Thursday, January 8, 2009

Don't Mix Trampolines With Canines

By Jane Bracken

Many people consider their dog as more than just "man's best friend." In fact they consider their dog as their own personal best friendand one that will never abandon them. Dogs are great for relaxing with on a bad daybut not on the trampoline! It may be humorous to watch a neighborhood pooch on the backyard trampoline, but it may prove disastrous to the dog. Keep dogs away from your trampoline, I implore you.

Something people donat think about when trampoline buying is that the trampoline seems to be synonymous with achewing toya for some dogs, but with a little bit of planning you can save your expensive toy from the dog, and your dog from it. One popular method is to use a fence.

You can have a fence built to look like whatever your heart desires. Probably best is a fence that surrounds the entire area where the trampoline is, allowing you to keep the dog out. The strength of the foundation is a very important thing to considerwill you secure the posts by driving them into the earth, with cement, or get a mobile fence that just sits on top of the lawn? Another factor to consider is of what the fence will be madea chain link steel fence is probably better than a fence constructed of lighter-weight materials. A third property of importance is the height of the fencesome of the largest dogs can easily jump or climb over some of the smaller fences that people put up, especially if the fence is between them and the exciting new trampoline.

The fence can be made additionally unwelcoming by adding accessories such as chicken wire to it. While not particularly appealing visually, it certainly does the trick. Jumping over a fence becomes very difficult and dogs wonat risk injury for it.

Another idea is to install an electric fence or to hot wire your existing fence. This is probably not a first option for many people, but should prove useful in harder circumstances. You can easily control how much of a shock runs through the fence. The best thing to do is to just have the fence provide a stinging sensation. Most dogs will stay away from your fence without ever having to touch it to test it.

Further, you can keep dogs off of your trampoline simply by setting its height. Keep in mind the height of the trampoline when you consider your choices for purchasemake it high to keep the dog away. Don't try to make the trampoline taller on your ownit is probably not safe. You can build a sturdy foundation under your trampoline, but don't just stack up a few cinder blocks. Be certain that your trampoline is safe for anyone that may use it, and consider that it must be securely fastened to the earth in some manner.

If you can put the trampoline away when it is not being used, you are doing everyone a service. Consider purchasing a smaller nursery trampoline, one that is collapsible and can easily be stored away when not being used. This ensures that nobody will use the trampoline when you are not expecting them to. The problem with trying to store the largest trampolines is that they are big and bulky, and take a great deal of time to put up and tear down. In addition to the added convenience of a nursery trampoline's size, you can rest assured that you will save some money when making this purchase as wellthey make great starter trampolines.

Finally, one can always keep the dog away from the trampoline by keeping the dog inside the house. While many people like their dogs being able to play in the backyard, as long you take them out for walks and let them romp around in the park frequently, then likely the dog will forget all about its forbidden trampoline love. Simply keep in mind that when youare out trampoline buying have the pets in mind, as theyare a part of your life as well, and will likely end up interacting with the trampoline in one way or another. - 16887

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