of course they can be taken out on leashes, and that’s why i have the dogwalker come while we are gone to work, but the reason we have the electric fence, is to allow them to be outside unsupervised and to have the free roam of our half acre. i don’t mind standing out there with them in the summer time, but it’s been so damn cold, i let them out and in. I bribe them to come back in quickly by promising chicken. that generally will have them bounding up from the farthest reach of the yard. but this AM, with the scent of that fox fresh out there, Jules wasn’t coming just for a piece of chicken. the only way i did get him up was to say “c’mon jules we are going in the car” and started walking on the front walk towards the garage. that had him come running to me.
There are 2 + acres of dog temptation here-I would not think of leaving Husky girl without supervision-Huskies are escape artists when it comes to fences, but even if she were not, there are just too many birds, rabbits, raccoons armadillos, etc because water is so close. If I take her out before dawn or after dusk, the long leash is a must, and we don’t go down near the water without it, ever...
This morning when I went out with her, we walked up on a big gray woodpecker 8 feet away on the trunk of a tree, and she leaped after it before I could reach her collar-it flew away squawking, of course, but that did not stop her from going all around the area looking for it, even after I put the leash that I always bring on her. I said “let’s get chicken”-yeah, that works for me, too-and turned toward the deck several times before she came along willingly. Keeping a bit of leftover chicken is a thing I always do...