How can I get my puppy to stop running from me?

Question

Whenever she is doing something she knows is wrong she runs from me and I can't stop her. What do I do? She is small and I can't catch her. She thinks it's a game..

Answer 1

Ignore her. She'll come to you.

Answer 2

First off, she doesn't know she did something wrong, she knows you're angry--not the same thing.  As her alpha, she wants to please you, and so your job is to show her how to do that.  Do not yell or stike her;  the best way to negatively reward her for failures in her behavior, is to turn your back on her.  She'll propitiate and try to please, whereupon, you should show her what you want her to do.  

The whole point of dog training is not teaching them what's wrong or right, it's accustoming them to positive or negative reward.  Command or correction should always be issued in a low, calm tone while summonses are best done in higher, enthusiastic tones.

For best results, NEVER call your dog for correction;  it forms negative associations whilch will undermine her other training.  Belated correction is useless--if the correction happens more than a second or two after the offense, they won't have a clue what you're correcting them for.  Thus, it does you no good.  Just be more vigilant for future oopsies.

Best way to teach them to come is to use your command word, with or without their name, in a higher, enthusiastic tone, and keep repeating the command until they do return.  Lots of encouragerment is good, and praise, too, although you should hold off till you actually have your hands on her.  Thus, she will learn that a strafing run does not constitute the return you requested.  Patience and application is essential, remember.  And if this method does not work, you can try either the turning away method, or the play-pose--on your knees with your palms down on the ground, still with the high, encouraging voice.

Better method for correction is a short, sharp noise like UH! ot UH-UH! than the word 'no.'  And, it is not actually so much a correction as a distraction, to stop te behavior.  Correction is best done by offering a preferable behavior, with suitable reward to encourage repetition.

Answer 3

Keep her on a lead and harness and work on getting her to "come". If you give her a little treat every time she responds the way you want her to, she will realize that when she comes to you, she gets a reward!

Answer 4

Since she thinks its a game of chase-turn it around! Call her name and run AWAY from her-she will think you are in turn asking her to chase you, and will come running to you-so snatch her up when she gets close enough and give her a ton of praise for coming to you!

Even if she is doing something wrong, and you ask her to come to you, don't EVER punish her when she gets there-in her eyes, if you punish her, you are punishing her for listening to you asking her to come. Dogs have very short attention spans and will take punishment/praise and associate it with the last thing she did (which wasn't doing something bad, it was listening to your command!) so keep that in mind.

Answer 5

Why do you want to catch her, so she'll stand still while you yell at her or hit her?  She's smart.  I'd run too.

Focus more on preventing the bad behavior and less on punishing.

Answer 6

i had the same problem and if it's outside just close the door for a minute or 2 and then they'll realize they have to be punished for doing wrong stuff. and then stop

Answer 7

Teach her the "come to call" command. Use your house or the yard and get a friend to help. One of you should on one side of the house or yard and the other person at the opposite side. Both of you should have a pocket full of treats and then start calling the dog. You would say "Come Fido" and then reward with a treat. Then the other person does the same thing. The dog will learn that they are not being punished for coming and they will also learn that when they come it doesn't always mean that they have to stop playing. They get to go back out and play the game - in other words, they are not being put up.

Your dog will get the hang of this immediately but you need to practice regularly. I often sit on my back porch when the dogs are out playing and call them to come. They will come get a treat and then go back out to the yard and play. Now, when I need them to come in on command, they come right away.

Something more advanced that I do with my dogs is to let them loose in the woods. I let all of them go (these woods are very protected with no roads near) and then I call them in one by one. For example I will yell, "Come Cameron" and when he comes, he is rewarded with a treat, then gets to go back out and play! Then I call the next dog, reward and send back out. I will call my final dog and then start over. It's a great game and teaches them a life saving skill....The call to come. I can't stress how important this command is.

Hope this helps.

Answer 8

Never try to catch a dog - you never will be able to and to them it is a game - it's like a reward for being bad.

Depending on what she is doing wrong - there are different approaches.  However, teach her the word "no".  this will be a universale, "whatever you are doing, stop it" word.  As soon as she starts to do something she should not, a firm "no".  When she stops, praise her and call her to you.  You say "puppy", so I'm assuming she is under a year old.  the dog needs a lot of training to learn what they can and cannot do.

If the "no" command does not get her attention, you can also throw a small bean bag near her, but not to where it will hit her.  It's used as a distraction, to stop her from what she is doing.  As soon as she stops, praise her for stopping.

(This can also be done with an empty soda can and a handful of pennies in it - the noise will typically stop a dog from what they are doing).

Make sure to praise her whenever she stops what she is doing.  Otherwise the correction will not have the affect you want.

Answer 9

I hate the chase the puppy game.  Try putting a leash on her, so she is easier to catch.  Puppies are just puppies, and sometimes they are smarter than we are.