I have 2 Labs both 8mths old and from the same litter, they are superb pets and i am chuffed to bits with them apart from one area, i know animals do not like to be confined but sometimes they need to be kept out of the house, they sleep in our garage and have access into the garden through a big dogflap, but they keep escaping into my neighbours garden, and no matter what baricade we have put in there way, they find another route, i have watched them and they have moved house bricks one by one to acheive there goal... i am at the end of tether and am now getting scared to go out because i never know who's garden they will be in when i get back... i knew Labs were intelligent but i swear to god, one pup does the deed while the other pup keeps a watch out for me, when they see me they will stop but it means watching them constantly....please please help.
And i did know it would be more difficult with 2.

Our garden has slates all around the perimeter fence that go quite deep into the ground. So far Taiko hasn't dug deep enough to find the base of them and believe me, he can dig!

Where there run is, it is concret so they can't dig thank god, they have climbed the fence, used the bbq as a jumping board, squeezed through the smallest gap possible and as i said moved house bricks that were blocking gaps up.. they know they have done wrong by there behaviour when i finally get them back in, but they continue to do it day in, the neighbours have been good about it so far but it's only a matter of time before they damage something and i'll have a big bill to pay out, which i want to avoid....

I know that it is not much help, but it is not a good idea to leave puppies that young unsupervised in a garden. Do they need to go into the garden when you aren't there ? It is probably worth the odd poo/wee in the garage rather than have them escape - they may be able to get out of your neighbour's garden into the road.

Daisy

i appreciate what you are saying, they are not kept out of the house that often, and thankfully the neighbours garden is more secure than ours, saying that when i see they have got next door they are having the life of reily but they are very very keen to come home, if they were left in they would destroy the house, as they have the garage and i have an older dog (13yrs) who needs to have a break from them too, and trust me 2 Lab pups produce more than a little poo/wee, we are talking bucket loads

<<< but it's only a matter of time before they damage something>>>

Or themselves!

Apart from fully securing your garden (new fencing ??) in some way, you are not going to solve a problem when you are not there.
Can you not crate the dogs safely in the garage when you have to go out? It's just not a good idea to leave two 'Houdini's' to their own devices, JMO!

I have 5 springers, 2 of which are 9 months and litter brothers, we have had problems with them escaping into the neighbours by pulling at the wire fence so we have boarded all around our garden and its stopped them so far, our youngest is 4 months and I am sure he is a cross between a springer/kangaroo, he can really jump high and I mean high, already he can easily clear the stair gate so I think its going to mean we have to put up a 6ft fence next if he keeps jumping.

Thanks for the responses, what i have been trying to get across is that we have got what i considered a secure garden, i have a 2yr old son who i don't want escaping either, completely fenced in with no gate access at all, i know Labs are intelligent dogs but i severely under estimated how determined they are, no matter what we have done they have worked a way around it, i completely understand the Kangaroo comment, these dogs can jump, i am literally on 24hr guard, as i said earlier, they are not out that often, it's when they are, they are hell bent on getting into next door. Once again thanks for listening

As you mentioned that next door is more secure than yours, and they haven't escaped from there, I would take a leaf out of their book and get your garden as secure.

Any idea what the particular attraction of next door is, as they cannot get out of there?

My first dog was a houdini, and it killeed her in the end. She learnt to scale 7foot, as we just got higher and higher. I would always make sure that any dog I have now has no opprotunity to learn to escape, and then they don't want to.

My Elkhouds even though a hunting breed are contained no trouble by 6 foot fencing, and don't jumbp the 4 foot fence partitioning my garden into dog and no dog areas!

It may be cheaper to purchase some Weldmesh Panels and build a run adjasent to the garage. Put Chainlink over the top to stop jumping out!

When I put up my fencing- I bought two gravel boards and one was put into/underground so you can't see that way if the dog tried to dig out it's impossible- yes she could probably jump it if she put her mind to it but if she tried I'd just build the fence even higher- since I bought big enough posts so I could add in the future should I need to.

Thought I better make myself a bit clearer- she could dig her way out if she dug a good 2 or 3 ft under the gravelboard but she's never left alone for long enough to manage it:) And my fence at the minute is 6ft- with room to go another 1 or 2 foot higher:)

Stacey x x x

<<<My first dog was a houdini, and it killeed her in the end.>>>

It killed my BC, too. I'd hate for anybody else to go through that! :(

i have taken all your points and as ealier posts have said i desperately do not want my dogs hurt or worse, i am learning i surpose the hard way, my other dog is a Border Collie X and i never had this with him, they frollic in the next doors garden and have shown no interest in going further a field, further contingency plans will be taking place as in putting higher fencing, the garden will be better than fort knox.

Instead of raising the height of yur fence, it might be worthwhile considering putting an 'overhang' onto the fence. It would only have to hang over your garden by about 12 inches. And how about using paving slabs (cheap damaged)half buried in the ground against the fence where the holes are? Bet they can't lift one of those up easily:)
Jean

i have considered the overhang, and will certainly do the paving slabs idea, Thanks for that input. Julie