training a dog to stay in boundary

Ding Dong

We’re looking at getting a puppy. We would like to have it ‘trained’ so it stays largely with the property and not one of those dogs that you have to have an eye on the front door or gate in case someone leaves it open and it does a beeline straight out like an eejit. Parents had a dog for 17 years that couldn’t be left with the front door open, dunno how they managed it.) We cant afford one of those electric collars that slightly shocks the dog when it goes near the edge of the boundary either, so basically how do you ‘train’ a dog to stay pretty much within the boundary without closed gates and shock collars?

andreac

To be honest, you cant really. You can never trust them 100% not to leave the boundary even if trained. If it caught sight of something or got a scent and wanted to follow it, theres no way it will stop leaving the area unless it actually cant physically get out.

My advice is, make sure your property is properly secured at all times, ie fencing, dog run etc.

Its irresponsible to have a dog if its not properly contained on your property, because if it escaped it could cause an accident on the road which you could be liable for as your dog was not under effective control.

Please do not buy one of those shock collars, they are a cruel, nasty piece of equipment and are far from reliable.

Ding Dong

I understand that they will sometimes go for a walk but I often see on my own wlkas down the road, dogs sitting in the driveway, content, with the gate open. Just wondering how thats achieved.

boomerang

Ding Dong wrote: »

I often see on my own wlkas down the road, dogs sitting in the driveway, content, with the gate open. Just wondering how thats achieved.

They're the ones that are left after the majority have gotten lost, been stolen, hit by cars or shot by farmers while wandering. That or from where you're standing, you can't see that they're on a chain.

I always think it's so sad to see dogs sitting on the front door step all day. What a boring existence, and most of them haven't so much as a mat to stop the cold seeping up through their bones.

seamus

Ding Dong wrote: »

I understand that they will sometimes go for a walk but I often see on my own wlkas down the road, dogs sitting in the driveway, content, with the gate open. Just wondering how thats achieved.

I don't know if it is. You're just happening to see that dog at that time when he's sitting in the driveway. You didn't see him pottering around the neighbour's garden five minutes beforehand

In a heavily populated area with lots of dogs, I imagine the dogs themselves come to some form of "natural" agreement about what defines a boundary. Walls and gates around property generally. In a more rural area an unchallenged dog may extend his "territory" as far as he feels is necessary/manageable.

Ultimately though a dog will leave his own territory if he spots something that takes his fancy. Certain breeds have higher prey drives and are more likely to trek off for miles chasing rats, wild cats and foxes, but all dogs will explore and wander through an open gate - why wouldn't they?

Dashing for an open door is something which can be trained out of a dog. Good recall and strong obedience will ensure that you don't need to be constantly looking around for the dog and that he'll come back to you if he does decide to make a break for it.

But any dog left unsupervised in an open garden will wander off occasionally.

Mistymaud

This is actually quite an interesting question if you think about it.

I don't actually think you can train a dog to do this, but most certainly some dogs will not stray outside their defined boundary.

I know because I used to have one.

He was an old rescued boxer dog (real heavyweight type) and so wasn't reared or trained by me. But, despite the fact I had a large open gateway onto the road, he never strayed from the yard and would sit for hours watching people and traffic.
He also had superb roadsense. Unbelievably so. If he wouldn't cross the road then neither would I and you could bet your bottom dollar something would come zooming around the corner.
I'm sure I'd have been knocked down a few times if it hadn't been for him.

I also still have a sheep that wouldn't stray outside her own boundary even if the gate is left wide open and the other sheep meander off.
In my last house the post lady just used to stare at her in amazement and ask, 'but why doesn't she go. How does she know the difference?'

So yes, I do think that some animals instinctively know their boundary - but how you train them is another matter - so I am in full agreement with the other posters here. You need a securely fenced garden for them to pootle in.

Discodog

Mistymaud wrote: »

I don't actually think you can train a dog to do this, but most certainly some dogs will not stray outside their defined boundary.

Some do stay but many don't. My neighbour's dog always stayed in their garden for 8 years until something made it cross the road & get killed.
You can't train it which is why you need a secure garden. Even if you trained the dog not to run out there will always be the chance that something will distract it. You could not even think of training a puppy until it is older.

You cannot use a shock collar especially on a pup. But if you can't afford it then how will you pay for vaccinations, food & all the other costs that go with a dog ?.

koneko

I live in a rural area. Around here people seem to just let their dogs do this.

You see the dogs sitting in the driveways but you're not seeing the rest of it
5 mins down the road is a family that have (or had) a JRT. It would run out of their garden and lunge at cars driving past. I haven't seen it in a few months, so I'd assume either the owners realised it was a stupid thing to do and keep it secured, or the poor thing got hit by a car.

Down the road the neighbors' working dog hates other dogs. It doesn't stray far, but it makes a nuisance of itself for people walking past, on the same road, it seems to hate other dogs.

I have seen other dogs that were hit by cars and killed, or hit by cars and injured. In the local village is a 3 legged terrier that also lunges at cars, I can only assume it lost it's leg in a related manner.

I found a small dog a year and a half ago, wandering around away from it's home. I tracked down the owners and returned the dog to them. I gave them the spiel of getting it microchipped and minding where the dog goes. It seems they assumed dogs don't leave their territory, they lef it out in their unsecured front garden again and it got hit by a car and killed on the road near their house.

I keep my garden super securely fenced, I can't afford not to, with the breeds I have (Huskies, strong prey drive and a need to run), but even if I didn't, I'd want them to stay secure and safe and would keep the garden fenced.