YNP #019: The Downside of a Fenced-in Backyard
Your New Puppy: Dog Training and Dog Behavior Lessons to Help You Turn Your New Puppy into a Well-Behaved Dog
Debbie Cilento: Dog Trainer | Dog Behavior Consultant | Owner of Playtime Paws | Belly Rub Specialist
4.8 • 917 Ratings
🗓️ 15 December 2017
⏱️ 13 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
A fenced-in backyard is considered a very valuable resource for a dog owner. It makes owning, potty training and exercising your dog SO much easier. Or does it?
With anything that makes our lives easier there is always a downside.
I know this, because I share this struggle with you.
In this episode I talk about a very recent experience I had with my own dog. Lucy’s behavior started to worsen out of nowhere and I started to get worried and frustrated all at the same time.
Until i realized what was happening. Lucy was BORED OUT OF HER MIND. My fenced in backyard allowed me to get lazy and now Lucy and her behavior were showing it.
With an acre of room and her sister to play with she had plenty of exercise but was lacking any other stimulation.
This is why, fenced in yard or not, it is still important to get into the habit of walking your dog right away.
In this episode I share my own struggle and tips on how we can work on it together.
Photo by Aaron Bookout on Unsplash
I did take my own advice!
Immediately after recording this episode I regretted it ( 😉 not really) because, I had to take my own advice, right? So even though it looked like this outside:
My actual front yard.
I tapped into my inner Jersey girl, toughened up, put on my snow boots, grabbed the girls’ leashes, and went out the door.
I’m SO glad I did. Once I was out there and moving, it wasn’t as cold as I thought AND apparently snow changes the smell of everything because the girls acted like they haven’t seen that tree outside a hundred times before.
Leash walking resources
https://positively.com/dog-behavior/basic-cues/loose-leash-walking/
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | You are listening to your new puppies podcast. Starting you and your dog off on the right paw. Here's your |
| 0:16.8 | host Debbie Salinto. Hello and welcome to episode 19 of your new puppy's podcast. |
| 0:35.5 | I'm Debbie and today we're going to talk about some disadvantages to having a fenced in |
| 0:41.0 | backyard. So fenced-in backyards is considered the ultimate resource for |
| 0:47.4 | dog owners. It makes potty training easier, those cold mornings and evenings, the late night potty breaks, and |
| 0:57.0 | it also gives our dogs the freedom to run around without being on a leash and getting |
| 1:02.4 | some extra exercise during the day. |
| 1:05.0 | And if you have a fenced in backyard, you're probably nodding your head saying, yep, I love it. |
| 1:09.6 | And if you don't have a fenced in backyard, you might be groaning with a little bit of jealousy. |
| 1:15.4 | But just like with anything that makes our lives more convenient, |
| 1:19.9 | there are some disadvantages and problems that can come with it. |
| 1:23.7 | So just yesterday, my dog Lucy started acting a little punchy. |
| 1:29.6 | She started barking in her sister's face. |
| 1:32.2 | She started bullying one of my guest dogs, which is also one of her best friends. |
| 1:37.6 | She started harassing my dad's cat. She started barking at my dad incessantly. |
| 1:42.8 | And these aren't exactly new behaviors for her, |
| 1:46.5 | but they were definitely worse than I've seen them, |
| 1:49.9 | and they were all happening at the same time and I got super super frustrated because I'm |
| 1:55.8 | so busy. It's the holiday season, it's end of year and now all of a sudden I'm dealing |
| 2:02.4 | with this misbehaving dog and I have no idea where it's coming from. |
| 2:07.0 | And then it dawned on me. |
| 2:08.0 | Yeah, I've been really busy. |
... |
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