How to teach a dog not to run away. There are many reasons why the dog runs away, the typical situation being when our four-legged friend hears a female in heat and digs under the garden fence to meet his ‘Juliet’.
Also, a dog that runs away could be driven by fear of thunderstorms or fireworks. So, we try to understand why dogs run away and how to teach them not to run away.
Why does the dog run away?
Let us try to list all the possible reasons why dogs run away:
- Attraction to the opposite sex: a male dog can smell a female dog in heat even from miles away. Then, if it is part of the sniffer, the dog breeds even further away.
- Undefined canine territory: Some dogs in the garden may not realise they are crossing their territory because it is poorly defined.
- Boredom and loneliness: the dog runs away from boredom, lack of distractions and loneliness;
- Head dog: If the dog is in charge of your family, he may come and go as and when he wants.
- Problematic adoption: The dog may have difficulty adapting and bonding with its new family in the post-adoption phase. Without this bond, the dog prefers to go elsewhere.
- A vague sense of direction: It may happen that over the years, the older dog loses its way home and no longer knows how to return.
- Fearful dog: often, loud and unfamiliar noises (firecrackers, thunderstorms, etc.) are primarily responsible for the dog running away.
- Lack of control: the dog runs away because of its irresistible need to move.
- Separation anxiety. If the dog is particularly attached to a family member, it may run away to look for him.
How to teach your dog not to run away
Once the cause is identified, it will be significantly easier to teach the dog not to run away, or it will be considerably easier to remedy it!
If your dog runs away for love, Strengthen your garden fence, and in the worst case, consider neutering your dog.
Carefully enclose the boundaries of your garden with hedges and a strong net. If you see him intent on crossing the border, call him back immediately and play with him. He will gradually become aware of the impassable boundaries.
Please increase the number of walks with the dog and play with him a little more; that way, when he is tired, his only thought will be to take a nap without digging holes in the garden or trying to escape.
If the dog is in charge, try to accredit yourself in his eyes as the group’s coordinator. If you cannot do this, contact a dog trainer.
First, if you adopt a dog, do not even think of leaving it alone in the garden all day. Especially in the beginning, you should spend a lot of time with him and try to make him understand that he belongs to your family, show him your affection and assign him a cooperative role.
As for the elderly dog, if he has difficulty finding his way home, ensure he never goes out alone. About the dog that runs away for fear of loud noises, if the cause is predictable, lock it in the house at your side and gradually get used to the noise.
If you have a dog that runs away because of a total lack of control, it is best to consult a veterinary behaviourist. In the case of abandonment anxiety, there are many techniques for teaching how to overcome the moment of detachment.
What to do if the dog runs away
If your dog frequently escapes, it must be equipped with a tag and a microchip (now required by law). These are two indispensable tools for finding your dog. Also, after teaching him basic dog commands, do not forget to teach your dog not to go outside the gate.
The one thing you must never, ever do is to scold the dog when it returns because the dog does not know the reason for the scolding and does not relate the punishment to why it ran away; it just thinks that you are rejecting it, prompting it to run away again.
So, welcome him with open arms so that holding him wherever possible can prevent or reduce the irresistible desire to run away from home.
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