Your dog might not know how to spin or do a back stand and it is completely fine, it won’t affect your friendship. But having a dog constantly running away from you and not coming back when called is a big nuisance. Why dogs are running away and how to behave in the situation?
Recall command is boring…
A lot of dogs choose not to come back to their humans because with the time they have learned the sequence: “human calls – I come back – we go home”. If you think as a dog being outside is fun, playing with buddies is amazing, chasing a squirrel is the highest adrenalin rush a dog can get, going home is 👎👎👎 boring… So even though your dog loves you, it is hard to resist other temptations.
Positive conditioning
Make sure, that you prove your dog wrong and teach them that coming to you really pays off. In the Dogo App, you can see the exact steps for teaching the recall command. This is a very treat intensive trick. First start training at home, then take it outside, to a fenced park or garden. If you are in a park call your dog back to you and do not go back home immediately. Put a leash or grab their collar for a second and release. Let your dog explore, sniff and play again. So your dog doesn’t make an association whenever you call them back, you go home. Later put a leash, walk a few steps towards home and again release your dog, to play. Or call your dog to you and play fetch. Or call your dog to you and reward generously with treats and love.
Dog running away from you
Your dog darts away from you and doesn’t listen to any commands. The street is near, WHAT TO DO? In no means run to your dog. Do the opposite: run away from your dog, cheerfully singing your dog’s name and if you have a stick or frisbee in your hand swing it in the air as if you don’t care. If your dog still doesn’t pay attention to you, then make a loud squeaky, high pitched
If your dog is running away from you, stay calm and positive, not to scare your dog. Generally, it is a bad idea to shout “Come Here.” If your dog did not come when called in a normal tone of voice, they are unlikely to come if they think you are angry. Better give a command that your dog has mastered, e.g. “Sit”. Once your dog sits down, tell them to sit & stay When approaching your dog to be positive and cheerful, wiggle your body in an excited manner. You are coming to praise your dog for sitting down and waiting and not to spill out your grudges. No matter, how much time it took or kilometers you had to run, reward your dog. Coming back to you and listening to you pays off.
Be safe
Sometimes incidents happen and even though you did your best, your dog ran away. Have you thought about microchipping your pet? It might be useful to keep track of your lost dog if they unexpectedly go missing.
To make sure your dog promptly and safely is returned to you, we recommend the PetHub service. Add a QR code tag on your dog’s harness or get a QR coded tagged collar. Connect the code to your dog’s profile on www.PetHub.com. If your dog is found freely roaming around, anyone can scan the code and get in touch with you or the PetHub 24/7 Lost Pet call centre. With PetHub’s service, the return to owner went from around 18% to ~ 96%.
Make sure that your dog is returned safely and promptly back home. A lot of nerves saved.
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Puppies are curious little creatures. They play, cuddle and warm your heart. Sometimes though, they can get scared when approached or they think you want to play an energetic game of tag when it's really time to stop playing or come inside. Positive reinforcement is key in both of these.
Resist the urge to coddle and reassure your pooch that things are OK. While this is natural human instinct, it actually reinforces the idea that it's OK to be afraid of this strange person.
Socialize your little pooch with new people on a regular schedule, but also on her own time. Have new people come over and instruct them not to approach the puppy, look at her in the eye or even talk to her. Have them sit quietly in a chair and have a conversation with you while the puppy is in the room. Most puppies will come up to a new person even if they are shy or scared, as long as the person doesn't intimidate them.
Let new people offer your puppy tasty little treats when she meets them, but only if she isn't showing extreme fearfulness. Getting tasty treats will help her learn that people aren't bad and she can expect good things from them.
Enroll your puppy in a puppy obedience class. Puppies learn best from other dogs, and they will pick up good and bad behaviors from other dogs more quickly than from people. Letting her interact with new puppies and having her observe how other puppies act with their people can make a world of difference in a fearful pup.
Consult an experienced veterinary behaviorist to help your pup overcome her fears if your attempts fail. Sometimes other issues may be present, and professional help can go a long way into helping your pooch become social and happy.
Say your pup's name in a loud, clear, happy voice and give her praise and a small treat when she looks at you.
Repeat this when your pup is looking away or otherwise distracted. Again, give her a tasty little treat when she looks at you or comes to you upon you saying her name.
Repeat these exercises in short, five-minute intervals a couple of times per day for a couple of days.
Have someone hold your puppy at the end of a hallway while you're at the other end. Call your puppy in a happy voice and encourage her to come. Give her a treat when she comes to you.
Introduce more and more distractions -- such as someone walking by, a ball rolling near her or something similar -- while having someone hold your puppy at a 20-foot distance from you. Repeat these outside with a long training leash. Always give high praise and treats when your puppy comes to you.
Repeat these training sessions a few times per day for a couple of days until she seems to have it. Repetition is pivotal in training puppies.
Remove the leash in an enclosed, fenced-in area and practice more and more every day until your pup has gotten over the distractions and comes when called. The "come" command is one of the most important, especially if you like to take your pup for long walks in new areas or she has a knack for escaping!
Maybe your dog bolts as soon as you open the front door — even if he was nowhere to be seen before you opened it. Or she won’t stop digging under the fence to escape your backyard.
However they get out, dogs that run away are no laughing matter. They could get hit by a car, attacked by a dangerous animal, or placed in a shelter where their people never find them.
Why do dogs engage in this dangerous behavior? Below, you’ll find several reasons as well as tips on what you can do to stop it.
Trying to Get Home
Have you recently moved? Well, guess what — your dog doesn’t really understand that concept. All he knows is that he’s in an unfamiliar place and needs to get back to the home that he knows.
Tip: Make your pup’s new home as familiar as possible by surrounding him with favorite belongings that smell like home. Additionally, you should always lead your dog around a new space so he has a chance to sniff everything and get acquainted with it. Doing this automatically creates at least a small sense of familiarity. Finally, you may wish to curb your pup’s freedom a bit in a new place until you are able to walk him around on leash and get him acclimated to his new home and neighborhood.
Your Dog’s Habit
This one is related to the above. If your dog is used to having a lot of freedom to run around and do what she wants, and suddenly that freedom is taken away, there’s a good chance that she’s going to try to roam just because it’s what she’s always done. This can be quite common if there’s a sudden change of environment, like a move from a rural area to a busy metropolis, or if there’s a change in household dynamic, such as marriage, divorce, or a new baby.
Tip: It’s going to take training to curb this behavior. You need to teach your dog not to take off just because she can. It will likely take some time and effort, along with some kind of positive reinforcement to get her to change. If you continue to have trouble, it may be necessary to work with a trainer.
Mating
This mostly applies to un-neutered male dogs, but not always. When dogs feel the urge to mate, it’s not uncommon for them to go off in search of another dog that can satisfy their needs.
Tip: Because mating urges mostly affect un-neutered dogs, the best way to stop those urges and prevent running away is to have your dog neutered. If that’s not an option, you may need to engage in extensive training or invest in a strong leash to effectively battle his instincts.
Loneliness or Boredom
Just like people, dogs are social. They need attention and something interesting to do. If she’s lonely or bored because you’re not engaging with her enough, you may find that she starts running away.
Tip: Pay attention to your dog! It’s not always easy to find time if you have a busy schedule, but it can be done if you make it a priority. Set aside time for daily walks, and make sure to provide her with plenty of affection — after fulfilling her needs with exercise and discipline.
Your Dog is Scared
Dogs aren’t made of stone. If you have a pup that startles at loud noises or strange sights, experiencing one of them may prompt him to bolt in order to escape it.
Tip: If the sight or sound is something that you can replicate, work on training your dog to accept it and relax around it — or at least not to run away in terror. Additionally, if you know that your pooch is scared of something like thunder or fireworks, prepare a safe area for him ahead of time so he can’t run away.
Something Excites Them
Just as fear can cause some dogs to run away, so can excitement. You may have seen this before if your dog spots a squirrel or rabbit while you are walking her and tries to rip your arm off to get to it. Now imagine you’re not around and this happens — she would be off like a rocket, laser-focused on the object of her excitement.
Tip: Again, training is key. You need to work with your pup until they learn that it’s not okay to run after something just because they can. If you know that something specific incites excitement in your dog, you can use that object in your training. Obviously, we’re not suggesting you get a live squirrel, but you could use a toy stuffed squirrel or something like it while you train your dog to stay and remain calm.
It’s Easy
One final reason why dogs run away: Because they can. If your dog can easily dig under or jump over your fence, or if you don’t even have a fence, there’s a good chance that he’s going to take advantage of this situation. After all, would you stay cooped up in a restrictive space if you had the option not to? Probably not.
Tip: Take a look at your property and fix any known issues that provide your pooch with an easy escape route. Fence easy to dig under? Line the edges with paving stones or bury chicken wire that he can’t dig through. Have a dog that bolts out the front door? Put him on a leash or close him in another room before you open it.
By following these tips, you should be able to prevent most escape attempts by your dog.
Is your dog an escape artist? How have you addressed the problem?