[rodeogem]

I have a one year old poodle, and he runs off, and won't come back to me when he is called. I have three other dogs (a lab, a chihuahua, and a mixed breed), and he is the only one that behaves this way. I beg, plead, chase, bribe, and scold. He thinks it's all a game. He is put in a crate or in my bedroom when we leave the house, and I think this is his attempt at freedom since he usually tries to sneak out the door while we are on our way to work/school. I really need help. I'm terrified that he will be run over or stolen.

[suebgone]

it is up to the owner to prevent this from happening. do not open any door unless he is leashed or crated. does he get a couple walks every day?

if you are letting your other dogs walk freely outside, thinking they won't leave the yard, you are only kidding yourself. it only takes one mistake for any dog to be dead.

you are making a game out of it by chasing him. by scolding him you make him afraid to come back to you.

altho I would never trust him off lead, you need to do some training with him. has he been to obedience classes? if not thats a good place to start. before you sign up, visit a couple sessions & see how the trainer relates to the dogs & the owners. perhaps your local shelter could recommend some good classes

is he neutered?

[Rune]

Hi, "rodeogem"
I dont know if you have done this, but here they are;

A few tips for you!

1. You'll need to decide on the command you will use and stick to it, "come" or "here" or any other single vowel word will do and should be called in a pleasant tone. Sadly, we cannot have detailed conversations with our dogs when we are training them so "Fido, there's a good little doggy, come over to daddy" is out.

2. Puppies do not like being left on their own, so when you leave the room they will want to follow you. You can use this opportunity (and any other when the puppy runs towards you) to give the command "come". Once the puppy reaches you (and only then), give it plenty of praise both verbally and by petting.

3. All dogs love the game of chase and you can use this game to your advantage. Take your puppy into a safe open space and then run away from him, when he starts to chase you (and he will!) stop, face him, open your arms and give the command "come". When he reaches you give him plenty of praise as before. Alternatively, if there are two of you, one can hold the puppy whilst the other runs off. This way you can gradually increase the distance before letting the puppy go. If the puppy stops or goes in another direction, just run a bit further to attract your puppy's attention, or shorten the distance.

A quick word of warning though, puppies like chasing but they also like to be chased! You should avoid chasing your puppy as through this game you are teaching your puppy to run away from you. I'm sure you've seen dogs just staying out of reach of their owners - just as their owners move towards them the dog runs off ducking under the outstretched hands. Owners have probably unwittingly taught their dogs to do this through the game of chasing their dog.

Try the exercises several times a day (be sure to end each exercise while the puppy is still enjoying it) and you'll soon have a puppy that responds to your 'come' command!

Mvh
Rune S.

[rodeogem]

Thank you soooo much!! I can't wait to try it. I admit, I've done very little training with him. My other dogs are trained quite well, but I've just let him be the baby of the family. And this is a problem I've never encountered before. I'll let you know how it works out!

[Rune]

Happy Training

And Yes, please tell us how this works-out for you ! . I am sure that both you and your dog will master this task..

Good Luck...


Mvh
Rune S.