How to Stop Your Dog from Jumping and Climbing the Fence

Has your dog ever escaped from your backyard? Some dogs are pure escape artists and others just seize the occasional opportunity to dig under or jump over the fence. Annie Moore from Best Dog Crates tells us how to stop your dog from jumping and climbing the fence… 

Have you ever gotten a call from the neighbors, or worse the dog pound, saying your dog has jumped the fence again and you need to come and pick it up immediately?

This can be extremely frustrating, especially if you have already put a ton of effort into getting a good fence built. It might seem hopeless at times if your dog is a serial runaway that just doesn’t want to stay put.

Here are practical, tested solutions to stop your dog from jumping or climbing the fence once and for all!

Ways to Stop Your Dog from Jumping Over the Fence

Build a Second Fence

The reason that a lot of dogs can get over high fences is because they get a really good running start at it. The running start is what enables these dogs to easily fly over the fence like a Boeing 747.

However, if you make a smaller fence about 3 feet in front of the main one, they won’t be able to get that running start they need to clear the main one.

Plant Some Trees in Front

Similar to the second fence, is to plant some shrubs or trees a few feet in front of the main fence. This will have the same result as the second fence, but it will look a bit nicer. The disadvantage with this method is that your dog might destroy the trees/shrubs if they don’t grow in time.

L-Footer

A L-footer is a good way to stop your dog from jumping over the fence if it’s used a in a different way. You can turn it upside down and use it at the top of the fence. Create the L-shape and securely fasten the short side to the top of the fence and have it angled towards the yard so that when your dog looks up they will see fencing above them.

This is an extremely effective way of keeping them fenced in the yard where they belong, as they won’t try to jump when they know there’s an obstacle in their way.

Read more: Understanding annoying dog behaviour like jumping and escaping

Use a Jump Harness

A product that will solve this problem is the no jump harness. The way it works is by restricting the movement of the dog’s hind legs so that they can’t jump at all. This should not be something used permanently, but rather something that can be used during training. It should stop them from jumping chain link fences, as well as jumping on people and furniture.

How to Stop Your Dog from Jumping and Climbing the Fence

How to Stop Dogs from Climbing a Chain Link Fence

Now we’ll go over a few methods that you can use to keep your pet fenced in and not scaling the fence with ease.

Coyote Roller for The Fence

A coyote roller is a 4-foot aluminium roller that was made to stop animals and mainly, Coyotes from scaling the top of a fence. The way that it works is when a coyote or other animal gets to the top of a fence, the roller spins when they try and get their feet on it. When the roller spins they can’t hold on and harmlessly fall to the ground.

This product works perfectly for dogs, coyotes and other wildlife that will try to climb your fence and get into your yard.

The coyote roller is great if you live in rural areas that are notorious for having many Coyotes. This is very important if you have small dogs because coyotes are notorious for getting into yards and killing small dogs.

Is your dog an escape artist?

Cat Netting

You can use some “cat netting” on the fence at an angle to prevent your dog from getting a foothold and climbing up.

DIY Method – PVC Piping

A cheap and easy solution that you can do yourself to stop fence climbing is to use some cheap PVC piping at the top of it. First step is to cut some 5-inch diameter PVC piping lengthwise and then place it along the top of the fence. You can hold it in place with some screws.

How to Stop Your Dog from Jumping and Climbing the Fence

Some Preventative Measures to stop dog from jumping fence

Along with the methods that we listed, you should also try some preventative methods.

Get Rid of Anything That Helps Them

Would you be surprised if your dog might have had some help in their escape? The honest truth is, everyday items in your yard like piles of firewood, garbage cans, lawnmowers, and even low hanging tree branches can be used by smart dogs to give them the help they need to get over the fence.

Some breeds like Pitbulls, Huskies, and Shepherds are smart. You’d be surprised at what they use to help them escape, so ensure that there is nothing close to the fence that they could possibly use to their advantage.

Restrict Their View

If your dog can’t see all the stuff happening on the other side, then they can’t feel like their left out. Sometimes when there are lots of distractions on the other side, such as other dogs, it can motivate them to climb or jump the fence try and see what’s happening on the other side. However, if they can’t see anything they are way less likely to try and escape.

There are a few different methods you can use to go about restricting the view. The first method is to utilize reed fencing. Reed fencing is a cheap way to limit how much your dog can see. It won’t block their visibility completely, but it will help to decrease it which might be enough for your pet.

Another method is to use wooden fencing. Wooden fencing is one of the most expensive options but also one of the most effective ones. Wooden fencing has the advantage of almost completely blocking visibility. This may be the best thing to try if others are not working.

Planting some shrubs right in front of the fence is another option for you if you can keep your pooch away while they grow, otherwise, they might be destroyed, leaving you back at the beginning.

Make the Yard Fun

You don’t want your dog to be bored when they are out in the yard. A dog that’s bored will try and get out. Luckily, there are some simple but often overlooked things you can do to try and make their time in the yard more fun.

How to Stop Your Dog from Jumping and Climbing the Fence

Food and Treats

It’s obvious that dogs like treats. Something you can try is to hide some treats in the yard and watch as your pooch runs around trying to find them for hours.

Another thing to try is to use an automatic dog feeder to dispense small amounts of food or treats on a set schedule. This will keep them occupied for hours while they wait for the next treat to come out.

Play Games

If you play some games like fetch with your dog, accomplish more than one thing. Firstly, the actual act of playing of the game will tire them out so much that they won’t have the energy to escape. Secondly, you are associating the game with having fun in the yard. If they have fond memories while inside the yard, they will be less likely to try and escape, by jumping and climbing the fence.

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Use Toys

This should be one of the first attempts for entertaining your dog. A Kong toy or bone can keep some dogs occupied for hours as they chew happily.

You can also Fill a Kong toy up with treats and your dog will chew at it for hours, trying to get at the goodies.

Crating Your Dog as a Last Resort

If you have tried other methods but you truly have a difficult mutt on your hands, then the only solution left would be to lock them in a good dog crate while you’re gone, if you’re not gone too long of course.

So what type of crate should you get? We recommend using a heavy-duty kennel if your dog is strong. If they are smaller, you might be ok with a wire or plastic cage.

  • How to Stop Your Dog from Jumping and Climbing the Fence
  • How to Stop Your Dog from Jumping and Climbing the Fence

Author: Annie Moore – Best Dog Crates

Hopefully these tips have helped you put a plan in place to stop your dog from jumping and climbing the fence! Dr Jo

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4 comments

  2. We most have the pet cat or dog in our home but that cat, the dog makes noise too much in sometimes and as a result, they can be affected by any serious things like the dogs are jump or climb from anything without protection. By reading this article, the dog owner can stop your dog from jumping and climbing the fence, because you have to ensure the metal decoration of fencing in your home’s outside.

  4. Pingback: how to stop a dog from climbing a fence – Animal Types

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