Traning a dog to stay in your yard???!!!?

Question

I'm trying to train my 7 month old rat terrier puppy to stay in my yard. But when i let him off his leash he is good until he sees people or are other neighbors dogs, or smells the other neighbors dogs poop, then he'll run over there, and it's very hard to catch him, he is very fast? What should we do? We don't want a big fence around our whole yard, and i can't afford an invisible one at the moment, plz help. I wan't him to be able to have his freedom.

best answer gets 10 pts. =]*

In the future i do want to get an invisible fence, it's just right now im saving. I'm 14 and don't have a REAL GOOD paying job, and i am a responsible owner for them ppl that think im not, thanks.

When outside unleashed i would be outside with him, i would note leave him alone. I just play with him outside and then he darts over to another persons property.

Answer 1

Here are some training tips:

Make the dog aware that there is a boundary. Pick obvious markers to help the dog know where to stop. Curbs, the sidewalk, doorways, trees and shrubs are all good visual cues for a boundary. Small flags stuck in the ground are also good boundary markers for flowerbeds. For the first few days of training, walk the leashed dog over to the boundary and develop a habit of stopping at that boundary and turning away from it. No verbal cue should be given since you want the dog to respect the boundary whether you are there to give a cue or not. Be consistent and praise the dog each time they lead him away from the boundary. Until the dog is boundary trained, he should never be able to cross the boundary.

On-leash "Sit-Stays" at the boundary are an excellent way to show the dog that you and other family members may cross the boundary, but he may not. Give lots of treats and praise for successful "Sit-Stays" on his side of the boundary. Bring the dog up to the boundary line, stop and put him in a "Sit". You cross the boundary line and then return to the dog who should still be sitting on his side of the boundary. Do this all along the boundary line for several days. Make sure to reward the dog for remaining outside the room or boundary.

When you see that the dog is anticipating stopping when they approach the boundary, begin to give him a little more leash to allow him to approach the boundary more freely. Be ready to stop him quickly if it appears that he is not going to stop and then quickly get him into a "Sit" and then back away from the boundary line. Practice this exercise for a few more days. Set the dog up with a variety of distractions so the behavior of not crossing the boundary is generalized. When you get the same anticipation with various distractions as you did without the distractions, you can advance to booby-trapping the boundary line.

Booby-Trapping the boundary is critical so the dog can learn that even if no one is around, he must respect the boundary. Devices such as, shaker cans, whistles, and squirt guns, static mat or upside down carpet runner can also be used. You will need to have other people hidden in the forbidden area with some these devices in order to surprise the dog when he starts to cross the boundary. Remote devices, such as, motion-sensor shriek alarms, static mats and upside down carpet runners are automatically triggered when the dog crosses the boundary and usually are the better choice for boundary training.

You MUST manage the situation. If the dog is kept on leash when the door is opened it is impossible for the dog to bolt out the door. Combine this with proper training and the behavior can be extinguished. You should also suggest that this dog receive more mental and physical stimulation in his daily routine. More stimulation should allow the dog to resist an inappropriate opportunity in favor of the walk he will take with the owner later.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

The only way to train him is to have training sessions with him, you will need to give him a command that lets him know he needs to stay in the yard (we use place). Then you need to put on a training collar and have someone outside of the yard area make noise continually and repeatedly correct your dog when they stray out of the area. The key here is to constantly say "good dog" or "good " while they are acting normally in the area you want them to.

The biggest problem you are going to have here is that at first the dog is going to think they are being bad just for running around or being a dog, so he will most likely respond by just mopping in a single area.

As in anything with dog training the key is to have a 10-15 minute training session (this will be stressful for the dog), followed by some good play time. Do this 2 or 3 times a day for about a week and you should start seeing him understand what you are looking for and work better.

Place is a very hard command to start with, you might want to try sit and stay first which you can also use to help you with training on Place.

Answer 3

Puppy and dogs do what they do. Something fun is just too inviting. You will not be able to guarantee him a safe haven with some type of fence.

Teach him, sit, stay and to come when called. Those are critical to his safety and your sanity. When you are in the back yard with him, put him on a 30 foot long line so when he takes off you still have him. His safety is your responsibility. The next time he takes off it could be across the street in front of a truck.

Work with him doing a proper walk. see: http://www.cesarmillaninc.com/ for some good information.

I would not trust my best trained dog not to take off after something that looks fun. He's still a dog.

Answer 4

Hi, I've been breeding and training dogs, mostly dobermanns and german shepherds, for more than 20 years. There is not a problem I have not come across. I always recommend getting to class, and if this is not possible use a good guide - that means use it, follow it and stick to it !! Many of my clients and friends have been using Dog Training Academy with fantastic results. Remember - its usually the owner needs more training than the dog. Follow the guides and you will have a happy dog/friend for life. Good luck

Answer 5

This is the best answer, you have a terrier breed, you will need to get an escape proof fence and also one that he can't dig out of.

You might be able to make a smaller section of perhaps half the back yard to keep him in.

The number one cause of mortality in Jack Russell Terriers is being hit by cars, and I imagine it is similar for Rat Terriers.

The breeder who sold you this dog has let you down badly by not helping you understand what is required to care for this breed.

Chasing your dog is not a good way to get him to come to you. Try an obedience club to teach your dog to respond to your call.

In the meantime practice with a long rope and everytime he comes to your call give him a nice treat and a pat. Also buy a book on Dog Training, and contact the Shelters and humane societies about training clubs that might operate in your area.

Never run up to your dog and punish him, or punish when he comes up to you, this teaches him to distrust you and he will fear coming over to you.

Neuter you dog to stop him chasing after females. Give your dogs socialisation opportunities by starting with Obedience training club activities.

Additionally, give your dog something interesting to do in his own backyard, a large raw meaty bone to munch on, a ball or two, a treat ball, a kong, make him a sandpit and bury surprises in there. Take him on nice long walks ON the lead to help him bond with you.

Answer 6

you should NEVER leave ANY dog alone unspervised offleash outside unless the dog is securly fenced in or on a cable tieout/run.

you need to either fence at least part of the yard so he has a safe area or buy an overhead cable run that you can put between to posts and attatch a cable run line too (the overhead ones are less likely to get caught around the dogs neck or legs)

the invisible fences are not worth the money, most breeds if highly enough motivated will run straight through them and then not come home becuase then they remember it hurts to cross that line!

it is unsafe and totally irresponsible to leave any dog of any age alone outside, sooo much could happen, your dog could run out into a road and get hit, or a little kid might come into your yard and accidentally hurt your dog, or he might hurt them, other dogs and animals can get in and could easily kill a msall breed like a rat terrier even full grown.

please either fence in your yard of buy an overhead run cable tie out for his saftey.

Answer 7

Unfortunately you will either have to keep your puppy on a long leash while in your yard or fence it in. Keeping your dog on a long leash means that you can work on "come" and reel him in if he doesn't.

Always reward your dog when he comes and NEVER scold when he doesn't come. The command "come" should always be mean something more enticing and rewarding to your dog than anything else!

Answer 8

A rat terrier? Can't be done, at least not reliably.

Terriers were bred to be very tenacious. Once they spot their prey (vermin), they are very difficult to stop. Get a fence and don't ever let your dog off leash in an area where he can get into trouble.

Answer 9

Most likely you won't be able to train the dog at 7 months to stay on the yard. It is best when you start training them at 8 weeks old. I trained my Golden to stay on the yard since he was 8 weeks old, now he is 2 yrs old and STILL stays in the yard. The way I did these was by taking him outside to relive himself with out chaining him up or of course had to be supervised. When he did try to step off the yard I would say "NO, Bad"...he eventually starting getting the hang of it.

Answer 10

Do you want to trust your dog's life to just training? I wouldn't.

Terriers are very driven to go after prey. One cat and your dog is off and running. You can't train that away.

You need a fence - a real fence. Electric fences are notorious for not working, especially with strong-willed terriers who will take the shock and run right through them.