I Need Help With My Dog And A Very Tough Decision…?
Filed under Care & Training Q&As
My dog sydney, a coonhound (maybe greyhound or doberman mix) Keeps running away… I know that hounds run away a lot, but I live right in town. She runs away when I leave town. Thats the only thing that worries me is that she will get hit by a car. She is very well known by the police too! But she has 3 legs and she was found running on top of a ski pass with her leg amputated. She is such a wonderful dog… I have training classes lined up for Thursday. Do you think she can learn recall? She will linger outside the house, but wont come in! I dont know what to do, and my mom loves her, but doesnt know if we are the right home for her… She is perfectly fine except for running away… she recently chewed threw her leash while I was in Salt Lake City, UT and she is stuck at the shelter while we debate… Plz Help me!!!!!!!!!
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Kewl, your dog was close to my house! SLC!!!
How does she get out? That’s the real question. Try and block anything you can to keep her in.
Training is a great thing to try, I loved it! Good luck!!!
She can learn to stay close to home you just need patience while teaching her. Ever watched “Dog Whisperer” on National Geographic? Try watching that and see if you pick up any helpful tips. You might see something on the show about dogs that herd and dogs that hunt needing to have more to do than just run around the yard. These kinds of dogs use a lot more energy than the average dog, so I’d ask the trainer about that. Give Sydney a chance, it’ll work out.
You may want to try a metal running chain. But if she is a very strong dog she might break it too. Some dogs are just hyper by nature and nothing will stop them. You need to protect her as much as you can. Leave her in the house when you leave for a long period of time and walk her twice a day on a leash. Take her to the park or anywhere you can on a leash and let her run most of her energy out!!
Get you dog out of the shelter right now then you can decide if you are going to keep her or not because she will probably be put to sleep soon if you do not get her and then put an ad in the newspaper if you decide not to keep her anymore. If you decide to keep her then give her more exercise right before you leave for work if that includes a treadmill then do that or go get a bike and run her, then she will automatically want to go to sleep after she exercised the either put her in the garage or some place where she cannot get out and then when you get home exercise her again so that she will be tired out again. Then feed her. If you have any time after that play with her and she should be a good balanced dog make sure though not to give her food right before you go to work because that will stimulate her bowels. Do this every day and really if you love your do enough it will be an easy sacrifice.
It may be painful to let her go, but your dog needs a farm where she can run to her hearts content
Greyhounds weather all or part, have a propensity to have SA or separation anxiety. It seems as though she is trying to find you when you leave. I have a greyhound who acted out by chewing if she were locked in the house and cried when her first owner was away. When I adopted her, she did absolutely fine since we have another greyhound. Greyhounds live their entire lives in the company of other dogs. When they are alone, they don’t like it. I don’t have an answer for you other than to see how she does with someone who has another dog while you’re gone next time. If that works, you have your answer.
Seriously is it that hard to figure out? Dogs are meant to stay INSIDE THE HOUSE.
Get invisible fence.
It is a boudary thing u put around ur house.
(under ground) and everytime the dog goes out it gets a little shock. ( I have felt it. It does not hurt or harm) It will keep “shocking” until the dog comes back. The shock is like a static eleticity shock. The invisible fence is kinda expensive though.
If you can’t afford the fence just get a shock collar. It shocks like the fence but u control it with a remote. the dog can feel the shock from a mile away. The collar cost like 200 dollars.
I have a shock collar for my golden retriver. She too always ran away until I got it for her. It just took her a couple of times to find out she should not try to run off. Now I do not have to use the collar anymore for she dosnt run away. The collar is also good for house obiedience. Like staying off the couch and jumping on people.
Or if that is too expensive get a CHAIN to hook her up on ever time she is outside.
Hope that helps some what. :]
when i was a kid we had a dog that would run if she got loose. if you didn’t watch it when you opened the front door, off she would go. she was a very good dog other than that, and she really was happy with us, but if she got loose, she would tear off down the road. the only way to get her to come back was to open the car doors and yell ‘bye-bye’. she loved to go in the car and would always come back for that. after a while we learned to just always make sure she couldn’t get away. if you can’t make sure the dog will be secure, you have to give her up. it’s dangerous for the dog to be out running around free.
however, don’t let her stay in the shelter. keep her until you can find her a good home. she may get euthanized at the shelter, and also, you have a responsibility to the dog. the shelter has a lot of dogs and cats already, and you owe it to your pet to find her a nice home without the trauma of living in the shelter.
get someone to watch her while you’re gone, or get an electric fence, or both
and no, electric fences are not cruel
edit: by electric fence i meant like those ones when you set up the boundaries and the dog wears a shock collar, and if it leaves it gets a shock
yes she can be trained….don’t give up on her.what about your mum? can she take her while you are not home?
Go to this site and look at the exercises Name Game and Targeting
http://www.fearfuldogs.com/targeting.html
oh yes she can still learn don’t give up on her! i can tell you love her very much.The training classes will work just have faith and keep loving her.you and her are both special.
Take her with you or have a kennel watch her while you are gone or maybe you are not the right home for her you really do have a tough decision to make just make sure that you consider the dog to.
Go to the training classes. Is she fixed…that helps. Is she food motivated? If she loves food, then u can try to reward her for coming to u. Always have her favorite treat in your pocket and try callin her all the time in the house. Treat her when she comes. Then get her in an enclosed outside area and keep doing the same thing. The idea is to get her to think that everytime u call her, something good is going to happen. Not to judge but why do you have a dog when you’re not home alot of the time? Maybe she’s looking for u????
Keep her in the house while you are gone for the day? Or if you keep here outside put here on a runner or a metal chain..
Get a leash that she can’t chew through. Seriously, don’t let her out loose by herself and she won’t run away. That is the responsible thing to do.
Is there any way you can provide a fenced yard? That would help a lot. Training will help too, but it sounds like you need to train the people in your household not to let her outside unless she is on a leash. Pet shops have heavy duty leashes. Also sounds like she needs more exercise, daily long walks or dog parks.
If you can’t provide those things for her, perhaps rehoming her would be a good idea. If she is in a municipal shelter, see if you can have her transfered to a no-kill shelter.