It happens to almost all dog owners at one time or another. Somehow, the front door opens, you\u2019re not paying attention, and your beloved canine escapes. That or you look in the backyard and your dog is nowhere to be found. Sometimes, you can find your pup frolicking in the neighborhood, but they\u2019re having so much fun they won’t listen to you. Other times a nice neighbor will inform you, or the worst could happen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, how do you deal with a canine escape artist?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before we discuss a solution, we need to do some investigating. There are several reasons why a dog would jump at the chance for a run around the neighborhood. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If your dog is intact, this is especially true for males, they could be sniffing for a potential mate. If your pup knows there\u2019s a female in heat nearby, they\u2019ll be highly motivated to seek her out. A dog sexually matures at the age of 6 months. If you don\u2019t have a specific breeding plan in place, it is highly recommended that you spay or neuter your pet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are far too many animals euthanized per year at animal shelters in the US, roughly 1.2 million dogs<\/a>. Let\u2019s do a little math on that. That\u2019s roughly 100,000 dogs killed per month or also roughly 3,288 dogs PER DAY. Instead of contributing to the problem of unwanted slaughtered canines, please spay or neuter your pet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dogs usually don\u2019t exercise on their own. If left to their own devices for long periods of time, they can and almost always do find destructive ways to entertain themselves. The world outside the backyard or home is full of exciting smells and adventures. Meeting the neighbor kids, chasing a squirrel, or rolling around in a mud hole is way more exciting to a dog than snoozing under the sun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Make sure to give your dog exercise and toys to play with. Kong toys filled with frozen peanut butter will satisfy a bored pup by stimulating their brain and giving their jaws something to do. Most dogs require at least<\/strong> 30 minutes to an hour of exercise per day. While working breeds like Shepherds and Retrievers can handle 1.5-2+ hours depending on the dog. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If your dog doesn\u2019t get their exercise needs met, they\u2019ll become a fuzzy ball of pent up energy bursting at the seams and they\u2019ll find a way to get that energy out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fireworks, storms, loud noises, etc. could have your pup frantically searching for a way to escape. Dogs have far superior hearing and smelling than humans do and loud noises can create a lot of anxiety for your dog. If you know there\u2019s going to be a storm or loud event, make sure your dog is in a secure location like a safe room or within your sight. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Another trick you can try is desensitizing your dog to the noise. This means gradually<\/em> getting your dog used to the sound and rewarding them for calm behavior. You could also try tight jackets, white noise, or even medication to help your dog handle the fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most dogs want to be around people. They want to be near the action and keeping them away from their family for long periods of time can be harmful. If a dog is left alone outside all day with little to no exercise or interaction it will eventually feel miserable and find a better place to be. The same goes for keeping a dog in a crate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The solution? Don\u2019t leave your dog alone all day long. Let them be a part of the family and give them attention. If they can\u2019t behave, teach them how to behave. Dogs aren\u2019t going to just know what\u2019s right and wrong. They need to be taught and they can be taught with time and patience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alright! Now that we\u2019ve looked into some of the reasons why your dog might want to escape, let\u2019s investigate how your dog is escaping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another solution is making it impossible for your dog to see outside. Install a covering for your fence so they can\u2019t look out. This could be plastic slats, bamboo, or reed fencing. Often if a dog can\u2019t see out they\u2019ll be less motivated to escape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, you\u2019ve investigated why your dog wants to escape. You\u2019ve discovered how they\u2019ve escaped and have taken measures to dog proof your yard. Still, there\u2019s one final problem remaining. No matter how much effort you\u2019ve taken in preventing your dog from escaping, there is always<\/em> a chance something might happen. Which leads us to the final point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No matter how well prepared you are, how dog proofed your home is, how well exercised and loved your dog is, your \u201cHairy\u201d Houdini might still find ways to run off. Because of this, it\u2019s your job to train your dog to always<\/em> come to you when they are called. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This takes a lot of time and patience. Depending on the breed of dog you own they may never be perfect. However, with time and effort you may be surprised by how well your dog does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The reason your dog loves to dash off into the world is because they\u2019ve found great rewards out there. Greeting neighbor kids, snitching hot dogs, and meeting new animal friends is far more rewarding than sitting at home. This means you need to make the come command the most rewarding and interesting thing your dog could ever do. Here are steps you can take to train your dog to always come when called.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Should the worst happen and your dog manages to escape and won\u2019t listen to you, don\u2019t panic. Grab some supplies (a leash, rope, collar, toy, treats, or whatever you have on hand) and find your pup. If you chase your dog, they will think it\u2019s a game and run away from you faster. Sometimes this might be necessary to get them out of the road, but you can also use this game to your advantage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Get your dog\u2019s attention. Call out to them in an excited voice so that they look at you. Act overjoyed and then start running away from them. This may not always work, but it can motivate your dog to jump in the game and start chasing after you. This can also backfire depending on how fast your dog is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If your dog does chase you, you can fall to the ground with a high-pitched loud cry and throw your limbs into the air. Your dog will investigate and you can grab them and give them a treat. Yes, give them a treat because you always want your dog associating coming with a happy reward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If your dog does escape, the trick is to make yourself the most exciting thing in the world so your dog is motivated to come back to you. It\u2019s frustrating and humiliating, but stay positive and cheerful. The last thing you want is for your dog to associate coming to you with bad things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most dogs love to roam. It\u2019s in their nature to go on a good romp around the neighborhood and it can be so annoying trying to keep them from escaping. Keep their medications up to date, have your dog micro-chipped, and try to make sure they always have their tags. With the right set-up and a positive attitude, you can train your dog to stay by your side no matter what happens. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What tricks have you used to get your dog to come back after escaping?<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s often easier to learn by watching, so here are a couple of great videos talking about training your dog to come when called.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It happens to almost all dog owners at one time or another. Somehow, the front door opens, you\u2019re not paying attention, and your beloved canine escapes. That or you look in the backyard and your dog is nowhere to be found. Sometimes, you can find your pup frolicking in the neighborhood, but they\u2019re having so […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":433,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[110,105,109,108,107,106,104,63,55,111],"class_list":["post-425","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-training-behavior","tag-diy","tag-dog-escape-artist","tag-dog-proof-home","tag-dog-proofing-your-home","tag-dog-recall","tag-dog-run","tag-dog-running-away","tag-dog-training","tag-how-to","tag-teaching-your-dog"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/hardyhound.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/03\/Dog-Escape-Artist-Blog.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardyhound.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/425","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardyhound.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardyhound.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardyhound.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardyhound.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=425"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/hardyhound.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/425\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":432,"href":"https:\/\/hardyhound.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/425\/revisions\/432"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardyhound.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/433"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardyhound.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=425"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardyhound.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=425"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardyhound.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=425"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Boredom<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Fear<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Isolation<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How to Dog Proof Your Home<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How To Teach Your Dog Better Recall<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Your Dog Loves Rewards<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Should the Worst Happen<\/strong>…<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
In Conclusion<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
For More Resources:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n