Running Away

In the case of the run-away, consider the age, breed, instincts and whether or not he is altered or unaltered. There are many reasons for leaving home. Understanding is the first step toward solving the problem.

Chasing - Sport, fear, fun, dominance, and protection are the most common reasons for chasing.
Unaltered - Unaltered dogs will leave the yard 75% more than one that is fixed. The urge to satisfy the hormones can take a dog miles and miles from home. Hormones are also responisble for strong dominance and protection behaviors.
Sport - Just cuz, fun, likes to run/chase. Consider the breed characteristics. Some dogs were born to run and must always be tied.
Scent - Instincts are the hardest reason to curb. Running is as second nature to them, as maternal, or survival instincts are to us. Hunting and herding breeds are particularly difficult to curb. You must choose to make a forever commitment and provide a lot of exercise and/or work for them.

Curing the Runner

Keep in mind that re-training is more than teaching your dog a command. You have to change behavior patterns. You can teach your dog the “come” command in one afternoon. Right now, the pattern is to leave the yard and go exploring. We need to change that urge and need to a more acceptable one. This take time and repetition. You can equate this with resetting your body clock. Let’s say you moved to a new time zone opposite ours. How long would it take your body to re-establish proper sleep patterns? This analogy stresses that it’s a behavior not a command that we’re teaching.

Curing the runner also takes a relationship change. You need to subtely take the alpha position in the pack without him realizing it. Save yourself the fight. These exercises will help you always win. He wins too because he gets a cookie and a pat.

Week One: Regardless of the reason, the first step will be attention training. Refer to lesson one of the obedience section. Once you have done a solid week of attention training and you are getting good, consistent attention, it is time to go shopping.

Week Two: You will need 100’ of cotton clothesline. Get the thinnest available and it does have to be all cotton. Synthetics are either too heavy or have a base that will cut through your dogs leg if it gets tangled when he’s at a run. Do not use fishline!

Attach the line to a heavy clip, then to his collar. The heavy clip will become a tab to create the feeling of weight when he is loose in the future. It will simulate being hooked. We want to create confusion.

Allow him to drag the line around the yard or your training area. You can hold the very end (tie in a loop). Keep your hands down at your sides in a normal place. You want your body language to say “ I don’t have a leash and I don’t care where you are.” When he is done playing or doing his business, say “Rex, Come”, and walk away toward the house or car. If he fails to come, give a tug and continue. BE SURE YOU ALWAYS ISSUE THE COMMAND BEFORE THE TUG. Ultimately, you want him to respond to your word, not your threat to ‘get him’. The line is a safety line. Only use it if you absolutely have to to prevent a bolt, or a running away. You want your dog to stop relying on the leash and pay attention to you. Remember, when he’s on line he is probably good. It is when he is loose that you have the problems. Simulate the loose, only now you have a long arm to catch him when he retaliates. If he is going to hit the end of the line, say “Rex Come”, before he does so that the tug is the correction/reminder that you can get him. Should he baulk at the end, reel him in to you, praise and give him a treat. Now let him go back out and play some more. It is important that he doesn’t learn that “come” is the end of his fun. Would you come?

When he gets to you, reach into your pocket and give him a tiny treat. He has to earn treats. You cannot bribe him with them. Don’t reach into your pocket until he is next to you and you can pat him. It will take about a week before he figures it out. Don’t rush it. Everytime he turns to look at you, or comes to you, give him a treat. Soon he’ll be obsessing about coming and looking. Don’t overdue the praise, just enough to acknowledge, not enough to satisfy.

Week 3: Move to a 50’ line, same thing. Also do 15’ attention training and heel exercises periodically.

Week 4: Move to a 25’ line, same thing. Also do 15’ attention training and heel exercises periodically.

Week 5: Back to the 100’ line, same thing. Also do 15’ attention training and heel exercises periodically.

Week 6: Back to the 15’ attention training line, same thing. Also do 15’ attention training and heel exercises periodically.

The more you can let him drag the line, without you holding it the better. Keep your body language casual. Don’t panic. If you can’t control your anxiety, stay with the very long line. Remember, you can step on it if you need too.

Switch between the lines and his street collar and choke. Don’t let him learn which leads and collars can catch him at what distances. Stay ahead of him and don’t let him anticipate. Work in different locations. He will only be trustworthy in one place and one situation if that’s all you work him in. Keep training casual and upbeat. If you get hard core or demanding, he will realize he’s not getting his way and quit learning.

Boundry Training

The only true method to boundary training and off leash control is Attention Training. The more you trick him into thinking he is free to make his own decision, the better he will be. Use the method for curing a runner along with this one.

Put your dog on a choke chain and a 15’ long line. Hold the handle of the line only. Walk toward whatever it is he likes to chase and stop. Let him decide. If he chooses the distraction, reverse direction quickly and walk away. Refer to Lesson One, Attention Training, in the Obedience Section of this book.

The same method works for boundaries. Walk up to your boundary. When he crosses the line, turn and walk away. Repeat until he understands where the invisible line is. Try and test his new found knowledge with the safety line (a 50’ piece of cotton clothesline) as a back up. Try and let him think he is loose, don’t use the line for discipline, only to catch him slipping up. Remember, if you issue any commands it must be before the tug, not after or simultaneously. The tug must reinforce your command.

If his is unaltered, your battle is ten fold. Hormones and instincts are an uphill battle. You can win, but it takes a huge commitment. If you can eliminate the internal distractions, your battles will be substantially easier. Think of an unaltered male dog, as a child with an attention deficit disorder. Without a change in the chemical balance, he can’t concentrate. Learning is laborious. There are numerous other benefits to altering, including an increased life span of 4 years on average. You can speak further with your vet about this subject.