Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 18
  1. #1
    Real Retriever Moby and Barley's Mom's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Location
    Napa, California
    Posts
    433
    Thanked: 214

    Moving to a new house with puppy in tow...

    Well - the long lengthy and painful saga of my seemingly never ending divorce - is starting to come to its' conclusion. I had hope to keep my house in the country in Napa - but it was not to be - so I have bought a Victorian in town. Now - instead of over 2 acres - I will have a much much smaller back yard. That is not the problem - because I can walk the dogs - take them to the dog park, etc, - but I worry about the back yard itself. Barley (11 months) and Moby (13 1/2 years) both stay outside during the day. I worry about the potential destruction of the new yard - which has some really nice landscaping. They are currently in a really large dog run with nothing but oaks - so nothing to ruin. However - when I have left Barley to his own devices in the back yard - has has eaten some plants.

    Questions for all of you:

    How do I retrain a potty area and how do I protect my yard (and eventual tomato garden) from the puppy? Is it even possible??


    -photo-9-jpg
    Forever in my heart - Sweet gentle Moby - lover of belly rubs, bacon, and Barbara 9-10-2001 to 11-2-2015

  2. #2
    Senior Dog Tanya's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Eastern Ontario Canada
    Posts
    3,336
    Thanked: 2070
    I wouldn't leave dogs out in a yard all day in the city. too many potentia issues/dangers (from barking and annoying neighbours all day, getting out, people throwing stuff in, and yes destruction). anyway you can start crate training or training them to spend time indoors when you are away?

    ETA: the rest is training. you need to be outside with them to redirect and possibly with time they won't be destructive. but if you are not there they will do as they please and practice the behaviour you don't want.

    Potty area - just keep them on leash adn bring them there to potty (a long line may work too). it's a pain in the butt at first but otherwise it'll be impossible to ensure they only pee in the one area.

  3. The Following User Says Thank You to Tanya For This Useful Post:

    Moby and Barley's Mom (04-10-2015)

  4. #3
    Senior Dog Labradorks's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    3,947
    Thanked: 2421
    I would not personally leave my dogs outside all day as there are too many dangers to the dogs and it can cause behavior issues like barking, guarding behaviors, and fence running/fighting. There's the potential of eating something poisonous. I would also be nervous about potentially escaping by digging. I have a lock on my gate, but wind can be an issue. And, if a dog spends 8 hours a day outside, they have time to figure out an escape plan and can scale a 6 foot privacy fence. In the city there are ordinances for barking and best case scenario you are fined. Worst case is that you have nasty neighbors.

    The way to protect your yard is to not leave the dog out there unsupervised or to have a safe and secure dog run. My dogs eat all of my veggies even if I am right there, so my veggies have a garden fence around them. If they weren't eating on them, they'd lay on them. I really can't have too many nice things in my backyard because of them and they are never outside unsupervised with exception of a random quick pee or maybe if I am mopping the floor and they have new knuckle bones. Usually, while Sam is OK because his brain lays in his belly, Linus is sitting on the back stoop crying at the door, so at least I know he is staying out of trouble.

  5. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Labradorks For This Useful Post:

    Moby and Barley's Mom (04-10-2015), Tanya (04-08-2015)

  6. #4
    Best Friend Retriever xracer4844's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    483
    Thanked: 291
    Okay so we bought a new house and have been renovating for the last month. The whole house was gutted all new kitchen, bathrooms floors, windows etc. The back yard I have no addressed. It was clear that these people had a dog. This dog was obviously left outside for long periods of time. The entire perimeter of the fenced yard is almost a foot lower than the neighbors. A clear sign that the dog paced the perimeter back and forth back and forth and has worn the ground down that much. There are holes from digging, the grass is ruined etc. They even had nailed boards along the bottom of the fence where the dog had been digging to get out. The neighbors were less than enthusiastic when they saw we also have a dog. After assuring them that he is a well behaved working dog they seemed to calm down.

    It's not very difficult for neighbors to complain about a dog making noise. I can't recommend leaving your dogs outside during the day.

  7. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to xracer4844 For This Useful Post:

    Moby and Barley's Mom (04-10-2015), Tanya (04-08-2015)

  8. #5
    Senior Dog Doreen Davis's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    New York
    Posts
    753
    Thanked: 607
    There is just too much for our guys to get into, even in the country where we are. They're out on their own but I can see them to correct behavior. If I'm not home, they're inside and crated. Stella I could leave out in the house but Anthony would eat everything in sight.

  9. The Following User Says Thank You to Doreen Davis For This Useful Post:

    Moby and Barley's Mom (04-10-2015)

  10. #6
    Senior Dog Tanya's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Eastern Ontario Canada
    Posts
    3,336
    Thanked: 2070
    note: there are safe ways to keep dogs outside. I think we have a member here (or another board) that has an amazing kennel set up that is super secure. She is also rural I think so barking isn't too much of a concern (or rather, not a concern at all). Just that from what I have seen, small yard in a city (or subburn) generally don't lead to good set-ups like that one.

  11. The Following User Says Thank You to Tanya For This Useful Post:

    Moby and Barley's Mom (04-10-2015)

  12. #7
    Real Retriever Zookeepermom247's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Florida
    Posts
    266
    Thanked: 127
    I agree to not letting them outside... there are also people who steal dogs for terrible things. keep in side and if necessary, in a crate. Better safe inside and crated than outside.

    Good luck,
    sophie's mom

  13. The Following User Says Thank You to Zookeepermom247 For This Useful Post:

    Moby and Barley's Mom (04-10-2015)

  14. #8
    Best Friend Retriever xracer4844's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    483
    Thanked: 291
    Quote Originally Posted by Tanya View Post
    note: there are safe ways to keep dogs outside. I think we have a member here (or another board) that has an amazing kennel set up that is super secure. She is also rural I think so barking isn't too much of a concern (or rather, not a concern at all). Just that from what I have seen, small yard in a city (or subburn) generally don't lead to good set-ups like that one.
    Agree with this - however check your local bylaws. Where I live, a dog can't be outside for more than 12 hours. They need to be fenced in, with an insulated crate big enough for the dog to stand up tall, turn around inside etc. The rules are much different in very rural areas.

  15. The Following User Says Thank You to xracer4844 For This Useful Post:

    Tanya (04-09-2015)

  16. #9
    Senior Dog beth101509's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Location
    Southeast USA
    Posts
    701
    Thanked: 280
    I personally would not leave Oliver outside all day while I was at work even though our yard is fenced in for 2 reasons:

    1. He hates to be left outside alone and I would have a HUGE whole in my door from him trying to get back inside.
    2. We have a HUGE epidemic in our area of people stealing dogs from backyards and using them as bait dogs.

    I think if you have a great dog-run our outdoor kennel, then it wouldn't be too bad. But just loose in the yard is kind of scary. Dogs do some crazy things to entertain themselves. Who knows what fun new things they would find to play with in your yard if left unattended. Lol.
    “Don't allow your happiness to be interrupted by overly judgmental people. The problem is not you, because even if you do good all the time, they would still find a way to judge you wrongly.”
    Hidden Content

    Hidden Content



    Hidden Content

  17. #10
    Senior Dog MightyThor's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Bend, Oregon
    Posts
    2,024
    Thanked: 3035
    Can you put in a doggy door? We have a fully fenced in back yard with a tall fence and a brick perimeter. None of the fence faces the front of our house since there is a gate on each side in both the front and back. Each side of the fence is against another neighbor's fully enclosed back yard (all neighbors we are friendly with). Typical California 60s built neighborhood setup. And it also it a relatively secure space since he can't be seen from the front or have access to people walking by. Not sure of your yard setup but since you're in CA you might have a similar fence option.

    When we leave he is restricted to two rooms of the house (living room and kitchen/dining area). The doggy door goes from the kitchen to the back yard. When we're gone all day he'll mostly just nap on the couch, but if he needs to go out he'll wander out the door, do his business, and come back in. On a nice day sometimes he'll go out on the back porch and take a nap in the sun. I like that he has the option to be in or out. Of course we trained the doggy door from the day we brought him home at 8 weeks, we re-landscaped some plants that are not toxic to dogs, and we trained out the desire to eat wood chips, but it works really well for us now.
    Mighty Thor, "So Much Dog", born 1/6/2014
    And baby Barley, born 3/9/2018

    Hidden Content

  18. The Following User Says Thank You to MightyThor For This Useful Post:

    kimbersmom (04-11-2015)

 



Not a Member of the Labrador Retriever Chat Forums Yet?
Register for Free and Share Your Labrador Retriever Photos

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •