# Dog Control



## jbwilcox (Jan 2, 2008)

After 18 years of marriage, my wife finally let me get a puppy. We now are the proud owners of a 5 month old Sspringer Spaniel Puppy named Jadie (it stands for John's Dog, (JD)). She is full of life and a great deal of fun to have around. However, she has taken over my railroad area and now thinks it is her play ground. She is not really distructive. She does not dig but she loves to run through the railroad and sleep on top of my tunnel. She also loves to swim in the two ponds which I have just spent considferable work trying to fix. I was loosing water but I think I have now solved that problem. About 4 years ago I bought a bunch of 25 cent feeder goldfish and threw them in the pond. About 6 have survived and are now about 4-5 inches long. Jadie has noticed them and wheneverr she sees some orange movement in the pond she jumps in. She has caught 2 so far.

Anyway, I needed a way to keep her out of the railroad and the ponds so I went to PetCo and bought one of their In Ground Fence Systems. I just finished installing it today. I tested the collar and it does put out a nice little jolt. I will begin training Jadie tomorrow. It takes about 2 weeks of training according to the instructions. We will see how it works. Jadie was quite a help burying the wire. 

I was wondering how other people solve the dog problem.

Do you use a fence?

Do you use a system like this In Ground system?

Do you use a big gun?

And finally, how well has your system worked?

I will try to update on my progress training Jadie over the next couple of weeks.

John


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## astrayelmgod (Jan 2, 2008)

We have a golden retriever who stands on top of the highest part of the layout so she can see over the wall to bark at the Fed Ex man when he makes deliveries across the alley. She also naps in shady parts of the layout. She has destroyed everything in an area of about six feet square, so I just leave it as bare dirt, and fill with temporary structures and fake plants when we have visitors. 

We also have a Scottish Terrier who ignores the layout except when we have rats or gophers or some such invading the tunnel. She tore out some of my cement work with her teeth trying to get to something or other. I fixed it by completely filling the space between the cement work and the structural support with more cement. My layout doesn't have any water features, or delicate plants. 

We used to have another dog that hated my Eggliner, and would race after it, knock it over, then go on about her business. She ignored everything else about the layout. 

If I had a real problem with any of it, I would probably use a motion activated sprinkler. Both dogs are well past the puppy stage, and aren't destructive.


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## NTCGRR (Jan 2, 2008)

Our Max which many folks know. he has a shock colar on. I simple use a weed eater and cut a line along where I want the wire to lay and about every 3 ft or so use bailing wire in the shape of a U to hold it in. over time the grass grows back, the dog knows where its at and all is well,, kinda, till he realizes the battery is dead.


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## tmejia (Jan 2, 2008)

We have White German Sheperd who is now nine. We bought the in ground fence about 7 years ago and it worked very well. She wore the collar maybe a month? We haven't put the collar on her since.
3 weeks ago we got a 9 month old black german shepard/lab. I dusted off the transmitting unit, plugged it in, put fresh batteries in the collar and replaced the wire I had removed. He figured it out within 2 days.
Railroad is safe

Tommy








Rio Gracie


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## norman (Jan 6, 2008)

Hi John: 

A friend of mine gave up on the in ground system. Once the dog learned the limits of the ground wire, the dog would run as fast as possible across the ground wire suffering the electrocution in exchange for freedom. I am not a fan of this system. Kind of cruel. 

The prison systems could install a similar painful but not fatal human collar system. How long would that last before Amnesty International got involved? Actually the origin Star Trek series had one such episode of collars used to control prisoners. 

Best to fence off your layout from the rest of your yard and let your puppy enjoy a pain free existence. 


Norman


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

I once crossed a Britney with a Springer and thought I would get a Bringer.









I could not teach that dog to fetch









JJ


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## tmejia (Jan 2, 2008)

I disagree with Norman.
My system has 5 levels of deterrant - from mild - to - get your attention. It buzzes to warn the dog prior to crossing the buried fence wire. The warning zone is also adjustable up to 20 feet prior to the fence wire. Most of all, you have to take time training your dog. And the railroad lives happily ever after without a visible fence.









Tommy








Rio Gracie


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## jbwilcox (Jan 2, 2008)

A friend of mine just told me that the collar the dog wears will short out if it gets wet.

As I mentioned, our puppy takes a swim in the pond at least 3-4 times a day. Am I going to loose my shock collar the first time she decides to jump in after a fish?

Once she is trained it will not be a problem since the ponds are inside the protected area.

John


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## tmejia (Jan 2, 2008)

John
Shorting depends on the collar you purchased. We have the Petsmart Stubborn Dog Collar which is waterproof. Nothing you can buy beats time spent with your dog (Puppy).








Tommy








Rio Gracie


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## TheFishGuy (Feb 1, 2011)

Spend the extra money and get a good expensive collar. The collars that are used with law enforcement dogs are far superior to what's available at big box pet stores. Do some research on line, a good collar is around $200.


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

Yea. but ! If you put a wire around the pond the puppy will get shocked before it can jump in the pond.

They Snake train dogs here in AZ with a shock collar and a remote unit. The put a rattle snake in a box. When the dog goes near enough to smell it they shock the dog with the remote. The dog learns when he smells a snake to run the other way. Hence the puppy should learn to stay a way from certain areas. JJ


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## Paul Burch (Jan 2, 2008)

John,
If the fence were installed ,your dog would stay away from the pond?


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## jbwilcox (Jan 2, 2008)

I will start training on Monday.

I tested the collar and it gave me a nice little tingle.


I start by introducing the puppy







to the flags around the perimeter of the railroad. Hopefully she will quickly associate them with an area where she does not want to go.

She is a smart puppy. She actually has a certificate showing that she graduated from Puppy Training Class. Her favorite trick is "Shake" but she also does other tricks also. She loves to chase and retrieve this large fishing float that I found at the beach.

John


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

When our Keeshund was a puppy he would sit on the track, back when I had a layout on the floor in the basement. One evening he sat down just as an LGB mogul was coming. It hit him in the rear. He yiipped and jumped. That was the last time he ever came near the track or trains, indoor or outside.

Chuck


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## SD90WLMT (Feb 16, 2010)

Chuck, that's funny! 

So - what to do with a "stray COW" inside of the layout ...? it happened here today.... 

Dirk


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

Dirk:

There is always hamburger.

Did it do any damage to the layout?

Chuck


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## Chris Scott (Jan 2, 2008)

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John


Guilty. The dog just looks guilty. It will always be guilty. You can tell, just look at that face. John, there's trouble ahead, big trouble. Hope you know what you're getting into.


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## SD90WLMT (Feb 16, 2010)

Chris, I agree - "Guilty", but not even charged yet...mmm 

Chuck, We could have a nice big Train party with all the "hamburger" on the cow...no damage, ate a few wild flowers hare is all! 

Dirk 
DMS Ry.


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## SD90WLMT (Feb 16, 2010)

Chuck , My Wife said the cow came back this afternoon again,,, while I was in the shower... 

we have an "Open Gate policy" here, a "broken gate"......:~{ 

Dirk


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## NTCGRR (Jan 2, 2008)

Cruel?? 
I had the collar in my shirt pocket once when tring to find the brake in the wire. Once I fixed it,, ,,WOOW, felt like a bee sting in my pocket. I moved really fast 

Cruel?? 
is finding our old dog Angel dead along the side of the road in the morning. 

I have an electric fence wire around my pond to keep ***** out, even my grand kids knows it feels like a bee string. I don't worry about them falling in and drownding.


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## jbwilcox (Jan 2, 2008)

Yes,

she looks guilty.

But as soon as she comes up and nuzzles me with that cute little face I just give in completely. She has me well trained.

I am so glad that my wife finally relented and allowed me to have a dog. Thing is, she likes the dog about as much as I do.

Only rule, the dog CANNOT COME IN THE HOUSE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.

I built a super insulated dog house and she is quite happy in it.

John


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By jbwilcox on 13 May 2012 07:32 AM 
Yes,

she looks guilty.

But as soon as she comes up and nuzzles me with that cute little face I just give in completely. She has me well trained.

I am so glad that my wife finally relented and allowed me to have a dog. Thing is, she likes the dog about as much as I do.

Only rule, the dog CANNOT COME IN THE HOUSE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.

I built a super insulated dog house and she is quite happy in it.

John


Your wife or the dog?


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

Posted By SD90WLMT on 12 May 2012 12:37 PM 
Chuck, that's funny! 

So - what to do with a "stray COW" inside of the layout ...? it happened here today.... 

Dirk 
I don't think thee is much you can do about a cow ......It was open range here when I first moved here 13 years ago. I had cattle wandering through my yard all the time. Some times a occasional cowboy on horse back . Lucky for me they stayed away from the layout 










I chased them off to my neighbors yard and down to the state land. 

JJ


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## Chris Scott (Jan 2, 2008)

John:
If I could impart anything from 25+ years and 5 that started out like this one:










Remember, every moment of every day is a training opportunity.


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## tmejia (Jan 2, 2008)

John,

How is Jadie coming along?

Tommy








Rio Gracie


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## Madman (Jan 5, 2008)

You build a railway to have some fun, cause you like trains,

You buy a dog cause you want companionship,

You are disappointed when the dog rips up your garden railway,

You pull your hair out trying to keep the dog out of your toys,

Don't get a dog for companionship,

Switch back to SWMBO,

She may talk back, but she's alot more fun than a dog that rips up your railway.


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## tmejia (Jan 2, 2008)

As for me, we were gone 5 days last week. My brother came over every day to feed them and give them snacks. The 11 month puppy with the collar left the railroad alone.







The 9 year old shepherd without the collar figured the railroad was a nice place to bury her stash since the puppy couldn't get to them. Came home to big holes in the railroad.







So much for her being the "GOOD" dog.









Tommy








Rio Gracie


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## jbwilcox (Jan 2, 2008)

Here is the latest in the training of Jadie:

I put the collar on her and led her to the fence. She got a small jolt and her tail went between her legs and she jumped back and laid spread eagle on the ground. I could not get her to move. I finally dragged her out into the middle of the yard. I left the collar on her for several hours and she did not move. I removed the collar and she suddenly became the playful active little puppy I loved.

The next day I tried again with teh same results. She would lay flat ont he ground with her legs spread apart. The only way I could get her to move was by dragging her on the ground while she gasped for air.

This went on for at least a week. 

Finally I realized that Jadie was going to win. I put the collar away, and pulled up all the wire.

I went to Home Depot and spent about 500 dollrs on fence material. I worked a week and finally finished the fence. Thinking the problem was solved, I entered the railroad area only to find Jadie followed me a few minutes later. I was shocked. I could not see where she had gotten in.

Next day I put her favorite toy in the railroad area and hid in the bushes and watched. She circled the fence one time and then just like that crawled between the slats and got her toy. She had such a look of accomplishment on her face.

I had placed the slats at 6 inch intervals. So happens she can squeeze through 6 inch space.

Next I removed all the slats and reinstalled them at 4 inch intervals. Finally I had out foxed the little rascal. She tried and tried but could not squeeze between the slats at 4 inch intervals.

My puppy is now back to her playful energetic self. I am out 250 for the wireless fence and about 600 for the fence material.

But we are now both happy and that is the important thing.

John


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## StevenJ (Apr 24, 2009)

Posted By jbwilcox on 13 May 2012 07:32 AM 
Yes,

she looks guilty.

But as soon as she comes up and nuzzles me with that cute little face I just give in completely. She has me well trained.

I am so glad that my wife finally relented and allowed me to have a dog. Thing is, she likes the dog about as much as I do.

Only rule, the dog CANNOT COME IN THE HOUSE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.

I built a super insulated dog house and she is quite happy in it.

John

That sucks. I was about to say just let the dog stay inside until you're around. That's what I do with my dog, he sleeps on the couch or at the foot of my bed I don't care. When I'm outside I am too. He's never broken anything on my layout and is careful about walking around buildings and track. He's a Rat Terrier btw. I couldn't put a shock collar on a dog. I don't normally like the PETA types but I think that's a bit over board.


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