Aa
dog issue
Hello. I have a mixed breed dog (a glorified mut) that I love to pieces and is a good dog overall. One thing that I'm trying to work on and haven't gotten a good handle on it yet is this----- she is an escape artist. Our yard is not fenced in and since she was a tiny pup, I either walked her out on the street or took her out to go potty in our own yard. I hold her leash most of the time because she has bolted on several occasions. We'll be playing a game of fetch in the yard or I'll be standing with her beside me and then she'll just take off. She's small and fast and impossible to catch if she doesn't want to be caught. We've had some horrifying scares where she was gone, we ran and ran and she was just gone. If you cut through about 4 yards behind us, you wind up on a very busy, winding 2 lane road. I've found her along that road TWO times. I don't want a dead dog, so I hang onto her leash.
Early this morning, she whined to go out at about 5:30 am which I must say, I'm still in a deep sleep at that time so didn't hold her chain tightly, she ran right past me and pulled the chain out of my hand and took off. Me in my pj's and slippers running through the neighborhood in a panic before dawn. Not good.
So, I have tried the stern voice, I've tried the coochy coo talk. I've tantalized with bribes of cheese, bones and treats. I've dropped to my knees and patted the ground. I've run after her. Sometimes it works but I have no reliable method of keeping her from running.
And sadly, my husband will take her outside without a leash to get the paper every morning. She doesn't run. How humbling!! She will occasionally take off on him during outside backyard play though. If my kids open the door without watching for her, she'll fly out it.
I do understand the pack mentality of dogs and treat her as my submissive little friend and in the house, she adheres to that set up. But outside, she 'forgets' or something. She gets outside time and walks and I'm an at home mom, so she is around people a lot.
What am I doing wrong? I hate having to always keep her on the leash and living in fear that she will escape to her death if she gets free. Help
Early this morning, she whined to go out at about 5:30 am which I must say, I'm still in a deep sleep at that time so didn't hold her chain tightly, she ran right past me and pulled the chain out of my hand and took off. Me in my pj's and slippers running through the neighborhood in a panic before dawn. Not good.
So, I have tried the stern voice, I've tried the coochy coo talk. I've tantalized with bribes of cheese, bones and treats. I've dropped to my knees and patted the ground. I've run after her. Sometimes it works but I have no reliable method of keeping her from running.
And sadly, my husband will take her outside without a leash to get the paper every morning. She doesn't run. How humbling!! She will occasionally take off on him during outside backyard play though. If my kids open the door without watching for her, she'll fly out it.
I do understand the pack mentality of dogs and treat her as my submissive little friend and in the house, she adheres to that set up. But outside, she 'forgets' or something. She gets outside time and walks and I'm an at home mom, so she is around people a lot.
What am I doing wrong? I hate having to always keep her on the leash and living in fear that she will escape to her death if she gets free. Help
Thank you very much for the responses!
My dear dog is a cross between cocker spaniel and poodle, a **** a poo if you will. She's only about 15 pounds and is a year and a half old. My kids are 6 and 8 and they do try their very best to be careful about the door but kids are kids.
The trainer is a good idea. I would love to find one that would focus on excactly what you say Guilly, to ignore other things going on when she is excited (like a squirrel two yards over) and listen to me. She does it in the house so very well that I know she has it in her. So, I'll check to see where I can find a trainer or classes that I can take with her.
We try to get her energy out----- believe it or not, we jog with her! Hubby and I are kind of old so we do run really slow . . . but she comes straight home and drinks some water and lays down for a nap (wish I could do that). And my boys and their friends play with her that includes a lot of running. I haven't heard of 'fly ball' and will google it. She loves fetch and plays a few times a day. But outside, I walk her to the middle of my yard and throw the ball straight at the back door. Then I run after her and grab her leash as she nears the ball. I hate that. She loves to play and I'm just too scared to let her run free in the back yard. I also haven't heard of agility training for dogs and will look into that too!
Anyway, thanks for the tips and advice! Hopefully we can get it all sorted out as Spring is approaching and we are outside alot then. I'd like her to be with us!
My dear dog is a cross between cocker spaniel and poodle, a **** a poo if you will. She's only about 15 pounds and is a year and a half old. My kids are 6 and 8 and they do try their very best to be careful about the door but kids are kids.
The trainer is a good idea. I would love to find one that would focus on excactly what you say Guilly, to ignore other things going on when she is excited (like a squirrel two yards over) and listen to me. She does it in the house so very well that I know she has it in her. So, I'll check to see where I can find a trainer or classes that I can take with her.
We try to get her energy out----- believe it or not, we jog with her! Hubby and I are kind of old so we do run really slow . . . but she comes straight home and drinks some water and lays down for a nap (wish I could do that). And my boys and their friends play with her that includes a lot of running. I haven't heard of 'fly ball' and will google it. She loves fetch and plays a few times a day. But outside, I walk her to the middle of my yard and throw the ball straight at the back door. Then I run after her and grab her leash as she nears the ball. I hate that. She loves to play and I'm just too scared to let her run free in the back yard. I also haven't heard of agility training for dogs and will look into that too!
Anyway, thanks for the tips and advice! Hopefully we can get it all sorted out as Spring is approaching and we are outside alot then. I'd like her to be with us!
What breeds is your dog a mix of? This information can be very useful when trying to figure out how to curb her flights of fancy. Also, how old is she? Is she spayed?
Obedience classes can be invaluable for this type of thing. The thing with obedience classes is that they don't actually train the dog, they train YOU how to train the dog. The dog is just a prop. It's great experience having a professional who knows how to deal with these types of problems working with you and your dog one on one. They're not real expensive, either, considering the experience and training you get from them. Most towns have at least one person who does obedience training and the easiest way to find that person would be to contact the local vet clinics to see if they can recommend someone. The classes are also a great opportunity for your dog to interact with other dogs and to learn how to focus on you and listen TO YOU when there are other things going on around him that are more interesting than what you want him to do.
Also, after you finish the basic obedience classes, perhaps since your dog loves to run you could look into agility training. Once she learns how to listen to you without fail, agility training is wonderful for using up that excess energy. Flyball is another great way to burn off energy.
Ghilly
Obedience classes can be invaluable for this type of thing. The thing with obedience classes is that they don't actually train the dog, they train YOU how to train the dog. The dog is just a prop. It's great experience having a professional who knows how to deal with these types of problems working with you and your dog one on one. They're not real expensive, either, considering the experience and training you get from them. Most towns have at least one person who does obedience training and the easiest way to find that person would be to contact the local vet clinics to see if they can recommend someone. The classes are also a great opportunity for your dog to interact with other dogs and to learn how to focus on you and listen TO YOU when there are other things going on around him that are more interesting than what you want him to do.
Also, after you finish the basic obedience classes, perhaps since your dog loves to run you could look into agility training. Once she learns how to listen to you without fail, agility training is wonderful for using up that excess energy. Flyball is another great way to burn off energy.
Ghilly
Oh my. I'm not seeing how old the dog is or what breed it is. This is definitely a *major* problem and I would hate to read about a sad ending. The electric fence may be a solution. I see you have kids and kids, dogs and open doors don't often mix. What age are the children? Have you considered starting the dog in a basic obedience class? Of course, that training has to be reinforced at home daily.
Is the dog a jumper? Is there any way you can fence in a smaller area outside the door in the yard,whether it be picket fencing, chain link, etc? An area that would be safe to let the dog out into without the issues of having to have it on a leash? Are you familiar with lunge lines? If the dog is outside and you want to play with it and keep it on your property, you could try a long lunge line and a good, solid ground stake. Of course, this is something you would only want to use when you are outside with the dog. You could try a covered, chain link run area that you could put the dog into outside. So, there are some options. I'm afraid this dog is going to run off and get hit or worse.
You definitely need to work on the *Come* command. Check and see if there aren't some good trainers in your area. In the mean time, perhaps some of these suggestions will help.
Good luck.
Is the dog a jumper? Is there any way you can fence in a smaller area outside the door in the yard,whether it be picket fencing, chain link, etc? An area that would be safe to let the dog out into without the issues of having to have it on a leash? Are you familiar with lunge lines? If the dog is outside and you want to play with it and keep it on your property, you could try a long lunge line and a good, solid ground stake. Of course, this is something you would only want to use when you are outside with the dog. You could try a covered, chain link run area that you could put the dog into outside. So, there are some options. I'm afraid this dog is going to run off and get hit or worse.
You definitely need to work on the *Come* command. Check and see if there aren't some good trainers in your area. In the mean time, perhaps some of these suggestions will help.
Good luck.
We've looked into that and that is an option. They are just so expensive. Our yard is fairly large. I was saving for one for a while but then something came up and the money went for something else . . . I think it was Christmas. LOL Maybe that will be the only way------ I'll have to figure out how to budget it.
It's just so perplexing because she is so good at minding in the house. Anyway, thanks for your help!
It's just so perplexing because she is so good at minding in the house. Anyway, thanks for your help!
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