the noise made by the garbage truck going by.
Of course I thanked her profusely for calling us and keeping her for several hours. "I'd like to keep her for good," she said. "She's so cute!"
Cute. Yeah. Clever. Yeah. ~sigh~
We checked the fence again and can't figure how she did it this time. When we have time we'll do a little experiment: put her in the yard, pretend to leave and then lurk around to find out how she does it. Then see if we can do anything about it. El Jefe is very reluctant to use one of those electric shock gadgets on her.
But until then, it's back to the crate or the utility room for the adventurous puppy. And the score will remain: Beatrice 3, QG 1.
El Jefe, who came to the meeting for my installation, beat me home. I found him worriedly pacing the front yard calling for her to no avail. He had already driven around the neighborhood once looking for her.
I went inside to check the phone in case someone had called to say they found her. (She has our phone number on a tag on her collar.) Eureka! The neighbor down the street had picked her up and kept her at her home. She said Beatrice was shaking with fright in front of her yard because of the noise made by the garbage truck going by.
Of course I thanked her profusely for calling us and keeping her for several hours. "I'd like to keep her for good," she said. "She's so cute!"
Cute. Yeah. Clever. Yeah. ~sigh~
We checked the fence again and can't figure how she did it this time. When we have time we'll do a little experiment: put her in the yard, pretend to leave and then lurk around to find out how she does it. Then see if we can do anything about it. El Jefe is very reluctant to use one of those electric shock gadgets on her.
But until then, it's back to the crate or the utility room for the adventurous puppy. And the score will remain: Beatrice 3, QG 1.
8 comments:
That push me, pull you angst of puppy rearing is a hard thing for sure. Puppies need freedom, but puppies need to stay in the yard. Your plan sounds like a really good one.
Hopefully the score will go to Beatrice 3 and QG 2 and stay there!
There are citron collars now! No shock involved.
Maybe she is a floater?
Beatrice is smart, just like grandpuppy Troy! Too smart for their own good. Glad a neighbor rescued her.
OK, the Y chromosone in me can't stand it any longer, so here are my suggestions:
1. Crate train the dog. You have to start now and can't do it very well later. It will become invaluable - especially if you cannot leave the dog out or you have the dog with you away from home.
2. If you want to have her outside do get a fence charger. Yup, they hurt. But get the small animal type - not cattle size. Having shocked myself (intentional and unintentional) and my wife (unintentional) a few times, I can assure you that they are safe.
The hot wire around the fence delivers just enough of a zap to get the dog's attention and lead to the decision not to go near THAT again. Zorra was probably the hardest-headed dog in the world, but after being zapped just a couple of times, she avoided the wire, and we were able to turn off the juice. That was the only thing that stopped her from digging under the fence. I strongly recommend it.
I'm a crate-training believer. I would never have left a puppy outside alone, as much out of worry that someone would walk off with him/her as out of concern for escape. I'm glad Beatrice's adventure ended without the sort of nightmare outcomes *I* am always imagining!
Congratulations QG - on the puppy, but mostly on the installation.
I'm afraid Tipper had a similar adventure last night. Thinking she was sound asleep on the bed, DH left the front door open while he dragged his various plastering refuse outside and next thing he knew the phone was ringing; she was visiting down the street.
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