Thread: How to stop dog wonder off

Trust the dog when hunting. Do not trust the dog when in civilian life. Tie him up if he is not supervised/contained. My guy will chase that fat, slow, juicy tabby that lives next door with Karen - every single time, if I don't keep an eye on him. It only takes one negative event for a dog to learn bad behaviour. It takes a lot of immediate correction at the point of transgression to sort them out. It's just not worth it.

Micky, Barry and Snoppernator are bang on. Stay is great but every dog has a limit, eventually they will get up and wander off.
Only way to make sure they don't get into trouble is to physically prevent that by a tether of some sort or a crate.

Boredom can be sorted with either frequent exercise or training. They will eventually learn to switch off when leashed if they know that some fun will come their way soon enough.

Ive got through my dog owning life unscathed despite having owned hundreds of them.
There is a reason one of the first things drummed into a young shepherd is "tie your dog up when not in use".
It's simple, and it's not about trust - its about opportunity. Dogs are prey driven and given the opportunity they will all get into some sort of trouble eventually if left to roam.
Ive got a Lab at the moment and I love her to bits. She is gentle and kind and obedient and when I'm in control, stock proof. And she is bred and wired to hunt and to chase prey and to kill (Labs are well known stock chasers & worriers - our nZ huntaways have Lab blood in them). This prey drive resides in all dogs. They all have a natural curiosity that gets them into trouble too.
Bella (as have all of my dogs over the last 60 years of ownership) is either in my direct control with my maximum attention or somehow secure. On a lead, on a chain, in a cage or in a secure space.
No ifs or buts.
The consequences of anything less can be disastrous.

Thanks you for the input folks,
I'm aware that canine, arguably is #2 stock killer after farmers themselves,
Tieng the dog down seems like a temporary solution but its a good starting point and that's what Bean is going to get.

Red flag marker + E-Collar is probably the next step I would teach Bean after I gain some wisdom on E-Collar,
GPS Automatic vibrating training E-collar that vibrates strength based on GPS origin distance seems like a good idea if such a thing exists here.

I'm still learning and youtubing on how to, on every opportunity I could
There are some clever and chill asf dogs out there and makes me wonder, how the owners do it.
I'm sure, some of you have that kind of dog hence posting "how to" here.

As Tahr has said, dogs can be very well trained and basically "bomb proof" but sooner or later there will be a motivation high enough that even a "100%" reliable dog will go and investigate/chase/root or generally bugger off from their "stay" point.
A few years ago a Neighbour from over the back came over to look for their 2 labradors. I asked did they get out the gate and the guy said gate wasn't closed as they never go out. Of course but then they did. I never heard if he got them back. Fencing, tying up or crating is the only way to be 100% sure ( well apart from slipping a collar, chewing the rope, breaking out of a flimsy crate) that the dog will stay there no matter how high the enticement to go for a wander.

Do what we used to do…. Put his front paw in his collar a few times ……

I know … I know…… some here will say that’s close to being cruel…BUT….I did it to one of my Huntaways,he got the message,everytime he tried to buggar off I would do it….. worked wonders

Read Kinsley Fields book " the master hunters" in particular the chapter by? Norm MacDonald about farming near Taupo..... Won't need to say any more...just find book and read it. Wee Basil is pretty typical of dog left to own device's.

I reckon keeping dogs tied up or locked up is all a bit old fashioned to be honest even a lot of the newer generation of shepherds coming through now have a changing mentality where there's a bit more trust built into the relationship and the dogs have a more free ranging life, it certainly doesn't seem to affect the dogs ability to work or the dog/master relationship. Grew up on big stations and remember the old ways of tying dogs up and if shepherds didn't beat the crap out of their dogs with a bit of alcathene when they stepped out of line then the manager or farm owner certainly would do it for them. I want my dog to like me and respect me and work for me because we have a relationship built on mutual trust,not just because he's so happy I have finally let him off his chain or out of his kennel that he doesn't want to step out of line. Haven't ever had current dog tied up and trust him 110% and he has plenty of opportunity to wander if he ever wanted to, he just won't. He got a few short sharp lessons on the issue from day one (without resorting to the length of alcathene..) and has been rock solid ever since. Stimulation is key, they're not ornaments that you just take out whenever it suits you.
I don't think it's common practice to lock your kids in a dungeon just because they "might" go out and indulge in risky behavior, and the most level headed kids I know all have a relationship with their parents thats built on respect and mutual understanding of boundaries.