Ask The Experts: Electric Fence Doesn’t Keep Dog at Home

You Pet Question

Our five-year-old female chocolate Labrador is still very hyper and often goes right through the electric fence to visit next door. What can we do to stop this?

Diane Baylis, Caledon East

The Expert Says

Dog daycare or LOTS of exercise would be a good outlet for your dog especially since some breeds require a much higher level of physical activity than others. As for crossing the electric fence, those devices are very dependent on training and some dogs simply feel the benefit of crossing it outweighs the risk of being zapped. These devices are not always a solution. A solid fence or taking the time to work one-on-one with a reputable trainer to go back to the basics of obedience training would be beneficial for your dog. Remember, YOU have to be more of a reward and more exciting to your dog than what is outside the fence! That means a lot of playing, paying attention and exercising with her so she’ll be less tempted to stray to more exciting pastures!

Ellie Ross of Kitchener, Ontario, is a professional animal behaviour consultant, owner of Wag and Train Inc., and the expert/host of CTVswo’s “Pup Talk”.