ERRRR My Dog Won't COME!!?

Question

I have this dog he is just wonderful when he is in the house, on the leash, in the car, with kids; but the second he gets loose you are not getting him back. You can call him nice, hold out a cheeseburger, yell. he'll just stop for a second look at you then turn around and trot off. I have spent all morning chasing that dog and now I am home and mad. Will a shock collar work? Like, when he turns around give him a zap or should I just put him down or what? I don't know what to do. I live in town and he is trotting through peoples yards and I know I am going to get phone calls but how embarassing is it when you go over there and the dog will not come. Anyone else had this problem what did you do? There has to be something, and yes he is nuetered he is a huskey/lab mix. 5 yrs old

Answer 1

At 5 years old you are not going to change a habit of half a lifetime.
What you can do is change your habit of chasing him.
The difficulty with this is that when you finally do get a hold of him there is no point chastising him because he will associate coming back to you with punishment.
So if you want him off the lead and he wont come then leave him.
Do not chase him.What's the point?
You can try training him on a long rope,starting with short distances first and letting him go further by degrees.It will take time and effort.
Alternatively try training him in an enclosed area.
Impose your will on the dog and make him come by pulling on the rope.
But by chasing him he thinks the whole episode is a game and that just encourages him still further.

Answer 2

Oh what fun you are. A lovely owner giving him all that fun by chasing him around and giving him heaps of attention. Yes that is why he is doing it. He thinks it is all a big game. The best thing for you would be to take him to a dog training school.....this is where they train both the dog and the human as yes you are sending him mixed signals without realising it and he thinks it is a game as a result.

With all of my 5 dogs they all come back on command first call 99% of the time. If they do not I just turn and walk away and they will soon follow when they realise that you are leaving them. Of course you can not do this where it is a dangerous place like near a road etc, which is why it is best for you to take your little devil to a training school so that you have a safe environment to not only teach him in but feel safe that he is safe whilst you are doing this.

Answer 3

How does he keep getting loose? Does he run out the door? Does he escape the backyard? Does he wiggle out of his collar? My best suggestion would be to do everything to prevent him from getting loose. If it's a collar issue it might not be on tight enough. You want to be able to fit 2 fingers between his neck and the collar. If he just runs out the door when it gets opened make sure that someone is holding onto him before the door is opened. I DO NOT recommend using a shock collar or anything of that sort. Just make sure that anytime he's outside he is on a leash. Both the husky and lab breeds have lots of energy and like to run. He may just need more exercise to burn off all that energy. You can also join an obedience class. He's never too old to learn. Hope this helps and good luck!

Answer 4

Ohh boy. Not only is this a pain in the butt, it's also dangerous. Fido could run out in the street and get struck by a car.

First, don't let him off the leash unless it's in a closely confined space - a fenced yard for example. Get a longer leash or make one out of light line and a good strong snap to let him get more exercise. BUT do NOT let him off the leash until you have control.

If Fido gets loose don't chase him. That's play-time for you. When he sees you aren't going to take the bait, he'll get bored and come back. Problem is, of course, you don't have time to wait for Fido to get bored - or he might run into the street, chase other dogs/people etc. Big problem, too.

So, until he has a reliable recall, keep him on a long leash and don't let him off it. Sorry.

Shock collars don't help the "recall" because you want to make coming to you the most wonderful experience in the world - full of treats and praise and petting. You don't want him to associate "Fido Come!" with a shock.

Your best bet is to take him to obedience school because the recall is one of the most important commands - and perhaps the hardest to teach. It's worth the time and money, I promise.

Answer 5

No wonder! He is part husky. Those dogs are built to run for great lengths and on little food. You will have to do some serious training to keep him in bounds. I doubt a shock collar with underground fencing will work; I was considering getting a husky until I found out that the short term pain of a shock will not be outweighed by the innate desire to run. I would not put him down, but you should NEVER trust him off of a leash. Look up local obedience classes and get him in one!

Answer 6

Why in the world you you euthanize your dog for THAT?

Do NOT get a zap collar. I had a friend who actually put one on once. He said it hurts like hell. And if that doesn't convince you, I work at an animal hospital and have seen two cases of those things burning HOLES into a dogs neck. They're cruel.

Do not chase the dog; he will think you are playing with him. That is also showing him that he is dominant and he can get you to follow him. You need to be more firm with him around the house, asserting your position as alpha leader. Do not let him get away with things, do not let him manipulate you into giving him what he wants, when he wants it [i.e. giving him treats when he whines, letting him drag you around on the leash, etc]. Do not yell at him, and do not hit him as punishment. Be calm, assertive, and firm.

Start out teaching him to come to you in the house. Get him to the point that he will listen to you. If he gets out and doesn't listen, try going to pick him up in the car. A lot of dogs love car rides, and he might come running to get in the car.

If you need to, get a trainer.

Answer 7

First thing to tell you is most Huskies are not reliable off leash...I'm sure that it goes without saying but try to avoid letting him off leash in an unsecured area. Shock collars are a last resort and with some dogs even a shock collar doesn't really work. If you have anyone in your area that does reward based training work and refresher course that includes the recall (come command) might be a good idea...avoid trainers who insist on adversive corrections without exausting all other methods first. Practice his recalls on a long training leash after he gets good at recalls in a minimally distracted area...remember practice practice practice....when he is doing well at his recall on the long leash... put two leashes on him...one normal the other a super light long leash (clothes line works great for this) take his normal leash off, leaving the lightweight leash on..he will think you just took him off leash...practice your recall often...in an emergency you can use his chase response in your favor...squeal and run-he should chase you...best of luck

Answer 8

The reason your dog is like this is because you keep him controled too much. This doesnt make sence, I know. I have this dog and we would always keep her in her little corral that was about 10X12ft. Well she seemed fine there, but when we would let her run around she would go all over town and it was so hard to get her back inside. She could come back eventually when she got hungry or tired but sometimes that wasnt until the next day. Now that we let her run around the back yard all day long, she's not tempted to run out into the street because she has the space she needs.

Answer 9

My terrier will do that and we are working on that. All you need is a lead line and time to train your dog.

People say sighthounds will not come once they are loose but I beg to differ. I trained all my sighthounds using a lead line and they ALL come ALL the time. Just get a lead line and let your dog run to the end of it. Call him and then reel him back in until he just comes without you having to tug on the line. It took my Italian Greyhound 4 months to train but now he comes whenever I call him no matter how far away he is. He will even come if he is chasing something. He will stop and come back. It is pretty cool.

Answer 10

Zapping him wont work it may only hurt him and make him not listen even more. I Have a dog that used to do this all the time. Just spend alot of time with him to the point where he follows you around everywhere. Once this happens when you call him he should be able to run to you all the time.