Hi! I adopted a beautiful, sweet, and YOUNG lab last December (so I've almost had her a year). She is almost 2 years old and up until about a week ago I didn't have many issues with her! She has some strange 'quirks' due to being a stray for the first year of her life, but since the day I brought her home she has stuck right by my side. We live on 5 acres, and other than chasing a ball or running around in her fenced in dog run, she sticks by side or very close by when she is outside with me. But this week she has started roaming and not wanting to come back to me. She eats her breakfast in the garage and as soon as she is done and I open the door she takes off! Once she came back to me for her favorite type of treat, but this morning I had to eventually go and just get her! Does anyone have any tips or tricks?? She is such a loving and loyal dog, and it worries me that she is roaming and not coming back right when i call her!
Hi @Leannna Morris Welcome to the site. I would put the dog on a 10 metre long line. Practise recalls, rewarding the dog with high-value treats she normally does not get when she comes. Dont reel her in with the long line if she does not follow the cue. Just be more exciting, try runing backwards. You have to be more exciting than the "frontier". Your dog should be kept on long line until you have rock solid recalls. Only then you should you gradually transition to off-lead work. Start in a low distraction familiar environment such as the run, where she can't get away should she not follow your cue.
I agree with Michael. I would not allow your dog free access to your 5 acres of land, since you can't really supervise what she is getting up to out there. It is likely she has discovered how amazing chasing a rabbit or other critter, is, and now she is heading out to see if she can find herself some more (or some other reinforcing thing she has found out there). I would suggest training recalls for an AMAZINGLY tasty treat each time (sardines, stinky fish of any kind, paté etc). Then you need to think about what it is realistic to expect a dog to do with themselves, all day - whilst you are working and the dog is with you. Many dogs will choose to go find amazing stuff rather than get bored hanging out with you. You may need to teach her a Place cue and give her a mat to hang out on, or something to chew there to keep her happy whilst you work. You may need to tether her to something whilst you are working nearby outdoors, to stop her from running off... You don't just have a recall issue, you also need to think about what behaviour you want and it's realistic to expect (and how to train it) when you are working outdoors and want her with you.
I think there are different skills. 1 is recall, 2 is training your dog to stay close when youre on a walk, and 3 is training your dog to stay close when you're staying in one place (and not interacting with the dog). Obviously, you want to work on your dogs recall, but that's never going to solve your real problem, which is point 3. Training your dog not to wander, when you are boring and not interacting with her, is going to be tough. Meanwhile, she wanders and leans BAD habits. I would put her on a 10 meter line where I was working, and let her do whatever. I would only have her off-leash when I was ready to interact with her, and keep her focused on me. Maybe when she's older she will naturally stay closer. Otherwise you need to actively train her to stay close, which I think you can only do by saying 'no' and putting her on-leash every time she wanders too far (but I'm not sure if this is ever actually going to work). I don't think constantly recalling her is going to work as a long-term solution (or even short term).
Hi @Leannna Morris and @alsbos Once you have a strong and reliable recall, then you can start teaching boundaries. Jo and Alsbos are correct, you will need to also think about environmental enrichment. Let us know how you go with the recall.
