Hello again all,

Another quick question I had. I was considering purchasing an underground fence as sort of an extra protection to ensure my little guy doesn't run out. We have a fence up now, but I'm concerned with digging, or jumping over when he gets to be a bit older. But, I'm also stuck in the spot as to where I don't want to tie him up when he is playing outside, I want him to be able to run. I plan to get him microchipped as well, but I was just wondering for some feedback of people who possibly use underground electric fences? Do they work well, or are they faulty? Is it a safe thought for him to run free with one in place, or should I still tie him up?

A side note, I live out in the country where not much traffic comes through, so theft would not be an issue.

Thanks in advance!

My dad has a bit less than an acre of backyard all with invisible fence. His golden retriever (as well as his 2 retrievers he had before this one) listened well to the fence and never had a problem. They always were allowed to just go out back and play. Didn't need supervised with the fence. That being said, when I was young we had an escape artist German shepard. She would run through the electric fence. She figured out that it would only hurt for a little bit until she got to the other side (she also chewed through chain ties, climbed fences and kennels, dug under regular fencing, there was no keeping her in a yard). I think our GSD was a rare case, though.

Some Huskies, and a lot of other breeds, are just escape artists. If they REALLY want to get out they will find a way.

My advice is to wait and see how adventurous of a husky your getting. Supervision will stop all the problems you listed above and is a lot cheaper. As your pup grows and gets more adventurous you will start to see if you have a digger, or escape artist on your hands.

There is nothing wrong with free roam of the yard, but until you have 100% trust your pup isn't out there looking for a way to break free, either be out there with them, or invest in a safe and secure tie out line for the times you really want / need to leave them outside and you can't be there to watch.

An invisible fence can deter for a while but if your fur ball wants out bad enough it will find a way. couple that with the husky's ability to endure pain and they can care little about them.

Unless you can find a really good deal on it just your fence in and of itself should be enough to stop your dog from getting out.

Digging can be curved in a couple of ways if it ends up being a problem.
1) Build a sand box and teach that it's ok to dig in that area. This isn't hard to do and still allows the ability to dig.

2) Be proactive. Find holes you dog has started, Before filling them back in drop some PooP down the hole. A "Normal" dog will not dig through their own feces.

3) Patio stones or other hard outdoor flooring. Though it may not look pretty you can edge your fence in these types of flooring to prevent digging.... It depends the look your going for in your backyard however.


Jumping over is another issue. The best you can really do here is make sure there are no "Footholds" your dog can spring off of to get over the fence. Anything they can use to help them jump or climb they will find a way to use it. I know theres a couple of videos on this site somewhere of a Rescue Mal or Husky climbing a 10ft Kennel to get out.

Personally I've seen Tika clear 5ft from a standing spring up just to see a dog on the other side of a fence. Again if they want out they will find a way.


Attaching your dog while it's in the backyard is kinda of a mixed bag. every dog is different some will run and escape while others are just happy with being able to run circles around the yard. Tika runs free in the backyard, I can trust her to do so. If she was an escape artist I would tie her up however.

My uncle had a Husky Beagle mix for a while and lived in Rural NY, lots of land. Busky (See what he did there?) would get out ALL THE TIME. what they did to allow the dog to run as free as possible was to attach a very very long tie out line from his house to the complete other end of his property. Then they attached another tie out line to that one but this one was looped around the first. The second line could travel along the first and Busky being attached by the collar to the second had free reign to go where ever he needed/wanted on the land. Hard to explain in text but it worked really well.

Anyways hope I helped in some way shape or form. Congrats and good luck.
~Chris~

Azzor wrote:

Another quick question I had. I was considering purchasing an underground fence as sort of an extra protection to ensure my little guy doesn't run out. We have a fence up now, but I'm concerned with digging, or jumping over when he gets to be a bit older. But, I'm also stuck in the spot as to where I don't want to tie him up when he is playing outside, I want him to be able to run.

What kind of fence do you have right now and how high is it? I think an underground fence or hotwiring as an ADDED measure of containment is a fine idea, however I wouldn't trust it to keep a husky contained by itself. A determined husky can blow through it no problem and once they're out they will then have less incentive to come back if it means getting another correction to return.

Another reason I don't like invisible fences as a sole means of containment is that while they can keep dogs contained in their yard it won't keep other dogs out and I've heard too many stories of dogs being mauled and/or killed in their own yard by other attacking off lead dogs. A physical fence provides protection in more ways than just one. Just my

Thanks to everybody for your advice! It is much appreciated.

And Val, My fence right now is wooden and 6 feet tall, and extends around my whole backyard. A lot of different people have told me that this is a good fence and that he should be fine, but I guess I'm just worryful, and want to take extra precautions.

Okay, that sounds pretty good. It is advisable to be extra cautious with this breed and I don't blame you for wanting to add extra security measures. I have 6 ft tall fences enclosing my backyard as well (we have both 6' wood privacy and 6' black aluminum fencing) and I don't trust my husky in the yard unattended. This breed is notorious for being escape artists so I never leave my sibe in the yard without supervision. However with added security like an invisible fence you might be safer leaving your sibe in the yard without supervision if that is your intention.

Yeah that's exactly the thing, with them being escape artists. I don't know if I would truly feel at ease until I've seen how he his with his determination to escape, or rather he would be content with playing in the backyard. I suppose it will just be a time thing to determine rather or not I will let him roam when I'm not watching 24/7, but definitely not ideal to do that right now.

Here is what I suggest,

I own a business with pet sitting/ walking (I am going to xray tech school and not continuing this)

We also do "husky proof" your yard. Here is some of the things we do. Husky camps are the best to show someone. I also lay bricks around the dog yard here to prevent maggie and her digging.

I also have electical fence but don't really need it. Maggie isn't much an escape artist. I think huskies tend to be better at it then mals.


www.huskycamp.com/security.htm

norbreedslove wrote:

Here is what I suggest,

I own a business with pet sitting/ walking (I am going to xray tech school and not continuing this)

We also do "husky proof" your yard. Here is some of the things we do. Husky camps are the best to show someone. I also lay bricks around the dog yard here to prevent maggie and her digging.

I also have electical fence but don't really need it. Maggie isn't much an escape artist. I think huskies tend to be better at it then mals.


www.huskycamp.com/security.htm

Those are both really good ideas, I'll be sure to look into it more.

I've never heard of the rolling pin idea, that is actually a pretty neat concept. Thanks for the info!