When you open that front door after a long day of work, there is only one member of the family jumping up and down to greet you - Charlie. You can always rely on him to put a smile on your face no matter how challenging the day may have been. He loves to be near you and even spends most of his time when you are in the house at your heels. This makes it all the more alarming when your puppy runs away from home. You took him into the yard to do some gardening. One minute he is there and the next he's jumped a bush and is heading for the horizon.
Training your puppy to not run away from home is important for several reasons. Firstly, if they get out onto main roads they could end up in serious trouble, even hit by oncoming traffic. Alternatively, they could get into a fight with another pet or a wild animal. All of which could take your puppy away permanently, or at the very least, lead to significant vet bills.
The good news is, training your puppy to not run away from home is relatively simple. The first thing you need to do is some obedience and recall training. This will help make them feel dependant on you, therefore, they will always want to stay close by. You will also need to take some steps to actively discourage your pup from running away from home in the first place.
Because your dog is a puppy, they are probably just very inquisitive and still finding their feet. This means you could see results in just a week or two. However, if they are stubborn and not so good at listening then you may need a couple of months. If training proves successful, you’ll no longer need to worry when you lose sight of your puppy. This type of training will also instill discipline that will help you to get a handle on other bad habits too.
Before you can start training, you’ll need to get your hands on a few things. A long training leash will be needed. You may also want to invest in a body harness if your pup is either big and strong or tiny and delicate. Then stock up on tasty treats. You’ll also need a tracker for one of the methods below.
Set aside 15 minutes or so each day for training. The more frequently you train, the sooner you may see results. You’ll need a large yard and local fields to practice in.
Once you have all that, just bring patience and a pro-active attitude, then work can begin!