It's his drive to reproduce, so if you get him neutered you will reduce your male dog's "need" to roam in about 90% of males, which means in about 10% of males it may not change the roaming habits. If your dog runs when he is frightened, you want to figure out what is scaring the dog, and go from there. Having a good fence will prevent dogs from coming in your yard, as well. I have a lab. I have a finced in yard with plenty of room and yet I can not leave her in it or in the house alone. We brought her home from the SPCA just two weeks after moving into our 400 square foot cottage, and I haven't regretted it once since. he is completely black and so hard to see at night. Like a mentioned above, if you dog is scared of thunderstorms and loud noises, bring the dog in when it's going to storm or during times when you expect loud noises such as fireworks. I took her to an obedience school and she will do all my commands indoors, but once we get out it's "see ya in about an hour!". Please anything that might be helpful. First of all, it is important to understand what motivates one's leaks to remedy it. So my 5 yr old dog keeps going in the front yard to the mailbox. And then runs away. Female dogs also like to get out of the fence if given the opportunity, which is why there is no where on this page that says female dogs do not try to run away. one cow even ran through a metal fence and broke its nose. They had him in the kitchen and I figure they must feed him human food. I've tried training him with treats and it works every time as long as I'm working with him, but if I stop to water a plant or fill the bird feeder, off he goes. For the last 2 months he has been running away to the same place (a senior community which is right behind my house. Now that we know the main reasons dogs run away from home, we’re going to give you a few tips to prevent it from happening. I have a Mix German Shepard that i rescued. He is about 4 years old (we adopted him from a friend of a friend) great dog, loves my kids, loves other dogs, friendly and just all around awesome, EXCEPT he gets out. Which I understand, but he makes up stories as to what my dog does in his yard, I know my dog and I know she would never do what he is saying she does. Would that work?! I do walk him at least 30 minutes daily, but sometimes even trying to get inside the door from his walk he will escape again. They know how hard I have tried to keep him contained. They have had a couple of obidience classes and looking forward to more. i don't know how to get her to stay like my other dog without tieing her up. We have honestly tried everything to keep him from running escaping. Thanks for your information, it has been very helpful! Dogs often run due to a habit. PrometheusKid from Heaven on September 09, 2010: My neighboards dog likes to jump tours my yard, most of the time my dog is inside the house. For this we recommend that you contact a reliable specialist. If your dog is causing harm to itself or others because of its behavior, seek professional assistance or admit you don't deserve to have a dog while seeking help to rehome your animal immediately. This is where Emerson's story begins. A dog's basic needs includes: food, shelter, and plenty of enrichment. OMGosh, what to do??? Every time I open a door she is trying to sqeeze out.And today i freaked and accidentally slamed her head in the door.Will someone please help? Dog training is good for your dog because it generally helps to turn your dog into a well-behaved pet that listens to and obeys commands. For the most part, some dogs just like to get out, and typically there are breeds that are notorious for that. i don't know what to do anymore, i have almost had it with them!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No offense, but the story just doesn't sound plausible. Generally, dogs try to escape because of the novelty of being off the leash . He isn't happy on his chain and I'm not happy when he is on his chain. Of course, we can’t quite ask your dog why he’s running away, but we can make some educated guesses based on his behavior and the behavioral patterns of his species. I feel bad that he has to go on a cable and can't just roam freely in my back yard. There is an opening between our house and garage that isn't fences and our back fences he can crawl thru the wholes sometimes getting stuck or going thru to the yards behind us and they have children. We now know how our…, When walking your dog, some undesirable behavior is common, such as continuously pulling on the leash or growling at other…, The dog’s training ends where its basic needs begin. Jack Russells are pretty good climbers. If he multiplies his outings, it is because something in his daily life does not suit him. I can literally teach her a new trick in 15 minutes but she will not unlearn bad habits. When the pit bull comes around my dog and him run off. He was born on the streets and we adopted him when he was about six months old. I wanted him as a watch dog. First, if your dog is a male, I'm going to assume he's unneutered, which leads to the first fix to get him neutered. The good thing i don't have to worry about the dog going to my backyard and making stupid holes all over the place. There's nothing else you can do. He didn't even know his name when I got him. First off consider whether or not your dog is neutered, and yes unaltered male dogs have a strong propensity to roam. Hello, my dogs keep on escaping because of when I come in from work I open the electric gate and When i'm driving my car in they both run out and today they almost got ran over D: Every one is telling there problems but there is no feed back Wat a wast of time. You can call your local animal control and have them pick him up when he's loose. we placed cement blocks all over the yard, we even added chicken wire, but she makes her move in the nighttime. Training your dog to stop running away. My dog is very afraid of thunderstorms and the 4th/July...she climbs in my lap and I pet her and she feels better....this is so funny to come across your hub...I had recently written one on bad doggy behavior, and to kaitlan, I had a dog once who behaved in this manner and did the same thing...I purchased pieces of tin, left the dog in the house while I dug and buried the tin so she could not dig out in the same place..I let her out, watched her and when she went to dig, she couldn't get out....I did this in all the places she escaped...pretty soon she figured out she wasn't going to dig out any more and stopped...It did require watching her though...Great hub. The game will help your dog feel out his surroundings and respect the freedom to be off the leash. A kennel would be good. I am so stressed about this problem I have been in tears today over it. He is really big though. Whitney (author) from Georgia on October 19, 2009: Sounds like you need basic obedience training and more exercise. I just don't want to see her get run over or chase a car on the interstate or never get to see her again. I can't keep getting a sitter for her every time I have to get my kids from school there is not anyone left to do it. Many dogs in shelters are in there because they ran away from home and are never claimed. You will notice that like their ancestors, dogs have their home, or den, but some dogs will have a secondary one, and if they have the ability to do so, they may run off to their secondary den, so to speak. Opportunity. I'm at my wits end. Whitney (author) from Georgia on December 28, 2009: Try adding one distraction at a time, you can expect a dog to listen inside with few distractions and be just as obedient outside with tons of distractions. Most people whose dogs are already in the habit of running away have one or more of the following four problems. The good news is they’ll probably stick close to home. We spoke to Scott Sheaffer, CDBC, CPDT-KA, a dog behavior specialist and founder of USA Dog Behavior about how to keep your best friend from doing a disappearing act. I have a German Sheperd and she is fixed and trained pretty well she listens when we are anywhere in the area. I'm sure many have looked at that and thought ,"Dogs aren't like that! she wasn't like this before, but after she got out the first time, it's like that's all she thinks about now. My dog HAS training she knows the stay command but when we open that gate she makes a run for it. Once the puppy has found your hiding spot, reinforce their good behavior with pets, treats, and loving words. I want to find my dog but as it is snake season, i don't know if i will be able to. I tried doing the sit,stay and come commands inside and they worked well but outside for her is a whole other world. Okay I need help. My 3yr old Jack Russel will not come back when called. Dogs will run off for a few reasons, including: Another dog/animal to challenge or investigate; Fear; To chase cars; Food/other temptations he annoys and frightens other neighbors who can't figure-out why he's running around w/o a collar etc? PLEASE HELP before i get to mad, my dog, LAMBo disappeared not long ago, about 2 months now. She is evidently suffering from Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome, which is the canine equivalent of Alzheimer's in humans. His mother, sisters and brothers live there. Any suggestions? The only solution I can think of is to build a six foot wasll around my garden but I cannot afford to do this. Generally, it is a bad idea to shout “Come Here.” If your dog did not come when called in a normal tone of voice, they are unlikely to come if they think you are angry. The other option is to chain them up which I do not want to do. It’s highly likely that you’ll find some of your dog’s behaviors to be frustrating, to say the least. I'm sure she doesn't like being "put in the corner" (the you've been a bad doggie room or the bad tree with the tie) but she continues to be bad. This aspect is equally, or even more important, than food, toys, or walks. The most effective is catching em unawares and slipping out when I've stupidly left the door open. The breed you have chosen is a very hyper and high-strung breed. I had read that a whistle training may help when used with training treats. He's never acted like this before and is as laid back as ever when he is in the house, not even asking to go out. The first step to stopping your dog from running away is to figure out why he's running away. I really love this dog, and is very sweet and gentle, but I really need him to stay around the house. I am young and saved up all my money for a lab puppy and finally got her. My dad loves him and spends his days walking and playing with him and treats him very well. Dogs don’t automatically know how to do this. on July 08, 2010: I moved from 5 acres where my 3 1/2 year old (mutt)dog is used to roaming free amongst my acreage as well as the 80 acres that surrounds us to "town" we now have a fenced in yard and I fear my dog will not adapt. he also scares people and jumps and chases neighbors trying to walk their old half-dead smaller dogs, doing everything he is trained not to do. He often goes with a dog walker too and loves that - she sometimes keeps him over night - last time was about 10 days ago but she's had him for as long as 3 weeks before without any problems. Calming down doesn't necessarily mean that she will not run away. Thanks for the insight. I live in the country and want her to run loose with us when we go out with the other two dogs, but as soon as she can get out the front door, she runs around the barns checking things out, and if a car goes by, she chases it. I try to walk him to keep him active but he hates to walk - i still do it tho. my family is very active, so she gets taken for a walk just about every day by one of us to a 3 mile trail that leads to a dog park. I have been called many times to pick him up which I always do. I'll tell you if I were to try that, my yorkie would get bored and find his way back after traveling as far as the front yard probably, whereas my American Pit Bull Terrier would probably just keep going. Most of these neighbors get very upset and can't seem to figure out why the dog is out and then there is the one neighbor that actually tries to help me. I've tried so many methods to try to train him out of the bad habit of running off. This is why dogs are a pain in the butt to have for me. Whenever your dog chooses to ignore you, or simply bolts in the opposite direction, then there’s a fair chance your dog is acting up. chihuahua mix and a 100+ lb 2 y.o. I have a mixed dog named bailey. Except when it comes to getting out. He gets between her and I when I am upset to try to make it easier on her. SO I had to shorten his cable so he can reach any fences. 04/13/2013 02:41 pm ET Updated Dec 06, 2017 Meet Emerson, an adorably sweet little Papillion/Pomeranian mix. Why does my dog keep running away? You also want to consider other methods of helping your dog get over his fears, and if that doesn't work, you can always try anxiety medications, but ask your vet first! Before we got him neutered he never ran away and was very friendly to everyone, dogs and people, but now he runs away daily, wont come when called (actually runs farther away when called), he barks non stop at the neighbors and their dogs. He is neutered. My neighboard took there almost death dog to the vet, and the vet told them it was better to kill it. He escapes regularly. I am so worried that he's going to get hit by a car. I'm an only child and most of my friends live far away or work. 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