It is funny how we may not understand dogs sometimes. We provide them a safe, warm place, large meals, company, and care, yet, if given the chance, they may wander who-knows-where and make us chase and look for them.
Numerous dogs in asylums are there in light of the fact that they fled from home and are never asserted. It is one of the greatest stresses to numerous pooch proprietors, who battle with needing to give their puppy flexibility to run and play and keep them safe in the meantime.
A puppy that runs can get hit by a car, be stolen, assaulted by another creature, or wind up at a shelter. Fortunately, there is a solution for this issue, as we always provide one for you. Read through this article and find out about ways how to keep your dog from running away.
Why Would a Dog Run Away?
If it ever happened to you that Fido ran away, you are probably wondering what the reasons are for that. Here is the list with explained reasons why do dogs run away.
1. Dog is New and Not Used to Not Being Free
If you have recently adopted a dog that is fully or partly grown, it may be unfamiliar with the new location and not used to calling it home. If it was a stray dog, he has never faced a situation where he is caged or surrounded with a fence, so it is very likely that he or she will desire his freedom back even though you have offered him the dream life for a canine.
Do not give up on him it takes time and patience for your dog to learn to live by the rules you have set up.
2. Fido is Lonely
Is your pooch closed in a small fence with none around and nothing to play with? Well, the home and food are not enough for your canine to be happy, they are pack animals and they need company else they will get lonely and bored. Spending time with your pet is extremely valuable for him and required to keep him waving his tail.
3. Doggie is Looking for a Mate
It’s that time of a season! This is usually the problem with male dogs, the females may want to roam only when they are in heat, and even that is less likely. Males, however, are in matting season whenever they smell the scent of a bitch in heat.
It is a natural process, and we cannot blame our pets for wanting to go out and «do their duty» with the females. This situation, especially with pets that are not neutered, is often very tough to control, as male canine’s urge to mate is extremely strong.
4. Your Pet Has Plenty of Unused Energy
10-minute walks are not enough for your pooch to use all the energy they have. Our four-legged friends require long walks, playing and exercising. Also, if your pet is one of the hyperactive dog breeds, low activity is definitely the reason why your pet would try to run away.
Some breeds, like Siberian Huskies, just like to run, run and run, and that may be the leverage for their break.
5. He or She Got Scared
Something or someone may have scared your canine so his instincts told him to run. If the pooch does not feel safe, he will surely look for a safer environment for himself. This often happens after fireworks, thunderstorms, loud neighborhoods, other pups passing by or a person being mean to a pooch.
6. He Has Access to the Outside
Your gate is always open? Well, it is natural that your dog will not feel restricted and will try to wander around to mark its territory and sniff with other canines.
7. Rover Wants to Hunt
Being descendants of wolves, dogs have very strong hunting instincts. This is the urge that is in their blood, and looking for a prey is something they find both attractive and obligatory.
Keep in mind that roaming is usually very rewarding for your four legged friend. Sometimes, the leftovers in the neighborhood are tastier than the kibble he eats every day. The holes they dig, the territory they mark, the social activity with other pooches, everything that is either forbidden or restricted for your dog is offered on a plate to your Rex, and that must be exciting and fun for him.
8. Which Dogs Usually Run Away?
Generally speaking, guard and herding dogs are those that will stay and sleep at your porch even though your yard is not fenced. They are very territorial and will stick to their ground even without being trained.
Hunting pups are bred and trained to lure for the scent, so, naturally, they will roam and look for the prey. They are not expected to stay put.
The worst in this category would be the so-called pack dogs, those that are bred to be in packs, and spent most of their time pulling sleds or traveling long distances. These puppies are not even recommended to be put off leash in an area that is not fenced unless properly trained.
Another interesting fact is that younger pups are much more likely to run away than elderly canines, I guess for obvious reasons.
You are probably wondering if your pooch is the type that would roam and run around if given the chance. To ease your research, we have prepared a list of dogs that are most likely to roam. The list was made according to the research and the survey among the dog owners.
- Siberian Husky — these dogs are often called the escape artists as they will always find a way to avoid obstacles, open the gate, dig a hole under the fence or simply jump over it.
- Alaskan Malamute
- Labrador retriever
- Jack Russell
- German Shepherd
- Cocker Spaniel
- Border collie
- West Highland Terrier
- Yorkshire terrier
- Boxer
Have you recognized your dog among these? If you did, it is time to do some prevention, if your pooch has already escaped before the part you have been waiting for has come.
The methods to teach and train your dog not to run away consist of two parts: the general part, which tells what every owner should provide for his dog, and the specific part that will address the cause of the roaming.
General Tips for Prevention of Escaping
Tips for Specific Situations
1. Remove the Sex Drive
Neuter your boy, or if you own a female dog, spay her, that will prevent her scent from attracting dozens of other male dogs around your house. Take a closer look at our article on neutering and spaying your pooch to give you a better idea.
Your dog is exposed to limitless dangers when roaming, and the best possible outcome, besides him returning home, is that you find him in a local animal shelter. Mating instincts are extremely hard to control, so by neutering or spaying your dog we remove the urge every being is born with.
2. Remove the Reward Gained for Escaping
If it is food left in the trash, increase the bonus he usually gets. If those are some other dogs, call the local animal control center so stray dogs will be taken to a shelter. The important factor with roaming dogs is that they face the new environment that proved to be rewarding, so they have no reason to fear of repeating the action nor can your dog see dangers that lure on every corner.
3. Reward Your Dog for Coming Back
Do not make your dog feel sorry for coming back. If he returned, it is time to reward, not punish the poor, confused creature. Give him a treat, praise him and give him a big hug so he will know that coming back was a good thing.
4. You Are the One That Gets Out First
First and foremost, anticipate escapes by having your dog on rope or inside at whatever point the door opens. At that point hone by conveying her to the entryway on a leash. Request her to sit then reach for the handle.
When she begins to get up, take your hand back and request her to sit once more. Go after the handle. Rehash, rehash, rehash until he can hold up quietly till you give her the alright to go. Continue practicing without a leash until completely mastered. This will make your pup stay inside the area until you give the sign.
5. Stop the Digging
A standout amongst the most well-known routes for canines to escape from fenced-in ranges is for them to burrow a sufficiently major space to creep under the divider or entryway.
You can diminish the possibilities of this occurrence by setting a steel wall or vast shakes along the edge of the yard, or by covering chicken wire under the ground at the base of the wall so they can’t burrow through it. For tips on how to stop this behavior, see our article on ways to stop Buster from digging.
6. Try a Sport With Your Dog
Any activity like agility, bikejoring or swimming has an amazing effect on both you and your dog.
The energy used will make your dog think only about his comfy sheets where he sleeps and the food bowl.
7. Give Him or Her a Collar With a Tag
In case your dog gets lost, you would want someone to contact you in case your dog is found. Leave a dog tag with information on how to get in touch with you.
8. Microchipping is Another Great Solution
Not only this is obligatory in some countries, but it also saves a lot of time and effort in finding a missing dog. Invest in your four-legged friend so he will be more secure and easier to find even when roaming. For more information on this, see our article on proper identification and microchipping your dogs.
Pooches fleeing, meandering, pursuing, getting away, or not returning when called is an exceptionally normal issue for us canine partners. In spite of the fact that this fleeing conduct fulfills large portions of your canine’s senses and is a totally regular thing to do, it is likewise absolutely unsatisfactory and hazardous in today’s quick-paced world.
Wandering or fleeing conduct can be a dubious issue to pivot. One of the greatest issues we confront when tending to this issue is that every time our pooches get out and investigate the world they really get compensated for doing as such. They get the opportunity to attack your neighbor’s garbage receptacle, pursue the feline from adjacent or hang out with some different puppies… you get the thought.
That is the reason fleeing is regularly called «self-compensating conduct». Essentially this means once a canine gets into the propensity for fleeing/ getting away (and getting compensated for it) it can be exceptionally troublesome conduct to stifle.
