If you’ve ever experienced your dog slipping out of their collar, yanking the leash out of your hands, or jumping over the fence in your yard, you know how panicked you become. There are a lot of dangers out in the world for a loose dog, and you want to keep him away from all of them.
If your dog is a chronic runaway, there are things you can do to help curb this behavior. The most important thing is to identify what’s causing your dog to run away.
This will help you decide how to curb the behavior. Here are 5 common reasons that dogs run away.
They have an strong urge to mate
Intact dogs, males especially, have an extremely high need to mate. It’s one of the main causes for intact dogs to run away.
Luckily, this has an easy fix – neutering will reduce a male dog’s odds of running away by 90%! If spaying or neutering your dog isn’t an option, some of the other tips may be helpful.
Escape routes are too easy
Dogs are born to roam and have an innate curiosity. If your fence is too short or your dog has figured out how to open the gate latch, you can’t expect them to stay in your yard of their own free will.
If your dog is constantly escaping your yard, you need to either find a way to prevent their escape or stop leaving them alone in the yard. The temptation to explore is too great for the average dog to ignore.
They’re afraid
More dogs get lost around the 4th of July than any other time of year in the United States. In fact, animal control officers see a 30-60% increase in the number of lost dogs between July 4th and 6th, and July 5th is usually the busiest day of the year at shelters.
Rather than trying to include your dog in 4th of July festivities, leave them at home in a crate or a secure room with no open windows. If your dog has other fears, such as thunderstorms, try a ThunderShirt or working with an experienced dog trainer to manage your dog’s anxiety in the long term.
They have a high prey drive
Some dogs have an innate need to chase things. This is something that can’t be trained out of your dog, so you need to work on using tools and training to restrain your dog’s natural urges.
Walking your dog on a harness instead of a collar, for example, can help prevent your dog from slipping away.
They’re bored
If your dog is stuck at home alone all day with nothing to keep them engaged, it’s natural that they’ll try to look for excitement elsewhere. Try utilizing “the three E’s” to keep your dog at home:
-Exercise. Taking your dog for a nice long walk before you leave can wear them out and encourage them to sleep rather than wander.
-Enrichment. Giving your dog puzzle toys or a Kong filled with peanut butter will give your dog something interesting to do while you’re gone without the need to go elsewhere to find entertainment.
-Entertainment. When you are home, make sure you are fully engaging them as much as possible and keeping them busy. Some dogs may enjoy trips to the dog park or doggy daycare to fulfill their desire to play with other dogs. Make sure your dog has plenty of reasons to stick around.
Regardless of why your dog runs away, recall training is CRUCIAL in getting your dog to come when called. Chasing your dog will only make the situation worse. Talk to a dog trainer to learn the best ways to practice recall training with your dog.
