running away

[blarney2]

Help ! We have a 18 month old female BC. She has been trained since she has been 3 months old. One habit we cannot break is her desire to become free. At first she would jump over the fence in order to become free. This lasted until I extended the height of the fence. Then she would try and get out by squeezing underneath the fence. Problem solved. Her latest is to make a mad dash for the screen door hoping it has not closed. The children sometimes make a mistake and forget to close it all the way. She is like a kid in a candy store when this happens. Well once she is free she does not venture far. She stays within sight. She does try and chase the neighbors cat and our local squirrels. The problem is the recall. On leash she is fine even on one that is 50 ft. This BC is very smart, she knows when she is tied and when she is free. I can't keep wondering if she is safe. She is not bored she gets plenty of attention and exercise.We have a good size back yard.We have dogs over for dog dates. We built jumps for her. We are teaching her flyball. Maybe she just needs more than we can offer. Maybe she needs to roam on a farm rounding up sheeps. She is loved and gets along with everyone in this family. She would be the perfect dog if she did not have that desire. Any advice will be excepted and tried. thank you

[Christine]

Last week I installed a Petsafe radio fence. The thought sounds mean, but getting a shock is a lot less painful than getting hit by a car.

 

It was very easy to install and not that bad (though if I knew they had one with a citrus spray I probably would have purchased it)

 

There is a wire in the ground. I have it at the fence boundry. You need to make a 1-3 inch trench. Then you set the boundry. The dog will hear his collar beep (there is also visual aids, white flags are placed when the collar beeps. If he ignores the beep and countinues into the "forbidden area" he will get a shock similar to a static shock that you get when you rub your feet across a carpet.

 

I trained him on leash to avoid the beep and after 1 "correction" (I like that word better) he knows to stay within the white flags. I am going to leave the flags for a month. He should no by then by just the beeps.

 

Their website is informative

 

http://www.petsafe.net

[Barb Scott]

Just be careful! BCs are notorious for suffering a little pain to get to what they want. My principal's BC used to run thru their electronic fence to chase deer, then didn't want to come back thru to get home.

Barb s

[Christine]

I think you are right with just running past. We have the "correction" right at the fence line everywhere except one spot where our boxturtle is (also happens to be under the tree house). He did go right through and I just took the collar off so he could pass it again. It's been just over a week I think, I still closely supervise him when outside. But like I said I think it's going to work.

[Kadie]

My BC figured out how to open the door of my last house to get out on her own. when I let her off leash, she minds very well, but when she gets away, good luck. the only way to catch her is to open the hatch on the car. At the new house, I hung bells on our door because she hates metalic sounds. So far so good! She wont go out unless the door is open all the way, and doesnt charge it any more because she doesnt want the bells to touch her. But How long will this last? Who can tell?

 

Kadie

[Carson Crazies]

Another thing that might help you guys is to work on the dog's recall inside the yard. If that is already rock solid, then it may be beneficial to put her on a long line and begin to work on her recall in a slightly more distracting situation.

 

Until the recall becomes more reliable, the next time she gets out if she doesn't come when you call, try running the other direction making a fool of yourself (clapping, smooching, laughing, making fun noises, etc). When you get her, praise her to high heavens.

 

I don't know that it is a sign of a dog that needs a farm or sheep as much as more work on coming when called, and not getting out to begin with. Maybe some more bonding with you guys as well.

[kelpiegirl]

Hmmm:

Sounds like you have it covered in terms of activities- except that is for sheep Perhaps she is being beckoned by sheep, somewhere, and she needs to get out there, away from being confined, to work them with you I am only 1/2 kidding When she gets loose and doesn't take off, to me it sounds as if she is saying, "okay, now that I have taken the lead, will you PULEEEEZE show me where my sheep are?!!" She wants out of confinement to work - this is only a guess. But, perhaps looking into a nearby GOOD trainer, and meeting said person, and once you are comfortable seeing what your girl thinks of that type of work, may clear everything up Who knows. Just trying to think like a herding dog

Oh, and yes, a good recall is in order- but until you have one, no freedom for her Perhaps get a life sized lamb and recording..... Hee hee ))

 

Julie

[bobh]

We also have a Invisable fence,since i997(i Think) Just in case >We have 4 dogs and continue to train them to the fence,none of them have gone past the fence to chase any thing. and the yungest 10mths has not been shocked for atleast 3 months . The rest of the dogs 9years 5years and 3 years have not been shocked in years . All my dogs have a good recall.

continue to train your dog and think about some way to prevent your dog from runing away. I would hate to read about any accident involving your dog.

bobh tri and the 3 girls lol

[punkrockbc]

I definitely think its time to put her through advanced OB, that means working on off-leash behaviors and recall. I've met a lot of people with "runaway" dogs who were completely trustworthy after about 6 months of Obedience classes. I also think you should follow through with Flyball (maybe AFTER Obedience, since dogs are off-leash in Flyball training) because it sounds like she wants a job! Make sure to exercise her as much as humanly possible (it might seem like enough exercise to you, but some BC's need 2 or more hours a day!), occupy her mind with a treat ball, plenty of stuffed Kongs and chewies, and practice Obedience with her for at least 15 minutes every day. Keep her busy and she'll probably be much happier! I also suggest Nothing in Life is Free training, for the door-escaping behavior

 

personally. . "invisable fences" are so dumb to me, and the shocking can easily make a high-strung dog much more anxious and freaked out. It's kindof a band-aid on a behavioral issue. We had neighbors with a Boxer named Rusty who would jump their 8 ft fence, completely ignoring his collar shocking him, to play with Gonzo. They put their doggy through Obedience, supervised him and began to jog daily with him and he completely stopped fence-jumping.

[Joe Anne]

I have to agree with disliking the shock fence. As an obedience instructor at Pet Smart, I can't tell you how many people have told me about how good their dogs did with it for over 2 yrs (some less, some more) and then BAM! through the fence, and they are smart enought to know it shocked them going out> so, I am definately not gonna go back in> and get shocked to go home! noooooooooo waaaaaaaaaaaaay!!!

Sooo, the obedience on recall is your best option, along with a definate job to do.

You didn't say how old the kids were. Maybe some "kid training", is in order too!

My son in law made and installed a gate about3- 4' tall at their kitchen entrance, which going thorough it is a straight shot out the front door. Their pups were doing the same thing as yours and so were my grandchildren. The kids don't have to remember to shut the gate, because it is on a spring that slams shut after they go through. Along with puppy training not to go through or over that gate and the dogs not allowed in the front room until evening when everyone is settled for the night and not going in and out the door.... so far so good. When you have a behavior you don't want, you have 2 options:

1. MODIFY the behavior... ex: training (next level obedience), possibly herding training, continue flyball with preferably all of these with a trainer (and in a class so your dog can be with other dogs, as well.)

OR:

2. MANAGE the behavior... ex: install gate and not allow your dog in the room where the "escape hatch" is,... install a stronger spring on your screen door, train kids!(and I'll bet some adults are guilty of not shutting the door too!)

Another option, although I don't really like it, but it's better than the electric fence, is the citronella collar. This would also take training, but, then you are training the dog not to go through the front door(which could end up a problem in and of itself), by walking her to it on leash, and spritzing the collar so she gets a not so nice smell.

I guess what everyone is saying is that it sounds like you have a great dog, and a loving caring relationship in your family. Don't give her/him up to someone else because of a problem with recall. she loves YOU!.... just work with her/him, your doggy will come around. Also keep in mind most dogs are not "mentally" (what ever that means), mature until about 3 yrs old. Keep working with her, and train, train, train, with a trainer.

Good luck

[Joe Anne]

PS: I mentioned doing the additional training with a trainer, because.... even though I am a trainer I still have to seek advice from others who may be or have dealt with behaviors that I am going through now and I very much believe, no one ever has all the answers, and leave it up to a BC, to come up with "something", that has always worked for all my other dogs, in the past ... but not my 7 mo. old BC boy, Phoenix! Oh my.... what a challange he is!!! he seems to always be 1 step ahead of me!!

This board is a God send!!!!!!!

[GeorgiaBC]

I am always kinda sorta amazed when I see posts like this. You've had this dog since it was a puppy. Has it ever had a chance to run? Just run? Walks on the leash, playdates in the yard, even agility equipment in the yard is fine. But BC's need to run. Fast. Have you been in a position that you are afraid your dog will run away, so it is never given an opportunity to just run. I get up early an run on a local track (before anybody gets there). I run two miles. My bc's run four, back and forth. If they stop to sniff something, then they've got to sprint 200 yards to catch up with me. Around the house our doors are always open, but the dogs don't really feel the need to BE FREE because it's no big deal. I think there's a lot to be said for off leash time as a way of preventing running away. Once they realize freedom is no big deal they are much more likely to respond. If you can find a big (maybe even fenced) field in an out of the way, low traffic area, you should work on this. And work on your recall there. Bring lots of treats and a favorite toy.

[GeorgiaBC]

I am always kinda sorta amazed when I see posts like this. You've had this dog since it was a puppy. Has it ever had a chance to run? Just run? Walks on the leash, playdates in the yard, even agility equipment in the yard is fine. But BC's need to run. Fast. Have you been in a position that you are afraid your dog will run away, so it is never given an opportunity to just run. I get up early an run on a local track (before anybody gets there). I run two miles. My bc's run four, back and forth. If they stop to sniff something, then they've got to sprint 200 yards to catch up with me. Around the house our doors are always open, but the dogs don't really feel the need to BE FREE because it's no big deal. I think there's a lot to be said for off leash time as a way of preventing running away. Once they realize freedom is no big deal they are much more likely to respond. If you can find a big (maybe even fenced) field in an out of the way, low traffic area, you should work on this. And work on your recall there. Bring lots of treats and a favorite toy.

[luvmybc's]

Pal runs away...but for different reasons. He's scared of thunderstorms and if Im not there to let him in, he'll bolt out of the backyard. Found that when I exercise him before I know a storm is coming (I mean REALLY get him tired), I can put him in the backyard with no problem...he's too tired mentally and physically to run off so he just goes under the deck and stays there till the storm passes. Although he usually comes in when it rains.

 

Remember, a tired dog is a good dog. Keep up the ob and Im sure you'll see results quickly. We have a field where Pal and Gyp both can run run and run and get all their energy out.....and its a great place to work on recalls too!

Good luck--the people here have some really good advice and I hope some of the suggestions will work!

[GeorgiaBC]

I am always kinda sorta amazed when I see posts like this. You've had this dog since it was a puppy. Has it ever had a chance to run? Just run? Walks on the leash, playdates in the yard, even agility equipment in the yard is fine. But BC's need to run. Fast. Have you been in a position that you are afraid your dog will run away, so it is never given an opportunity to just run. I get up early an run on a local track (before anybody gets there). I run two miles. My bc's run four, back and forth. If they stop to sniff something, then they've got to sprint 200 yards to catch up with me. Around the house our doors are always open, but the dogs don't really feel the need to BE FREE because it's no big deal. I think there's a lot to be said for off leash time as a way of preventing running away. Once they realize freedom is no big deal they are much more likely to respond. If you can find a big (maybe even fenced) field in an out of the way, low traffic area, you should work on this. And work on your recall there. Bring lots of treats and a favorite toy.

[Rave]

At this point, it doesn't really matter WHY your dog wants to escape; the fact is, she already has and has been reinforced for doing so. She knows you can't catch her and she's found out you can't enforce the recall. Don't worry though, there is hope and it can be fixed.

 

First off, I'd start by taking her out on walks on a Flexi-lead. Walk her around the neighborhood and let her explore around while on leash. Doesn't matter how much she might play in the backyard, dogs like to get out and sniff around...so let her do it on YOUR terms, not hers.

 

Second, I'd teach her it's not permissible to go through an outside doorway until verbally released. This will take some training on your part. As part of this, you'll probably have to correct her for blasting through the door by catching her in the act. Until she's reliable with this, you can't let her escape through the door. How you manage that is up to you, but do something instead of just watching it happen. Perhaps a baby gate or expen (i.e. another barricade) by the door?

 

Thirdly, work on a new recall command. If you've been chasing her around yelling "come", you've taught her that request is optional. Change the command, teach her to come no matter what (and be positive about it) and only give it when you can enforce it. There's tons of info on the 'net about teaching reliable recalls. Read up and start practicing.

 

Good luck,

Laura

[Fox Valley BC]

Hi everyone!

I'm very new to this site, but thought I'd share my 2 cents with you on running away...I have a 1 year old BC ....Hank...who decided last week to go for a little trot through our neighborhood. As I was leaving for work, Hank decided to make a last ditch effort and burst through our patio door. Before I had a chance to set down my coffee and lunch, I looked back and Hank was GONE!!! So immediately myself and my wife dashed out after him, and got to the end of the driveway. And there Hank was running at Mock 2 through the neighborhood looking back at house and running faster away from us....Our first natural instinct was to holler and call him back..Well that didn't work!!! So as a last resort, I laid on my back and waved my arms and legs straight up in the air, while screaming like I was in pain. To my surprise, Hank came running back to me with his tale wagging and gave me some sloppy wet kisses!!! I got this advice from my obedience instructor at our local dog club..I thought she was nuts when she told me to do this, but hey it worked...Even though I looked like a dork I still was able to get Hank back unharmed!

 

Maybe this help you in your case!

- Joe

[blarney2]

Thanks for all the advice. It's nice to know I am not alone. We do have a dog park about 30 miles away where she is free to roam. I know if I could just let her roam at home she would realize roaming is no big deal and my problem would be sloved. However I can't let her go for fear she may get hurt. I think the advice on advance obedence training is good. At flyBall her main focus is the other dogs. If I can break this desire she will be great.

I love the advice about being hurt and having her come back. I know this trick however would only work once. BC are clever as you know. Any other advice will be tried. Thank you all how have responded

[Kitch]

I highly recommend readin "The Other End of the Leash" ...among other things, there is a section on how to train your dog not to dash through doorways...

[bobh]

My dogs and I spent the day outside. They are free to roam our 3 acers (IF). they chased each other ,swam in our pond. Played frissbe , chuck it. and then we all took a brake then played again. Runners ran by, MC whent by, cars trucks whent by. None of my dogs tried to run away ,escape ect. I can not tell you how wounderfull it is to watch and also run with your dogs and not have to think about your dog exscaping or geting hurt.

I would say you should think about IF or some other fence. But you must also let your dogs know that every thing good comes from you. then they will always be with you and not running away , If you get IF you must train your dogs for ever . I have had IF for 8-9 years . My dogs do not stay out side for more then 15-30min. if I am not outside with them. Thank God I dont have to drive 30 miles to let my dogs run free. LOL hope someday you can run withyour dogs in your own yard.

Bob H Tri and the 3 girls