Stop my dog from running out the yard?

Question

Hello!

I need an effective way to get my new dog to stop running out the gate. If she has a chance to get out of the back yard, she runs as quick as she can out the yard and wants me to chase her around the neighborhood.

Today I caught her, but next time I am worried she will get hit by a car. I never had this problem before with my last dog. He never left the yard, and that was never needed to be taught to him. So now I am lost, because I do not have experience with a problem like this.

I would rather not use a shock collar, but I even more so would rather her not get killed by a car. Any suggestions. Shes three years old, and they do say you cant teach a old dogs new tricks... so... I dont know what to do.

Thank you!

Answer 1

Put a post in the ground and put a leash on her.

Answer 2

1. Close the gate.

2. Stop conditioning her to run out the gate. See, it seems like she has you in control, not the other way around; she knows you will follow and give chase when she does it, and this is probably positive feedback (an attention reward). You want to give negative feedback for when she runs out, and positive for when she stays. Be firm with your commands. Yell "sit" when you think she's going to run, reward her for staying in the yard, and admonish her ("no") when she darts out of it. If your dog hasn't been obedience trained, it's not too late - take a class and get it done now.

Answer 3

jump on her when she goes out of the yard and build a higher fence

Answer 4

There are sprays you can get that make pets avoid certain things.  I think that it usually applies to dogs chewing up your things, but maybe it's something that you can spray on your fence/gate?  Try going to your local PetSmart and ask advice from their staff there as well.  

Answer 5

try a chain or a better gate

Answer 6

1) Fix the fence.

#2) Don't chase her, she'll think it's a game. It's more effective to stop and drop to one knee, and make sure she sees you do it, there's a good chance she'll come back to you.

#3) If you can't fix the fence put her on a chain.

Answer 7

First of all, get that "can't teach an old dog new tricks" bologna out of your head. YES you can teach an old dog something new. My dog learned new tricks all the time and she lived to be 12.

First things first - get a gate that closes and can latch shut. That's the simplest answer. If she can't get the gate open, she can't get out (theoretically - then you have to watch for jumping or climbing).

Next, walk her for a minimum of 1.5 hours a day. A tired dog won't want to go running away. When you are walking her, make it a structured walk. Get her enrolled in obedience. Work on basic obedience stuff before you give up. The more attentive your dog is to you and to your behavior, the better the relationship and more control you will have over her.  

Answer 8

she wants attention, always be with her, massage her, if it don't work, ask a vet, btw, is she neutered? if not that may be it

Answer 9

Take your dog on regular walks. If that doesn't help, put your dog on a leash when you go outside. And, my dogs both use a shock collar. You can get different levels of shock. One of my dogs have to use the highest there is, and one is the lowest. They never runaway.

Answer 10

really show her it is bad. this may be hard but maybe even yell. make you seem like the leader and she will listen to you. Good Luck!

Answer 11

this is what we did with our dog we got him a shock collar and this thing that you can buy and all you do is lay it around the perimeter of the area that you want your dog to stay in and anytime they try to run past it, it triggers the shock collar and it shocks them, or if your not a shock collar person then try this... every time she runs out punish her tell her no or what ever and then stick her in a cage outside and leave her there for a while and every time you go out there and she is in trouble don't talk to her, and if you look at her, look at her in a way that lets her know your upset, and/or disappointed.  

Answer 12

Dogs were born to run around.  You can't confine them.  Doing so is cruel.

Answer 13

What breed is she? Some breeds are more apt to escape than other breeds.

Do you have a regular fence? Is the gate open all the time, or can you close it?

If nothing else, don't let her outside unsupervised. I'd keep her on a leash.

Answer 14

I'm a dog trainer and have taught many eight, nine, or ten-year-old dogs new tricks, so don't believe that one.  You should understand that when you go chasing her around the neighborhood you are rewarding her for running away, because she finds that game of chase to be very rewarding.  Obviously, you can't just ignore the running off, so ...

Try this.  Buy a long line -- they sell 50 foot leads that are very lightweight or you can make one out of clothesline.  Attach this to your dog every time you take her outside in your yard.  You aren't going to hold onto it, just use it to stop her from running away.  Open the gate before you take her outside.  Bring lots of tiny pieces of treat with you.  Let her see that the gate is open and offer her treats as long as she doesn't go through it.  If she chooses to go for the gate, don't chase her just step on the end of the leash.  (I don't know how big your yard is, you may want a 25 or 30 ft lead instead.)  She won't be able to run free but you aren't rewarding her either.  When she can't run she will probably come back for more yummy treats; give them to her!  

Take her to a training class and work on the basics, especially the recall (Come!)

Good luck to you!

Answer 15

One of the more important aspects of this problem is that your dog needs to understand who's in charge. Does she know that you're the boss? Is she obedient? You can definitely teach an old dog new tricks, so you might want to check out obedience classes.

I had the same problem with my ten-year-old Springer Spaniel, and she almost got hit by a school bus!

Also, does your dog have excessive energy? If so, that may be one reason she's running out of the yard- she's got too much going on in her brain and her body and she's antsy. Try out a local dog park, or riding your bike/ rollerblading with her on the leash.

Reward your pup with any good behavior- positive reinforcement works better than negative reinforcement. However, a dog training expert will have the best advice for you.

Good luck!!

P.S. A couple of good dog shows are "The Dog Whisperer" with Cesar Millan and "It's Me Or the Dog" with Victoria Stilwell. They both have published books out.