I think it might be time 🍒

[Idideridest]

2y 5month Weimaraner. He’s at full height now but still a bit slim at 30kg, his uncle, our previous dog was lean at 35 but much bigger chest.

Anyway, he’s a house angel, garden devil. We have a bit of land and he will not tolerate pigeons, pheasants, or deer anywhere, with a moderately high body count. We have put a stop to this now with various training but we cannot seem to stop him jumping our front fence which leads almost straight to a (thankfully quiet) lane and infinite freedom.

I turned my back today whilst out with him and he was over it within 30 sec, I legged it straight out and he was just bimbling up the road with no real purpose (not on a scent or anything).

We’ve discussed neutering him, vet said they tend to wait and see more these days rather than recommending it at a particular age.

Is it time for the chop or can I train him out of this? It’s not feasible to build a dog proof fence as he’s tall and can easily jump/scramble 5 ft or so.

Neutering won’t stop him jumping out of the garden .

The jury seems to be out on whether it has an effect on wandering. We have a spayed bitch who shows zero interest in escaping although she did have a phase a few years ago. I started taking her to work with me and it seemed to fizzle out.

Any other ideas?

What about the cat fencing , the type with the inward slant

That looks like it might work. Would need to replace the current fence but that probably needs doing anyway. Thank you. Will put it on the list.

You can try it. I found for some people neutering was a godsend. My dog didnt change save 5-10% betterment of recall. If he isnt a stressy anxious dog, go for it

Bimbling is such an underrated word

He’s very chill, no stress except when there’s Something in his field. Picture for tax

I would be genuinely amazed in neutering stopped this behaviour - especially now he's learned how much fun it is.

Long line while out, until the freedom is a distant memory - would be how I tackled this.

These are my thoughts. I wonder if we get him snipped anyway and go back to basics with the long line. So frustrating! But you’re right, he’s learnt it’s fun, I expect it’s because of the number of dogs who walk past, those smells are what’s making it fun.

If he's not on a scent then I don't see how neutering will stop him jumping the wall .

Can you maybe tether him for now if you're in the garden with him? It's not ideal but it's better than him escaping - he obviously has a lot of prey drive and if you have sheep anywhere in range...

Yes, I’ve dug out the bits and pieces. He was most affronted this morning to be walked around the wood rather than making his own way. No sheep thankfully, but a motorway less then a mile away so the point remains.

I tried everything for one of my dogs but the only thing that worked was a physical barrier.

We put up rolls of 6 foot willow screening for a year which seemed to be enough time. Whether it was simply a case of her maturing or the habit being broken, I don't know.

Bloody ugly though.