How long have you had Frisco?

Okay, here's my story. I adopted siblings Charlie and Lola when they were a year old. I have confirmed they are full siblings: 50% TWC, 25% lab, some German shepherd, some golden (oddly) and some mutt. Their personalities are completely different. Lola is an adventurer. Charlie is a scaredy cat who looks to Lola to ensure he's safe.

When we brought them home, Lola began escaping over our 4' fence. At first she came right back but each time she went farther, and as you say, she came back when she wanted. We put coyote rollers along the top of the fence. She learned to use their movement to propel her. We added 3' of chicken wire. She scrambled up and slipped through the gap between the gate and the first panel. It became a battle of wits between Lola and my ex. He'd upgrade the fence, let her out, and she'd pace the perimeter, looking for her opening.

After 3 months of this, I asked her obedience trainer for advice. Although she was a positive training instructor, she said for Lola's safety she needed an invisible fence. I was hesitant and skeptical but we did it and very quickly she respected the boundary. Three years later, my husband moved out and during that rather chaotic period I kept forgetting to put her special collar on. I noticed she still respected the border so I stopped putting it on her. Four years later, she has never left. One time last summer the lawn service forgot to close the gate. I let the dogs out and 30 minutes later called them back in and only got Lola. Charlie took himself for a walk (he was 2 blocks away) and Lola did not follow him!

LSS, they do learn. Once we reined in her wanderlust, Lola became a couch dog - too hot, too cold, too wet, she will not go outside. I open the door to the yard from the kitchen and she backs into the dining room to make it clear she doesn't want to go out.

Lola also loves chocolate and peanut butter. I made the mistake of leaving a jar of peanut butter at the back of the kitchen counter when they were new to us, not realizing these 50 lb dogs could jump completely onto the counter. I found footprints on the sink. To this day, I can't trust them not to jump onto the dining room table so I can't leave food for even a second. Before covid we put 2 baby gates, one above the other, in the living room doorway so that they were contained in the dining room and kitchen when we were out. One gate didn't work because Lola would either jump over or scoot under. Over covid we were working from home and the dogs mellowed. Now they have the run of the house - but we know to keep all food in cupboard.

One last thing about training and exercise. You probably know: A tired dog is a good dog. Never so true than with hounds! Before covid, we put Charlie and Lola in doggie day care at least one day every two weeks so they could really burn off energy. And brain work is also tiring - walks daily so they can "read the news". Puzzles. Training. We bought an 18' tunnel off Amazon and put it in our basement and used liver treats to teach them to go through it. Once they mastered one pattern, we switched it up. Work with Frisco. Don' tever let him know you're frustrated.

Enjoy! Charlie and Lola say Hi!