runaway

[alana n]

I started a very bad habit of letting my 2 year old male not fixed dog go out side by himself to releive himself why i stood at the door and waited to he was done. Now he takes off and goes all over the neighborhood,and wont come back no matter what.he just started this i am goingto get him neutered in 2 weeks do you think this will help?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

You will still need to do some training, working on coming when called. He will be less inclined to roam for territory marking, but it will take about 3-6 months before all the testosterone is out of his body.

He will be a better all around dog. Unneutered male dogs are a pain. Neutered ones are usually sappy and lovable. Good decision to get it done.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I would immediately stop letting him out off the leash. He needs to earn back that privilege. Getting him neutered should help but it's not a magic fix. I assume your dog has some training since he used to be okay being let out, but maybe he needs a refresher. Having him run around the neighborhood is a problem - depending on the type of area you live in he could get hit by a car, attacked by another dog, etc.

I have a female dog that has a tendency to want to take off (due to prey drive). She did run off our property once (thankfully, to a neighbor that loves dogs). So we had a trainer come work with her here at the house, then did general basic training in a group, and then a lot of "homework" training where she was NOT allowed off the leash, then allowed "freedom" while dragging a 20' long line, then a 6' leash, while we worked on her recall. She's still not great at it in that she does not come immediately when called, but she's much improved. Any time she slips up (i.e. does not come back in a certain amount of time, or walks away from me instead of slowly coming back) she's back to the long line, and I keep it at my front door so I can grab it easily if needed.