I think working on sit and stay are really helpful in this situation. B-Bop used to bolt out the door a lot too and I really worked on Sit and Stay so when he would run out I'd yell B-Bop SIT and he usually would. It'd give me a chance to grab him. Also why is she getting out so much? Maybe you should puppy proof your house a bit more

She's probably just sneeky like Bailey. Whenever someone is coming home or leaving he's always there trying to get outside too.

I think Renees advice is good...Also perhaps not an electric fence, but a "shock" collar. I think they're around $80 at Petco and they're suppose to correct unwanted behavior.

You'll catch more bees with honey is a great saying in this case. My dog doesnt listen well either and we have a fenced yard, so when he takes off running with something he's not supposed to have (like my underwear!) I say "COOKIES!!Lets go get cookies!" and when he comes inside he gets a cookie...i suppose rewarding bad behavior with cookies is not the best, however, it seems preferable to having your puppy running down a street where they can get run over. Eventually after some training with treats, you can probably cut out the treats later on and have them listen to your command.

I agree with the "sit/ stay" recommendation. Also I would set up some training situations. Get one of those super long leashes, like 20 feet. Tell her "no" or "stay" after you teach that command, open the door or gate, tell her "no" or "stay" again, then step back while holding that super long leash. If/ when she takes off running let her get going and then snap that leash. She will learn that taking off running out of an open gate or door will cause a consequence. For a dog exhibiting this behavior there is no excuse to NOT do some serious training. This is a dangerous situation that can cause her to get run over by a car. Take the time to do the training, set up scenarios, reward her when she eventually starts to NOT run out and you will be in much better shape.

I'm confused by this one. Why are there open gates and doors all the time? It also sounds like she's not getting enough exercise, that she would take the slightest opportunity to run outside and play the "try to catch me" game.

I also agree with "Sit and Stay" training. But I'm guilty of the "Do you want a cookie?" trick Valentina uses. My golden is almost 4 and I don't know what exactly finally did the trick. Now when he "runs" away, it's just to see a neighbor, however we do have a fenced in yard which helps.

While I lived with my parents, we had some freak accidents that trained our dogs to not run away. The first was when my dad came home from work, let the dog out, and left for the dentist without letting her back in. By the time my Mom came home from work, the dog was so scared, she was shaking at the back door, and she never ran away after that.

The other accident was when the other dog would take her usual "run" and made it all the way to the busy end of the street. The closer end drops down into Lake Eris, so she didn't go that way ! she ran into the street, under a big van and did a couple of rolls. She was unharmed, but that taught her a lesson and she never ran away again!

I hope nobody has to experience these types of "training" so good luck in whatever method you use!

i agree with everyone's suggestions. i'd also like to add putting your dog on a leash or in a crate whenever a door leading to the outside opens. you need to work on her recall before you can trust her with an open door. dog training classes can help with this and so can working with her in an enclosed area. find out what motivates her (favorite toy / good tasting treat) and use that as your reward for her to coming to you ... again, make sure it's an enclosed area and that you can get/catch her. when practicing, if she doesn't come to you (only call her once) then go get her and bring her to you. show her exactly what you want and don't let her not obey (sounds a lot easier than it actually is but it's well worth the time and energy). once a dog knows they don't have to listen, that's what they remember. a recall is a must. it can save your dog's life.

I know you said you'll save the come command for another time, but if you know Roxy would come back, then it wouldn't be so much of a worry. Work on come.

Advice from our trainer is:
Making coming to you when you say come the BEST thing in the whole world. When you use a treat for come make it something very special and treat for at least 20 seconds after puppy comes. Even if you are angry never yell come in a harsh voice, they won't come if they think that you're angry. Likewise, when puppy does come, don't punish them for getting away (so hard when you're scared and upset!!) only reward them for coming when you call.

This hard work (especially the 20 seconds of treat for a good response) really does pay off in the long run. Kasey broke a screen in our screen door and go out. Because we had worked with him with his favorite grilled chicken, when we called him to come back he thought...ooh, this means grilled chicken...and he came right back.

Good luck to you and your cute cute pup!

get a 15ft lead and some liver treats and teach your dog to come when you call him/her. Let them run then say come and pull the dog towrd you. Get the dog to understand that when you say come they need to stop doing what they are doing and make them come when he/she comes without a pull on the leash give him a treat. Before this you should work inside the home and if you dog doesnt have basic obedience, then you might want to get some basic obedience classes first. A dog that runs off is a big liability. Also I make my dogs sit before I open the door for them to go on a walk or go out to potty. So they understand that the door and doorway belongs to you.

I would start by walking your dog more. Even if you already walk your dog a lot it sounds like this dog has more than the typical amount of energy so walk more!

Then take everyone's suggestions with working on sit and stay and leashes. However I would stay away from the electric fences or shock collars sometimes they do more harm than good.

I do understand though that it takes a while to get a good sit and stay especially when you dog is on the lose so I would recommend the following.

RUN AWAY from your dog!!! Your dog thinks its a game to get you to come and chase him!! Now you know how to play that game! Run home and chances are he will follow. This will work best if you do it completely blind, which means no peaking to see if he is following! (listen carefully!) This is really hard for a lot of owners to do, including myself, but most dogs will follow their owners when their owners run in the other direction. If your dog doesn't follow get treats, toys, even your car if it works. But please keep in mind you need to be working on a good sit, stay, and come in the meantime!

Good luck!

Wow, thanks for all of your ideas. I'm going to try the long lead thing first and see how that goes. She's a pretty smart one and will "come" and "sit" when were were in our dog training classes or there is food involved, but I swear as soon as we got home she forgets it all and becomes "Little Miss Sneaky!"

She normally gets out when she's at my parent's house because they forget she's there (I bring her over there to play with their dogs while I'm at work) or the gardeners open the back gate without thinking about it.

BTW it was quite the shock when I opened up petsugar to see my Roxy girl staring back at me.

We worked on a "pause" for when we opened doors. We started out by being outside a closed inside door. the dog sits (treat) say "pause" as you open the door (treat if he stays sitting) and "pause" again a few seconds later (treat) then a treat when the door is closed and lots of praise. i also found it helped to put my hand in a "stop" sign while saying pause...

I know EXACTLY how you feel. For the first 2 years of my dog's puppyhood, he would bolt out of any door even if it was just slightly open and even if he exercised for 5 hours that day. I could never relax at home if I had people over because I would be afraid he would run outside and then he would cause a traffic jam down my street while we tried to catch him. He actually learned not to bolt by being around other dogs who were off their leash. He would follow them around instead of taking off down the street and realize that when they were called in, they would come and so should he. If you know a well trained dog and they have a house that isn't on a busy street, I would suggest this. Also, if he escaped and even if I was pissed off beyond belief when I caught him, I would praise him for coming back to me (or even if I just pounced on him). I realized that scolding him would make him want to run even more. Another exercise I would recommend is training him on a leash with the door open. You can put him on a leash and when he runs outside just close the door on him and the leash. He can't go very far and he will realize no one is coming to get him and he will end up just sitting there. I did this a couple times and I noticed later on, if my dog escaped and I didn't realize, sometimes I would find him sitting by the front door waiting for me to realize he was missing. Sorry for the long post!! I just know exactly what you're going through and wanted to help as much as I could. Good Luck!

so did my doggie....now he hasnt come back....

I second all the suggestions about working on long-lead training. Also, look into teaching your dog the "emergency stop" command - where the dog learns to stop on a dime IMMEDIATELY after you say it - that way if he bolts for the door and gets out, you'll be able to call the emergency stop before they get to the street. These are trickier to teach a dog, you might even want to enlist the help of a trainer, but could be well worth it for you and your pooch.

Put as many things between your dog and the outside as possible. Maybe it means putting an extra gate in the doorway or adding a table somewhere to free your hands so that you can block her from exiting. I live on a busy street and with three cats we open the door to the house only after the garage door fully shuts and sometimes I use my shopping bags to block the doorway as I go in. Something tells me that your dog wouldnt be bothered by that though.

As for invisible fencing, my friends that have it love it, I mean love it. Its an investment, for the safety of your beast (I say that lovingly, mine are beasts too) and as a selling point for your house. Also, my friends can use it at their in-laws house when they puppysit. But...if your dog runs, she may not even respond to it.

I haven't gone as far as shock collars or invisible fences yet. I did get one of my dogs microchipped, but I mean dogs are smart. My dog only runs out on my mother because she KNOWS my mother is slower and doesn't put her all the way in the house BEFORE locking the front door...so right out she goes and it is SCARY because she runs and runs and runs criss-crossing the street in front of cars...she is just INSANE!

The only thing I can recommend is to use a lead and hook her on in both the front and back yards (if applicable) - as long as it's screwed in tight they're not going anywhere...that's what I have to do...my dog can not even run around the backyard becuase she will literally lounge into the air like Underdog jump down 30 feet and keep running...she's a MANIAC!

I feel for you and the situation that you're having with Roxy; you're not alone, this is the #1 problem for pet owners. My suggestions are as follows:

1) Rather than saying 'come' to Roxy; modify this command. I use 'house' when it's time for my 4 dogs to 'come'. But, it sounds like you have used the command 'come' w/Roxy so she does know what it means. Therefore, you will need to incorporate both of these terms with her for awhile anyway, i.e. HOUSE/COME, ROXY ~ Always reward her good behavior with treats AND ALWAYS GIVE HER VERY LAVISH VERBAL AND PETTING PRAISE WITH THE TREAT, TOO. (no matter how long it takes for her to respond to the command). Eventurally you will be able drop the word 'come' from this command. (see #3 below)
2) You say that Roxy thinks it's a game when you are chasing her; this is common, and has nothing to do w/lack of exercise, etc., like many others stated herein, SHE JUST LIKES TO BE CHASED, IT'S A GAME AND FORM OF PLAY FOR HER-something you unwittingly have done as part of playing with her. Therefore, when it's Roxy's play time, NEVER EVER engage with any chasing as part of that playtime. When you see she's 'responding' and wanting to be chased by you, simply turn around away and away from her walking. This will let her know that you will not be sucked into the 'chase game."
3) CONSISTENCY IS KEY! That means if you have children, a hubby or boyfriend, dog sitters, your parents, etc. THAT EVERYONE USE THE SAME COMMAND(S) ALWAYS FOR EVERY BEHAVIOR and/or COMMAND no ifs, ands or but! THIS IS SO IMPORTANT. I use the KISS method in training my dogs, which stands for, "Keep It Simple Stupid!" What I mean by 'stupid' is that I'm going to always assume that I'm the stupid one and will use as few of words for a command as possible-for me, this is KEY, when pet training! All of the commands, except for one command are ONE WORD COMMANDS, the basic commands I use are as follows: "HOUSE" ('come' command), DOWN, (lay down), OFF (get down from furniture and/or people), SIT, (obvious), STAY (obvious), NO BARK, (stop barking). EVERY MET COMMAND IS MET BY ME WITH LAVISH PETTING, LOTS OF LOVING PRAISE USING A VERY HIGH & HAPPY TONE OF VOICE; (i.e. "what a good girl you are, good girl," repeating this over and over again) COUPLE THE VERBAL AND PETTING PRAISE WITH THE EVER IMPORTANT TREAT! For the first month or so in your re-training process, I would make Roxy's treat very, very enticing. Buy some 2 day old hamburger from the market, roll it all up into golf ball sized meat balls, cook these balls of meat in the microwave, making up a 2 week or more supply of meat ballsm, then store them in your frig so they're ready for you to use right away. ***IMPORTANT*** USE THE MEAT BALL TREAT ONLY WHEN YOU ARE USING THE 'house/come' command (using other types of treats for her reward(s) for other things). I guarantee you, it won't take long before she's running to you RIGHT AWAY, AND FAST, when you're calling her to 'house/come!' Remember, reward all of her other good behavior responses w/small milk bones or something else ~ she'll soon remember that the best and most tasty treat she receives from you has to do when she responds to that command!

I hope that you will try the above suggestions. I have incorporated 80+ dogs into my family (recues & strays, etc.) and not one of those dogs took more that 4 days before they 'got' what 'house/come' meant to them - A BALL OF MEAT! Rememember, NEVER physically discipline Roxy or speak angrily to her for not coming to you. Owners who do this will never have their dog come with any regularity whatsoever; I see this among my neighbors much too frequently. Think about it, if someone is calling your name to come to them, but, when you do to go to them, like they said; they beat/hit or slap once you go to them; how likely would you be to go to that person in the future? Not very likey, right? Too many owner's repeat this type of beating/hitting/slapping behavior w/their pets over & over again, eventurally the dog these owners have will simply return home when THEY are ready, not when we the owner wants them and/or commands them to. Since these dogs learn very quickly that when they go to their owner or home they're going to be physically punished; which means that dogs treated in this fashion will tend to make the run that they're on last hours, because it doesn't matter when they come, (whether it's right away or not), their owner is going to physically discipline them.

Dogs are pack animals. They need to find their place in the pack (your family). You (or whom ever is the primary person) must be, act and conduct yourself as the alpha (leader) of the pack ALWAYS. Husbands and children are always above the dog within the 'pack.' Dogs want to be the alpha/leader. It's in their nature because in the wild wolves/dogs that do reach that status are eventually challenged by a younger member of the pack, that outcome will eventually change the status within the pack. When it comes to dogs within the pack of a people family; YOU MUST AND ARE ALWAYS THE ALPHA; and, yes the dog will challenge this; Roxy is doing this w/you as well right now.

I wish you the best of luck with Roxy and your endeavor of teaching her commands that she will respond to. Look at it from this perspective, too, "The only way that things will change with this behavior and in this regard is for YOU to change the way that you are responding/interacting with Roxy and her behavior. BE VERY consistent with your commands - I hope I helped! Good Luck! Warmest regards, Kim

I feel for you and the situation that you're having with Roxy; you're not alone, this is the #1 problem for pet owners. My suggestions are as follows:

1) Rather than saying 'come' to Roxy; modify this command. I use 'house' when it's time for my 4 dogs to 'come'. But, it sounds like you have used the command 'come' w/Roxy so she does know what it means. Therefore, you will need to incorporate both of these terms with her for awhile anyway, i.e. HOUSE/COME, ROXY ~ Always reward her good behavior with treats AND ALWAYS GIVE HER VERY LAVISH VERBAL AND PETTING PRAISE WITH THE TREAT, TOO. (no matter how long it takes for her to respond to the command). Eventurally you will be able drop the word 'come' from this command. (see #3 below)
2) You say that Roxy thinks it's a game when you are chasing her; this is common, and has nothing to do w/lack of exercise, etc., like many others stated herein, SHE JUST LIKES TO BE CHASED, IT'S A GAME AND FORM OF PLAY FOR HER-something you unwittingly have done as part of playing with her. Therefore, when it's Roxy's play time, NEVER EVER engage with any chasing as part of that playtime. When you see she's 'responding' and wanting to be chased by you, simply turn around away and away from her walking. This will let her know that you will not be sucked into the 'chase game."
3) CONSISTENCY IS KEY! That means if you have children, a hubby or boyfriend, dog sitters, your parents, etc. THAT EVERYONE USE THE SAME COMMAND(S) ALWAYS FOR EVERY BEHAVIOR and/or COMMAND no ifs, ands or but! THIS IS SO IMPORTANT. I use the KISS method in training my dogs, which stands for, "Keep It Simple Stupid!" What I mean by 'stupid' is that I'm going to always assume that I'm the stupid one and will use as few of words for a command as possible-for me, this is KEY, when pet training! All of the commands, except for one command are ONE WORD COMMANDS, the basic commands I use are as follows: "HOUSE" ('come' command), DOWN, (lay down), OFF (get down from furniture and/or people), SIT, (obvious), STAY (obvious), NO BARK, (stop barking). EVERY MET COMMAND IS MET BY ME WITH LAVISH PETTING, LOTS OF LOVING PRAISE USING A VERY HIGH & HAPPY TONE OF VOICE; (i.e. "what a good girl you are, good girl," repeating this over and over again) COUPLE THE VERBAL AND PETTING PRAISE WITH THE EVER IMPORTANT TREAT! For the first month or so in your re-training process, I would make Roxy's treat very, very enticing. Buy some 2 day old hamburger from the market, roll it all up into golf ball sized meat balls, cook these balls of meat in the microwave, making up a 2 week or more supply of meat ballsm, then store them in your frig so they're ready for you to use right away. ***IMPORTANT*** USE THE MEAT BALL TREAT ONLY WHEN YOU ARE USING THE 'house/come' command (using other types of treats for her reward(s) for other things). I guarantee you, it won't take long before she's running to you RIGHT AWAY, AND FAST, when you're calling her to 'house/come!' Remember, reward all of her other good behavior responses w/small milk bones or something else ~ she'll soon remember that the best and most tasty treat she receives from you has to do when she responds to that command!

I hope that you will try the above suggestions. I have incorporated 80+ dogs into my family (recues & strays, etc.) and not one of those dogs took more that 4 days before they 'got' what 'house/come' meant to them - A BALL OF MEAT! Rememember, NEVER physically discipline Roxy or speak angrily to her for not coming to you. Owners who do this will never have their dog come with any regularity whatsoever; I see this among my neighbors much too frequently. Think about it, if someone is calling your name to come to them, but, when you do to go to them, like they said; they beat/hit or slap once you go to them; how likely would you be to go to that person in the future? Not very likey, right? Too many owner's repeat this type of beating/hitting/slapping behavior w/their pets over & over again, eventurally the dog these owners have will simply return home when THEY are ready, not when we the owner wants them and/or commands them to. Since these dogs learn very quickly that when they go to their owner or home they're going to be physically punished; which means that dogs treated in this fashion will tend to make the run that they're on last hours, because it doesn't matter when they come, (whether it's right away or not), their owner is going to physically discipline them.

Dogs are pack animals. They need to find their place in the pack (your family). You (or whom ever is the primary person) must be, act and conduct yourself as the alpha (leader) of the pack ALWAYS. Husbands and children are always above the dog within the 'pack.' Dogs want to be the alpha/leader. It's in their nature because in the wild wolves/dogs that do reach that status are eventually challenged by a younger member of the pack, that outcome will eventually change the status within the pack. When it comes to dogs within the pack of a people family; YOU MUST AND ARE ALWAYS THE ALPHA; and, yes the dog will challenge this; Roxy is doing this w/you as well right now.

I wish you the best of luck with Roxy and your endeavor of teaching her commands that she will respond to. Look at it from this perspective, too, "The only way that things will change with this behavior and in this regard is for YOU to change the way that you are responding/interacting with Roxy and her behavior. BE VERY consistent with your commands - I hope I helped! Good Luck! Warmest regards, Kim