Running away

[sparklemom]

I have a question about the proper way to discipline a dog that runs away. I take Sparkle for walks in the woods and let her off her leash. 99.9% of the time, she doesn't wander more than ten feet from me. But once in a while, she sees a squirrel or whatever and she's off. I spend about half a hour wandering around looking for her, then she'll come trotting up the path, smiling. One time, a man asked if I was looking for my dog because "There's a dog up there frantically looking for its owner." I don't want to reprimand her because 1) she has been looking for me and is happy to see me and 2) I don't want her to become afraid of coming back to me in case she gets in trouble. But I don't want her running off and possibly getting lost/hurt/etc. Please don't tell me to keep her on the leash all the time -- she spends far too much time in the house or on short walks, our long runs on the weekend are her best opportunity for exercise. Any suggestions?

[spidey]

Don't let her off the lead in unfenced areas until she's trained enough to reliably come when you call. I know that's not what you want to hear, but there is no effective way to punish a dog for running away until you catch it, and THEN you're not punishing it for running away (in the dog's mind), but for being caught, and you DON'T want to teach it that being caught is bad. Do you have someone who could help you work on recalls? One of the best (and most fun) ways is to have three or so people stand in a triangle (in a fenced-in area), each with a supply of treats, and take turns calling the dog and treating and praising lavishly when she comes to you and lets you get hold of her collar (call, catch, treat/praise, release). Make it fun, make her think that coming when called is good and leads to pats and other good things. Until then, walk her on a long clothesline or something so that she can have a run without running away. Good luck! :)

[sparklemom]

She does come when called though (MOST of the time). But when she sees a squirrel or something, it's like I don't even exist anymore. She just takes off, sometimes I barely even catch a glimpse of her. Can a dog be trained to come even when it is "mid-chase"? I would think at that point, all of her attention is focused on her prey.

[moondog]

Everything spidey said. :)

I taught my dog to come in a huge, fenced riding ring (something like 100'x300'). Me, her, and and a trusty old tennis ball. I threw the ball, she ran and got it. I said "Luna, come!", and if she didn't immediately start to "gallop" :D towards me, I DID immediately turn and run away from her! That got her motor going, and when she got to me, I praised the heck out of her and gave her a nice backscratch, too. She thought the whole thing was a great game and she's never forgotten it, even on the day when she had a choice between a possum and me!

A long line in the woods is what I'd be using until she is much wiser. :)

[spidey]

I would think at that point, all of her attention is focused on her prey.

Yep. That's why she should be on a lead or in an enclosed space. It's hard to get even a reliably well-trained dog to ignore prey in mid-chase (sometimes impossible).

[sparklemom]

Ok, I guess I'll try to find a large closed-in area so that we can work on her recalls from a distance. Thanks so much for your input!

[spidey]

Look for things like public tennis courts, school yards, that sort of thing (that don't have "no dogs allowed" signs, obviously). Maybe a friend has a fenced yard you could borrow? My sister uses a fenced-in baseball diamond near her house to run her Setter. Good luck!

[TrishB]

While you're doing this training, be sure to have treats. So many people initially train with treats, but then figure that they don't need them anymore.

Thankfully our breed has a great appetite. Always have treats on you, periodically, let her know that you have them. Keeping them guessing keeps them coming back. ;)

As the others said, MOST of the time isn't every time. Until it is, she can't be let off leash. Period.