wrote in message
...
I have three black labs. We have a kennel for our dogs, but it is
uncovered and the two younger labs always climb over the top. We live
near a busy highway and are afraid to leave our dogs outside in their
kennel at any time. We have covered the kennel with a tarp, but they
still are able to break the ties and get out.

We would like to be able to provide a covered kennel for our dogs that
would be spacious enough for them to move around in and play, but are
not sure we have the funds to provide such a kennel (I've been
researching, and have found them to be quite expensive. In fact the
only thing I've found is a monkey kennel that is 3 x 8 x 8, and it is
over a thousand dollars to purchase.) So, I'm wondering if there are
any other options for us aside from the electric collars. Can you
help?
Donna

There are farm supply stores like Tractor Supply Company that have welded
wire panels about 5 foot high and 16 foot long for about $50 each. You can
cut them smaller, and the panels can be tied together with inexpensive
plastic cable ties. You can also get goat fence that is 4 feet high, and a
330 foot roll is about $250. I used that to make an outdoor fenced area for
my dog Muttley. But I would not trust it to hold him unsupervised.

If a dog is determined to get out, you must make sure that the fence is
high enough to preclude any chance of him jumping or climbing over, and
also you must secure the bottom to the ground. Dogs will also dig under a
fence, so you may need to put down a layer of heavy gravel, concrete,
bricks, or more wire fencing as a floor. You can also cover the top with
more fencing material, but it will take a lot of ties to make it secure and
safe. If a dog can force an opening big enough for his head, or even a paw,
it might get caught and cause injury.

6 foot or 8 foot wood fencing panels are also effective and attractive, but
can be costly if you want a large area.

For short periods of time, a well constructed aerial cable run and tether,
used with a proper harness, can provide a secure means of allowing them
room to run, but with multiple dogs there can be problems with entangled
tethers.

The solution may be to build an inexpensive fenced area for supervised
containment, and keeping the dogs in the house or crated when they cannot
be watched. Large crates are only about $80-$100.

I kept Muttley mostly tethered outside when I first got him, as I could not
trust him in the house, but now I can leave him with free run inside and
feel confident that I can go away for 10-14 hours without any problems.
When I had a second dog, I usually kept her crated, as the two would engage
in rough play or possibly fight, but I could still trust them for a few
hours together.

From my experience, a dog that feels comfortable in his own home, or "den",
will behave well and not get into mischief while the "pack leader" is away.
But it does take a leap of faith, and you may need to try leaving them
alone for gradually longer times so they get used to your leaving and
coming back. I have heard many horror stories of separation anxiety.

Paul and Muttley