Climbing out

by Terri
(Tulsa, OK)

I have a 4 mo. old great pyrenees mix that climbs out of his 5' x 5' pen. When he was younger, he climbed over the child gates. He isn't alone all day. There is another puppy with him.

I put him in the pen because my fence isn't secure and I don't feel comfortable having him out all day while I work.

How can I train him to stay in? I'm beginning to pull my hair out.



Hi Terri
I have a few 'Houdini dogs' myself, so I can sympathize. Some dogs just seem intent on getting out of any enclosure, no matter how big. I guess it's just another example of 'the grass is always greener on the other side'


5 x 5 isn't very big for a large breed puppy, or two. However, I have dogs that insist on trying to climb out of pens that are 30 X 30, or even the whole acreage, so that's not necessarily the problem.

As long as he's getting plenty of freedom and love and attention when you are home, his pen should be adequate while you work.

You have a couple of options. The first is to crate train him (see my Crate Training page for info on this if it's new to you). In addition to being the quickest and simplest method of housebreaking, crating a pup (or dog) is a great way to keep your pet safe and out of harms way when you can't supervise them, or are at work.

Another option would be to get the chain link pens that are 8ft tall. But be warned, a determined puppy can use his dog house to jump to freedom (yes, I've seen it happen!), so adding a fabric shade cover over the top as an extra precaution is recommended.

Having an 'invisible fence' wire containment system set up, and putting the collar on your pup is another possibility. Either in addition to the pen (ie outside the pen as a 'second fence'), or instead of, the existing pen would work.

Hope these give you a starting point. If you're creative I'm sure you can come up with some other options. Best of luck!