# Jumping Babygate



## sari15 (Dec 17, 2007)

I am wanting to keep our dog from going in the basement. There isn't any reason for him to be down there and he can only get into trouble there. He eats the cat food, eats the litter, poops and pees on the floor down there and chases our cats. Until he is completely housetrained and realizes it's not appropriate to do his business there...I don't want him to have access to it. He doesn't do any of those things upstairs on a regular basis...

Anyway, I purchased a babygate last week and found it was too narrow for the bottom of the stairs. I placed it on one side of the hallway blocking him from a large section of the problem area. This worked fairly well...but two days later he learned he could jump it.

What can I do to keep him from my basement? I have two kids, one of which I don't want her access restricted as well since she sleeps down there. Should I just kennel the dog at night? That would work well for the short term but I like having something as a backup in case he does slip away from our eyes for a minute.


----------



## TooneyDogs (Aug 6, 2007)

Some people stack a 2nd baby gate on top of the 1st. Crating is a more secure option.


----------



## Durbkat (Jun 26, 2007)

While stacking a second baby gate on top of the first sounds like it would work, I doubt that it would since the dog would still try to jump it and just knock down the second one. Does the basement, not have a door? You could also put a scat mat down that will shock the dog if it gets close to the baby gate.


----------



## briteday (Feb 10, 2007)

I crate my dogs at night. There is just oo much for them to get into while we are asleep. And it would solve the issue of containing the dog while still allowing your child access.


----------



## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

My dogs (with the Plott providing the brawn and the lab providing the brains) shredded a baby gate. I wish I'd taken pictures.

So I made a door out of two pieces of 3/4" plywood (with the grains crossed.) I made it 4 feet tall so I can see over it. Since they can't get a running start, they don't jump over it.

The appropriate response to a determined dog is a well-equipped workshop.


----------



## RBark (Sep 10, 2007)

Have you ever considered laser targetting turret guns, RonE?


----------



## Durbkat (Jun 26, 2007)

They'd shoot blanks of course.


----------



## RBark (Sep 10, 2007)

Durbkat said:


> They'd shoot blanks of course.


I have no doubt Esther could dodge bullets. But if it fires fast enough it might be able to stop her forward motion!


----------



## mom2kdg (Jan 12, 2007)

I did the same as RONE suggested. We had a plywood gate/door made with hinges and a slide door lock. It works great. The kids can handle opening the door and the dog will scratch at it but no attempt to jump.


----------



## Anela (Sep 8, 2007)

Your dog is running your life and knows it.  

Your dog is not house trained and completely out of control.  

You need to completely back up and start all over with everything, and do it right this time, or you will be dealing with this forever. 

Anela


----------



## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

Anela, is the world ending on December 31, too?

She wants to know how to keep the dog out of the basement and still give the humans easy access.

Your doom-and-gloom messages are a bit over the top.


----------



## sari15 (Dec 17, 2007)

Anela said:


> Your dog is running your life and knows it.
> 
> Your dog is not house trained and completely out of control.
> 
> ...


Um...yeah...I thought I stated in the beginning he wasn't house trained...which is the reason why I don't want him even ENTERING the basement because *it's out of eyesight.* It's not the housetraining that is bothering me, it's coming along nicely as he was a rescue dog that had some housetraining issues when we got him a month ago. I just want to know if there are any alternatives to babygates that would work...cause I just wasted a bunch of money on one. I'm trying to housetrain and removing access to a large problem area for him would be helpful since there isn't anything he needs down there and we rarely go down there.

The suggestion of placing the door at the bottom of the stairs might help. I might have to have someone build me one that a three year old can access but a beagle can't jump.


----------



## Dorygirl (Mar 16, 2007)

When I had my golden retriever, we installed an invisible fence for the outside yard and also for inside the house. I didn't want her to go upstairs and the company was able to run the wire under the floor. We trained her to stay in the back part of the house, she never went near the front door or upstairs. It was nice not having gates around the house. Good luck!


----------



## sari15 (Dec 17, 2007)

Interesting idea, I've wondered how well those invisible fences work. I've thought of getting one, since we would like to get our yard fenced, but since we have kids...we want it fenced for them too. I guess it wouldn't be too cost effective to just have them run the line across the basement steps...though it's very tempting.


----------



## Durbkat (Jun 26, 2007)

What about using one of these?

http://www.petsmart.com/product/ind.../PET/2767085&fbc=1&parentPage=family&keepsr=1


----------



## poohlp (Jul 10, 2007)

I like the half door idea. Maybe make it about 4-5 ft high? That will deter most, but not all dogs (mine can do 6-7 from a standing position  ) Anyway, I think you said you have cats that also need to get to the basement? Constructing a half door will also allow you to put a cat door at the bottom, so they can still get through.


----------



## Mudra (Nov 1, 2007)

We also have a door to access the basement but even without the door, the dogs never tried to go down the stairs (scaredy cats, I know! Maybe they think there are monsters down there!). I would suggest what RonE built for Esther & Molly.


----------



## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

Just to be clear, my door was put up to KEEP the beasties in the basement when they have to be left unsupervised indoors.

I believe it would work as well to keep them OUT of the basement, if that were my goal.

(Don't anybody feel sorry for my girls. The basement room has a tile floor, a sleeper sofa, a fireplace and food and fresh water. I'm working on cable access.)


----------



## Mudra (Nov 1, 2007)

RonE, with all the luxury your girls are getting, are you considering charging them rent???


----------



## 4dogs3cats (Dec 21, 2007)

I have 2 beagles, (one is too hefty to cause me a problem.) But Kody, the 1.5 year old boy, he is MISCHEVIOUS!!! He jumps my baby gate that blocks off the cats room. (Having 4 dogs, my 3 cats need a seperate room to keep their food and litter box and a couple recliner chairs for them.) AND when I thought I had outsmarted him and moved the gate into the hallway so now it blocks off both guest rooms and he can no longer see the litterbox, the german shepherd hops over it every day. And he jumps like a kangaroo. he stand right in front of it, bounces up, tucks his feet under him, and he's over. Hes such a big cuddler, I think he goes in there to play with the cats. I raised the gate off the floor a few inches so it's higher for the beagle to get over, but not enough where he can squeeze under. But I know what you mean by the beagle jump. Even if he misses, he grabs on with his hands and CLIMBS it till he gets over. Sometimes when I leave for work I can see 2 heads sticking through the blinds in the cat room. They're sneaky little beasts!


----------

