# Ideas for new puppy and no fenced yard?



## For Want of Poodle (Feb 25, 2019)

Harness, or at least, a martingale collar. That way you don't have to worry so much when she hits the end of the long line. I had no yard when I got Annie - that's why I bought a retractable leash (very controversial, but also very useful for midwinter puppy pottying). I had a martingale for Annie, but she didn't learn how to pull until she was 7 months or so. Good luck ALWAYS being more interesting. It's an admirable goal, but a bit ambitious.

Also this thread:









A big list of ways to tire your dog without a yard


My life is so much better if Annie gets three 20+ min walks a day - but it usually doesn't happen. So I thought I'd start a big list of the ways I've found to tire out a dog, and hope someone will add to it. I'm especially interested in ways to make normal everyday activities more tiring for...




www.poodleforum.com


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Can she just drag the leash? Or is there a road nearby?

Generally when Peggy’s “off-leash” she’s actually dragging a long (15-20 foot) biothane line that glides smoothly along the grass and is easy to clean.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

And yes to this:


BennieJets said:


> Methinks I need to make myself REALLY interesting and try to keep calling her back before she goes too far?


But you still want to know there’s something in place to prevent her from running anywhere dangerous...or even knowing that running off is an option.

I don’t think Peggy even considered running off until she was approaching the end of adolescence. And even then she didn’t go far.


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## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

I've always started my spoo puppies in harnesses to protect them from hitting the end of the leash hard. A Kurgo size small fits an 8 week old puppy. They outgrow it within a few weeks, at which point I put them into a Kurgo medium. Mine have all outgrown the medium too and ended up in a size large. By the time they outgrow the medium I'm usually walking them in a martingale, however. 

Our fencing is a DIY job: a few rolls of 60 inch welded wire strung between pounded T-posts. It wouldn't hold a determined escape artist, but my guys rarely have a reason to challenge the fence. They don't really want to leave their people.


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## Basil_the_Spoo (Sep 1, 2020)

Is there a fenced in school yard you could visit on the weekend?

It's not the end of the world if your yard isn't set up yet. It also doesn't mean your a bad furparent either. For example, handful of us live in apartments. It doesn't take much to tire a puppy out.

Gentle Tug... Learning tricks.. learning it's name... A walk around the block and ready for a nap.


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## Apricot mini momma (Dec 22, 2020)

BennieJets said:


> We are planning on eventually fencing the backyard-- we had the property lines staked out and were all set to go, and then the price of lumber shot up as COVID threw the world into a tizzy. So now we wait until it's an affordable project again.
> 
> I have a long lead I bought to let the brand new pup get some exercise in the yard. (I use a shorter leash for potty breaks, and that's been great).
> 
> ...


We have a big fenced yard but didn’t want to give baby puppy access to all of that right way. We did a roll of wire from the hardware store stapled to stakes, from the house on either side around the back porch. He never tried to jump over it, even though he could. It was his space. And didn’t cost much. We left it until he was about 8 months old when we were tired of mowing around it. You can see it in this pic. I’m so glad we did it.


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## Mufar42 (Jan 1, 2017)

I had 3 sides of my yard already fenced but the back was open to a green area. I purchased no dig fence and used that. It however has also skyrocketed in cost. It went from 19.99 to 21.99 and now is 38.99. I would just get some T-stakes 8 ft. and buy a roll of wire. It will keep him in and safe as long as he is supervised. I don't see the prices coming down anytime soon, everything is costing more. I was speaking to some business ones the other day and they are being forced to pay higher salaries and unfortunately they need to compensate.


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## BennieJets (Oct 10, 2021)

For Want of Poodle said:


> Harness, or at least, a martingale collar. That way you don't have to worry so much when she hits the end of the long line. I had no yard when I got Annie - that's why I bought a retractable leash (very controversial, but also very useful for midwinter puppy pottying). I had a martingale for Annie, but she didn't learn how to pull until she was 7 months or so. Good luck ALWAYS being more interesting. It's an admirable goal, but a bit ambitious.
> 
> Also this thread:
> 
> ...


I'm already far less interesting than passersby with dogs 😂. Upside: she's being exposed to many dogs and people from the lawn. Downside: She's so new that I've not implemented any LAT training to offset potential fear/overexcitement. Honestly sometimes I'm overwhelmed by how much I need to learn. That said, so far she's just really curious and it's more about trying to keep her within the confines of our in-town-on-a-corner-lot property whilst we wait out vaccines. 

This post you've shared is oh-so-helpful!!! I'm bookmarking it!


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## BennieJets (Oct 10, 2021)

PeggyTheParti said:


> Can she just drag the leash? Or is there a road nearby?
> 
> Generally when Peggy’s “off-leash” she’s actually dragging a long (15-20 foot) biothane line that glides smoothly along the grass and is easy to clean.


We're on a corner lot, so there are two roads. One fairly busy, with a sidewalk that hosts the occasional dog out for a stroll and various people. Great for socialization but meanwhile I am crossing all fingers and toes that I'm doing THAT properly and not presenting too many opportunities for things to go wrong, if that makes sense? 

I don't think she's tempted to run off, per say, but she is very curious and wants to explore. Understandably. I'm going to look into biothane, but I'm so nervous to just let it drag in case she does bolt! Every time she's run up against the end of the line thus far, I'm paranoid that I'm engraining behaviour that isn't healthy (pulling against her collar and leash), or hurting her (with the choking), etc. 

I hadn't realized how much a new little creature could trigger old anxiety in me!! I felt this way after the birth of each of my kids... just the sheer fear of not getting it right, not doing right by them, the "oh my god, am I in over my head?! What have I done?!" And she is such a good girl, really! An innocent puppy who is just going to do what puppies do. So this is clearly all of my old stuff bubbling up. (I am an Intern and therapist in training, and so I can't help but be very aware of my emotional/psychological states right now 🙂). 

Really grateful for this forum. I went to bed mentally chewing on the no fence, puppy-needs-to-run conundrum, slept awfully despite the new puppy sleeping all the way until 5 am 😆, and woke totally grateful that Poodle Forum exists. This too shall pass. 

Thanks for listening to my ramblings! This is a sign I should go meditate 🤦‍♀️


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## BennieJets (Oct 10, 2021)

cowpony said:


> I've always started my spoo puppies in harnesses to protect them from hitting the end of the leash hard. A Kurgo size small fits an 8 week old puppy. They outgrow it within a few weeks, at which point I put them into a Kurgo medium. Mine have all outgrown the medium too and ended up in a size large. By the time they outgrow the medium I'm usually walking them in a martingale, however.
> 
> Our fencing is a DIY job: a few rolls of 60 inch welded wire strung between pounded T-posts. It wouldn't hold a determined escape artist, but my guys rarely have a reason to challenge the fence. They don't really want to leave their people.


I keep seeing these DIY fence jobs here. I think I'll have to figure something like that out! Our backyard is multi-level so I'm not sure how it'd work there.... but perhaps in the side or front yard 🤔


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## BennieJets (Oct 10, 2021)

Basil_the_Spoo said:


> Is there a fenced in school yard you could visit on the weekend?
> 
> It's not the end of the world if your yard isn't set up yet. It also doesn't mean your a bad furparent either. For example, handful of us live in apartments. It doesn't take much to tire a puppy out.
> 
> Gentle Tug... Learning tricks.. learning it's name... A walk around the block and ready for a nap.


I am likely over-thinking it a bit... been feeling a bit anxious about doing it all "right" so that I don't break the puppy! But you're right, not everyone has a house and a lawn and they still manage perfectly well having dogs! Thanks for that!


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## BennieJets (Oct 10, 2021)

Apricot mini momma said:


> We have a big fenced yard but didn’t want to give baby puppy access to all of that right way. We did a roll of wire from the hardware store stapled to stakes, from the house on either side around the back porch. He never tried to jump over it, even though he could. It was his space. And didn’t cost much. We left it until he was about 8 months old when we were tired of mowing around it. You can see it in this pic. I’m so glad we did it.
> 
> View attachment 482851


This is fantastic! Thank you for sharing this (and what a face 😍😍😍)! 
Our backyard is multileveled.... but I am so keen to see where or how we could set up some sort of a DIY like this, just for the time being. I hope it can be done!


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## BennieJets (Oct 10, 2021)

Mufar42 said:


> I had 3 sides of my yard already fenced but the back was open to a green area. I purchased no dig fence and used that. It however has also skyrocketed in cost. It went from 19.99 to 21.99 and now is 38.99. I would just get some T-stakes 8 ft. and buy a roll of wire. It will keep him in and safe as long as he is supervised. I don't see the prices coming down anytime soon, everything is costing more. I was speaking to some business ones the other day and they are being forced to pay higher salaries and unfortunately they need to compensate.


Necessity breeds innovation, right? I'm so glad I posted and am getting all of this support. It's pretty incredible how impossible a relatively small situation feels when you're marinating in a combination of nerves and never-been-here-before!


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## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

I don't think this thread was linked yet. 
(9) A big list of ways to tire your dog without a yard | Poodle Forum


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

If you think you need to continue using the long line make sure you clip it to a back clip harness that fits low across the chest and not high on your pup's neck. Lily once ran out to the end of a flexi so hard while chasing a ball at a show site that she flipped herself over onto her back. The flexi was attached to her flat collar. She was fine but it scared me to my wits end. The first thing I did after I checked her over was to go inside and find a vendor from whom I bought a harness.


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## BennieJets (Oct 10, 2021)

lily cd re said:


> If you think you need to continue using the long line make sure you clip it to a back clip harness that fits low across the chest and not high on your pup's neck. Lily once ran out to the end of a flexi so hard while chasing a ball at a show site that she flipped herself over onto her back. The flexi was attached to her flat collar. She was fine but it scared me to my wits end. The first thing I did after I checked her over was to go inside and find a vendor from whom I bought a harness.


I went out and bought a harness at the store the other day. An employee helped find one that looked like it fit okay-- while she was in my arms, mind you. We got home and I promptly realized it's too big and too heavy! She darn near backed right out of it. I'm on the lookout for something smaller now because I definitely hear you about running and flipping, she gets going SO fast!!!

We are going to put up a temporary fence and I can't wait for that!


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