Dog is running away. What do I do?

[Conan The Librarian]

We had a beagle that died and we still have its kennel all set up, so when somebody didn't want their old dog anymore we took it in. It's a good dog and we've had him about a year. Lately he has started running away, and staying away longer. Then he comes  back, usually with a belly full of carrion and pukes it up.
 
This is an old dog, but I don't think he's running away to die. I think he just wants to go off by himself sometimes. I give him two walks a day, weather permitting, play with him daily, take him to some land every weekend where he can run without a leash, and treat him very well.
 
I'm not sure what to do. Starting today, I'm going to put a leash on him when I bring him from the kennel to the house.

[james]

You didn't say what breed but I've had beagles that did that.   Our dogs ran loose and a beagle would come up missing for a couple of days sometimes. The fox hounds, bird dogs and stock dogs always made it a point to be home for supper.

[52bagman]

I have a Heeler that had this problem. The walking with the leash will help but you will need do it for a considerable amount of time( month to six weeks). I done the leash thing with my dog and it worked. I think they get a routine or habit and you have to take the time and procedures to get their mind away from the habit.
Good Luck

[Conan The Librarian]

It is an old beagle, about 11 or 12 years old.  Beagles live 14 to 18 years typically, so he should have plenty of life in him.
 
A dog that disappears for a couple of days would no longer be my dog. I've always insisted on and trained for one thing from a dog: come on command. If they don't do that, they are worse than useless.

[Brett]

We had a beagle that died and we still have its kennel all set up, so when somebody didn't want their old dog anymore we took it in. It's a good dog and we've had him about a year. Lately he has started running away, and staying away longer. Then he comes  back, usually with a belly full of carrion and pukes it up.
 
This is an old dog, but I don't think he's running away to die. I think he just wants to go off by himself sometimes. I give him two walks a day, weather permitting, play with him daily, take him to some land every weekend where he can run without a leash, and treat him very well.
 
I'm not sure what to do. Starting today, I'm going to put a leash on him when I bring him from the kennel to the house.

If you ever figure it out let me know.   I've got a Plott hound that will do the same thing.  That's a picture of her in my avatar.   

[Conan The Librarian]

It's a very distressing habit because beagles are oblivious to cars. I just don't want to go looking for him and have to carry him home and bury him after he gets hit. Or kill him myself if he's severely wounded.

[mcbammer]

Thats  just  the  nature  of  the  beagle .  BORN  TO  RUN .

[Pike60]

That is the nature of a hound. They follow their nose without regard to where it takes them. Some bird dogs are like that to. My son's German Shorthair does the same thing and we have an undergroung fence. She will break that barrier going out but won't take the shock coming back in. I had a shepherd at one time that would not go out of the yard because she knew that was her territory. That is why I love shepherds.
 
Pike

[Conan The Librarian]

He was fine until recently. Now I'm putting him on a leash and making him sit before taking him to the kennel and back.

[SHOOTALL]

shock collar !

[Bigeasy]

He's running off simply, because he can.  "NO", or "COME" doesn't mean squat if you can't enforce it, and he knows it.  Continue to use the leash whenever he is outside, or sooner or later he will get hit by a car, or get into some other trouble.
 
Had a St. Bernard once that was pretty much out of control.  Knew the meaning of come, but just didn't care.  I'm sure he thought, "why"?, "he can't catch me".  Introduced him to a electric training collar.  The first time I went outside with him and let him loose, he immediately ran, and refused to stop when I said "come".  One long push of the button stopped him in his tracks.  Said "come" again, and he thought about it, then started to walk off again.  ZAP.  Said come a third time, and he listened.  Within a short time, he always listened, no collar needed.  Also works well for dogs that think their sole purpose in life is to bark.
 
Larry

[Conan The Librarian]

I think he tried it once and got away with it, so he started doing it some more. Now he's literally on a very short leash. I'll still let him run free when we're out hunting or on open land. He's been fine like that. He's got to have a good run regularly. I want him to have a happy life.
 
But my firm rule is that a dog that won't come on command is worse that useless, and his life is going to be structured around living by that rule.

[Old Fart]

We had a dog once that was how should I say it........Romantic. He'd run away everytime one of his lady friends called.    He always came back for groceries. 

[Dee]

Conan, I made my living with dogs, (K-9 trainer), and I too cannot stand a dog that won't come to me. I have always forced trained EVERY PUP, to come to me FIRST TIME, EVERY TIME. However! A beagle like most of the hound family many times reacts to a very strong "hunting instinct", after all being bred for hunting. I suspect that is what is "calling him out". I used to keep a pen full of beagles, and the really good hunters, had to be watched, and their pen had to be a good one. He's not jackin with you, he's most likely followin instinct.
First you have to teach him what come here is. I use a 30' check line. I let them get away from me, and in a strong voice say: "Here!", and give it a good jerk, and then reel him in, all the while repeating over and over, "HERE"! When the dog starts reacting and coming to HERE, on the check line, I now know he understands. Then on goes the Shock Collar, and I start with it turned all the way UP.
If when I say HERE, he hesitates, I give him a quick buzz, and here he comes. With this old dog it may take a while beagles aren't all that sharp anyway, but it will work. It sounds cruel, but getting lost or run over is worse. He won't be coming because he wants to (at first), but because he HAS TO. After a while he starts coming because he will think he just always has. Good luck.

[SHOOTALL]

treats work as long as you have treats . When you teach a dog you really condition it . Most people who train soon find that it is best to not let the dog know where the correction come from . If the trainer beats or gives a treat to the dog the dog is conditioned to expect either at the command. If the dog hears a command and does not follow it and gets a correction from a collar in most cases it will go to the trainer looking for protection or comfort . At that point the trainer is the leader of the pack and the dogs falls in line. I had a hundred lb lab and every so often he would try me a simple correction and he was good to go fo another 6-8 mos.
 The biggest mistake people make is trying to bring the dog up to thinking like a human when in fact you need to drop down to thinking like a dog so you can understand why they do what they do. That is why the best trainers and handlers say the dog trains them .

[SHOOTALL]

I have had rabbit dogs and deer dogs and had all the problems assoicated with them. You can pet your dog all you want I do also but when they won'y whoa and a car kills them the petting is over.
 BTW if you correct the dog then make up it won't know what to do. If you always are positive with the dog and not negative like scolding or hitting and let the collar do the dirty work the dog will be conditioned to see you as the alpha .

[Dee]

treats work as long as you have treats . When you teach a dog you really condition it . Most people who train soon find that it is best to not let the dog know where the correction come from . If the trainer beats or gives a treat to the dog the dog is conditioned to expect either at the command. If the dog hears a command and does not follow it and gets a correction from a collar in most cases it will go to the trainer looking for protection or comfort . At that point the trainer is the leader of the pack and the dogs falls in line. I had a hundred lb lab and every so often he would try me a simple correction and he was good to go fo another 6-8 mos.
 The biggest mistake people make is trying to bring the dog up to thinking like a human when in fact you need to drop down to thinking like a dog so you can understand why they do what they do. That is why the best trainers and handlers say the dog trains them .

SHOOTALL, I think you got a pretty good handle on it. I used the reward of a piece of PVC pipe for successful drug find, but that was an entirely different environment for all concerned, especially the dog.
All other conditioning revolved around tactical police work, and the reward was entirely different, and fit the scenario. When an 85 lb. Shepherd took down a 200 lb. felon, I did not give him a biscuit. I gave him praise and encouragement to do it again.
Folks watch too much TV, and understanding why a dog does what he does, is the key to it all. After all. A drug fiend will keep comin back if you keep givin him drugs. Stop and see what happens.
Some will say that police dogs are not the same as family pets. Not true. Their BOTH! When I trained horses, I thought like a horse, when I trained bird dogs, I tried to think like a bird dog, and set the dog or the horse up for success, as success encourages either.
By the way. When I was raising my kids, I did the same thing, and while I encouraged their successes, I also headed off a lot of heartache. Was I totally successful? More with the animals than the kids. They have the power of reasoning, and it clogs up the plan sometimes.

[Empty Quiver]

Any local bitches in heat?

[KIMBER45]

When I first got my lab, the trainer told me " never let a dog do something you don't want him to do". Since this dog has been doing this for who knows how long, it will be hard to break him of it.

[Shu]

Dee,
You traind your kids like you did a dog with a shock collar??  Just kidding of course.
I worked with military dogs a bit, what you TM7 and Shootall are saying works and works well.

[Rex in OTZ]

Its simple your dog is bored and this can be a bad habit to let them get started, its filling in that need to socialize by hitting the doggie telegraph (hit every piss spot in half mile) and making the rounds (the 4 leggid version of a drive round the neighborhood) husky's and sled dogs are really bad about this as well as Hunting dogs.
As they get into all sorts of stuff....skunks, porcupine, road kill, diseased dead critters, they can drag home just about anything fleas, lice, scabies, worms.
dogs love rolling in dead carcasses esp dead skunk, I dont know many that like hanging round a stinky dog, esp in a truck cab, carrion dog farts are the worst.
Once a dog gets to running off its hard to break them of it.
I know of a neighbor that had one them pushy dogs, she was sweet and smart but she came home the last time gut shot and was hard to see his long time conpanion (11years) die a painfull death that lasted 3 days.
 
 
 I live in a North West Arctic town of 3400 we have a city loose dog ordinance, they are to be in a enclosure, chained, or directly under your voice command, otherwise you are in violation, there are least 7 residences in a quarter mile of my place that shoot loose dogs on sight (air rifle, .22 if they can get away with it), 2- I know of that set out traps (conibear 220's) and poison bait (antifreeze), here its not wise to let them loose, they just may end up dead.
Our dog catcher useally on average puts down 350-360 dogs a year with a annual budget of $1000
I have 5 dogs
 
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