10 Tips on How to Keep Your Dog From Running Away

How to keep your dog from running away

1. great beginnings

Video: how to stop your dog from "running away" by bobs pet stop

2. respect the door

Video: dog training tips : how do i train my dog not to run away

3. reward coming home
4. remove a strong motivator

Want to know how to keep your dog from running away? The best way is to provide your pet with the best home he can possibly have. Dogs aren’t like cats and they will not leave a good home for no reason. If this sounds too vague, I do have some actionable tips below on how to keep your dog from running away, especially if this happens on a regular basis.

We all know that most of the time, dogs love being at home with their pet parents. They will even experience uncomfortable separation anxiety when you’re not around. There’s rarely any reason for a dog to abandon his owner because canines stay loyal to the very end. However, runaway cases do happen as one of the common dog behavior problems, and there’s a way to deal with that.

You can keep your dog from running away by making sure your dog is happy at home and rewarding him for not running away. Start training your canine early, be consistent and stay positive. Keeping your dog from running away will be much easier for both of you if you stop or prevent this bad habit before it even begins. However, older dogs who have already acquired a taste for running away can still break the habit.

How to Keep Your Dog From Running Away

A lonely dog walking away

1. Great Beginnings

Begin your dog’s obedience training while your dog is still a puppy. Obedience training establishes your dominant position which actually makes a dog happy and less likely to run away either when he’s a puppy, or when he’s older.

Video: How To Stop Your Dog From "Running Away" By Bobs Pet Stop

Some pet parents choose to train puppies themselves, and there’s plenty of ways to do that (see articles below). But you can also take your canine to an obedience class as soon as possible to at least learn the very basics of obedience training.

There are puppy obedience classes for puppies as young as ten to twelve weeks old. Just make sure your pup has had at least two puppy shots. The obedience class will give your young dog good social skills as well as time to socialize with other puppies and people. This alone will reduce his desire to part ways, keep your dog from running away and socialize in the neighborhood.

Here are a few good posts on training young puppies:

2. Respect the Door

Teach dogs to respect the door One of the tricks that will help you to keep your dog from running away is to teach your puppy to go through an open door only after you go through it first and/or give him permission to go through the door so he learns that slipping out the door and running away is not allowed.

Here’s how you can quickly train your dog to do that:

Put your dog on a leash, make him sit, open the door and tell him no when he gets up to go through the door. Make him sit again and open the door again.

Walk through the door first then invite him to follow only after he remains sitting while you open the door. Do not let him rush past you.

Once he successfully accomplishes what you have requested from him, reward your dog with a tasty dog treat as soon as he has done the “technique” correctly.

Video: Dog Training Tips : How Do I Train My Dog Not to Run Away

This is an ongoing process, and it’s always tough in the very beginning. Most pet parents are often advised by dog trainers to stick with it, be very patient and consistent. It’s the only way you can train your dog in general.

You can also continue this “doggy door training” by going outdoors without your dog then rewarding him when you come back indoors if he does not try to go through the door without permission. Take this training even further by making the dog sit a safe distance from the door when you open it to let visitors in, talk to a neighbor or accept packages.

Reward dogs to keep your dog from running away

3. Reward Coming Home

Using positive reinforcement training alongside operant conditioning is the best way to learn how to keep your dog from running away. During the training process, reward your puppy whenever he comes back indoors after doing his potty business outdoors. This will make it enjoyable for the dog to come home, which will help keep your puppy from running away from home.

Positive reinforcement has been proven as the most effective method of dog training. Remember to always reward your dog with his favorite dog treat whether you take your dog outdoors on a leash or have a fenced yard for him to walk around in freely.

Housebreaking methods can also help to keep your dog from running away as they train your dog obedience and house rules. As soon as you have adopted a puppy, you will probably have to housebreak him first, so add the above obedience training techniques into your daily training routine and you should be fine in the long run. Below are some articles on helping you to housebreak a dog effectively.

4. Remove a Strong Motivator

There’s always a reason why dogs keep running away from home, and one of those reasons is their natural animal instincts. One of the ways to keep your dog from running away is to have your canine spayed or neutered to eliminate this motivation and keep your dog from running away in order to make more puppies.

Spaying and neutering should be done by the time your dog is six months old. Dogs often reach sexual maturity at that age and then they are off to procreate. This can be an expensive procedure but there are low-cost spay/neuter programs throughout the United States.