How to Train Your Dog to Stay Within Boundaries

Every morning and evening, walk him on a leash around the boundaries. Imagine there is an invisible line and walk him to it every time. By doing this every day, you are drilling into him where his territory ends.

If on the walks he goes past this invisible line, quickly pull him back and say ‘NO’ in a firm voice. If you do this for a week or two he will instinctively know where that line is.

After a week, lose the leash and walk him around off the leash. If he goes towards the invisible line, call him over and use a treat to tease him away if necessary. When he comes over, make sure you give him the reward and lots of praise. By rewarding him for coming away from the boundary, he’ll be more inclined to stay clear of it again.

Walk every day, twice a day, for at least a week or two. It will take a while to become habit, so you need to be patient. He will soon get the message, so don’t lose faith if he slips up a couple of times.

This training only works if everyone stops him crossing the boundaries. If you’re working hard each day on training but your partner lets him cross the invisible line, then he won’t learn. Get everyone to work together to ensure consistency. When you think he’s got the hang of it, you can stop walking him around the boundaries each day, he knows not to cross them now.

Keep a vigilant eye on him and keep a water bottle close. As soon as you see him approach the boundary, quickly go over and spray near his face. If this unpleasant experience happens every time, he’ll soon associate crossing the boundary with undesirable consequences.

You can get remote controlled collars that spray a burst of citronella or give emit an unpleasant high pitched sound. They can be bought online and from pet stores and will help you reinforce the rules. When he approaches the line, hit the button.

You can also secure him to a leash in the house or yard that lets him get just to the boundary. If you keep him on this each day for a couple of weeks, he will naturally think his territory ends where the leash ends when you take him off it. Then you can use the other steps to correct any lapses.

If you do see him approach the boundary but then come away, be sure to rush over and give him a treat and praise. If you reward him from coming away from the boundary, he’ll be more likely to back away from it again in future.

This training takes time. You need to create and develop a whole new habit. So make sure you stick to the steps above religiously for at least a couple of weeks. The more consistent you are, the quicker he will learn. When you think he’s finally got the hang of it you can stop using the above measures.

Make sure you won’t be distracted, then get his attention with a handful of treats. You’re going to teach him to wait so you can stop him dead in his tracks if he approaches any boundary.

Standing in front of him, issue the command in a clear voice. Take just one quick step back and then call him over. You need to keep the distance really short to begin with. Try and keep it playful though, he’ll be more eager to learn that way.

As soon as you’ve taken a step back call him over and give him a treat. Really show him he’s done a good job. Then carry on practicing this for 10 minutes a day, each day. As you practice, increase the distance you walk away before you call him over. Do this until you can leave the room and he’ll stay still.

Now, keep a close eye on him over the next few days. As soon as you see him approach the boundary, issue the ‘wait’ command. Then call him over and give him a treat. You need to do this every time he approaches the boundary. By continuously doing this, he will learn how far he can go before he’s told to stop. This will be time-consuming and you must be vigilant; each slip up will slow the learning process.

After weeks of training and when you’ve stopped having occasions where he crosses the boundaries, stop giving him treats. At this point he’ll know where he can and can’t go and the treats shouldn’t be needed. Soon enough you won’t have to tell him to ‘wait’ either. The invisible lines will be engrained into his brain.