Your dog can’t help themselves from running away from home. They even find very smart ways to find ways to get out! This behaviour is very dangerous; runaway pets can have and cause accidents. Dogs can have many reasons to escape, and the point is to understand why is your dog running away.

Find out some tips to understand your pet's behaviour and manage it.

A poorly defined territory

First of all, is your fence adapted to your dog? Some animals don’t need material limits such as fences to define their territory. Maybe your dog thinks the whole neighbourhood is home and needs stronger limits to define their real territory.

If your dog jumps over the fence, you can set up a smaller fence a meter away from the first one. They won’t be able to take a run up and jump. If they dig to get out, placing wire fence on the floor should stop them.

Boredom

If you can’t spend much time playing with your dog, the reason why they're running away may be boredom. Offering them more time to play should prevent runaways. You can also buy them treat dispensing toys or keep the TV or radio on.

If you have a large garden and don’t go out for walks with your pet often, they are likely to be bored and might run away. Offer your dog walks even though they have enough space at home to run and exert themselves.

Lack of exercise

Maybe your dog is running away… to run! If it’s the case, your dog needs more exercise. You can offer your pet some sports with you, such as agility, longer walks, or simply running with you while you are biking or jogging. You can also play the ball and Frisbee with them.

Females

If your male dog is not neutered and bitches in heat live in the neighbourhood, it may explain their running away. If so, you should consider neutering.

Greed

Is your dog a greedy one? If so, smelling and searching garbage might be a fun activity and a good enough reason to escape! Offer them smaller rations of food more often, and changes feeding hours often. Also, make sure that their ration of kibbles meets their nutritional needs.

Separation anxiety

If you regularly find your dog around your neighbours, maybe it means that they're running away to find human companionship. You will have to educate them to be alone gradually to fight against this anxiety.

Some other tips?

- Train your dog to come when you call them.

- Do not punish them when they come back from a run away. They will understand that they're being punished for coming back and not for leaving in the first place. If they run away another time, it might last longer.

- If your dog is used to walking with you in the neighbourhood, they are more likely to consider this areas as their territory. In this case, choose places for their walk a few miles away from your house and get there by car.

source : eduquersonchien.com
créditphoto Thinkstock

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