# Help with the "Run Away" child!!!



## MonaLisa (Dec 4, 2013)

Mona is now a year old. She is still bolting out of the car door or if we aren't watching her she is out of the house door and she RUNS!!! Twice I was afraid she was going to be hit by a car. I have worked and worked with her recalls but this one she just gets lost in the free dog run. I do treats. Sometimes if I can get her attention I'll tell her to sit stay and she will drop. But other times no. 

Any suggestions? 









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## Desiree (Feb 14, 2010)

From your brief description it sounds like the dog needs more free running exercise (1-2 hrs daily). Retrieving and swimming are great exercise and you can work on obedience as well. You have to be interesting and fun for your dog to want to stay with you.

You also need to work on obedience training. As I'm not a treat trainer, I would do obedience training with a martingale collar and lead. I'd teach sit/stay and do not go though any open doors (to the outside) without permission on lead, then off. Then extend the time up to 30 minutes with the door open and the dog lying down on stay. Treats aren't needed as your praise and release becomes the reward.

Work on this stuff 2x a day and you should see a change in a few weeks.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I also would add doing things that generally increase Mona's centripetal attraction for you (i.e. the make yourself interesting to look at idea that Desiree referred to). In another thread poolann suggested just holding treats in your hand and having the dog work through what you want by just standing there. Only give the treat and tons of praise when she makes eye contact. I also mark spontaneous offers of eye contact while out on walks. You can also drape something like a tug toy over your left shoulder when you have her on leash. She will look up towards the toy and you can praise the eye contact and periodically play tug with her. I will put extra special treats on the floor with my dogs on a down stay. They don't get released to take the treats until they look at me. Generally you don't want the attention to depend on the treats. When things happen that end up with an escapee running like mad you still need the attention without the treats.


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## Bellesdad0417 (May 18, 2014)

While i think a good recall would be helpful here I see the problem differently. This is a manors issue, you need to take back control of the door, "You control the door, it is yours and you grant access of either in or out when the dog behaves correctly".

Back to training I would never think of opening a door unless she was on a leash, make her sit to have it put on and sit while you open the door. She should not be the first one through. While I admit I'm not always consistent about it Finn does not enter or exit a door without sitting and he sits to have his leash removed and put on. 

And yes any advice that others are giving about more exercise or mental stimulation is always something that should be followed.

Thanks just my .02


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Bellesdad0417 said:


> While i think a good recall would be helpful here I see the problem differently. This is a manors issue, you need to take back control of the door, "You control the door, it is yours and you grant access of either in or out when the dog behaves correctly".
> 
> Back to training I would never think of opening a door unless she was on a leash, make her sit to have it put on and sit while you open the door. She should not be the first one through. While I admit I'm not always consistent about it Finn does not enter or exit a door without sitting and he sits to have his leash removed and put on.
> 
> ...



All that too. She has a couple of things to deal with to get Mona reliable. MonaLisa be patient and persistent.


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## Rachel76 (Feb 3, 2014)

I know this doesn't help her recall and I taught all of my dogs to wait. They didn't have to stay in one place without moving, a wait command meant just that, wait. I used it at the front door and in th car. I know how it is, I still have a lot of work ahead of me with Hemi's recall. Hang in there.


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## MonaLisa (Dec 4, 2013)

Thanks everyone!!! She has been through 3 obedience training classes. She does great except for a few things. The door she doesn't go through until I say the words "go" the problem is when we have the door open doing some work or something and she will bolt out. She stays when told and does all of the obedience VERY well. She just isn't good with this or being able to be outside without a leash. I wish she could but she is just 1 so time will help. 


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Your are right time will help. A one year old spoo looks like a grown up but often isn't really able to make grown up impulse control decisions.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

I have been working all along (not every day) on teaching my pups not to go out the front door unless invited or on a leash. Put a leash on your dog and practice opening the door and be prepared to close it quickly, being exceedingly careful not to let her get hurt by running into it. Don't open it all the way if that will help. Use your leash if needed. 

Don't say anything to her. Just open it and close it until she figures out that she needs to wait until she hears a release word. (She has to lose that idea that opening the door is the cue to go out. It no longer can work for her.)Then go out with her and reinforce after she hears the release word and holds herself back a tad. (high value treat/lots of fuss and fun) Get that release word in there quickly...don't expect her to wait more than a half a second at first. Get her use to hearing this word over and over. I don't like to have to tell my dogs to wait or stay so I use no cue. I want this to be a default behavior where they stay back until or unless invited. 

Where I use to live, my dogs were very good about this. I didn't have a fence but had loads of property and their recall was already good. My dogs now are getting good at it with the front door but I've been lazy about teaching it with the back door because I have a fence back there. I really should have them practice in both locations.

Chances are, if she's been taught to sit a lot and been reinforced for it, she'll try sitting first to see if that will work. That's good. But she still must not bolt forward UNTIL she hears that release word. Gradually, as she's succeeding with that, increase the duration. So you're starting with 1/2 second, then 1, then 2 seconds and so on as she succeeds with the previous thing. Her reward is getting to go outside to do her favorite thing. So, when she stays put until invited (with your release word) take her out and do something fun for a few seconds, then try it again. 

Do not let her have any freedom to run loose unless it's a fenced yard. Do not call her to come if she's not already coming. This spoils the recall. Get her to come some other way...entice her with running the other way, a squeaky toy and then reinforce big time...fantastic treat. Do not have her come, then do something awful inadvertently. Always fun and rewarding anytime she comes no matter what, even on her own accord in the house. No freedom to find out how great it is that she can run and doesn't _have _to come. Wait until she's got a better recall on her.

Anyhow, you can turn things around. Just make sure she's not reinforced for barging out the door. You must keep a leash on her for now when you open the door or else lock her away, hold her collar, something. Don't let her continue to _practice_ this behavior. That makes it stronger and stronger.


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## GeriDe (Mar 2, 2014)

Neither the car door nor house door opens without the dog being leashed and he must "wait" until I say "go". I do this for entering the doors as well. 

If I were to have workers in the house with the door opening and closing a lot, I'd crate Khaos or place him in a gated room to keep him safe from running and clear my mind of worry.


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## MonaLisa (Dec 4, 2013)

Thanks. She waits always before going out the doors and car until released but we have had a few times while we were moving that she ran out while working. If it's a time of training or just around the house outside I put her on a 25 ft rope so I can get her. I'm going to work on a toy and since the move I'm taking her on walks and out to play ball. I'm hoping to get her to want me more then the rest of the world. 


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

MonaLisa said:


> Thanks. She waits always before going out the doors and car until released but we have had a few times while we were moving that she ran out while working. If it's a time of training or just around the house outside I put her on a 25 ft rope so I can get her. I'm going to work on a toy and since the move I'm taking her on walks and out to play ball. *I'm hoping to get her to want me more then the rest of the world*.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


That's the key to it all, MonaLisa. Its called centripetal attraction. This is what it gets you. Attention when there is tons of stuff going on all around you and potential for stress turning it all off. Even then Lily only has eyes for me (most of the time).


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## MonaLisa (Dec 4, 2013)

How do I get there with her? She is close to me and follows me every where but when outside I'm lost for a while. She will come back but not for a while and that is if I can find her. I've gotten now where she can not go out without a leash and make sure the door is closed. It's just so sad. 


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