HELP! Boxer burn out the front door into the neighborhood!

[Jiffer]

How do you train a boxer not to make a mad dash out the front door at fourteen hundred miles per hour ... and actually come to you when you call him?!!!

He rarely gets out, but every now and then, like just now, he gets out and just takes off like a crazy dog. Into the street. Bolting around back and forth doing the boxer burn. There's absolutely no point in chasing him. The only thing that seems to work is giving him a treat, which still takes a lot of doing. He knows when he goes for the treat now that we'll grab him, so it takes some doing to get him to come all the way to the treat.

What is one to do about this?

I figured if we work more with the "come" command and maybe put him on a super long lead line outside and work with him that way?

Thanks for any input.

 

[sgbtab]

it takes time to train the come command. it is just a matter of using the come comand all of the time. he will learn. mine don't leave the front door when it is open but I still don't trust them. I am always thinking that they will see something that is worth breaking a comand.
there just silly dogs. it is funny when they catch on to the treats. I have to do something diffirent for samson all the time to get him in from the back yard other wise he catches on.
he is still learning the come comand. but there is one thing I never do and that is to tell him to come if he did something wrong. I go to him. I always want him to want to come to me.

 

[Jan]

Certainly running after him won't work. You can try going out after him. Wait until he glances in your direction and run away from him. It a rare dog that won't come running after you. Tell him what a wonderful dog he is, no matter how mad you are. Working with a long line is a good start. You need to make yourself more interesing to him than everything else that is around him. Start working in your garden and then you can move it elsewhere and add more distractions. You also need wonderful treats that he only gets when working on recalls.

Good luck!

 

[peterro_kt]

Working with him on recall's is the key as mentioned before. I have a 1 year old female that I took to the basic and advanced training classes at Petsmart. I am currently taking her to a more traditional, non treat training, class. I have noticed in the 4 weeks working with her not using treats how fast she has caught on to commands.

If you do work on the recal, please do it on lease either in your front or back yard to start with. It's important not to let them run away from you. Start with a 6 foot lead and then work your way up. Have the dog sit in front of you. You can be in a heel position then rotate infront of the dog or simply have the dog sit facing you. You will need the stay command for this! Have him stay and walk back so that the lead is fully extended. Don't walk as if you are on egg shells, walk normally. Your dog will notice that you are not acting normal and be more likely to bounce right up after you. Assuming the dog has not moved say her/his name and the come command. As the dog is running to you animate your motions and voice to get the dog to be excited. If they are not excited they will wander off to smell the roses more than likely. As the dog comes to you have them sit directly in front of you.

Praise the dog!!!
Praise the dog!!!
Praise the dog!!!
Praise the dog!!!
Praise the dog!!!

Remember, repitition and animation is key to have your dog learn the recall. There is the last part, which I am not going to go into, the finish where you dog either rotates back to a sitting heel position or comes around your right side to a sit heel.

 

[Iluvslobbers]

15 foot lead

My last boxer did this. I placed a 15 foot lead on her and she went everywhere in the house with that on. Of course, I watched her to make sure she did not hurt herself. When she decided to play keep away, all I had to do is stomp on the 15 foot lead. She learned pretty fast that this is not a fun game. After your dog has learned not to run away from you, you can take the lead off.

With that same 15 foot lead, I practiced recall with her. I said 'Milla come' and I drew in the 15' lead. Pretty soon, she was doing it on her own. I practiced it over and over, she got really good at coming. I praised each time, including when I drew it in.

 

[jenjones28]

One thing that our trainer had us do with our dog that has definitely paid off is when we were teaching her the sit command, we used treats, but she did not get her treat until she was sitting AND we had ahold of her collar. THEN she got her treat. We used this also with the 'come' command. We call, she comes, she sits in front of us, we reach for the collar, THEN we treat. I wish I had done it with my older dog (waiting at the bridge now, bless her heart) who ducked away from us and danced away every time she didn't want to do what we want!

 

[deesboxers]

long leads and repition are key to teach the recall command. Meanwhile if your boxer runs out one of the best things to do is go to a clear spot where you can be seen by him/her and sit down to wait. They will come back with curiosity of what you are doing . Have them sit or lay down, praise them for sitting or laying then pet them. Afterwards gently lead them home. My male is bad about escaping but is learning his boundry and responding to this method very well !!!!!! He is even going home on his own, just as he escaped. Not bad for a dog that didn't know his own name till he turned 3. Not my fault he was adopted by me when he was 2.5.

 

[furrykidmom]

Clicker training

I never thought that I could coordinate clicker training but our 14 week old puppy caught on quick. We started puppy etiquette class at 9 weeks old. We started on a lead. You call the dog to you by name and your command to come once then with much animation you continue to call his name and tell him good boy and continue to encourage him to come without repeating the come command. When he gets to you click and treat. We also play a game of hide and seek in the house. both people have a clicker and treats. Start easy like different rooms near eachother. One person is holding the dog and the other calls. The holder releases and the caller continues to encourage until the dog finds you. Click, treat and love him by petting him and telling him how good he is. Then tell the other person to hide and call. Make it more challenging. Our puppy loves this game. We now play it outside also. When starting this outside for the first time have the dog on a leash, and a holder. The other person stands about ten feet away and raises a hand in the air with the treat visible. Call the dog by name and the command. Place the treat between your feet and encourage the dog to come to you. The holder is running with the dog on lead to you. Click when he arrives, tell him how good he is and show him the treat. Switch people and do it again.

Our puppy has been trying to challenge us now outside by playing games. He will run to the center of the yard and sit. If I call him he will not come. He used to. He is like a toddler now and he is testing the limits. He will not come with a treat either. However, if I have the clicker and the treat bag it is a different story. It has become his new game. The trick is that we are winning because when he runs we do not chase. We ignore. We walk into the house and get the clicker and the bag that set inside the door and come back out. I call out his name three times with a lot of animation and a big smile. I click the clicker three times and he comes bounding to me with a big smile. I click and treat when he arrives and make a big fuss. He is still just a baby but I think he is making great strides. The trick is to be consistent. Do not chase and do not lose you cool or yell. Always reward for a come no matter how long it takes for him to come. Work with the lead a lot and make it a game.

I hope this has been some help,

Furrykidmom

 

[HMaonlnlay]

That's funny because I just posted a new thread about the same thing. My Hannah just runs like crazy she will never let me catch her not even in the house so I guess it's not just me. I don't know why she does it I guess she just likes me to chase her every time I go to pet her or play with her she takes off.

 

[RonaldMM]

Running out the door!

We had a similar situation with Drake. We've really had to work on the wait command and 90% of the time it works. He still wears a leash inside half the time. I think training will continue for a long time. But the come command, outside, we have started whistle training. It seems to get his attention. We only use it when he is acting like he won't listen to us or may be getting into a potentially dangerous situation. (like out of our site)