Please Help. Crossing Road.

[Chick-N-Picker]

I've come specifically back here because y'all have more knowledge on our breeds. Yoti just turned a year old 2 weeks ago. In the last 3 weeks or so he has started to cross the road to go play with our neighbors older lab.

 

It's good that he is sociable. Something I worked on for the past year. He does like to eat alone but I can play/pull him off his food no problem. Good issues are not my problem.

 

Some of you may remember me being scared he was going to chase cars. Well I broke him of what little chasing/trotting he did do. The only time he acts like he wants to go toward a car/truck is if it is really loud or loud radio.

 

We live in the country so it's not a crazy amount of cars but, hey, cars are still dangerous and it ply takes the right timing. My problem is him crossing the road, obviously. He doesn't stay in road or chase cars. He just crosses straight over to go play.

 

I'll go out to call to check on him every few minutes and then I'll check and he's playing over there. I'll call him back. I've tried telling him no and putting him in his cage. I've true shaking a switch with leaves on it at him. He hates shaking leaves.

 

As soon as he sees me on his way back he drops his tail and head and sort of crawls. He knows he's done wrong but he still comes to me.

 

Please help me. There must be a way to keep him from crossing the road.

 

PS: the neighbor isn't straight across. He up the road a short piece. I can see his house. Yoti will cross then go through the woods to get there.

[GentleLake]

Too much unsupervised time (just checking periodically with no interaction isn't really supervising). He's probably bored and there's nothing and no one to stop him finding a way to alleviate the boredom. Going off to play with the other dog is much more fun than hanging out in his own yard with nothing to do.

 

Plus, it doesn't sound like you've taught him not to leave the yard, just that you're angry with him when he comes home.

 

Go out in the yard with him and play with him. Teach him that approaching the road is off limits by calling him back and heaping lots of praise on him when he complies. And don't allow him to be outside alone even for a few minutes if you're not outside with him.

 

Or put up a fence.

 

ETA: It might not be a bad idea to give him a chance to play with other dogs sometimes. Take him to a dog park or arrange play dates with other dogs. But it should be your decision when, not his.

[D'Elle]

Why are you expecting a dog not to leave the un-fenced yard in which you leave him by himself? That is an unreasonable expectation.

 

The fact that he drops and crawls to you doesn't indicate that he "knows he's done wrong". It means he is afraid to come back to you because he knows you are mad at him. He doesn't know that it is wrong to cross the road; that is not what you have taught him.

 

For heaven's sake, (and for the sake and safety of your dog), Put up a fence. Or else do not let him out into the yard unless you are out there with him.

[Liz P]

Put up a fence or keep him tied. You are asking for trouble.

 

Make sure you give treats or praise like crazy if he comes when called.

[waffles]

As the neighbor in your scenario, it is rude and incredibly annoying to allow a dog to roam into someone else's yard. Your specific neighbor may not mind or at least not be willing to let you know he minds but no one appreciates it. We have had a few talks with our only neighbor who seems to have a rural old fashioned view on dogs wandering. I think after 5 years we have made some head way. He seems to think our acreage is a dog park for his dogs to do as they please unattended and it has been very hard to get through to him while keeping the peace.

 

Put up a fence, put in an underground fence, tie him up or stay outside with him. Don't put your neighbors in the awkward position to have to either say something to you or smile and pretend they don't mind while they complain about it to their spouses.

[Liz P]

Not to mention your dog getting shot if it worries livestock...

[Gloria Atwater]

He has no idea he's done wrong. He only knows you are displeased with him.

Put up a fence or build him a kennel for when you can't supervise him. It's completely unreasonable to expect any dog do stay unsupervised in an unfenced yard. Especially a working breed that's bred to travel umpty miles a day.

Don't ask him to do the unreasonable. Some day he's going to cross the road when your neighbor's Cousin Jethro comes roaring up the street in his hot rod truck. You must take responsibility and prevent him from doing this. It's for his sake and safety.

~ Gloria

[Gloria Atwater]

And yes, there's definitely the chance of him worrying livestock or even chasing deer or other critters.

Don't put him or your neighbors in a bad situation. Prevent the behavior, don't scold or discipline him for doing normal dog things. It's like asking a little kid to not go play with the kids across the street. Not reasonable.

~ Gloria

[denice]

Would you stay home loose in the yard alone when you know your buddy up the road is waiting to play? Even kids who are aware of consequences would leave.

[terrecar]

Plus, it doesn't sound like you've taught him not to leave the yard, just that you're angry with him when he comes home.

 

Gentle Lake nailed it. Correcting the dog after he has already crossed the road is wasted effort (and IMO unfair). The dog has no idea why he is being corrected. You need to be out there when he attempts to cross the road, in order to interrupt/correct the behavior and reward him for responding correctly. Also, I wouldn't tie him unless you're watching him. Tying a dog out leaves it vulnerable. If you don't want to fence your yard, invest in a kennel. Tractor Supply has free-standing kennels of various sizes, and if you want more room you can put two together. JMO.

 

ETA: I also would not expect my dog(s) to stay in my yard unsupervised. Even with my yard fenced and my dogs taught to stay in the yard when I open one of the gates, I keep my gates closed (and even then supervise my dogs' outdoor time).

[gcv-border]

All good advice above.

[Riika]

I had luck with training one of my dogs to stay home. I put an e-collar on her, and only used the beep setting, every time she crossed to property border. It is fenced-not dog proof fencing-so she was able to learn her boundaries. The collar was on for over a month, and after I took it off it lasted about a month.

Otherwise, I've not had any luck at all. My dogs are kenneled or chained when not supervised. I thought I'd be able to graduate the dogs to "free" after they entered adulthood-it didn't work and I lost a dog back in December when he got hit by a car. A more immediate threat around here is being shot by the neighbors if our Border Collies decide to go "work" their stock.

[ramp]

That was exactly the style of approach I used. The electrical impulse was used only once. My vigilance with time faded.

 

Now that we are pursuing a new puppy, I'm giving this a lot of thought.

[Gloria Atwater]

Hmm, no response from our OP? I hope they aren't too disappointed that our best solutions are to physically prevent the dog leaving the yard, period. But having lost a dog to an open gate onto the highway, I will never ever trust a dog to stay in an un-fenced yard. All it takes is one moment of impulse, one bunny running across the road, one wrong step - and the dog is horribly dead. You don't ever want to face that kind of grief.

[D'Elle]

Perhaps it was a troll.

Or someone who, not liking the good advice received, ran away. Sad, if so.

 

My dogs are very well trained not to leave my property which is not fenced in the front part of the land. I have even seen one of them chase a rabbit right up to the property line and stop there and turn back. But that was while I was in the yard with them.

 

I don't even leave them outside in the back yard, which is fenced, if I am not home, because it would not be safe.

 

I never, ever leave any of them out in the unfenced area when I am not there with them. While I am out there with them, I check on their whereabouts literally every 15 to 30 seconds. I can hear a vehicle coming from a long way off, so don't worry too much about being surprised by that, and none of my dogs have wandered off limits for a long time. but I am vigilant.

 

I also use the time we are outside free like that to practice recall to my voice and to a whistle. Whenever they come to the whistle they get a nice treat. The whistle is important in case one ever did somehow get lost, because it can be heard a long way and carries above other noises.

 

Vigilance is the best thing, though. It is up to me to know where my dogs are and to keep them safe.

[terrecar]

I am not going to suspect a troll or someone who doesn't like the responses, simply because they have not responded within a day or two. I do think it is in the dog's best interest that the OP consider the content of the advice.

 

To the OP, another point: If you are correcting your dog when he arrives back home, you could be inadvertently setting up a situation where the dog is afraid to come back. If he gets punished when he comes home, to avoid punishment he may stop coming home. That is another reason why it's important to interrupt him in the act of leaving. I am sure you do not want to create a situation where it is more difficult to get your dog to come home.

[GentleLake]

I don't jump to the troll conclusion, either.

 

However, the OP hasn't been back on the list since 1:10pm on 1/29, just after the third reply. So I think it's a fairly safe guess that he or she wasn't too happy with the responses. . . . which is too bad, because the advice given was thoughtful and excellent.

 

It's always disappointing when people ask for help but tune out experience of others.

[ramp]

Well, who ever started this thread, I would like to thank them. It has stimulated my neurons into thinking what I shall do for our next member of the Family. It has also reinforced within me a better path to approach this very important topic.

For me:

Utilize all avenues and explore the best which works for my situation.

Be flexible. (fence, e collar, reduce unattended time)

Be consistent.

Avoid mixed messages to the dog.

Praise and reward.

[Gloria Atwater]

Well, who ever started this thread, I would like to thank them. It has stimulated my neurons into thinking what I shall do for our next member of the Family. It has also reinforced within me a better path to approach this very important topic.

For me:

Utilize all avenues and explore the best which works for my situation.

Be flexible. (fence, e collar, reduce unattended time)

Be consistent.

Avoid mixed messages to the dog.

Praise and reward.

 

 

Then we will consider our efforts well spent! A thing to remember about those electric fence things - if a dog does manage to blast through, for example chasing a critter, they may be unable to get back in the yard. Also, it can't keep other dogs or animals out. Just food for thought!

 

~ Gloria

[GentleLake]

Then we will consider our efforts well spent!

 

Indeed, yes.

 

A thing to remember about those electric fence things - if a dog does manage to blast through, for example chasing a critter, they may be unable to get back in the yard.

 

It may be more a matter of whether the dog is willing to cross the fence to come back home rather than if it's able.

 

I got an electric fence many years ago (so many that I bought it from the original IF inventor's daughter because it wasn't available for sale in many places yet).

 

The dog I purchased it for (not a border collie) would very consciously decide whether he wanted to cross it. He'd sit and think about it, sometimes deciding it wasn't worth the shock. Other times though he'd decide he really, really wanted to roam the neighborhood and we could see him brace for the shock before running across the boundary.

 

When he'd had his fun and decided it was time to come home, he'd sit in the neighbor's yard crying and barking for someone to come get him. He never once voluntarily risked getting shocked to come back home.

[ramp]

They are smart critters.

[highway61]

They are smart critters.

 

I bought a bark collar that sprays citronella in my BC's face when he barks. I saw right away it was effective and thought I hit it out of the park with this thing since it was giving me what was needed without shocking him.

 

But it didn't take him long to figure out that the small reservoir would empty after only five or six barks

[ramp]

Well we had a fence installer/estimator come by this afternoon. We reviewed our situation and came up with a plan for a fence in the backyard. Our puppy hasn't been born yet, so time is on our side. His parting comment was if the dog wants to get out it will. We understand, this will be only for quick trips outside. The onus is on us.

[Logan'sMomma]

This is something that had me worried with my Logan too.. but to my surprise.. he has no interest in leaving the yard. He has not once tried to get out the gate when I'm coming in or leaving or when I am putting the trash out etc. I was rather impressed with this and soooo thankful! The husky I had before was constantly trying to escape.

 

However, for his safety, I NEVER leave him out in the yard when I'm not home and will never. Just because he hasn't so far, doesn't make me think he wont ever...

[Sue R]

However, for his safety, I NEVER leave him out in the yard when I'm not home and will never. Just because he hasn't so far, doesn't make me think he wont ever...

And this is very smart on your part, and something we all need to remember. Taking things for granted, making assumptions (or wishful thinking), or simply not managing (as part of our responsibility, along with training) the dog intelligently, are all things that can result in tragedy.