Does anyone else have this problem? Whenever we go to open the front door for whatever reason someone has to be on dog watching duty. If he thinks he has a chance he will bolt out into the road (which fortunately is usually quiet traffic wise) He has managed to escape quite a few times and thank God we've got him back safely.

Does anyone know why he feels this need to escape - he's much loved and well looked after. Anyone know how we could stop him?

Thanks

He's not trying to escape - he's having an adventure!

I've no idea how you stop him though. Our dog is the polar opposite. She's a timid wee thing and hates it if the door's left open - she goes and hides. Doesn't stop her barking at the postman though.

Physically, it is possible to fit a gate/fence to the front garden or a stair gate to the entrance hall as a second line of defence?

Also, is he neutered? If not, he may be going out looking for 'some action'.

What I have done to prevent this - in addition to the front gate - is to teach the dog to ALWAYS sit and wait when the door is opened. I start by teaching a good 'sit' and 'wait'. When they have the hang of that, teach it when putting the lead on to walk (no sit - no going out). Then when going out the door - the dog sits and waits while I open and step outside the door. They don't wait, they go back in. And teach it whenever anyone goes out.

Eventually lol, it becomes second nature to the dog.

There are various ways of teaching sit & wait, I used bait & lure but if I had my time again I'd use a clicker.

Just to note - I say 'wait' as a command as I use 'stay' slightly differently, but 'stay' is good too.

I've come home before to find my kitten looking through the letter box at me (fair enough the BF had propped it open and put her scratching post there so she could have a nosey).

We have to be really careful whenever we open the door as she is like lightning.... Luckily we live on the ground floor of a block with a communial front door too so she cannot actually get very far!! But she 'escapes' regularly.

Now she is a bit older she is allowed out but us having the window open for her so she can come and go as she pleases is no fun, she needs to actually feel as though she is making a bid for freedom....

One of the biggest reasons a dog wants to escape is BOREDOM.

How often is your dog exercised in the day?

Some breed of dogs need a lot of mental and physical stimulation. They need to stretch their legs, and go investigating the neighbourhood and just SNIFF.

Some breeds are even programmed by heredity to need to go far and fast: hunting breeds, northern sled pulling breeds, sight hounds, working breeds. Some were bred to follow their noses: hounds and terriers. Dogs need jobs.

A friend of mine has a husky and she is always escaping out of the door the dog not my friend lol.

Can you increase exercise. A tired dog will nap and not be so worried when the door opens. Spend more time with your dog, play etc more. Take your dog to training classes if you can anything that makes him WORK.

You could also make his world a little more interesting.

Give him brain toys and chew bones. Hide stuffed kongs Easter egg hunt style. Scatter his breakfast in the lawn so he has to search and find it. Create a digging pit. Spend more time with him in the garden playing ball or hide and go seek!

Whatever you do you must make sure your dog is MICRO CHIPPED and tagged just in case. Not having a tag is illegal in this country.

I think i have given you enough ideas.

It would be interesting to know what breed your dog is.

I hope I haven't offended you with the idea about exercise, BUT some breeds need a lot more than others and perhaps your dog is just not getting enough.

Mine used to do it - he was bouncy and ready for a walk when we got it.

Stop it by having a very smelly treat in your hand and either throw it far away from the door (inside obviously) or walk inside with the pup following you.

Thanks for the advice.

He gets a good run on the beach most days so I don't think he's bored as such.

In fact one of the times he "escaped" he had just had a run. Three hours later after frantic searching we had a phone call from the local police saying could we collect him. He had crossed umpteen busy roads to get into the centre of town where he was found sitting outside a bakers!

Another time he found his way to the beach and some other dog walkers found him doing a "lost dog" impression.

Maybe we need Cesar Malone?

Noooo - not the evil Cesar Milan!!! Your dog will run away permanently!!!

What breed is he? How old?

Is he neutered?

What is his general level of training/obedience like? Especially his recall?

There might be a few more tips with the above info

And - as purrfect_catlov pointed out - is he chipped & always tagged?

And what do you think to my earlier advice? Something you might try? or something you have already tried?

Monkey

Black Lab (cross) - a rescue hound. About 6/7 yrs old

Bit's chopped off courtesy of RSPCA

Loves water and retrieving

Chipped

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Completely obessed with food.

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When the door bell goes we have to open it just a bit and stand in front of the open bit or he will bolt. Quite like your idea of him associating an open door with the sit command.

If he is obsessed with food, you are halfway there.

You might need to enlist the help of a couple of people for this.

Have him restrained by someone on his lead, with a high value treat in their hand. Get another person to knock on the door/ring the doorbell. Ask your dog to sit and wait. Go answer the door. Say wait, and give him a treat. Do this a few times, with just giving him the treat for not immediately bolting as soon as you answer the door. Do it lots and lots of times, slowly increasing the time you are at the open door.

The key is to get him to associate sitting and waiting while you answer the door will result in him getting a fantastic treat. It has to be worthwhile and better than antying he could experience by escaping. It shouldn't take too long, just be consistent.

A child safety gate/stair gate could also be used, if you don't have someone that could restrain him and/or for added security until he is 100% reliable.

Lab - a retriever that can work independently but is also very biddable.

Neutered - one idea out the window LOL.

Rescue - do you know his history? It could be that being let out by himself is 'normal' to him - especially if he came in as a stray.

Food obsessed - brilliant Makes training very easy

In addition to the earlier advice - and for a food obsessed Lab I think clicker training would be perfect - I'd work on his recall.

Dogs act to get a 'reward'. That rewardmight be an afternoon wandering along the beach on his own, or could be sausage - depends which is higher value.

Choose a new, exciting word (I use a high pitch 'Keee-mon' for my emergency recall) or buy a whistle. That word (or whistle) ALWAYS means food - not just food, but M&S....er sorry... TASTY treats. Sausage, cheese, bacon, hot-dog, chicken - any very high value treats he NEVER gets for any other command. Don't even recall to begin with. Just use your word or whistle and give him the food. Then recall him across the lounge, then through the kitchen, then from the garden. But EVERY time you use the word or whistle - he gets food. Then out on the beach. Make that word (or whistle) like Pavlov's bell - ALWAYS means food.

You now have your emergency recall. Dog bolts into the great exciting world which is more rewarding than you, hears the emergency recall, thinks 'SAUSAGE' and comes back - at which point you fuss and praise and treat him from the sausage stash.

The advantage a whistle has is that it's pitch remains constant. Emergency recall is used in high stress situations such as a dog bolting - high stress can effect the pitch of your voice. Dogs don't just respond to a word - it is the word and pitch. One without the other means nothing to a dog.

Bright, but not that bright

Hope this helps - even with an emergency recall I struggle when mine chase bunnies!! Though they do eventually come back. I just don't have a treat more rewarding that bunny chasing at the moment

can I ask why you think he's evil - we've tried some of his methods with our staffie and they've really worked

I nearly started a thread on him today - but child care and dog walking got in the way

Evil is a strong word, I should really have said 'misguided'.

Most of his theories - Alpha roles, 'corrections' (as in poking or kicking the dog) and flooding - are outdated and de-bunked buy modern canine behavioural science and some - such as hanging a dog by it's prong collar just because some numpty can't get it to roll on it's back in the house - is just cruel.

Try reading a good book on dog body language - such as Calming Signals by Turid Rugaas or anything by Brenda Aloff then watching the dog whisperer with the sound off. Instead of a 'dominant' dog, you'll see a fearful dog or resource guarding. Instead of a 'calm submissive' dog, you'll see a 'shut down' dog.

The Alpha role - dog's don't alpha role. Dogs role onto their backs in a fight as an appeasement gesture to the aggressor. The aggressor does not 'alpha role' them. Dogs also role on their backs in play, for reward or for pleasure. It doesn't denote submissiveness.

If someone pulled the corners of your mouth up into a smile, would you 'feel' happy just because you 'look' happy? No? So why would a dog 'feel' submissive because you have physically put it in a supposedly submissive position?

There is a lot more to my CM misgivings, but I am at risk of hi-jacking the thread (though if you want to start a new one........) so I will say, some of his message is good. Exercise your dogs. Keep them stimulated. But most of it is outdated nonsense. Just because he is on TV does not make him right, just makes him saleable.

He is still in working mode. Some labs like to work and dont switch off.

I think you have had some great advise.

I would definitely think you need some more training with him to be honest.

You need to OWN the front door.

May I suggest that you do some training with this.

Get someone to knock or ring the door bell.
Make the dog sit AWAY from the door AND use the WAIT command. If you haven't established this then you need to prior to the training. (I trained my dog to wait, with food. She now knows that WAIT means just that.)

Then open the door REAFFIRMING all the time that he WAITS.

To start with I would use a lead so if he does try to run he cant go far.

I just think your poochie is a little excitable and dominate and you need to establish yourself as the pack leader not the other way round LOL.

When you go out with him on the lead, always make sure he goes out AFTER YOU DO.

Use food rewards for good behaviour.

I still think he needs more challenges. Have you thought of agility training, LABS do really well.

You also say he goes out NEARLY everyday on the beach. That means there are days he doesnt go out.

Oh if he is a bit hyper have you checked his diet?

I dont think you have a huge problem just a bit of training should see him right. Good luck.

Well its like everyone who thinks they are dog experts how do we know he is and who isnt if that makes any sense?

I dont like Victoria Stillwells dealing with dogs.
I dont particularly like Dog Borstal either.

To me there are just TOO many experts out there, too many behavorists all giving different ideas.

I just use my common sense and experience of working with dogs for 50 years.

I shall never forget my daughters situation.

She has 2 bitches, a staffie and a collie x. The staffie became very dominate of the colliex and there was all hell let loose in the house. She finally contacted a behavorist who told her that she would have to get rid of one of the dogs, as 2 bitches would just end up killing each other.

Between us both we sorted it out using CM's methods, and both dogs have been really great ever since, neither has shut down and this was 3 years ago. We went from bloody conflict to calm submission.

I just think we have to take some of the training methods with a pinch of salt AND NOT EXPECT TO MUCH OF OUR POOCHIES in the first place. They are dogs after all not humans.

The thing that put me right off Cesar Milan was when I saw a show in which he used and electric shock collar, now I am no expert but to me that was just downright cruel and unnecessary.

I have only ever used positive, reward based training with my Springer Spaniel and he is one of the most obedient dogs you will ever see. ( he was a maniac as a pup)

To the OP, I had the same problem with mine when he was younger and the suggestions made above about making him sit, stay and then reward are what I did, now when someone knocks on the door he sits in the hall with his tail wagging like mad but he does'nt move an inch until I tell him too.