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Why are Border Terriers so good at escaping? Border Terriers were bred to hunt vermin. Because of this, they are intelligent problem solvers that can squeeze through tight spaces. All the makings of a good escapee!
Border Terriers are outdoorsy and highly motivated to investigate squirrels, birds, the neighbor's cat, whatever moves! So whether your Border Terrier is behind a fence in your yard or out on a walk, he is likely to want to investigate and run after small animals. Because he is a slender-bodied hunter, he is fast--he can be gone before you have time to react--and can fit through small openings in a fence or gate.
Because they are high energy, independent dogs, many owners of Border Terriers like to be able to exercise their dogs off-leash or let them have outside time in a yard. But because of their natural tendency to become distracted and run away, this can be hazardous if your loose Border Terrier decides to head for the hills! To make things a little more complicated, Border Terriers are expert diggers, something they developed as a way to go after rodents and other small prey that might hide in burrows or holes. Border Terriers can apply this skill to burrowing under fences--think Steve McQueen in the Great Escape! So how do you train your Border Terrier not to run away?
When teaching your Border Terrier not to run away, good off-leash recall will be your best tool. Remember, however, that off-leash activity is inherently self-rewarding. If you leash your Border Terrier every time you recall him you are inadvertently punishing him for coming to you. You will want to avoid this--call your dog and reward him with play or more off-leash time, do not always leash and leave an area your dog is enjoying. Establish that coming to you is a good thing, and that you are the pack leader, will be the most effective way to get your Border Terrier to respond to off-leash commands and not to run away.
By practicing obedience commands and setting boundaries you help establish yourself as the dominant pack member, making your Border Terrier less likely to run away from you, and more likely to follow you or stay nearby. This is how your dog is wired--to stay with the pack leader. You want your Border Terrier to stay with you when off-leash and obey your recall commands, but also to stay in an enclosed area like a yard or house. This will mean setting some boundaries, teaching your dog to only exit gates and doors when invited, and providing alternatives to escaping and digging behaviors.
Make sure your dog is microchipped or well identified with a tag before working off-leash, in case you accidentally become separated. Ideally, train in a safe enclosed area that your Border Terrier cannot escape from. You will want to use treats to reward not running away, and also provide toys and activities to act as an alternative. Figure out what motivates your Border Terrier and tap into that; does he like to play tug of war with a rag, chew on a Kong or rawhide bone, play fetch? Use these props to provide alternatives to running away.
The Off-Leash Commands Method
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Start in safe location
Start a young dog early learning off-leash commands. Practice in an enclosed area where your Border Terrier cannot escape. Start in a small area like a room, then house, then yard, then on walks on a long lead, then off leash
Teach 'come'
Teach your dog to come when called. Call your dog and give her a treat when she comes to you. Once established in a variety of environments, vary providing treats with praise, toys and play.
Teach 'touch'
Teach your dog to run to you and touch your hand with her nose by calling out “Touch”. Always provide a high value treat. This is not an everyday command like 'come', which is not always rewarded with a treat. In an emergency situation, you can call out “Touch” and get a more sure response as your dog will always expect a great reward for responding. Also, because your dog actually touches her nose to your hand, she is in close enough proximity to get a grip on a collar and restrain her in a dangerous situation .
Teach 'stay'
Teach your dog 'sit-stay' and 'down-stay'. Provide treats to reinforce. Start in small area and work up to a large area with distractions until reliable.
Practice on and off-leash
Take your dog out on a long leash and provide off-leash commands in the presence of distractions. Reward with treats, toys, praise and play to keep your dog interested and never knowing how she will be rewarded, except for 'touch' which is an emergency recall, and should always be rewarded with high value treat like chicken or hot dogs. Once responding wel,l your Border Terrier can practice off leash.
The Be the Leader Method
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Provide for needs
Be the leader. Be consistent, firm, and gentle. Make your Border Terrier look to you for direction. Provide exercise, food and toys.
Be interesting
Do the unexpected to maintain your dog's interest. Produce a toy or treats suddenly on walks, or run away so your dog chases you. Be interesting.
Do not inadvertent punish recalll
After recalling your Border Terrier, do not put him on a leash all the time. Instead, provide treats and play; you should only leash him to leave a fun activity once out of several recall events, so your dog does not associate coming to you with leaving a fun activity.
Hide and seek
Play hide and seek with your dog to teach him to look for you. Provide treats and play when your dog finds you. Start in the house, move to an enclosed outside area, and eventually start playing off-leash in open areas.
Do not chase
Avoid chasing your dog or yelling repeatedly to get him to stop running away. This provides weak energy and your Border Terrier will not respond to it or view you as a leader. If your dog is running away, try getting his attention and running the other way. Your Border Terrier is more likely to run to you and see what is happening then you are likely to catch him if he runs away.
The Set Boundaries Method
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Own exits
Teach your Border Terrier to respect exits. Never let your Border Terrier proceed you out of a gate or door. If your dog rushes to a door when it is open say “No”, or “Stop”, put your body between the door and your dog. Physically block your dog--own the space. Wait.
Reward waiting at exits
When your dog backs away from the exit, say “good” and give him a reward.
Invite through exits
Teach your dog to follow you out doors and gates, not to go in front of you. Call your dog through the door and reward him. If your dog tries to precede you out of the door, correct him, make him wait, then call him out the door for praise and a walk or play.
Direct digging
Supervise your Border Terrier in an enclosed yard. When he starts investigating the fence or digging near the fence, call him and provide an alternate behavior. Teach him to dig in a specified area of the yard to find a toy. Fill a hole with sand and a toy and let your dog uncover the toy as a reward for digging in his designated spot, not near the fence.
Stimulate
Provide stimulation for your Border Terrier when loose in a yard, such as toys, chew toys, and puzzles to distract him from investigating the fence for opportunities to escape.
Written by Laurie Haggart
Veterinary reviewed by:
Published: 01/19/2018, edited: 01/08/2021
Training Questions and Answers
Hi Bailey has been off the leash since being very young, he is usually not bad with his recall and we always reward him for coming back and do all of the above. The past week - he has ran off 3 times - and I’ve had to look for him for up to 30 minutes, I’ve then found him around dogs and running after them. How do I stop this? Has he hit puberty and is starting to smell dogs in season? Thanks
Dec. 2, 2019
Bailey's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
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Hello Laura, Age could certainly be part of it. Whether its other dogs in heat or just hitting a more independent stage, either way he needs to be given less trust right now as you work on off-leash reliability. Most young puppies will stay close because you are their security. As they hit puppy adolescence they get bolder and more curious and if off-leash obedience isn't strongly in place, come and following can become issues then. Most people assume their dog is fully off-leash trained because they naturally came well during puppyhood, but there were less things to compete with at that age, than the exciting things he is noticing now. For off-leash reliability you need to practice off-leash commands a lot on a long leash around various types of distractions, so that pup learns to come around distractions and coming isn't negotiable - he has to come even if he doesn't want your reward more than another dog. If there is a female in heat nearby that could certainly be contributing too. If that's the case and you aren't planning on showing him in conformation or needing him to be in tact, I do suggest speaking to your vet about neutering him. Neutering doesn't fix a lot of behavior issues, but that desire to seek out females in heat should improve if he really is going after a female in heat and not just lacking a recall and boundary training. Know that seeming to backtrack in obedience is normal at this age because puppies do care more about distractions at this point. This is the age where intermediate obedience, where you practice commands intentionally around distractions, is important. Check out the Reel In method and practice it around a lot of distractions. https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-whippet-to-recall Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Dec. 3, 2019
Hi We are having issues with Hooper barking at everything from people to tree stumps and whilst it is not overly aggressive (tail wagging constantly) it is so frustrating especially when passing by families with children.He has met our granddaughters and is fine, it's almost like a protection thing at times bless him but we are at our wits end and all other aspects such as toilet training, sleeping through the night he is brilliant Regards James & Gail
May 21, 2019
Hooper's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
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Hello James, It sounds like he has become overly sensitive to new things. Work on teaching him the Quiet command from the article linked below and also work a lot on desensitizing him to his environment. The Quiet command will give you an off switch. The desensitizing will help prevent him from constantly starting the barking. Also, be aware that the more a dog barks the more encouraged a dog is to continue to bark because of chemicals released in their brain. Quiet method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bark Desensitization 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jp_l9C1yT1g&list=PLAA4pob0Wl0W2agO7frSjia1hG85IyA6a Desensitization 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5BjvNScFPs&list=PLAA4pob0Wl0W2agO7frSjia1hG85IyA6a&index=2 Desensitization 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JY7JrteQBOQ&list=PLAA4pob0Wl0W2agO7frSjia1hG85IyA6a&index=3 Desensitization 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXCELHDT2fs&list=PLAA4pob0Wl0W2agO7frSjia1hG85IyA6a&index=4 Desensitization 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxPrNnulp5s Once you have desensitized him to things in his environment and taught him the quiet command, if he barks at something you have already desensitized him to and disobeys you when you tell him Quiet, then you can use a pet convincer sprayed at his side (which is a small canister of pressurized air - do NOT spray him in the face) to snap him out of it (which will give you an opportunity to reward him if he stays quiet so that he is reminded to do that instead). Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
May 22, 2019