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scorpio
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Location: Old Leake, UK
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28-04-2007, 09:34 AM

Why did I Ever Get An Intelligent Dog?

I spent the best part of £80 and a whole day sorting out the doggies small garden, where they go when I'm at work and overnight if they need to spend a penny or want to sunbathe.

I bought some posts and some fencing wire, I have to admit it is green plastic wire, very nice to look at but a lot cheaper than the usual weldmesh I opt for. As their garden has leylandii to two sides, the wall to the paddock on another and the house is on the back I thought it would look nice if I put this fencing up in front of the trees.

I was absolutely thrilled with the finished effect, I dug the posts in 1 foot deep and concreted them into place, I stretched the wire, (which is 3'3"" tall) across and it all blended in beautifully. I had to trim some of the leylandii branches back at the bottom to allow the wire to go up but they will grow through it and just make it stronger and will hide the fencing eventually.

So why do I have a problem?

The setters, bless them, as naughty as they can be have never, ever questioned a barricade that I put up, it could just be standing there and they will stop in front of it. Tawny, the pointer, obviously has a lot more intelligence and curiosity, she thought it would be a good idea to shimmy underneath the wire which, as it's plastic rather than steel, does have a certain amount of flexibility to it.

Fortunately I spotted her, shouted at her and she came shooting back out. I told her she was a bad girl which is all I need to do to chastise her, she takes everything to heart and would simply curl up and die if I really told her off.

What happens next? I hear this rumpus and dear "little" Bradley has decided that it looked like fun but he gets stuck as he's bigger than her and then starts to panic. (I also panicked as, on the other side of the trees are some broken old wooden panels which lead to the haulage yard, if anyof them got through there and into the yard they would them get straight onto the road and be killed. Hence my reasons for making sure it is adequately fenced on the budget I'm on).

I put my hand down between the fence and the trees and grabbed his collar, I managed to calm him down by stroking him and talking to him, then I tried to guide him back to where he'd got in but he was too big and too scared to turn around. There was only one thing for it, I had to, with my bare hands, pull the fencing away from the posts so that it was flexible enough for me to lift the bottom up just where he was stuck, he flew out of there and ran straight into one of the beds, poor little man. I'm hoping it scared him enough not to go snooping again.

In the meantime, I've had to put the galvanised pen that I had up originally back up to prevent any more incidents. I think I shall have to get some more wood and attach that to the posts along the bottom, then clip the wire to it so that they can't move it.

If only Tawny hadn't shown him what to do I know that none of the others would have even thought about it. Now they all keep going over and having a sniff around the bottom of the fence, although they can't get to it because of the galvanised panels but I bet they would try and get under now that she's planted the seed.
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Lynn
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28-04-2007, 11:19 AM
Naughty Tawny and hope Bradley is feeling a little better now,sounds like it frightened him so like you say hopefully he won't try that one again.
It is so worrying when you think they may be able to get out somewhere into somewhere dangerous.
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scorpio
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28-04-2007, 02:22 PM
Originally Posted by Lynn View Post
Naughty Tawny and hope Bradley is feeling a little better now,sounds like it frightened him so like you say hopefully he won't try that one again.
It is so worrying when you think they may be able to get out somewhere into somewhere dangerous.
Thanks Lynn, I hope it was enough to put him off too. That was the compromise on buying Snowdrop, it is on a main road and I've got so many barricades so that if they ever get through one they come up against another, fortunately they couldn't get past the trees to reach the fencing but I just don't want to take any chances, it only takes one of them to scramble between the stumps and find a way through, it just doesn't bear thinking about
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bonio
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28-04-2007, 06:01 PM
Thats what happened with the dog we had when I was little. It was wire fence around the bottom of the garden but he dug a little soil out and squeezed under the wire. My Dad ended up having to dig a trench under the fence and put another layer of shorter wire fencing half sunk into the ground.
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Toby
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28-04-2007, 06:06 PM
Firstly well done on all that hard work, i'm very proud of you Indeed now that Tawney has given them the idea, they've just got to try it out
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Losos
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28-04-2007, 08:59 PM
Wow, sounds like you're really getting into the DIY stuff
Is it the chainlink type fencing with a green plastic covering?
If it is you might want to put a single wire across the bottom as well as the top 'tho even that didn't stop our Bara from getting out (When she had the wanderlust)
The problem I had with our chainlink is that it's only really secure after the grass has grown up both sides and that didn't happen the first year at all
Still, you've got the weldmesh there now and if you can leave it there 'till summer '08 it should be sorted

I never cease to be amazed at dogs ingenuity, and you're right, once one gets an idea the others will often follow, and they say dogs can't talk
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scorpio
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28-04-2007, 11:29 PM
Thanks everyone, there's been a slight change of plan now.

Naughty Tawny disappeared just before I had to leave for work I couldn't believe it, I shot out of the front door and ran around to the haulage yard, which was obviously deserted, there are absolutely no fences or anything and I could see for miles, I called her name and there was nothing, just silence, I suddenly had visions of her laying somewhere having been hit by a car.

I ran back indoors trying very hard not to cry, I went back into their small garden and called her again, and she emerged from behind the fencing, she had climbed over the galvanised pen and under the fencing and she was black, covered in something black and slimey which smelt disgusting. I had to move some more of the fencing so she could get under, then she just leaped over the pen. The others went mad trying to make a fuss of her, I just went mad

I didn't even ring work to say I'd be late, I just got her straight into the bath incase it was something petrol based or worse, although having been around the site behind us I really don't think the panels are as bad as I had thought so she probably didn't get into the yard. I suspect she may have rolled in the dirty old water that had come out of the pond, it was thrown into the undergrowth by the people that took it off my hands.

Anyway, she has been confined to the little area that I had Ebony in when she was in season, she had to stay indoors whilst I was at work tonight but I wasn't taking any chances.

Tomorrow I shall move the 6'x11' heras panels that I have, I know they're unsightly but she never attempted to get past these before, I can attach them to the posts that I have put in so, fingers crossed, I'll be able to relax a bit.

Naughty Tawny
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Vicki
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29-04-2007, 06:34 AM
My oh my, what a "smart" dog. It's a shame they have no street smarts, and I mean all dogs here Sheree, not just yours .
Let's hope the experience was sufficiently horrid to stop Bradley even thinking about doing it again, and of course, you must do whatever it takes to keep Tawney safe.
Well done on attempting even more DIY - you really are a force to be reckoned with
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Lynn
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29-04-2007, 07:28 AM
You are doing so well but Tawny doesn't sem to like you having any time to relax does she.
Hope whatever you do next works well enough to keep her in looks like you really have your work cut out.
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scorpio
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29-04-2007, 08:44 AM
Originally Posted by Vicki View Post
My oh my, what a "smart" dog. It's a shame they have no street smarts, and I mean all dogs here Sheree, not just yours .
Let's hope the experience was sufficiently horrid to stop Bradley even thinking about doing it again, and of course, you must do whatever it takes to keep Tawney safe.
Well done on attempting even more DIY - you really are a force to be reckoned with
Thanks Vicki, Bradley has stayed well away from the fencing so I'm certain it scared him enough, poor little lad. As for Tawny, she's too smart for her own good, the problem is that there are birds nesting in the trees and she wants to investigate, plus she is just plain nosey

Originally Posted by Lynn View Post
You are doing so well but Tawny doesn't sem to like you having any time to relax does she.
Hope whatever you do next works well enough to keep her in looks like you really have your work cut out.
I think you're right Lynn, everytime I finish a little task I start planning my next one but she's certainly stopped me in my tracks this time, I was so pleased with my fencing too, but their safety has to come before "pleasing to the eye". She's been out with the others this morning and hasn't attempted any escapes but I've brought her back into the little room again and she'll have to stay there whilst I sort out the little garden. You know what they say - no rest for the wicked
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