Hi All,

You've all been incredibly helpful so far and I have another question that I could maybe use some information on.

I currently take Cloud outside to play and on walks and hikes but there are days and times when none of this possible. SO I bought a Tie Out for the backyard. It rotates and is attached to a ground fixture. (I have seen this guy run full speed and get pulled in a circle. Its completely sturdy.)

Anyway, when I leave him outside alone and even when I am outside with him and he has the tie out on, he just.. stands there. Sometimes sits and stares at the sky, sometimes just lays there. Is this normal? I was trying to help him get more time outdoors and more exercise but he just lays there.

http://www.amazon.com/Pdq-Tie-Out-Cable-Xx-Large/dp/B0049BDCWE/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8

That is the one that I have. I wonder is it too heavy? Does that even make sense? Is there anything I can do to help promote exercise without being present?

Sorry for the 20 Qs!

Thanks!

Bad news for you...I have a now 3 yr old I adopted at 1 yr. Initially he had a 100' trolley the first year and now has a 4 acre invisible fence. Lots of exercise, right? Nope - if I'm not out there or my son's husky mix is not out there with him...he sleeps. Or lies there "surveying his domain." And, unless they haven't seen each other in a while, even if they are both out there, they may be sleeping or lying down and just surveying their domain. If one of us comes out, then he, or the two of them, become very lively.

If you need to exercise your pup more than you can tolerate or have the time for, my best advice is to find another dog with as much energy as yours and go to fenced in, dog safe area and let them at it. Short of that - I was thinking of a flirt pole for Ami - he gets lots and lots of running, I go slowly in a circle. Or get a bicycle attachment (provided he is not too young for sustaned trotting.)

Great...

I'll actually add some info here real quickly then. So my roommate actually has a dog and when they are both outside together it is pretty lively. Problem is our neighbors fence fell down recently and to say the least they are pretty much jerks. When asked if they would replace it, they would rather put their 6 year old son at risk and leave it down.... Lovely people I know.

Anyway, Cloud will escape 100% when I am not out there. (When I am out side I don't have him the tie out because hes a pretty good listener. Also, he has more access to the whole yard that way. 40ft tie out and probably an extra 30 ft to the far far fence on one side). I don't think Milo (Roomies Dog) would try and escape but we can't always predict what dogs do, who would of thought.

So, maybe its a bit of a conundrum. I would put an invisible fence in OR just the fence that is missing period, but its a rental home. I might be able to convince the land lord to put a fence up, but then I am just terrified that he will jump it. Would you recommend one of those range transmitters?

I absolutely recommend the invisible fence - I use the Petsafe Yardmax in traditional mode, my son uses the Yardmax in Yardmax mode. The issue is the training. You must do the training thoroughly to be able to trust them.

https://www.itsahuskything.com/t13882-training-with-an-invisible-fence?highlight=invisible+fence

You could use lawn staples to hold the wire down and then when you move, pull it all up and take it with you.

Is the only difference between the Yardmax and other version the fact that the Yardmax is a continuous shock once past the wire?

While I'm not at all extremely knowledgeable with dogs or huskies, my Ghost has a personal trainer daily (also the person taking care of him while I'm away so comes in handy ) except weekends. Every few weeks I take him to a wolf park nearby owned by an expert in dog training (he trains dogs for the army and police) for him to observe the development.

This expert dude recommended a game that is lots of fun and also gets the dog the much needed exercise when you don't have much time. Basically 20 minutes of good play will be enough in a day.

What is it? Simple - long stick or fishing rod works best. attach a rope to it and a toy at the end (I have a simple rope toy) and then go play, get used to it yourself. Once you're done, get the fluff ball in the game and in 20 minutes of chasing (remember to let him catch it for confidence every now and then) he should be both happy and tired.

Hope it helps.

onefyasko wrote:

Is the only difference between the Yardmax and other version the fact that the Yardmax is a continuous shock once past the wire?

No - most important to me is that the collar transmitter is rechargeable and lasts about 3 months per charge (not a proprietary battery that has to be replaced, the collar material is a soft but very sturdy nylon web (not plastic like a lot of them) and the transmitter is waterproof to some minor depth...can't remember, 10 ft maybe?) and, if you use it in yard max mode, the correction does not start until dog goes over the boundary wire - most of them have a 3-10/12 ft boundary on either side of the wire. They call it yardmax because it enables you to use every inch of your yard. The downside is, if you want to exclude an area (we have a loop around the pool) you cannot use the yard max mode, it has to be traditional mode which gives a signal any where from 2-10 ft either side of the wire.

I have found petsafe customer support wonderful. Note, they do make other systems, depending on your needs. Also, there are a bunch of pawz away accessories that are compatible with the yardmax system should you need indoor barriers, too. We tried a wireless one first but found, first that the distance was not enough to include his doghouse (only 90 ft diameter from transmitter) the signal was blocked by our garage and the signal was not consistant to more than 5-10 ft.

If you have more questions, I would be happy to answer them

I think I may try this route out, just the backyard for now. Traditional may work fine for me since I can play with the wire a bit under bushes and such along the fence. The yardmax seems to be a good fit to though so I will really need to think about which one to get.

I appreciate all your advice! I never thought about putting in yard staples like you had mentioned.

onefyasko wrote:

I think I may try this route out, just the backyard for now. Traditional may work fine for me since I can play with the wire a bit under bushes and such along the fence. The yardmax seems to be a good fit to though so I will really need to think about which one to get.

I appreciate all your advice! I never thought about putting in yard staples like you had mentioned.

The only problem I have had with leaving the wire above ground is my neighbor's cows..."Mickey's Munchmasters" They kept putting their heads under their welded wire fence and chewing up my wire The other 3 sides are in the woods and 2 season's worth of leaves cover most of it.

Midnight Ghost wrote:

What is it? Simple - long stick or fishing rod works best. attach a rope to it and a toy at the end (I have a simple rope toy) and then go play, get used to it yourself. Once you're done, get the fluff ball in the game and in 20 minutes of chasing (remember to let him catch it for confidence every now and then) he should be both happy and tired.

Hope it helps.

I will try this too, he doesn't really seem to like toys very much though.. or at all. When we are outside he will run at me do a front flip onto his back and then after I rub his belly and play wrestle him for a second he takes off and starts doing laps around our yard. Best way I've accidentally discovered so far haha.

amymeme wrote:

The only problem I have had with leaving the wire above ground is my neighbor's cows..."Mickey's Munchmasters" They kept putting their heads under their welded wire fence and chewing up my wire   The other 3 sides are in the woods and 2 season's worth of leaves cover most of it.

Luckily I don't have any neighbors with cows, just small (neglected?) children... Fortunately the child doesn't roam over to our yard at all.

Midnight Ghost wrote:

What is it? Simple - long stick or fishing rod works best. attach a rope to it and a toy at the end (I have a simple rope toy) and then go play, get used to it yourself. Once you're done, get the fluff ball in the game and in 20 minutes of chasing (remember to let him catch it for confidence every now and then) he should be both happy and tired.

Hope it helps.

''

That's a great description of the flirt pole I mentioned above - I never actually made one but I understand it is an excellent way to wear a dog out PDQ>

onefyasko wrote:

I will try this too, he doesn't really seem to like toys very much though.. or at all. When we are outside he will run at me do a front flip onto his back and then after I rub his belly and play wrestle him for a second he takes off and starts doing laps around our yard. Best way I've accidentally discovered so far haha.

Wow - he sounds soooo much like Ami when we first got him....sometimes I actually miss those days now that he has calmed down and become more settled, a lot, I think, due to the invisible fence and his regular play time with my son's dog.