# running away from me



## msteeny28 (Dec 16, 2008)

Almost every time I take Gracie out (my 11month old golden) we play, i throw the ball all over the field and let her run a pretty good bit. Every time it is time for us to come inside she runs away from me, kind of like chase me momma.. Most of the time it isnt that big of a deal but sometimes she will run down our dirt road into others yards.. How can i keep my girl active and let her run free and listen to me when i say its time to come inside? she knows when she see's the leash that its time to go inside and she gets a little hard headed.. I need help. She is my first pup as an adult.


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Precious*

Your Gracie is absolutely precious and yes I think she is saying Come On Mom and chase me!!!

I am sure there are many people on this forum that can give you good training advice.

I wouldn't let her off the leash if she can get out of your yard.


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## Oaklys Dad (Dec 28, 2005)

Sounds like you need to spend some time working on recall. The easiest way is with a 50' light cord and lots of high value treats. Say come once and reel her in and give her a treat. Practice lots and she will get it. When a dog comes on command always reward even if you are angry. :


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## msteeny28 (Dec 16, 2008)

When we are in the front yard, I have her on a leash. When we are in the back yard, which is about 3acres i let her run free, its all fenced except for the entry/exit... I know she is curious and I know i am WAY over protective of her, ( my dad gets onto me all the time about her).. im sure sometimes she is thinking hey, whats on the other side of that fence. I need to get this under control because i want to start taking her to a dog park.. I wont take her until i can fix this problem, it would be like letting a kid go in a candy store.. LOL


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

Oakley's Dad has the right idea, a 50' lead that you keep within reach and reel her in when you call her, practice that enough and she will start coming when called.


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## K9-Design (Jan 18, 2009)

Some tips:
!) keep a pocketful of yummy special treats like cheese or cut up hot dogs. ANY TIME she randomly gets near you, say her name and give her a treat, praise and pet her, then say "okay, go play!" and let her run. This sets up a very good habit of the dog knowing you have something good to give her if she stays close to you. ALSO -- once she is coming up to you voluntarily to get a treat, tell her to SIT, then HOLD HER COLLAR while giving the treat. Then praise, say Okay, and let her free to run again. Now you're conditioning her that if you get close to Mom and she grabs her collar, it's okay and playtime is not over. 
2) You have conditioned her that the leash means playtime is over. What if you change that? That the leash means she gets special treats, or can do tricks for treats, or gets a belly rub. Walk her a few dozen yards on the leash, then unhook her and let her play again. You have obviously set up the scenario that the only time the leash comes out is when you are ending playtime and fun, nothing good happens when that leash comes out. You need to break that habit.
3) She needs to learn that YUMMY TREATS APPEAR AT THE BACK DOOR (or wherever it is you go back into the house). If she wants the awesome treat, she has to come to the door. DO NOT CHASE HER. 
4) Leave the leash on and let her drag it while she runs as a last resort. But all of this conditioning that the leash, mom's presence, mom's hand on your collar, and mom standing at the back door being good things, will break this cycle you've created.
Best of luck!


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## Sienna's Mom (Oct 23, 2007)

K9-Design said:


> Some tips:
> !) keep a pocketful of yummy special treats like cheese or cut up hot dogs. ANY TIME she randomly gets near you, say her name and give her a treat, praise and pet her, then say "okay, go play!" and let her run. This sets up a very good habit of the dog knowing you have something good to give her if she stays close to you. ALSO -- once she is coming up to you voluntarily to get a treat, tell her to SIT, then HOLD HER COLLAR while giving the treat. Then praise, say Okay, and let her free to run again. Now you're conditioning her that if you get close to Mom and she grabs her collar, it's okay and playtime is not over.
> 2) You have conditioned her that the leash means playtime is over. What if you change that? That the leash means she gets special treats, or can do tricks for treats, or gets a belly rub. Walk her a few dozen yards on the leash, then unhook her and let her play again. You have obviously set up the scenario that the only time the leash comes out is when you are ending playtime and fun, nothing good happens when that leash comes out. You need to break that habit.
> 3) She needs to learn that YUMMY TREATS APPEAR AT THE BACK DOOR (or wherever it is you go back into the house). If she wants the awesome treat, she has to come to the door. DO NOT CHASE HER.
> ...


This is very good advice LOL! Sienna has terrible recall especially when she is excited to be out were is isn't supposed to be. 3 things work for us:

On reading your post, the first thing I was going to suggest was number 1&2 : We took Sienna to a few training classes and this is something they stressed over and over. They need to know that coming back to you doesn't always mean you are leaving. It might be to get a treat, belly rub, or for Mom to re-throw the ball. Sometimes it means we are leaving. Maybe wait for the leash to come out after she's come back to you.

Also number 3 works for us (my number pound sign key isn't working LOL) Sienna is a tennis ball fetch freak and hates to come in. I've devised a system that if she comes in from the yard into the garage with her tennis balls (she always has two LOL) she hands them over to Mom and gets a small handful of kibble. Works like a charm and I also get to go back into the house free of dirty balls which she likes to chew on.

Last resort is we've found a toy she absolutely adores. It makes this funny honking sound. But we only use it when we need to get a hold of her when she's gotten out front and is running around in pure glee-AWAY from Mom. We keep it close by to grab- all it takes is a couple of honks and she comes sailing back in rapt attention. She gets to play with it for a bit and then we trade it for a treat.

Good luck!


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## msteeny28 (Dec 16, 2008)

Thanks for the tips, i will give these a shot, i took her out a little while ago and tried the treat thing, and so far its working... Thank you!


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Msteeny*

Msteeny

So glad that treat thing is working.
Does Gracie like squeaky toys?
My dogs come running when they hear the sound!:wavey:


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## msteeny28 (Dec 16, 2008)

Gracie loves squeaky toys, but that doesnt even phase her when it comes to being outside.. Heck i walked out with some peanut butter this morning as a treat for every time she came back and its worked maybe 2 out of the 10 times i tried.. Other times she is all for it. Its a battle of wills.. LOL


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## K9-Design (Jan 18, 2009)

msteeny28 said:


> Gracie loves squeaky toys, but that doesnt even phase her when it comes to being outside.. Heck i walked out with some peanut butter this morning as a treat for every time she came back and its worked maybe 2 out of the 10 times i tried.. Other times she is all for it. Its a battle of wills.. LOL


Well hey, at least you had some success. My dogs don't like peanut butter (and how did you carry it? you don't want the dog to visibly see that you have the treats -- hence, put them in your pocket). I would use something higher value than that. Walk WITH her around the yard as she runs and plays and offer the treats when she happens to walk by you. Actually, 2 out of 10 tries isn't too bad. I bet if you try again tomorrow she'll be better. Remember that she's had 9 months of learning that if you get too close to mom while out running, she'll catch you and end your fun. It'll take some work to reverse that. Keep at it.


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