Kuta dug out and ran away.... please help.

Hi all,
I need some advise as I do not know what else to do. So, last Sunday after spending the night at my partners place, I returned home to find Kuta missing. He had dug under the fence and done a runner. I was a total mess, balling my eyes out I call the RSPCA to report it and see if anyone had picked him up, but no luck.
Anyway, I remembered a strange txt I'd revieved the night before with just the word 'Kala' that came from an unknown number. Turns out, I guy had found him and couldn't quite make out the name on his ID an just asumed it was Kala. Why he didn't put more info in the text I don't know, but thats another story.
So the guy only lives 3 doors down, luckily Kuta hadn't gone far. He was down there talking to a little black dog through the fence.
After bringing him home, showing him the hole and smacking him with a rolled up newspaper (and before anyone yells at me for hitting him, newspaper does not hurt, its just the noise that scares them) I put him on the chain to hopefully teach him a lesson.
No such luck! The next day I returned home from work to find him gone again. Found him the same place, seems he has taking a liking to this other dog. Anyway, after proofing the fence so there was no way he could dig out, I left for work the next day.
Returning from work, I found he was gone AGAIN! He had somehow managed to pry another part of the fence away from a large log that it was pegged down with, and got out there. So, off I go the the house down the road, call his name, and out he struts.
Now, he has been desexed, so he is not wandering for that reason. We have lived in this house for 2 years and he has never tried to escape before. So why now, and why so persistent?
So, he is perminantly chained in the yard while I am at work as I just cant trust him. What else can I do? People have told me to just keep smacking him at the hole by the fence until he learns, will that work? I am too scared to try him off lose again. I couldn't imagine what would happen if I didn't get him back.
Please, any advise would be great as I just don't know what else to do.

Lisa & Kuta wrote:Hi all,
I need some advise as I do not know what else to do. So, last Sunday after spending the night at my partners place, I returned home to find Kuta missing. He had dug under the fence and done a runner. I was a total mess, balling my eyes out I call the RSPCA to report it and see if anyone had picked him up, but no luck.
Anyway, I remembered a strange txt I'd revieved the night before with just the word 'Kala' that came from an unknown number. Turns out, I guy had found him and couldn't quite make out the name on his ID an just asumed it was Kala. Why he didn't put more info in the text I don't know, but thats another story.
So the guy only lives 3 doors down, luckily Kuta hadn't gone far. He was down there talking to a little black dog through the fence.
After bringing him home, showing him the hole and smacking him with a rolled up newspaper (and before anyone yells at me for hitting him, newspaper does not hurt, its just the noise that scares them) I put him on the chain to hopefully teach him a lesson.
No such luck! The next day I returned home from work to find him gone again. Found him the same place, seems he has taking a liking to this other dog. Anyway, after proofing the fence so there was no way he could dig out, I left for work the next day.
Returning from work, I found he was gone AGAIN! He had somehow managed to pry another part of the fence away from a large log that it was pegged down with, and got out there. So, off I go the the house down the road, call his name, and out he struts.
Now, he has been desexed, so he is not wandering for that reason. We have lived in this house for 2 years and he has never tried to escape before. So why now, and why so persistent?
So, he is perminantly chained in the yard while I am at work as I just cant trust him. What else can I do? People have told me to just keep smacking him at the hole by the fence until he learns, will that work? I am too scared to try him off lose again. I couldn't imagine what would happen if I didn't get him back.
Please, any advise would be great as I just don't know what else to do.

People have told me to just keep smacking him at the hole by the fence until he learns, will that work? they are complete idiots all he is ever going to learn is backyard equals smack,being brought home equals smack the hole equal smack so i better do it when she is not around because this backyard equal unpleasantness,newspaper whether it hurts him or scares him you are still causing him injury whether it is physical or mental. Its either seperation anxiety but i can not see that, just kicking in after years of living there unless something has changed. e.g. your home alot less, when you are home he gets less attention. Or he enjoy the company of the guy and the other dog, if he is home when you are not see if he will mind sitting your dog he obviousely doesn't mind your dogs company either. Tethered dogs are frustrated dogs especially if you place him on the chain when he is in the wrong state of mind a nice calm energy and for a high energized dog the only main way to acheive this is exercise, a good walk/run/exhausting game may tire him out enough he can not be bothered to do a runner. Your backyard is it dog friendly? i.e shade/water/toys bedding outside i would suggest straw for kennels etc or shredded newspaper. because when either get wet the water sinks to the bottom layers so the top is constately dry. Staffys are cold and hot intolerable dogs they don't like to be too cold or too hot.If he is too uncomfortable he will find somewhere acceptable tying him up will just get him even more frustrated and that includes if he calm. Hope this helps.

Why can't you leave him in doors when you go to work?

x

Hitting him with a newspaper will only make him resentful & confused, please don't do that!

If you can't leave him securely indoors while you are out then you must look at different ways of keeping him secure.

Clearly your fencing isn't dog proof!

One way would be to invest in a kennel & run which would be stronger & designed to keep him in. Either that, or you will have to set concrete all around the base of your fence to a depth of about 4 feet to he can't dig under it - not very practicle.

You must do something sooner rather than later as otherwise he may get out & get run over/cause an accident. YOU WILL BE TO BLAME!

Have to ask the obvious like nikki, why isnt he left indoors when you go out? If he's destructive in the house, you can put him in a crate. That way you dont have to worry about him escaping or wrecking your house. If he really must stay outside, then a kennel and run with some bedding and toys is your best bet. But I would personally leave him indoors because as MissRogue says, staffs cant tolerate it if its too hot or too cold. You dont leave him outside all night when you stay at your partners do you? How much time do you actually spend with your dog? Dont mean to sound rude, just wondering if he's bored and lonely and craving attention.

no i think its more for the temprature during the day being to hot indoors

bigwazza wrote:no i think its more for the temprature during the day being to hot indoors

That explains why he is outsdie during the day but as she said he was out back at night while she spent the night with partner.

Kind of lucky that he actually comes back after been hit with the newspaper everytime he is bought home, is going to associate coming home back to the same area and been smacked and gradually begin to catch on and ya luck may run out and he may run and not come back!
As said above crate him in the house when you go out? or even the kennel and pen in the garden if you have to leave him out, if its to hot in the house there is always fans to cool it down etc.
Im not been mean but i just dont agree with a smack as a way for a dog to learn the ways of right or wrong, simply telling em of or time out whatever is much more affective.

Well, as expected, EVERYONE has jumped on the bandwagon at blaming me for hitting him. I hit him once, and once only so he is not going to associate come home to anything BAD after one smack. Dogs are like children, they need to be tought right from wrong, and a smack on the bum didn't hurt me when I was a kid. And for all those parents out there who don't believe in smacking your kids, wait till they hit their teens. They will be the ones commiting crimes coz they've never been told NO.
The reason I don't leae Kuta inside when I am out is because I live in North Queensland Australia........ its 28 degrees at night and over 35 through the day. Not very nice to leave a dog inside in that temperature, even with a fan on. And I don't believe dogs should be locked indoors anyway, its not fair on them. They are meant to be out door animals runing around playing. Not locked in kennels or crates. At least his chain in 5 meters long so he still has plenty of room to move, thats heaps better than locking him in a cage.
Kuta does spend every minute I am home inside with me, in fact he is alseep on the couch beside me now. He has never destroyed anything, nor has he ever been to the toilet inside, so thats not an issue either.
As for the fence not being 'dog proof', it has done fine for the last 2.5 years..... but I think I mentioned that. This is a new thing, nothing has changed to bring it on. I am not home any less, he still gets plenty of attention and daily walks, I dont know why the need all of a sudden to get out while I'm not home.
Unfortunately, from the comments I have recieved from this post, I will not be back. I won't be told not to smack my dog by a bunch of people who lock their dogs in small crates when they are out. I have never said anything bad to anyone on the numerous posts about caging your dogs, despite my disgust on the idea. If you think a smack is cruel, how would you like being locked in a small cages for a few hours? Think about that one...... good bye all.

bye then

Lisa & Kuta wrote:Well, as expected, EVERYONE has jumped on the bandwagon at blaming me for hitting him. I hit him once, and once only so he is not going to associate come home to anything BAD after one smack. Dogs are like children, they need to be tought right from wrong, and a smack on the bum didn't hurt me when I was a kid. And for all those parents out there who don't believe in smacking your kids, wait till they hit their teens. They will be the ones commiting crimes coz they've never been told NO.
The reason I don't leae Kuta inside when I am out is because I live in North Queensland Australia........ its 28 degrees at night and over 35 through the day. Not very nice to leave a dog inside in that temperature, even with a fan on. And I don't believe dogs should be locked indoors anyway, its not fair on them. They are meant to be out door animals runing around playing. Not locked in kennels or crates. At least his chain in 5 meters long so he still has plenty of room to move, thats heaps better than locking him in a cage.
Kuta does spend every minute I am home inside with me, in fact he is alseep on the couch beside me now. He has never destroyed anything, nor has he ever been to the toilet inside, so thats not an issue either.
As for the fence not being 'dog proof', it has done fine for the last 2.5 years..... but I think I mentioned that. This is a new thing, nothing has changed to bring it on. I am not home any less, he still gets plenty of attention and daily walks, I dont know why the need all of a sudden to get out while I'm not home.
Unfortunately, from the comments I have recieved from this post, I will not be back. I won't be told not to smack my dog by a bunch of people who lock their dogs in small crates when they are out. I have never said anything bad to anyone on the numerous posts about caging your dogs, despite my disgust on the idea. If you think a smack is cruel, how would you like being locked in a small cages for a few hours? Think about that one...... good bye all.

I hope you do come back just to read this, we did not judge you as a person we judged your technique.
and shared techniques of our own WHICH HAVE WORKED
Now hold on a second you can call me all the ********** under the sun but never cruel for having my dogs in a crate you should really do some research on dogs if you think having a nice calm comfortable place/den (which is natural to dogs/canines) of his own where he can relax and feel safe is cruel then you need to read a dictionary. you say its cruel to do it and yet you are being cruel by having your dog outsdie alone because he obviousely does not like it which is why he runs away and next time it could be a car or a truck that looks after him not a nice neighbour. It is not acceptable to hit your dog, pack leaders in the wild don't go around smacking misbehaved members because pack leader are calm assertive not unstable. A correction while your dog is attempting to escape will work alot better than four/five hours after he has done it. How can you say smacking your child is a good thing all they are going to learn is that smacking is acceptable thats no way to teach respect thats fear if you have children ask them calmly if you made a real mess somewhere and didn't clean it up would you be afraid of me smacking your backside? (key word being afraid) i think you'll be shocked about the answer. DOGS ARE NOT LIKE CHILDREN they don't have the mind of a child they have a mind of a dog and it is completly different they don't rationalize and think about what they have done wrong they live in the moment right here and right now, its people who push their behaviour onto dogs. aww look he can understand me because he got his ears up and is tilting his head from side to side. NO this is a confused look. I think you should read a few books. Place an open crate out your yard which is comfortable and secure and i bet your dog will love you for it, its his own little place and he'll love it.

Very well said MissRogue. Couldn't have put it better myself.

MissRogue, that is the most sensible post I have ever read, well done.

Oh, and Lisa, for your information, I have never smacked my two children. They are now 18 (boy) and 16 (girl); they are both well adjusted, bright & sociable kids. They have never broken any laws, neither drink or smoke. They are good to talk to & listen to. So don't tell me that not smacking a child turns them into a criminal.

You may or may not read this. I hope you do, and I hope you stick around. This is a good forum, with people who care about their dogs (and I'm not saying that you don't) - but we all have different opinions about things and we generally discuss them amicably. You asked our opinion & we gave it. It's up to you what you do with it.

Just to throw my 2 pence in I think this lady is a fool my step dad who is 20 stone and 6ft odd has been sat in my dogs crate so they cant be that small I have a pic will try and get it on here later. I think Lisa is a very touchy person and needs to learn that you nice people were only giving advise which is what she asked for in the first place. Any way her lose I love this site

yeah 'crates are great' lol that's my motto. You can attach water dishes to the bars to avoid tipping and when the dog is used to them they have no problem being in them with toys and food. I guess with the temp problem having it outside may work with some form of DIY shelter built over the top of it to shade from sun and rain. If you want to try an alternative method then its at least worth a shot, or is it that you want a 'guard dog' in the garden?

I used to hate crates and think they were cruel then, when we got Gizmo we would leave him in one at night so Vinnie couldn't accidently hurt him.
Now he LOVES his crate and often goes in there in the day. We never shut the door on him but he adores it and i am just sad that we don't have the room really so Vins can have one too.
It's like Gizmo's own bedroom and its handy as when we go away we just take it and he is secure wherever we go as its his room so to speak.
Used properly crates ROCK.

I wouldnt be without my crate. The door is left open during the day so Charlie can go in and out as he pleases. He more often than not hunts out a toy and carries it into his crate and sits there happily chewing it. He loves his crate. Yes, some people do misuse crates, but if they are used correctly, they are a godsend.

I was gobsmacked about this whole page!! i actaully cant beelive i read that! What a poor dog!! Get a dog sitter and pay someone for christ sake to entertain him! And going round her partners leaving the poor dog chained up! Get Aircon ffs!!! And chained up!! What ever did that dog do to get that prison sentance!! How Bizzare to think a dog would appreciate that! no wonder he's trying to get away from her!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

my question to her is, where was her head leaving the poor dog outside overnight. Good job you cant treat kids like that and get away with it

I think basically, the dog's being left alone for far too long. I can understand it being outside, the temperature inside would be very high.

However, I personally, don't like the idea of chaining a dog all day. The chain could get caught up in something. It also makes him sound more like a guard dog than a pet.

A secure kennel & run would be more ideal, but that idea seems to have been ignored.

I think everyone is being a little harsh here we don't no the circumstances. We live in a different enviroment to there's and the photo of the dog gives away a very pleasing picture

gem its the way she reacted to the advice that she asked for that got everyone's back up. She hasnt answered any of the questions we asked, just ranted about us telling her not to hit her dog and calling us cruel for crating ours. If she'd stuck around, we may have been able to help her out. She behaved very childishly.

I agree but some people don't no what they have with a stafford. My 2 love lozing around outside in summer they would hate to be locked in for hours. Money may be a factor we don't no. And she was only going of advise regards the hitting I hope she comes back on the forum the dog certinely looks very well cared for by the photo I have problems of people being judged don't feel its neccesary none of us are perfect

Well hopefully she'll come back on, we'll just have to wait and see. And you're right, the dog does look well cared for which is the main thing

gem wrote:I agree but some people don't no what they have with a stafford. My 2 love lozing around outside in summer they would hate to be locked in for hours. Money may be a factor we don't no. And she was only going of advise regards the hitting I hope she comes back on the forum the dog certinely looks very well cared for by the photo I have problems of people being judged don't feel its neccesary none of us are perfect

Nice post and i agree..

i have kept out of this debate as i could see i had been a bit heated at times
i was away from my pc when all the posts were done.
i myself dont beleive with the smacking be it a child or a dog
but the leaving outside i cant see the prob with the temp its going to be a lot more comfert for the dog in the fresh air were it can find its own nice shady area (i know were id rather be in the nice weather and sure wouldnt be couped up in the house)and i think people are forgeting how big the gardens in ozz can be and as she said she had no probs with the security for 2.5 years so really she just needs to top up on the security to bring it back into line
dont care what anyone says just becouse your garden safe now you can say it will be secure next year.
and re the crate i find mine a god send but that dont mean everyone has to have one its each to there own.
i to hope they return to the forum there oppinion is as needed as anyone elses
yes they were a bit defensive but so were other people.
this is a friendly forum so lets use it as that, give advise not critisisum if you dont like a subject make your comments but dont start a back and forth slagging match its just petty and not needed.
rant over lol

You're right. I hope she comes back. I wasn't judging, I just couldn't understand why she'd asked for advice & then ranted because we didn't say what she wanted us to.

Pity, it's a lovely dog.

Come on lisa and kuta come back a firm hand with a stafford is no bad thing (I dont mean smacking I mean hes not a baby he is a dog and needs to know the rules) we know your trying your best to sort your situation we would like to try and help

Lisa i know what u mean about the temps, i live in Brissy so i know what u are going through. Can u make friends or are you friends with the owner of the dogs Kuta vistits? if so ask if he can look after Kuta during the day and offer him some money to do it.

Caryll- leaving dogs outside in this heat in QLD is not a good idea especially with all the snakes around and believe me our temps are HOT.

I leave my 2 indoors when i go out due to the snakes and losers who walk past and try to unlock the gates or throw things over the fence, I always leave them fresh food, water and a place to go to the toilet(i also leave them reading material while they are in there lol) and of course things to play with. They love being inside and outside- they get the best of both worlds.

Hi Hazel,
I think they were all suggesting she leave him INSIDE.. rather than out.
It is always cooler in the house than out in the sun.

You getting wet up there?... my dad is at Bowen and it is bad... did it make it down as far as Brissy?

When I realised he was left out cause of the heat inside the house I sugested a kennel & run, but that was ignored.

Caryll wrote:When I realised he was left out cause of the heat inside the house I sugested a kennel & run, but that was ignored.

Yep I read and understoon that ,I was more refering to hazel, I am not sure she read the earlier posts that was all. .. But I still think inside would be cooler than out in our summer heat...
beside caryll I think she is long gone...shame becuase i think we all could have suggested things and one of them just may have worked

Well Gem, I did come back on and I must say I was quite hurt by some peoples comments. Especially the one about Kuta having a 'prison sentence' and 'no wonder he is trying to get away from her!'
I may have over reacted slightly, but I am quite emotional at the moment...... 9 weeks pregnant and emotions raging.
I will have you all know that Kuta is the most spoilt dog I know. He gets the best of everything. He doesn't know what dog biscutes are, he only get meat. He goes everywhere with us, with the exception of work. Basically, he is a well loved little dog and has everything he needs.
In the back yard, there is a large undercover patio area that is very cool throughout summer, much better than inside. Since the escape episodes, I have been putting him on the chain when I am out and he has a good size area to move around in as the chain is 8 mt long. He also has his dog bed and his kennel in this area so he can use both as he pleases.
I am not going to do too much with the fence as I will be moving in with OH in Feb anyway. The cost of doing the fence up at this point would be a waste.
I hope this explains all, thank you for your comment, be them helpfull or hurtfull.

PS - Barbera, not sure if you have joined up to the new forum, I haven't seen you or Coco on here since the new one started. But just in case you read this, we haven't told my folks yet about the baby so pls don't say anything if you see them, cheers

Firstly, congratulations! I hope your pregnancy goes really well.

Secondly, I'm really glad that you've come back on. Unfortunately your first post didn't really explain evrything & I think we've all made the mistake of jumping to conclusions. Apologies for that!

As you'll be moving soon, doing anything to the fencing will, as you say, be a waste of time & money, and in the short term the chain will suffice. I'm not a great lover of chaining a dog, though, as too much can go wrong (getting caught up etc).

When you move, can you consider a secure kennel & run for him? Or will the new garden be better for him anyway?

thanks for givin a second chance to the forum and congrats on your great news
hope to here a lot from you in the future.

bigwazza wrote:thanks for givin a second chance to the forum and congrats on your great news
hope to here a lot from you in the future.

Ditto x

Congratulations on your pregnancy and glad you gave the site a second chance x

Congratulations on your pregnancy. Sincere apologies for jumping to conclusions, as I'm sure you read, we can see by the photo that Kuta is a well looked after dog. Thanks for giving the forum a second chance, we're usually a very helpful bunch. Lets just start this over. Welcome to the forum and hope you enjoy it

Hi and welcome to the forum Lisa

Im so glad you came back lisa Your boy is a really nice boy from your photo and obviously very well cared for hows he been getting on this past few days?

Thanks everyone. Gem, Kuta has been very good while on the chain through the day. There is nothing for him to get tied up on, so there is no worry about that. The last few days he has been inside through the day anyway as it is raining cats and dogs here so it is cool enough for him to be inside. He is inside now while I am at work, he is a good boy and would never distroy anything.

BTW, just so you all know, I have been in this forum probably longer than most of you lol. I was here when it was the old forum and I was actually a 'Super Staffy-bull-terrier Member'. I just haven't been on much since the new site kicked in Feels a bit weird getting a welcome from you guys he he.

Yeal Mel it's been P***ing down here all week and all night i'm so over the rain now, the dogs need to go out and run around.
Poor Lisa might be facing a cyclone so if it happens i hope all is well with her, Kuta and everyone up there- i have relatives up in Townsville as well.

I understood about being inside- i'm not stupid that's what i was saying that Kuta should be kept inside if possible. My house has been wrecked by both of the staffies i have had. Nitro was bored- he needed a friend so we got Mia and with Harley he was only a little doodlebug at the time.

Lisa- i just had an idea if u want to keep Kuta outside(don't blame u if u don't though). Have u got someone that can dig u a ditch around the fenceline? if so get them to dig a ditch around the fence line deep but not so deep u hit pipes etc then fill it up with concrete. That should stop little Kuta getting out and going visiting. We were going to do the same with our fence(colorbond steel) but they don't dig. I know what u mean by the rain we're getting it in Brissy as well. But u might have to face a cyclone, hope it doesn't happen.
Let's hope he never ends up in the RSPCA my late staffy Nitro was there and it's not nice. he and all the other dogs were running their bowls along the fence and saying "We Want OUT" over and over again.