Dog running out of the house

[pepechico]

I must say I enjoyed reading a thread on here before I had signed up for this account and I started to laugh..its the thread about the boy who wanted to have his Dog walk by his side without running off, and I believe Jude..I apologize if I have the name wrong had a response about telling them to come back once and if they don't listen to walk the opposite way and once they come back to show your angry and I was just laughing because I have a similar issue.

My little ones are named Pepe and Chico and of course pepe is the older one and chico is the baby and Chico is very good at listening to me when he runs off I call his name and he comes right back. Pepe on the other hand thinks he is the boss and just does what he wants. So this is why I posted a thread just to make sure everything I read is understood or see if I could use a different tactic.

Cause what happens sometimes if I will have a visitor and they manange to leave the door open or let the boys go and they run off. For me I'm more worried they would get hit or someone would take them. So I would run after them which doesn't help cause pepe starts to run. Once I get him I give him a pat on his bottom and tell him know..so thats one of my issues I need work on and they need work on. Chico isn't so bad but when he follows pepe he just keeps going..

Thanks for reading..any suggesstions? For example I was thinking that if they decided to run out of the house then I would let them go ill call them once and if one comes back..well I wouldnt know what to say but i would close the door and just leave the dog outside so he can see what it feels like. (im sure he would sit by the door and bark that he wants to come in..but im not sure if that tactic would work) :dogunsure:

 

[tx_cowgirl]

I taught my dogs the command "Wait." Wait means they are sitting two-three feet away from the gate or door, and cannot leave that position until I release them with an "okay" or "let's go." You can use wait for a variety of different situations. "Wait" is more or less a combination of "sit and stay." You can use this to calm a food-happy dog, keep your dog away from something/somewhere while you do something else. I also use a different command for playing fetch or for agility maneuvers, but it's basically the same behavior. I say, "Ready?" before throwing a toy to play fetch, and also at the beginning of an agility course. (We don't compete, just good exercise. ^^) "Ready?" means to sit and watch me, and not move until I say so.
DTA has a lesson on this

 

[pepechico]

I like this site its pretty cool to read stories and see different things people do with their dogs..mine are so spoiled though..but its my fault haha. They know hot to go sleepy sleepy though..they are little ones so I let them sleep with me and they know when its sleepy time and they use their nose to get in the covers..sometimes i block them from it for awahile just to hear them make a kind of sneeze or a grunt like why can't i get in the covers..makes me laugh then i let them under the covers. lol. Thanks for your response though..im going to see what works

 

[tx_cowgirl]

Lol. ^^ Well good luck with your dogs. =)

 

[bipa]

tx_cowgirl has given you some really good pointers. You can start by practising in a doorway at home, where there's no danger of the dogs getting out of the house. Then if you have a fenced in back yard, you can practice with the back door leading outside.

I'm very concerned about the notion of showing anger once a dog returns. Think about it. Your dog returns and is confronted with an angry handler. Perhaps even a stern "bad doggie" comment. Will that encourage or discourage the dog to come back again another time? Now let's imagine that every time a dog comes back, the handler is happy and praises the dog and gives a treat or pulls out a favourite toy. In which scenario do you think a dog is more likely to develop good recall? Will the dog return more eagerly for punishment or for a reward? Just basic common sense, actually.

 

[Jean Cote]

Well first of all I think you should read and practice the Reinforcements, Wait and Name lessons located in Level 1 & 2 of the Classroom.

Once I get him I give him a pat on his bottom and tell him know..

Dogs don’t respond to pain very effectively, and in your case, he never will because too much time as elapsed between his decision to leave your house and you punishing him.

Look at it from your dog’s point of view: once he runs away, he gets unlimited freedom, can run anywhere and all of a sudden he sees you coming very angry and gets punished.

What will most likely happen is that in the very near future (if not already), he will learn to run away from you. He will associate you as being the source of the punishment, and will see you coming a mile away when you are angry.

Think of it this way, if I were to call your name and gave you $20, you would probably be more inclined to come again in the future. But if I called your name and ran up to you and slapped you in the face, you’d learn to avoid me.

On another note, why are your guests leaving your front door open? You should get a spring that automatically closes the door, especially since your dog hasn’t learned the boundaries yet.

For example I was thinking that if they decided to run out of the house then I would let them go ill call them once and if one comes back..well I wouldnt know what to say but i would close the door and just leave the dog outside so he can see what it feels like. (im sure he would sit by the door and bark that he wants to come in..but im not sure if that tactic would work)

HMMM.. Dogs are not human, they aren't able to rationalize and compute 1+1=2. They learn in the moment, meaning that if you leave a dog outside for two hours, he won't be able to understand why, other than the door is closed and by barking I get my owner to come and open up the door.

 

[CollieMan]

It sounds like your dogs are EXACTLY like my neighbour's two dogs. They solved this problem very quickly by placing a baby-gate in front of the front door. Problem solved in a single afternoon.

Not the ideal solution, but it works for them.

 

[luna may]

Think of it this way, if I were to call your name and gave you $20, you would probably be more inclined to come again in the future. But if I called your name and ran up to you and slapped you in the face, you’d learn to avoid me.

LOL... I liked your example

If I were a dog, had supersonic ears to hear you from the other end of the globe, a jet aeroplane to cross the Atlantic and get all the way over to Canada and I knew what $20 were, I bet I would run up to you too :doglaugh:.
Or, on second thought, I could have doggie-paddeled... Who needs planes? After all, as long as you don't drown, lose your way or get eaten by a shark, swimming is much healthier .

(I know what I say makes no sense. Just ignore me )