A Fenced-In Backyard Can Change Your Life

Jamie O’Connor is a cat person from St. Louis, MO. When she isn’t writing articles she’s cleaning cat litter and coughing up fur balls. So naturally, she wasn’t exactly prepared for life with two hyperactive dogs, no fenced yard, and a living room that became a disaster zone.

What followed was a battle of wills and a realization that happy dogs mean a happier life for all. Here’s how she learned how a fenced space can change everything.

The Chaos of Living Without a Fenced Yard

Things were at a tipping point. I had been living with my sister and her husband for nearly a year, and their two canines, as much as I loved them, were out of control.

Our relatively cheap two-bedroom apartment was surprisingly spacious, even with the dogs, but the big sacrifice? No fenced-in backyard. That meant my sister and her husband had to stick to a strict walking regimen so the dogs could do their business somewhere besides the floor.

Let me tell you, full-time jobs and college equal lots of puddles unless the dogs are created all day. I did my best to help walk them regularly, but there’s only so much even three adults with busy schedules can do to accommodate the bodily functions of two dogs.

Pent-Up Energy Creates a Disaster Zone

The potty problem (aka the pooping and peeing debacle) wasn’t even the worst of it. Crating the dogs all day only built up their energy to the point that, once released, they were unstoppable; barking, jumping, and demanding attention non-stop until bedtime.

We couldn’t leave them unattended for long. Ten minutes alone in the living room with that much pent-up energy could mean anything from a knocked-over vase to a shredded couch cushion in pursuit of a lost cheese doodle.

It got so bad we seriously considered moving all the “nice” furniture into a storage unit. The way we saw it, we had two options: call Cesar Millan or figure it out ourselves.

Seeing the Word Through a Dog’s Eyes

For me, everything came back to the lack of a backyard.

While my sister and her husband struggled to figure out the best way to teach their young dogs old tricks, focusing on training them how to not act so rambunctiously and unruly, I started analyzing the real problem. From the dogs’ perspective, the only exciting thing in their world, besides each other, was us.

It’s kind of like kids who never get to play outside alone. Since every moment outside of their crates involved human supervision, they associated humans with ultimate happiness. So when they were set free from their crates, they exploded with enthusiasm in the form of jumping, barking, and an excess of untamed affection (a release of all of that energy).

Bathroom Breaks Became a Constant Struggle

Coordinating their natural bathroom needs with our schedules was another arduous task nightmare.

Dogs with a backyard quickly learn how to alert their owners when they need to go outside. But when potty breaks only happen on human terms, dogs struggle to communicate their needs. Without a way to let us know, their only option was to hold it in until they couldn’t anymore.

The Solution: A Fenced Yard Changed Everything

We really liked the discount rent, but the solution was clear: find someplace to live with a fenced-in yard. So we did. It wasn’t an overnight fix, but when we finally made the move, it was light night and day.

The dogs quickly learned how to ask to go outside. They got to release their energy naturally. And most importantly? The reasons we had for keeping them locked up all day didn’t apply anymore.

With that freedom, they no longer felt the need to bounce off the walls the second they saw us. They also lost their ignorantly rude, over-friendly behaviors and their sofa shredding hobby. They stopped treating humans as their only source of entertainment and, at long last, because normal dogs!

The Unexpected Human Benefit

Oh, and let’s not forget what we got out of it:

• No more messy cleanups
• No more shredded furniture.
• No more added stress from trying to wear out dogs that had been cooped up all day.

Turns out, making the dogs happier made us happier, too. And all it took was deciding that a fenced-in yard was worth it.

If you’ve ever felt like your dog is a little too energetic, or if you’re drowning in potty-training struggles, take it from me, sometimes the problem it’s the dog, it’s the environment. A fenced yard isn’t just a convenience, it’s a game-changer for both pets and their people.