PLEASE HELP-my dog is a runner!!!?

Question

to get the best answers, i will start from the begining!we have a sheprt. mixed.Honey and her 2 pups they where srays!! She is very sweet, but she is a runner!!Every chance she gets, she will run from me> she will run as fast as she can w/me chasing and calling her!she will go 30-35 ft. from my home, stop, sit done and wait for me to come and get her!!!Well yesterday when we where coming out of the vet., she jurked the lease out of my hand and did this!! Running down the side of a main road! cars going 55mph!! thank god she stop and i got her!!!! Why dose Honey do this??? how can i get her to stop before it is to late????? if anyone has an idea, please help me!!!!!!!!!

Answer 1

Treats and toys don't work!! Those only work if the dog wants the treat or toy more than he wants to do something else. That is the fundamental problem with the current fad of "bribe doggy to listen."

You have to MAKE him come even when he doesn't want to - and give him a very good reason not to disobey you.

Would you ALWAYS obey the speed limits if there was no risk of a ticket?? If you wouldn't get arrested, would you grow pot in the backyard if it made a lot of money for you?

I don't care what some self-promoting person on TV says. You NEVER ignore a dog who ignores and disobeys you. All they learn is they can ignore you.

That on-coming car is NOT going to "ignore" your dog and neither is the animal control officer.

You don't need to do the advanced methods of gaining control over a headstrong, pig-headed, I'm the boss" dog unless you are working with one - hardly the average pet except for a few breeds.

You can establish that you are the boss - the dominant one, the Alpha - by far less dramatic means than flipping the dog on its back.

Now if the dog gets loose and bolts, yell their name in a high pitched panicky voice,, run the other way and fall down. They will almost always come to see whats wrong and you can grab the beastie,

All the current fads - "postive only with treats and toys or Caesar Milan all promise the same thing - fast results with no real work. Do you see a police officer give his patrol dog a cookie every time he obeys? Do you see the partner of a Guide Dog give the dog a cookie because it took him across the street? Watch the AKC Eukanuba Obedience Championship Competition on TV next January and see if you see a single handler give their dog a cookie? The answer to all of these is a resounding NO becaue those dogs perform to get praise in the form of pets, hugs a good wrestlin aboutg and your "happy" voice and to avoid being corrected, scolded in a deep stern voice while the handler frowns at them, and made to do it properly.

Training a dog properly is WORK. W-O-R-K. It takes time, dedication, persistence and repetition. I have always said that I could teach any dog to the basics in 2 weeks - it was the owners in my classes that took the 10-12 weeks to teach them how to do it.

Now sounds like she has created a wonderful game from her viewpoint - I run, owner chases weee!!!! Dogs call this game "keep away" and they adore it if they innately like to run - they find it very amusing to see their owner huffing and puffing after them, waving their arms about and emitting high pitched shrieks. In fact dogs play this "chase" game wth each other.

She is ignoring you because she thinks "come" is optional. GSDs are VERY prey driven and bred to run, chase and catch things. And off they go.....

Go here and do the test and read what the scores mean. It will help you understand what her personality is and why she does somethings and not others. It also gives you an idea of what training techniques will work best once you understand her personality.

http://www.volhard.com/training/cpp.htm

Here are excerpts from the material I give clients:

Teaching Come:

Step 1 Walking next to you nicely

(Short part for dog that jerks the leash and drags and takes off)

You don't say what other breed she is but if we are talking a big heavy dog, be prepared and braced. Hook the leash on the dog's slip collar (see below on how to fit it and why the flat buckle collar is not going to work.). Get the dog on your left side. Take the leash and run it behind you over your hips to your right side. Hold the end of the leash in your right hand. With your left hand, take up the leash so there is some slack between your hand and the dog's collar - maybe a loop of 6-8 inches on each side.

Walk off. When the dog lunges forward to drag you, halt FAST and step backwards with your left foot throwing your body weight against her and taking the dog's lunge with your body. (You are basically snubbing him off.) You can even take a complete step backwards if you are fast enough. Let him hit that slack and snap himself back. (It works - I weigh 98 lbs and can stop a Great Dane like this,)

As you do that yell "NO" in a deep stern voice, and then in the same voice order him back to your side with "Heel". Make him get back there and move off again

Step 2 Starting Come

Put the leash and collar using a slip collar (see below for how to fit it and put it on) on the dog. Have the leash in front of you and not behind you over the hips. Walk off with her at your side in heel position. Go along for a distance - say 20-40 feet - and then you loosen the lead and run backwards saying "come, come" making the dog turn and come to you. Try to keep going about 15-20 feet in reverse. Make her come all the way to you by gathering in the leash. Lots of praise - pets hugs tummy rubs and voice - NOT treats. (She'll love this! She gets to chase you.)

Now as you go backwards, lots of excitement in your voice as you encourage her to come, whoop and be silly. (You will keep up the happy excitment every single time she is moving under her own steam - even using the long line as set out below. At the longer distances with the long line, I'll drop to my knees as they move towards me and hold out my arms and let them pile into my lap and we roll about if they like. You won't always have to act that silly - just long enough for her to think 'come' is a great thing and always to be done and never optional.)


Step 3 Coming at a distance

Move on to the long line.

Go to the hardware store. Get 3 lengths of ¼ inch to 3/8 inch soft nylon line – 20 foot, 50 foot and 100 foot. Get 3 snaps. Tie the snaps on one end and make a loop handle on the other.

Start with the 20 foot line. Use a CHAIN slip collar that is fitted so there is 3 - 4 fingers of space between the dog’s neck and the collar. Put the collar on so the ring that slides comes across the back of her neck and directly at you. With a flat buckle collar, you are in a pulling match that you are going to lose with about any dog over 15-20 lbs. Either you can't move the dog effectively or they jerk the leash out of your hands.

Note: use the CHAIN slip collar because they learn to lisen for the rattle of the collar and adjust their behavior before you have to correct them. Nylon slip collars just simply do not work 1/4 as well.

SInce she has already pulled the leash away, put your hand through the loop and make a couple extra wraps around your hand when working with her or taking her out and the leash or line is not run behind you.

Hook the line on her collar. Hopefully she knows sit and wait. If not, teach it to her. If she does know sit and wait, put her in a sit, step back 2 or 3 steps and call her. If she doesn’t come, haul her in with the line.

When she comes over a distance of 5-6 feet, move back to 10-12 feet and call her.

Repeat this process until she is working on the 100 foot line.

You can also take her out on the long line and when she is happily distracted, call her and make her come.

ALWAYS ALWAYS use the dog's name " Muffy - come" The name gets their attention that you mean them and you are not just talking to someone and the word that is the command is being used in conversation. Name first - then command.

NEVER TAKE HER OUTSIDE WITHOUT A LEASH (6 ft) OR ONE OF THE LONG LINES. NEVER TURN HER LOOSE OFF LEAD AND CALL HER UNTIL SHE COMES 100% OF THE TIME ON THE 100 FOOT LINE WITH ALL KINDS OF DISTRACTIONS, IE: OTHER DOGS, KIDS PLAYING, TOYS BEING THROWN IN HER PATH AS SHE COMES, ETC.

When you say “come” and she doesn’t, haul her backside into you using the line repeating “come”, “come”. Use a STERN DEEP voice that brooks no argument about the matter if the dog already knows the command 'come' and is choosing to disobey.

Whatever you do , don't let your voice slide upwards into high tones unless you are giving praise. When you give a command, used an authoritative voice and sound like you mean it - and not "would you please 'come'-if you happen to feel like it of course."


When she gets to you – willingly or unwillingly, praise and pet and make a big fuss and tell her that she is such a good girl.

Never ever ever call a dog to you to punish or correct them once they get to you. The dog needs to understand that ignoring you and not coming makes you growl at them (the stern voice insisting they obey) just like the boss dog would do; but getting to you (no matter whether voluntarily or involuntary) is a good thing and gets rewarded.

Using treats is silly because one day you will start to forget the treats or not have them or something, and the next time you call her, she'll remember not getting the treat and figure "why bother?" And what happens the day the doggy decides it is more fun to chase the rabbit than come for the treat?

Clickers are just flat stupid - they are for people who are too dumb to figure out how to quickly say "GOOD DOG" in a happy, excited voice.

You always have your hands and your voice. Use them

By the way, many women in particular, but men do it too, have a real problem with voice control, When they get upset or frustrated, their voice go UP. The dog ignores them. In the pack, the boss dog or alpa uses deep tones (rumble in the chest, growl etc) to express displeasure and get compliance from the dogs lower in the pecking order. A dog making a high ptiched sound (yapping, yelping etc) is not only not going to get compliance as they are percieved as ineffectual and the not-Alpha, not-the-boss but that it is giving an invitation to play.

On collars, pinch collars are a last resort if the slip collar hasn't worked. You use a pinch only until the dog gets the message and then back off to your slip and, if you are really lucky, may be a flat buckle one day. The only thing beyond them is the electric shock collar - and don't go to that unitl everything else has failed. Those work best on senstive breeds - breeds that were breed to be tough in a fight and withstand pain are not as responsive at all since they just blow right on past the tingly sensation and don't even notice it when they get excited (GSDs, Boxes- all the guarding breeds like that and herd guarding dogs)

Pinch collars, head halters, funky harneses and all the other strange things are ILLEGAL in AKC obedience trials. Only allowed slip collars or flat collars in that forum and 97% of people use slip collars (often called a choke chain.)

By the way, you never set against the dog and PULL on a slip collar (unless they are dragging you) or keep it ratcheted up tight. You snap it - fast pop with the leash and release. I always put them on the owner's arm to demonstrate - got the message across fast.


Now you both need a GOOD obedience class - and that is NOT Petsmart or Petco.

GO here to find contacts in you area that can help you locate and obedience trainer who works with all beeds and has experience with GSDs and who does AKC obeedience compettions:

http://www.akc.org/clubs/search/index.cfm?action=agil&display=on

http://www.akc.org/clubs/search/index.cfm?action=conf&display=on (set on all breeds)


http://www.akc.org/clubs/search/index.cfm?action=obed&display=on

Even it they are an hour or more away, they will know other people all over the state.


GOOD LUCK! AND MANY CONGRATS ON TAKING HER IN!!

Answer 2

My brittany spaniel is a runner too. Every chance she gets she will run. She always comes back. When my husband trained her to hunt he had a problem with her getting the bird and running from him. So against my wishes he used a shock collar on her. I was very upset by the idea, he put the collar on my wrist and pushed the button, it did not hurt but it did get my attention. Three times he had to use it on her before she would return the bird to him. Recenlty she got out of our yard and took off running my natural response was to call her name over and over he walked out behind me pushed the button she stopped dead in her tracks he called her name she just looked at him he pushed it again and said BRITTANY COME and she did. She's not run since. This might not be the solution you are seeking but it works and after some time you can stop using the collar. Also you might want to try an antipulling harness {I use it with my black lab that is 100 pounds} but most of all if you are not strong enough to controll your dog on a leash you shouldnt be walking it.

Answer 3

She does it because you chase her. Dogs think that is a great game.
Start with treats. Call her name a few random times a day, when she comes over, she gets food. Do this in the house and fenced yard. Then do it on a long leash. Eventually she will come to you rather than you chasing her.
Obedience classes, books, or a trainer are also a good idea. It will teach you how to train the dog without driving you both nuts and making the dog worse.
Really, you have to train her. Just like little kids, they don't know until they are taught.

Answer 4

1. Get her spayed. http://www.friendsofanimals.org for low cost

2. Train her to do a consistant "sit" "down" and "come." These could save her life.

3. If she is jerking the leash out of your hand, you may need to consider a prong collar, or do some loose leash walk training.

If you go with a prong collar, be sure you find someone to help you properly fit, put on, take off, and use it. It may look barbaric, but it mimicks the moma dog's correction of teeth on the neck. It does not penetrate the skin, as the tips are blunt and rounded. Choke chains cause far more damage by compressing the windpipe and esophagus.

Please email me at [e-mail] if you need advice on these commands. I can also help instruct you on loose leash walking, and correct prong collar use.

http://www.geocities.com/libertydogtraining

Answer 5

It seems that she thinks this is a game. You need to practice training her off leash perhaps in a fenced in backyard so that you have better control of her. If she's pulling the leash out of your hand then she definately needs to get training on leash as well. I would fine a dog trainer that can work one on one with you. It's in the breed of shepherds to run and work. Taking her on long walks twice daily at least were she is burning off that "gotta work" mentally might help her be too tired to run. She has excitable energy that she needs to release and does so by running. Also I'm going to plug The Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic channel (http://www.dogpsychologycenter.com/) which is an excellent show that teaches owners how to better control their animals :)

Answer 6

she needs to learn the sit-stay command. I had a carolina dog that would do the same thing, she ran away every chance she got, she was spayed, but she just loved to play chase. One day about 4 years ago she ran away in an ice storm & was killed in traffic. It was a very heartbreaking time for our family. If you don't have the confidance to teach Honey sit-stay get an obediance trainer,Please save yourself the heartache of loosing a lovable pet before her time!

The pinch collar is a good training aid, so are pockets full of treats, my pups LOVE bil-jac...choke chains are not good. & I am leary of electric shock collars...pinch collars are low tech, most like mother dog and usefull in teaching pups and dogs...

Answer 7

LOL! I got a runner too. She loves it, and needs it. Try a head halter or a pinch collar to get control of her while on leash. Get some obedience training. AND never scold her when she comes back to you... no matter how mad you are. She came too you...GOOD DOG!

**wink** more excersize isnt a bad idea either.

Answer 8

Wrap the leash around your wrist if she pulls it out of your hand. And then get her into a good obedience class (NOT a 'furbaby' class like they have at Petsmart and Petco) and learn how to train her before she gets hit by a car or into a fight.

Answer 9

Watch Cesar Milan The Dog Whisperer on The History Channel

She is in need of basic obedience. Her first impulse is flight and because she has not been taught to come you have to go to her.

She sounds like a timid dog and will need gentle training.

Answer 10

-Buy a choke collar and give it a sharp jerk every time she attempts escape
- Carry a small stach of your dog's favortie treat to lure her back the secound she makes a break for it
-Consider enclosing your dog in a crate when you take her to the vet's office
-Reward your dog for staying near you while you are playing in the yard or dog park

My welsh Corgi used to run away, but now we can take her on walks without a leash

Answer 11

I know this will sound cruel but, get one of those lines you bury in the ground and it will come with a shock collar. Every time she crosses the buried line it will shock her. Eventually she will not cross the boundary and then you can turn it off. Good Luck. That is what worked for my Husky.