Almost daily on social media I see stories of either my dog ran away or there is a dog running around my house. This is a significant problem for all concerned. This is obviously dangerous for the dog, but also for those that encounter that dog. One of the most difficult experiences for a dog owner is having an unleashed dog approach you and your dog on a walk. If the other dog is aggressive your dog is put at a disadvantage by being on a leash and not fully able to defend him/herself.

This is a totally preventable problem. There are very few instances where the dog getting loose is unavoidable. As dog owners we must take responsibility for our dogs and if our dog gets out, like most problems, it’s our fault. It is very difficult to correct this problem if we don’t take responsibility.

Most occasions when dogs get out it is because they are unattended. We think they won’t run or wander because I have an invisible fence, my yard is fenced, or they never have before. Fences only work if they are properly installed, in good condition, and are tall enough. Dogs often find holes, dig under, jump over or climb the fence. Invisible fences only work as long as the negative is greater than the positive. Many dogs will run through the correction zone because the reward they receive is too great. They really want that squirl or they just love to run. This is similar to most of us tend to drive over the speed limit. Our perceived consequence is not greater than the motivation to get where we are going sooner. If the ticket fine was $1,000 most of us would slow down.

Dogs don’t wander until they do. Most young dogs will stay close to home because they feel safe and have not gained the confidence to leave what is familiar. This starts to change at about 6 months of age. Between 6 months and 1 year of age when most dogs that wander first experience that freedom. Unfortunately, this becomes a self-rewarding behavior. Dogs get pleasure from running and experiencing new things. Once they have that experience it is more likely that they will repeat that behavior. There are some dogs that their greatest pleasure comes from charging full steam down the street, having everyone in the family out chasing them. For these dogs there is almost no consequence that is great enough to stop this behavior.

So, what to do if your dog does get loose?

1. Don’t chase. This just becomes a big game, and you will never catch most dogs.
2. Don’t ever, scold or punish your dog when he/she comes to you. Even if they have been running for an hour and ignoring your commands to come. This is what you want them to do.
3. Sometimes just quietly sitting down or walking away from them will get them to come to you.

So, how do we stop our dogs from running the neighborhood?

1. Supervise. It’s easy to just put your dog out but you run the risk of your dog getting out. Go out with your dog. This is especially true if your dog has a history of getting out. This is a great time to develop a strong relationship with your dog. Time spent with your dog when the focus is just on the dog is valuable in creating and maintaining a well-balanced member of the family. If you are house training a puppy you MUST go out with them.
2. Threshold Control. Teaching your dog that they only go through a door when they are given permission prevents your dog from bolting out the door into traffic just because the door is open. This is one of the basics that I teach all of my clients.
3. Having a recall command that the dog responds to 100% of the time.

Have a dog that likes to wander? Both Ends of the Leash would love to come to your home and help you fix this problem.