letting dogs run around loose

[Pistol Pete 101]

ok in may i am going to be moving out of my college house and i am moving to a farm that my dad just bought, i am planning on getting a choc lab. the dog that i have now is just a mut but i cant let her run around loose or she will run off. last time i let her run she chased 10 deer out of our timber about a mile down the road. i want my new dog to be able to run around loose and not run away. just thought i might ask how you guys train your dogs to stay close when u let them out, even if you are not there with them. thanks.
peter b.

[CDover]

Invisible Fence..............

[jashoffa]

If this is going to be a hunting dog I suggest only alowing the dog to run loose when you can suprivise the dog. Otherwise the dogmay beout hunting withoutyou andin turn would have some very bad habits that you wouldn't be able to break. If you start with a pup you should be able to just tell it no when ever it goes further then you want it to then as it gets older it will just know how far it can go without getting corrected..

[tailcrackin]

When it running deer, don't say a word, have the collar on, as she is running, nick her on a continuos like 1 or 2, when it stops, its hot enough, remember do not say anything, it will think the deer is doing it. when it looks back to see if you are watching, just tell it here, and act like no big deal, she goes chasing again, we go nicking again. She will test this, so expect it, just remember to keep mouth shut while nicking, she will honestly believe the deer is the cause. Always be prepaired. Thanks Jonesy

[Doc E]

A dog shoulod either be confined or under supervision. No if's and's or but's.



.

[losthwy]

ORIGINAL: Doc E

A dog shoulod either be confined or under supervision. No if's and's or but's.

Yup. Two things are likely to happen if allowed to run loose, killed by a vehicle (or shot by a neighbor for chasing their livestock) or one day it will be gone lost who knows where.

[fantail]

If you want the dog to run loose, then the best way I know is to just let them get everything out of their system that they want to do and usually they'll get burnt out and just hang around the house, although this might take a few days of hard running. It might be hard to start out with the lab running loose because they like to play a little puppy game called seek and destroy but they usually grow out of it by age 2 or so. I also live and work on a farm and I have a lab that I tie up at night but she goes with me nearly every day and I can leave her untied if I want to.

[Phil from Maine]

I value my dogs like small children and have need to keep a watchfull
eye. Allowing them to chase deer in this neck of the woods is a big
no no! Also a good many dogs disappear each year from passerby's
just because they like it, and want it.They are not seen again ( just
like small children ), so I would ask myself do I value it, do I treat it
like a family member, or should I let roam and do whatever ? For me
I would not let them run free and develope more bad habits.I would
want to teach them what I need them to do. I knew someone who
complained thier dog was so out of control because the dog was
allowed to do whatever it wanted.( I'm not saying this is the case
with yours ) But it does happen too often. Anyways my point is that
there is alot to consider about letting a dog roam free. I have friends
that let thier hinds 57 roam free and most of the time it lays around
the yard. But it is fixed and is older and doesn't look for much to do.

[drgildy]

IMO DocE is not pulling any punches and is 100% correct. I f you don't care about the dog just let it run and something will probably happen to it. If you have a dog you care about or have time and money in them put them in a kennel except you can be with them. I can tell you stories of people who will say "my dog doesn't run". Then they happen to show up at my place and I have seen dogs at least 15 miles from their home. In So. D. if a dog is running gameand not under their owners control they can be shot.