Escaping Dog

[rcalsop]

We have a super Jack Russel who is a house dog but has a free run of a walled garden and his own room . He is great with the kids and house trained quickly he is now at the age where all his puppy teeth have gone and has settled down a bit . The digging is minimal the barking not to bad but from very early he was a dog that always does a runner .

Any opportunity and he is out of the garden gate and just runs and runs away any direction , no bitch problem he has been doctored at 6 months to try to reduce any escaping urge but to no avail .. Has anyone any ideas to retrain him , it is becoming a major problem ... he will not return on his own .

I have never had this as a problem with other dogs also terriers they have always been able to stroll near the house and they would stay by myside when walking , working on fences or following me on a bicycle....... no such pleasure with this one .. It is his sole purpose in life to escape and he knows it is wrong

Help any ideas

[bina]

double gate for starters.

then, train him always always to sit before going in or out a door or gate- anywhere... only let him out in the yard when u are there, put a long thin cord on him, and anytime he even thinks of going ot the gate, yank him in, then divert him with some fun, tasty yummy play ... do this for a long long long long time, never nver let him get the taste of freedom until u are double darn sure he understands when to return and not to go without permission....

its learned and fun behavior like bycycle chasing, or hedghog hunting (my boxer bitch used to escape the one gate and we would spend hours chasingher around the kibbutz with her and a hedghog in her mouth.... for years i didnt ever unleash her (i put her on a very long lite weight lead so when she takes a runner, i step ont he end and voila... she now always thinks she's on a lead even when not... but it took years...)

jack russels are hard hard headed little dogs....

good luck

forgot, u might try if they have in thailand the electric underground things... u have to train the dog to it, but it might might work, some dogs learn to clear it (like cows and monkeys)... google for it...like underground elctric fence

[elfe]

try to put him on a very long leash, a rope of 20 metres which you can adjust as you like. try to train him like that with great rewads on his returns. it will take a while for him to learn... or take him somewhere where there is no danger for him, like a lonely beach or in the mountains and let him run. if he doesn't return when you want, just leave him there and go or drive away. leave him there for an hour or more. he should be looking for you after a while and be happy to see you come back. if he doesn't return next time do it again.

bina, yes the double gates are a must, couldn't get in or out the garden here without them and without some dogs escaping outside. can be chaeply done here in LOS, just a high fence with a door aruond your garden door or gate

[bina]

elfe,

the principle is a good idea but not in a way out spot cause terriers and the hunting dog types just go offf and get lost....your idea works for boxers, and other breeds/mixes that 'want to please'... terriers couldnt give a sh.../ to please

we used to do it in an enclosed tennis court.\ the dog would be left in side, we would go out, close the gate and leave...... we would hide and watch, when the dog starts to get 'nervous', then we would come back, call the dog, reward, and go play a little and then go home....

terriers however, are known to go off for days chasing to the ground a particular scent and jack russels are still very much hunters...

a long long run, twice a day at scheduled time could also help with a surprise waiting for when returning (like dinner for instance, or a toy)... to make the return as fun fun fun as possible.... terriers like fun, they are party dogs.... hve u thought of getting hime a friend (hopefully and less hyperactive breed or mix?).... elfe probably has a few for u....if one dog is in, the other doesnt tend to go too far without wanting to return to friend

[elfe]

bina, youre right, forgot about that 'chasing' aspect. I did what i described with two of my thai dogs which would just go off and fishing/strolling for hours and come by again every half hour or so. but never just run and run away. me too i got a jackrussel terrier, found him in the middle of main road as a puppy. he was very neglected and i only found out after many months that he's a real jrt!! he is the smallest of all my dogs but has definitely more energy than all the others thankfully he doesn't show the runner thing and is very attached to me and would never go far away. and yes, I know lots of lovely dogs looking for new homes if anyone is interested, not my own dogs though as i cannot give them away anymore

that's coco