I have a cunning plan...

[JudyN]

By the way, I love your garden, too.

Thank you! You should see the rest of it though....

It's still very early days... the first night he was calm when he went out anyway, and last night I couldn't get the blinking door unlocked so had to let him out the usual way (turned out it was already unlocked and just needed a good kick ). So it remains to be seen what happens when he's decided that there are monsters down the end of the garden and he can't get to them....

I agree, it would be better if it was solid and I might consider ways of covering them. But... and I'm going to show off another of the better bits of the garden just cos you've given me an excuse - the monsters are beyond the end fence which is beyond a dividing line of shrubs and pergola, so when he's up the top end of the garden they're a long way away:



(The compost bin is at the far end of the garden. The pic was supposed to be of the bird bath, but the pic amused me as the compost bin is also 'artistically' framed )

I think he often takes a lot of time out there because he feels the need to sniff every inch of the garden, just because it's interesting, even if he's not worried about the monsters, so hopefully he'll get his sniffing done more quickly and not be unduly concerned with what's going on at the far end of the garden.

He really is very respectful of boundaries. He was once stuck in the kitchen when I left a mop bucket in the doorway

I'll keep you updated with how it goes

[DianeLDL]

JudyN,

I LOVE your garden. And all those interesting places to sniff and find different creatures Even Sandy would find it interesting.

If I could get lost in it, I'm sure Jasper would, too. I notice that Sandy loves to sniff bushes & flowers in gardens when we go for walks or in my parents' yard (in Northern California). He even tried checking out a rose bush one day until he found a thorn.

At night, though, I could see how that compost bin could look like a monster or a person standing in the garden. It could appear frightening in the shadows.

So, a mop bucket kept Jasper in the kitchen all day?! Wow. Will wait to see how Jasper does with the fence.

Diane

[K9Steve]

I love the look of your garden! My property is a little bit more open, more like a woody park around my house, but the rest of my property are fields. The part in which I do my "thing" - the "woody park" part of the property- I've also have high fencing all around, so my dogs have a lot of ground they could run around on. However, my smallest dog manages to think he can outsmart us humans by trying to squeeze through that wire mesh in the fence, so I had to put those flexible plastic stripes in the fencing by weaving them into the mesh to keep the dogs from looking out, or in this case, my little dog from trying to get out by squeezing through the mesh.

First, I thought I put up enough to stop that but then I got a surprise: my little dog jumps on the backs of my larger dogs and can see out, and if he can see something outside the fencing, he tries to jump onto the fence. I put a stop to that by getting more of those flexible plastic strips and installing them not just all around the fence, but I even went higher. Let's just say he doesn't he doesn't do that anymore.

What I'm saying is this: Never under estimate the intelligence of dogs!

[JudyN]

Some of our fencing is only about 3' tall and he still won't jump over (It does have bushes in front, and only goes into next-door neighbours' garden which is secure - if it went onto a road I don't think I'd trust it.)

Not sure why, but he was up twice last night, at 12ish and 5ish. Each time he stared through the fence for some time, then gave a few single barks which is his way of asking for doors to be opened, and eventually he came back in. It'll take him a few nights to catch on....

[JudyN]

Last night was NOT good He spent a few minutes staring down the garden and barking a bit, had a wee and came back in. But then he whined for most of the next TWO HOURS to be let out again. A couple of times when he barked (his request for a door to be opened) I let him out in case the stress had gone to his bowels, but he just barked at the monsters when let out, then came back in and ran round to the conservatory in the hope of being let out there.

I'm not sure how much blocking his view would help as he'll still be able to hear and smell whatever is at the end of the garden (possibly fox or badger). And not sure that realising that he won't get to go down there will stop him bothering to go out or whether he'll just keep asking to go out and get more and more stressed

[DianeLDL]

Judy,

Would it help him if you went outside with him? Show him that it is safe.

Can he see your bin from the area he is in? It looked to me in the photo that it might resemble a person standing in the shadows.

Yes, blocking the view may help, but I also understand that he can hear things that we often can't. Even a bird rustling leaves can catch Sandy's attention.

I was wondering if totally blocking the view may give him a sense of security that nothing will be darting into his territory from the other side of the fence.

It might be worth a try.

Diane

[JudyN]

Diane, going out with him might be worth a try, though I always go out with him at bedtime and if there is something moving around he doesn't pay attention to me. I'm pretty sure the bin's not a problem - it's been there since he was a pup. I don't think he'll be able to see it from the fenced-off area.

I may have to try blocking the view but it won't be that simple - or cheap (we're not great at DIY ). My main concern is that if we fixed anything solid to it it would need to be firmly anchored at both ends to stop it blowing over. I could try using a blanket or something if we have a dry still night...

The real problem last night was the whining to be let out again, and that's not based on what he can see though. Either he hears whatever it is from within the house, or he's imagining them.

I'm wondering if there's any destressing herbs I could give him at bedtime. Or maybe I could stick cotton wool in his ears. Or in my ears

[DianeLDL]

Judy,

I've always wished I could stuff something into Sandy's ears. Dogs can hear things we don't. It sounds like you have done pretty much what can be. We aren't DIY either. Hence, no chicken wire on our gate.

We never know what will get Sandy barking either. He is ir early warning system for solicitations and FedEx. He will even start barking when he hears the dogs done the street from inside the house.

Maybe someone with more experience can help here.

Diane

[JudyN]

Progress... maybe (though there's been numerous false dawns in the past). Last night Jasper asked to go out and went to the main door into the garden. I opened the door into his 'en suite' facilities and told him he'd have to go out that way instead, but after a long look down the garden through the main door, he went off to sleep in the front room. He came back up to our room at one point, but slept till the alarm went off.

It's pouring down this morning and he still hasn't been out for a wee

[JudyN]

Time for an update

We've had several nights when Jasper has asked to go out, I've opened the kitchen door, and when he's realised I'm not going to let him out into the main garden area, he's gone off back to bed without going outside at all. He even did this one night when I could tell from his body language that there were monsters at the bottom of the garden. A couple of nights he has gone out and had a poo though, so I can't assume that he doesn't need to go out when he whines.

He's also slept through a couple of times. Last night he whined at some point but when I got up and left the bedroom he didn't bother following me. So I got back into bed and he settled down again till morning.

So although he's still waking me at some point most nights, he's far better, and I think the 'monsters' are less important to him as he is realising he can't do anything about them anyway - and previously, by letting him out when he was focused on the monsters, I was reinforcing that this was something that needed doing, whereas now I'm sending the message that he doesn't need to deal with the monsters, if that makes sense. I'm generally back in bed in under 5 minutes, and I'm hoping that he'll eventually stop bothering to wake me at all.

The pen, not being designed to be left outside in all weathers, is already developing a lot of rust, but I now know that it's worth finding/making something more durable because it's definitely working.

[minkee]

That's brilliant news Well done

[DianeLDL]

Judy,

Fantastic news!

It sounds like Jasper is getting the hang of it. Persistence is paying off. I'm so happy for you and Jasper.
Bye bye monsters.

Yes, it sounds like time to set up something permanent that will withstand the weather. It might take Jasper a while to get used to a different construction, but I think he will adapt well.

Thanks for the update and post photos of the new fence when you get it done.

Diane

[Fundog]

That's good news, Judy. Glad to hear your cunning plan is paying off.

My Dottie Monster is very similar in that she, too seems to feel the need to get up and go outside every few hours during the night. (Me getting up to tinkle seems to be the primary trigger, so I try my darndest to hold it till morning. )

And even after all these years, Dottie Monster is still fearful of every. Little. Thing. That is out of place: a child's t-shirt left on the ground. The neighbor's new patio set. A car that wasn't parked there yesterday. Etc...

And... to make things worse, Dottie Monster recently learned from our former neighbor's dog how to climb a fence! (joy) So we have to tether her whenever she is in the back yard. Because she thinks she wants to go on a grand adventure and climbs the fence, then once she has her freedom, she is terrified and runs like something bad is after her. :roll

Now Annie, on the other hand, just simply gets too warm in the house at night (I can relate, as I'm entering menopause). So she sometimes wants to just go outside and lay on the porch for a bit to cool off. Then she asks to be let back in. Which means I have to wait up for her.

So Judy, I feel your pain, and I'm glad yours is abating.

[JudyN]

Ah, Fundog, I feel your pain too, both on the dog front and the 'mature lady moments' - I've been wearing the skimpiest of nighties since midwinter and I still toss & turn for the first half of the night, bathed in sweat

At 5am last night Jasper asked to go out into the main garden again, but when I opened the door into his 'bathroom area' (oh dear, I'm picking up Americanisms - there's no bath out there ) he wandered back to bed again. I think because I know he can toilet if he needs to, I'm probably calmer about telling him what he can't do, so he accepts it more calmly. In time he should stop bothering to ask...

[DianeLDL]

Judy and Fundog,

I'm past menopause, but I understand. It will get better.

Judy, it sounds like Jasper is still interested in the main garden, so I'm not surprised he is trying to push the limits.

I guess, I'm lucky in a sense that my husband goes to bed early so he is awake at two in the morning ready to start his day. So he has the job of taking Sandy out in the night.

Whereas, I stay up late and take Sandy out during the evening and for the last time between 8pm and 9:30 pm.

Also, we try to keep a certain schedule and have been figuring out how often he needs to go.

FunDog, I noticed you are in the high desert area. That would correlate to when we are at our house in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA which is at 5000ft and yet high desert. We drive to my parents though Flagstaff, Kingman, and Barstow along I-40. My parents are in the San Francisco Bay Area near Stanford University. My husband and I both lived in Tucson, Arizona.
So we know how the weather can get in those areas. Night sweats in the desert can be miserable even with the air conditioning going full blast.

Now, we are at our house near Bangor, Maine USA which is totally opposite. Here, we don't have an enclosed yard. Actually, the first thing my parents noticed when they visited was the lack of fencing. I hate to say it, but people in Maine are the worst offenders of tying up their dogs all day in the yard or worse using the electric fences.

Judy, it is great that Jasper is adjusting to the "bathroom area". Don't worry about American euphemisms. It is taking me a while to pick up on the British and European explanations, too. One thing that has helped me is that when I lived in Israel years ago, I used to listen to BBC radio and watch British TV shows, so it is coming back to me.

Basically, it is similar to our dogs needing to learn human language.

So, Judy, what are you planning to use for your permanent fencing? Will Jasper still be able to see through it? Be prepared, though, for him to regress to when you first put up the current fence as it will be new to him and will take getting used to.
It might even confuse him as to what is now happening to his garden.

Can't wait to see it.
Diane