My dog gets a chance he bolts?

Question

If my dog gets a chance to get off his lead he is gone. I don't know an effective way to keep him from doing this. He minds real well when we are in the house. But when we walk out the door it is a different story. I will not hit him when I catch him. That would only make him run more in my opinion. Any serious solutions out there.

He is a Lab mix. We aren't sure who the father was. We have 2 opinions that he may have been a Pitbull or an American Boxer. He ran out in front of a car and it barely missed him. I can't figure why he is different outside the house as to being in. He minds so great in the house. My hick town doesn't have a dog park, that would be great if we did. My dog loves to socialize with other dogs.

Answer 1

First off~good for you don't ever hit your dog~
the first thing I train my dogs to do is the "down" command,if you dog is really hyper this could be really hard, but it is a MUST KNOW command, it could save his life. work on this command 24/7 if you have, inside and out ,it only takes a minute to practice and can be done anywhere at any time, when your dog starts running a firm "down" should have him dropping on the spot, until then try using a nylon choke collar, (the chain type have a way of getting stuck on the links and choking the dog) and every time he pulls on th lead or even looks like he wants to run off give him a firm tug in the upwards direction and again a firm no. hope this helps, and just keep working on the training.

Answer 2

I can tell you first that labs, more than any other dog, respond really well to eletric collars and fences. It may seem cruel, but after only three or four 'corrections'. your dog will learn where he can go and where he can not. Sometimes, these correction methods are a lot kinder than letting him get in trouble, or hit.

Also, obedience videos and shows on the animal planet are free. Check the library!!!! You can learn how to get him to know what to do and when, by hand signals and words. But you have to be consistent.

Lastly, labs are a mess until they are at least 2. I don't recall what age you said the dog was, but they are huge ball of excitement and energy and curiosity for the first few years. Hang in there! And read "Marley and Me" because you will be laughing over the similarites between Marley and your dog!!

Answer 3

My years of training dogs with behavior problems has involved owners who lack basic understanding and needs of there pet.
A dog is a pack animal this means simply he is part of. In all packs there are followers and leaders, unfortunately in this case he is the leader and you are the follower.The first thing you have to do is take control over your space, this means you have to claim everything around you. He should not be on the bed couch he should not jump on you. if he does these things in the house then he is the dominate one. Going for a walk: get rid of the collar your using a dog will respond better to something new make sure the collar is high on the neck just below his chin. do not put on the leash until hes com, and submissive. open the door but do not make him lead you out. This is important if he leads hes in charge. If he pulls you out of the door jerk the leash. do not continue on your walk. Take him back in the house close the door and start over make him follow you. remember keep his collar high on his neck. when walking do not pull against him when he bolts but jerk the collar and stay in one place until he obeys. This can be a long process but don`t give up

Answer 4

well I read the other responses and if you ask me you will never be able to correct this bad behavior. Yes bad behavior and that is definetly what it is. He obviously is ignoring your requests to listen and behave and be a good dog and stay in the yard. Once a dog gets the taste of freedom and adventure they will want nothing else and anything you do to try and intice him to do otherwise does not matter one bit. I truely believe this to also be more of a problem in male dogs.

We have the same exact problem right now with our dog the only difference is our dog is a toy breed only weighing 3 pounds! He was neutered at 6 months and now is 8 months old and will not, I repeat will not stay in our yard. We've tried training, offering him treats, even staying with him while he is in the yard. Nothing works! We have a completely fenced in yard and a large lot he has plenty of room to run especially for his size. He is walked daily and gets plenty of attention, but whenever you let him out to go potty, even if you are standing out there with him, he runs straight to the rear of our property and climbs over the fence like a racoon and takes off! Yes he climbs an 8 ft wire fence to escape. We have put additional chicken wire all along the bottom to stop him but he just climbs over that! I've have never seen such determination. It's not as if he has it bad, for god sakes the dog is pampered and has every luxury and dog could ask for. We are just besides ourselves and as a last resort we are advertising him in the local paper to find him another home because we have realized this "bad" behavior will never stop! He gets out at least 3x a day and is brought back home by a neighbor at least once a day. He has become a nuisance on our hillside and it's not cute and funny anymore. Especially if he gets hit by a car and killed by wildlife as we are somewhat rural in the hills. It just is not safe for him to stay and not realistic for us to deal with as I have two very small children whom I can't just leave unattended to go running the hillside after my dog. And I have to let him out to go potty several times a day and cant be available 24/7 to supervise him out there in rain or snow. I'm fed up and give up so good luck with whatever you decide to do, but I wouldn't get your hopes up on this ever ending!

Answer 5

What kind of breed is he? How old is he? Some breeds you cannot, ever, trust off lead. I have a Siberian husky and his breed are known for being untrustworthy off lead.

You could try taking him to obedience classes. Even if he is still untrustworthy offlead, I bet he will love going to obedience (dogs really enjoy it).

You should never, ever, ever hit a dog. There is never anytime when it is an appropriate form of discipline because the dog will never connect your physical violence with the "bad behaviour" they have just performed.

Answer 6

this is a bad thing .i had a dog that wouldn't stop doing this.we found her walking around and she was a 6 month old basset hound her owners that had her told us to keep her.that she ran away too much.when we let her out she would still manage to get out of the fence .this dog was wanting to go.when she got out and i called her name sometimes she would stay in that spot until i got her.well Monday DEC 4 this year.she got out of the fence again.i called her.this time she ran from me and she was hit by a speeding car and died.of course i didn't see it .but i heard it.the sound of the car hitting her and her yelp.it will never leave me i miss her so much.she was almost 2.please take your dog to be trained.i wish i would have good luck.some dogs are runners.

Answer 7

Your dog just wants to run and be a dog. If you increase his time out on the leash his need to run will lessen. Dont just walk your dog have fun, run some with him, tire him out. Soon enough he will be older and slow down. Dont you remember when you were young and ran everywhere you went.

Answer 8

Do you have a dog park you can take him to and let him run all he wants?
That would help out some.