We have a runner on our hands.

ORIGINAL: bunni

I confess that when I started reading this thread I thought "how foolish to feel hurt by your dog" then I remembered Sienna and mentally apologized.

 
Mental apology accepted []. The disappointment & hurt feelings really hit after the fear faded.  Hopefully with the advice I've been given & the training to come, things will get better and better.  Thanks for responding.

ORIGINAL: diane303

I can understand the dissapointment when your dog wants to run.  Grace is the most adoring and affectionate of my two.  Most of the time, she is my velcro and lap dog, but sometimes outside, she just can't seem help herself. 

Just keep training and rewarding her for good behavior.  Have you ever thought of trying an agility class?  It's a great positive way to bond and teach your dog to focus on you while off leash.   

 
Oh, I'd LOVE to try Trixie and Gracie in an agility class!!  Unfortunately, there are none to be found in this neck of the woods.  I'd love to actually go to any kind of training class with them but the closest is something at Petsmart (almost 2 hours away) and their classes are booked.  Hopefully, with the help of I-doggers and DVDs I'm gonna be on the right track! 

We adopted our Grace at about 2 y.o. (we actually think a little younger).  She adjusted to the fence - no problem .  We love ours.  We have the PetSafe instant fence.  It's wireless and, actually portable!  We take it to our cabin in Central Michigan and will be taking it to a rented house on the Alabama coastline in February.  I would definately look into it if I were you.  They have the freedom to play in the yard untethered.  As I said in my last post, they have learned the yard boundaries and even without their e-fence collars on, they don't cross without being invited.  Good Luck.  There's hope, just be patient and consistent and don't be upset - She loves you but it's just too much fun out there![]

I can understand how you feel. I have been living in fear that Sally will get out. We had only had her a day when our leash malfunctioned and she was off like a rocket. She never looked back. Dh finally caught her but it hit me that she had probably done this before- with disasterous results.

We got her form a shelter and she had been found as a stray. She is a healthy JRT, vet says she is full bred, and she totally understood the dynamics of a family, as well as being fully housetrained. I think she was someone's pet and she escaped, ran for miles, and was lost. I got her micro-chipped right away, because I don't want to lose her. She loves me- but I think she loves running even more.

Missy, I'm just seeing this post.  I'm so sorry you had to experience that horrible fright of seeing Trixie run into dangerous territory, as well as the panic and frustration of trying to catch her.  Our neighbors have a fence jumping dog who runs away often -- she's not even our dog, and my blood pressure skyrockets when the chase and hunt is on and they summon our help. 
 
As you said, it's even more upsetting when you're mentally comparing her to FeFe or any other dog who behaved so differently.  Honestly, I don't know what I'd do if I were faced with a dog who exhibited "bad behaviors" that Tonka never exhibited.  Yes, we trained him a fair amount, but mostly we just got lucky that he simply wasn't interested in running out of the house or yard, chasing birds or squirrels, barking incessantly at the window, etc.  I know another dog that might join our household would never be as well-behaved, and it's highly likely I'd be slightly resentful of that, especially if we rescued him/her and made his/her life so good in our house -- I'd be really upset if the dog seemed not to appreciate it, even though I'd know he wasn't actually thinking that! 
 
My mother's cat was a terrible "door-sneak," and she lived in constant tension of him slipping out when someone came inside, or a delivery person was at the door, etc.  He died several years ago, and now she's babysitting her friend's cat, and she just said the other day how weird it is NOT to have to worry about her escaping.  She NEVER goes near the door when it's opened; my mother is amazed.
 
As all the people have posted already, I'm sure you can improve the situation with some serious training - I wish I had suggestions, but I don't have the experience the other posters have.  I guess for now I'd just make little signs at all your doors and gates that say something like:  "Do not let the dog out!" or "Watch out for sneaky dog!"  At least it would remind everyone to open doors slowly or close gates, etc., especially people who aren't at your house often.  Good luck with the training -- and Trixie, you better listen to your lessons and do your homework!!  Don't scare your Mom like that!

ORIGINAL: diane303

We adopted our Grace at about 2 y.o. (we actually think a little younger).  She adjusted to the fence - no problem .  We love ours.  We have the PetSafe instant fence.  It's wireless and, actually portable!  We take it to our cabin in Central Michigan and will be taking it to a rented house on the Alabama coastline in February.  I would definately look into it if I were you.  They have the freedom to play in the yard untethered.  As I said in my last post, they have learned the yard boundaries and even without their e-fence collars on, they don't cross without being invited.  Good Luck.  There's hope, just be patient and consistent and don't be upset - She loves you but it's just too much fun out there![]

 
I have high hopes that if we do purchase the fence that Trixie will learn the boundaries easily but if she doesn't... I'm not giving up.  Gracie, I think, would be a snap to teach but she also doesn't attempt to run very far away from us.  Thanks for saying Trixie loves me but it's just too much fun out there... bless her little heart, I think she's gonna make me have a nervous breakdown with all the fun she wants to have! []

ORIGINAL: RebeckaK

I can understand how you feel. I have been living in fear that Sally will get out. We had only had her a day when our leash malfunctioned and she was off like a rocket. She never looked back. Dh finally caught her but it hit me that she had probably done this before- with disasterous results.

We got her form a shelter and she had been found as a stray. She is a healthy JRT, vet says she is full bred, and she totally understood the dynamics of a family, as well as being fully housetrained. I think she was someone's pet and she escaped, ran for miles, and was lost. I got her micro-chipped right away, because I don't want to lose her. She loves me- but I think she loves running even more.

 
You know, DH brought a dog home from work one day... she was very timid but she always came to him.  The first night we noticed she was in heat which is probably how she ended up where he worked, so we kept her in the garage.  The next morning, I put a collar and leash together and tried to take her for a walk when she did this crazy flip coming right out of the collar.  This is where my fear of Trixie running comes from because this dog didn't just visit the neighbors, she was out on the main highway in a split second and I was out chasing her... middle of the road, dodging coal trucks going both ways.  We never saw her again and I live with the regret of not being more careful.  FeFe spoiled me rotten... never thought a dog would actually run from us. 
 
Thanks for writing about your experience with Sally... I think it's great you got her micro-chipped!  I hope you can train her too... it's scary not knowing when or if it might happen again.

ORIGINAL: tacran

Missy, I'm just seeing this post.  I'm so sorry you had to experience that horrible fright of seeing Trixie run into dangerous territory, as well as the panic and frustration of trying to catch her.  Our neighbors have a fence jumping dog who runs away often -- she's not even our dog, and my blood pressure skyrockets when the chase and hunt is on and they summon our help. 

As you said, it's even more upsetting when you're mentally comparing her to FeFe or any other dog who behaved so differently.  Honestly, I don't know what I'd do if I were faced with a dog who exhibited "bad behaviors" that Tonka never exhibited.  Yes, we trained him a fair amount, but mostly we just got lucky that he simply wasn't interested in running out of the house or yard, chasing birds or squirrels, barking incessantly at the window, etc.  I know another dog that might join our household would never be as well-behaved, and it's highly likely I'd be slightly resentful of that, especially if we rescued him/her and made his/her life so good in our house -- I'd be really upset if the dog seemed not to appreciate it, even though I'd know he wasn't actually thinking that! 

My mother's cat was a terrible "door-sneak," and she lived in constant tension of him slipping out when someone came inside, or a delivery person was at the door, etc.  He died several years ago, and now she's babysitting her friend's cat, and she just said the other day how weird it is NOT to have to worry about her escaping.  She NEVER goes near the door when it's opened; my mother is amazed.

As all the people have posted already, I'm sure you can improve the situation with some serious training - I wish I had suggestions, but I don't have the experience the other posters have.  I guess for now I'd just make little signs at all your doors and gates that say something like:  "Do not let the dog out!" or "Watch out for sneaky dog!"  At least it would remind everyone to open doors slowly or close gates, etc., especially people who aren't at your house often.  Good luck with the training -- and Trixie, you better listen to your lessons and do your homework!!  Don't scare your Mom like that!

 
Trixie says "I'm sorry Tracy but I just love scarin' my momma!" 
 
When you said your blood pressure skyrockets when the chase and hunt is on... I can say AMEN TO THAT!   The two thoughts that raced thru my mind Saturday are "she's gonna run into the highway and get killed" & "I'm never going to see her again".  I kept wishing DH would come back to the house to see what was taking us so long to get back so he could help.  He really helps to calm me & seems to get things under control quickly (that would be a compliment, huh? sshhh don't tell him lol) 
 
You mentioned not knowing what to do if you had another dog that exibited bad behaviors that Tonka never did.  It takes a lot of getting used to!  At first, she seemed to behave a lot like FeFe.  I should have known it was too good to be true!  Tonka sounds like FeFe to me... I believe we were both spoiled with their good behavior [].  I can relate to the story of your mom's cat -- door sneak is a perfect name for it.  The fear is horrible.  We already faced so much with Trixie, with demodex and her overdose of meds, the moments of not knowing if she'd pull thru or if she might be blind for the rest of her life. I thought, after she gets better she'll love us even more... and now, she RUNS!  To be blessed for years with dogs that want to remain by your side and then to have one that will run at the drop of a hat is scary but we're gonna work on her training.  Then I'll be back to brag on her [].
 
Good idea with the signs too... my Dad made his own sign (painted it) for their front gate that says "Beware of Dog" and has a picture of an alligator with a collar on it's neck that reads "DOG".  It gets a lot of attention -- maybe I can talk him into painting one for us too!  Thank you for writing!

Oh, I feel your pain! Lucy was a runner when we first got her. She will still take off, but very rarely. Usually just when the kids are standing there with the back door (that we don't use often) WIDE open. Naturally, this is always when I'm in a hurry to get everyone off to school. She'll go to the next block and visit all the neighbor dogs and come back. If I don't have time to chase her down on foot, I'll drive the car over and open the door and she'll hop right in.

You need to teach Trixie a good recall (working on that with Lucy now) and also a door boundary. Lucy caught on to this really quickly because she LOVES to go for walks. I started the day we got her by making her sit and be calm before I would put her leash on. When she came to us, she would literally bounce off the walls when she saw her leash. Now she runs to the door and quietly sits and waits for me to snap on the lead. But - your not done yet! After you get that leash on, only let her out of the sit AFTER you step out the door and release her from the sit. If she gets up when you open the door, just shut the door and stand there until she sits bach down. Then open the door again... and again... and again... until she stays in a sit. Then step outside. If she gets up, step back in and close the door. Start all over. Lucy only took a few minutes a day for a few days to get the hang of this. Now, the routine is that I step out, tell her "ok" and THEN she will be allowed out. If Trixie doesn't catch on, she may need a better reward. Maybe a food treat whenever she is sitting.

ORIGINAL: jenhuedepohl

Oh, I feel your pain! Lucy was a runner when we first got her. She will still take off, but very rarely. Usually just when the kids are standing there with the back door (that we don't use often) WIDE open. Naturally, this is always when I'm in a hurry to get everyone off to school. She'll go to the next block and visit all the neighbor dogs and come back. If I don't have time to chase her down on foot, I'll drive the car over and open the door and she'll hop right in.

You need to teach Trixie a good recall (working on that with Lucy now) and also a door boundary. Lucy caught on to this really quickly because she LOVES to go for walks. I started the day we got her by making her sit and be calm before I would put her leash on. When she came to us, she would literally bounce off the walls when she saw her leash. Now she runs to the door and quietly sits and waits for me to snap on the lead. But - your not done yet! After you get that leash on, only let her out of the sit AFTER you step out the door and release her from the sit. If she gets up when you open the door, just shut the door and stand there until she sits bach down. Then open the door again... and again... and again... until she stays in a sit. Then step outside. If she gets up, step back in and close the door. Start all over. Lucy only took a few minutes a day for a few days to get the hang of this. Now, the routine is that I step out, tell her "ok" and THEN she will be allowed out. If Trixie doesn't catch on, she may need a better reward. Maybe a food treat whenever she is sitting.

 
 Oh goodness!!  At least you could open the car door and have Lucy jump in!  I tried mentioning going for a ride when Trixie was running... if she's inside the house or in the yard, she'll run to me as fast as she can BUT when she's running away - she could care less about that ride.  I really like the idea of making both of them, Trixie and Gracie WAIT for things too.  Instead of having everything RIGHT NOW RIGHT NOW RIGHT NOW!   Thank you for sharing what is working with you and Lucy... I tell ya, once the running was out of Gracie's system - I thought we had it licked.  Then along came Trixie lol   Tell Lucy I said she's a gooooood girl!  []

That must've been scary! Luckily Maise responds to my panic scream NO! and just stops and looks very sorry lol

Meagan, it IS so very scary!  So glad Maise listens to your panic scream... we're taking more precautions now to make certain she doesn't have a chance to turn deaf to our pleas and run again.