This isn't a big issue as I have always gone out with Stryker when he needed to go outside. We haven't finished his yard yet so there are no gates and lots of open holes in area's he could sneak off into. I have left him with out supervision in the yard before but no more than 10 minutes and he's only took off once. I still have the makeshift ramp up I made for Dozer but do plan on putting the steps back in place but one thing I notice is at night time, no light in his yard, he sits on the ramp and just listens. It I use my flashlight he'll go off the ramp and do his business but most times he just sits there looking and listening. I wouldn't say he's scared of noises except for one time he heard a truck with a trailer go over some speed bumps. It made a bunch of noise, metal banging and it scared him pretty bad to the point he yelped but that was during the day. Is he afraid of the dark or just listening to his surrounds or maybe a bit of both? Nothing has ever happened at night to him. He even found a few frogs that he was poking with his nose at night but only after I turned on the flashlight did he attempt to interact with them or go off the ramp.
I think puppies do just often sit/stand and observe. The world is still all very new, and sometimes it just needs thinking about. I do not think it's a good idea to trust a puppy or even an adult dog in an unsecured garden (or yard). The temptation to run off and get into a lot of trouble is huge!
Glad to hear he's not scared of going outside after the noisy truck. I'm not sure how well dogs can see in the dark, but the smells may be different in the evening dew. Homer will stand still and sniff the air if let out at night or early in the morning. I always wonder what goes through his mind.
This is what he does. The light is from the flash of the phone but other than that it's total darkness back there.
