A dog on the loose can get in a lot of trouble and potentially get injured or cause a traffic accident. Dogs are naturally playful and will use any opportunity they get to run away from the backyard, unless you do something about it. With the right training, and a few other techniques, your dog will never leave the house without you again.
Why dogs run away
In order to know how to stop or, even better, prevent the dog from running away, you should know why they want to do it in the first place. Namely, dogs feel attached to the house they grew up in, so if you’ve moved recently, their instinct will drive them back to the previous home. Therefore, they will try to leave the unfamiliar place every time until they become comfortable and aware that they’re actually in a new home. Furthermore, if the previous home had a significantly larger backyard than the current one or if the new place does not have a backyard at all, the lack of freedom will make your dog want to run away towards a more opened space.
Unneutered male dogs tend to look for a partner once they feel the urge to mate. This can also be one of the reasons you can’t control your dog. They may be bored or lonely as well, and the lack of attention may lead them to leave the home and look for company. Dogs will also try to run away if they see something exciting outside.
How to stop it
One of the ways to stop your dog from running away is to make the new home familiar to them. Surround the area with familiar scents from their favourite belongings. Let them sniff the entire house, so that they can bond with it as much as possible.
Training is another possibility, and it can be quite effective. Namely, you need to work with your pet until they’re comfortable and don’t feel the need to leave the house. It’ll take some time for them to learn what they may or may not do, so if your pooch tends to run away a lot,make sure you put an id tag on the collar. One of the safest ways for making sure your dog gets home safely is to invest in dog id tags that can have a home phone number on it, so that anyone who finds your dog can return it safely.
Play with your furry friend as well, and don’t let them feel lonely and neglected. If a neighbour also has a pooch, see if they like each other and let them play together from time to time. Take your dog for a walk often, and let them run free every once in a while, so they don’t feel too restrained. However, only let them off the leash if you’ve trained them well and if you’re sure that they will obey you and come back once they’re told so.
While instincts and urges may be some of the reasons dogs like to run away, the fact that they simply have the opportunity to bolt is sometimes enough. Therefore, check your property and make sure all the gates are closed and locked. Look for any holes and easy escape routes and fix all of them (if you find them), so that your dog can’t find a way out of the backyard.
Dogs are naturally restless, always looking for more ways to run and play. Therefore, make sure you provide them with all that, and they’ll never want to run away. Train them, play with them, indulge them sometimes, and you’ll have a happy puppy who’ll love to stay at home.
