Can I/should I/how do I stop my dog from wandering?

In My Humble Opinion
1

He only does it at after dark, on his last potty break of the day. He doesn’t go far and as far as I know, he’s not bothering anybody.

Our back yard leads to an alfalfa field, and after that, Illinois. In the daytime, Boomer stays in the yard or in the first 10 feet or so of the field and does his business. (He doesn’t go in the front yard or the street unless someone he knows is walking by – then he has to go say hi and get a scratch. He’s really a great dog.)

It takes him about 5 minutes to sniff, pee, and poop in the daytime. If my husband is the one to let him out, he wants to come back in immediately and we have to tell him "Boomer, go poop!, which he does.

If I’m the one let him out, he’ll take his time, but he always stays in the yard, in the daytime.

But at night, he disappears for 10-15 minutes. I can’t see him even with the yard light on so I know he’s wandered over to the neighbor’s yard, or farther into the field. He doesn’t come when I call him.

(He doesn’t particularly like being outside. When we’re in the yard in the summer, he’s okay for a few minutes and then he wants to go back inside.)

I’d like him to behave at night like he does in the daytime. I’d like him to stay in our yard at night like he does in the daytime. Why doesn’t he? (He’s neutered.)

He gets a treat when he comes back inside, but lately I’ve been withholding the night time treat, thinking he’ll connect “I was gone too long and too far” with the lack of a Milkbone. It doesn’t help. He just says “Whatever” and goes and lays down.

Part of me says don’t worry about it, he’s not hurting anything and he’s not doing anything dangerous. But the other part says no, he shouldn’t wander and he should come when I call him.

Any ideas, or should I just let him be? This is his only bad habit.

2

:rolleyes: Round my parts, dog/coyotes/vermine in MY yard get killed. Immediatly. No questions asked, no tag looked for. Its just and it legal.

Too many expensive livestock to risk on hoping its “a good dog”.

You love him? Keep him in your yard. I most assuradly don’t love him. And I’ll charge you to haul off the dead carcass.

3

My Lab would usually stay in the yard, but sometimes the primitive part of his brain would take over and he would roam and be gone the entire night. Would always be back the next morning waiting on the doorstep. Once I went out looking for him and found him with a cute Golden Retriever-never could figure out how he got in her cage…

4

Are you seriously saying you give your dog no exercise whatsoever?

5

:rolleyes: Do you know how big her yard is? How old her dog is? The size of her dog? How do you know the dog isn’t getting exercise?

6

so “10-15 minutes” disappearance is evidence of providing the dog with a decent amount of exercise? :rolleyes:

If the dog is straying then that’s a clear indicator that it feels the need to be elsewhere. One major factor in that could be that it wants exercise. The fact that it is permitted to stray is another issue altogether.

7

Boomer is 11 or 12. We’re not sure because he was a stray. He’s been with us for 10 years.

That’s a good point though – how much exercise does he need? He goes out four or five times a day and when he doesn’t stop to sniff, he runs back and forth across the yard. It’s a big yard. But he doesn’t get walked much. I walked him a lot before I broke my hip though.

Gatopescado, I get your point. My little town has lots of dogs – some are tied up, some wander all over town (including our yard), some are in pens or fenced yards. (There are no livestock for them to harass.)

It’s a dog-friendly town. We had a stray over the winter, huge dog, pony-size, roamed everywhere. People put food out for him. When the weather got really cold, people worried about him. We got a vet to come over with tranquilizers to put in his food, and when the dog fell asleep (this took a couple of hours), the vet picked him up and took him in. The dog was adopted after being checked out. Seriously, it’s a town full of dog-lovers. I think everybody has one, and everybody knows everybody else’s dogs.

Boomer doesn’t dig and he doesn’t get into garbage. His shots are up to date, he doesn’t bark, doesn’t jump on people. He’ll chase a rabbit if one crosses his path, but he stops after about 50 feet. He’s mid-size, like a half-grown Lab. His favorite place to be is on my husband’s lap.

Like I said, he doesn’t roam in the daytime, only at night, and he doesn’t go very far. When we first moved here he went a couple of blocks, twice. We spent a lot of time with him in the yard, saying NO when he got to the edge of our property, and that fixed that.

8

I think if you’re able to, work at least one walk into his daily schedule. Even if it’s not a walk-walk, then work in time where you are outside with him. Dogs are pack animals, and though being outside is a treat, being separated from the pack more than counters the interest in being outside.

If your hip gives you trouble, then I’d say bring an activity into the yard and just be out there with him. Or have your spouse walk him.

Either way, a chance to explore WITH his pack should curb his urge at the end of the day.

9

Beadalin, thanks. The light’s going on in my head. Maybe he doesn’t wander in the daytime because he can see me and he knows I’m close by?

10

Well, you can read the post. The dog probably goes out more and get more jaunts outside than most dogs do. The dog probably gets more exercise than someone who works and takes their dog for a walk.

I was just wondering why the need to judge someone and question how much exercise a dog gets based on one post.

It’s come out that it’s a huge yard, the dog is 10 years old, the owner isn’t 100% mobile and the dog goes out 4-5 times a day.

Straying is not an indication that he needs more exercise. If my dog has an opportunity he makes a dash for a spot in my neighbor’s yard where chipmunks nest. She gets walked twice a day and is taken to the dogpark almost daily.

11

To answer your question simply: Yes, you can, and yes, you should. How is dependent on why he’s wandering, but if my dog (that I’d had for 10 years) isn’t coming when I call him, is gone for a period of time, and is not in visual range, there’s a problem.

Why he’s wandering can likely be boiled down to: There is an entirely different population of animals at night that he wants to check out. Maybe another dog that’s allowed out at the same time, maybe any number of noctournal critters, but either way things look/smell/sound differently enough at night that it’s more interesting to him. I assure you that even though you can’t see him, he can see and hear you, so he’s unconcerned about being “away.” The problem with this, of course, is that there are things that will harm him when he’s on walkabout, and you wouldn’t know right away.

Echoing Beadlin’s suggestions, I would work hard on him coming when you call him regardless of anything else that may have his little doggy brain engaged. Also, see if you can figure out where he’s going (maybe invest in one of those ultra-cool LED flashlights?) and go out to take a look at that spot together during the daytime… once you de-mystify it, he may be less likely to be drawn in.

12

Well it seems like he’s getting more exercise than initially indicated but I’d still urge at least one walk a day. Perhaps your husband could help out there if you are not able.

Withholding treats probably isn’t going to work. From what you say there’s too long a gap between the behaviour and the lack of treat. Better that he sees treats as rewards for things done, so some time training him to come on command every time would work better. At night there may be all sorts of interesting wildlife running around so you would have to ensure that plenty of training is done at other times in order to get the message through and make sure that nighttime treats are especially tasty.

You say in summer he doesn’t like to go outside. Could this be a heat issue? How hot is it during the days when he keeps nearby?

13

If your husband lets him out after dark does the same thing happen? He sees something pretty interesting out there. Maybe your husband can follow behind him sometime if you aren’t able to and see where he goes. My dog only likes to go in the yard if I’m oustide with her. If I sit in the yard she’ll stay there all day but if I just let her out she makes a dash to pee and runs back in.

Anything that catches my dogs attention like that is always something nasty like a dead mouse or bird.

14

Perhaps I’m missing something, but have you ever heard of rope? If the dog consistently takes off at night, tether him. Problem solved.

15

Good point. He’s black, so heat might be an issue for him. We don’t let him stay outside for more than a few minutes on hot days. He really likes the A/C.

He’s totally my husband’s dog. Is it true that a dog will only obey one person? I’ve heard that, but the Dog Whisperer seems to put the lie to that fable.

Caridwen, there are probably lots of critters at night. The town is full of stray cats, one of whom sleeps under our deck, and we have lots of rabbits. Since we’re rural, there are probably coons and possums, etc. as well. Two houses down from us is a woman who breeds dogs, and I’ll bet there are lots of great scents in her yard. There’s a female dog next door who probably also leaves some interesting messages in their yard.

When my husband comes home from work (at night), he and Boomer will sometimes sit outside for an hour or so. Boomer stays close to him and doesn’t wander more than a few feet.

Don’t Look Back, I could try a tether, but I’d much rather have him stay close on his own volition.

I’ll start going outside with him and see if that helps. I might also invest in a collar that lights up so I can see where he goes.

16

Watch him and then scold him when he wanders.

17

I can’t help thinking he’s smelling something wonderful (to a dog at least). I’d try to follow him quietly to see exactly where he goes. My dog can sniff one spot for 10 minutes. Maybe he’s fine but a reflective collar wouldn’t hurt. Your lucky to have such a big yard and open area for your dog to explore. If you’ve had him this many years it seems unlikely that he’d just take off or wander too far away.

My older dog listened to my husband when he called better than when I did. It might even have something to do with his hearing. When my dog was 12 his vision and hearing weren’t so great. Maybe he’s enjoying spring.

18

Sometimes I use my big voice with him. It doesn’t always work. Kinda like with my kids. :slight_smile: Mostly he acts like he doesn’t hear me. He responds immediately to my husband though.

Caridwen, yeah, his nose is to the ground all the time he’s outside. He goes into this beautiful pointing posture, tail straight out, one foot raised – I can never see what he’s pointing at though. He loves to flush birds out of the alfalfa field.

I miss our neighbors on the other side. They had a Great Dane and he and Boomer would chase around the yard, Boomer sometimes running under the Dane.

Another thing I’ve thought of is one of those underground fences on that side of the property, the kind that works with a collar and the dog gets a little buzz when he crosses the fence.

19

One day, an untagged, intact, and friendly Chesapeake Bay Retreiver wandered into the barn.The barn owner had a strict no-dogs policy because one of her horses was dog-agressive (ie would attack dogs!). Nevertheless he was such a friendly and obviously cared-for dog that she figured a neighbor would come by looking for him. On the first day we ignored him in the hopes he would head home on his own. But he didn’t. She didn’t want him to get dehydrated so he got some water… and food, pats, a name (“Bird Dog”) and an empty stall to sleep in at night. She called all the farms that bordered hers to no avail, and after a week she called Animal Control to take him to the shelter, with strict instructions that if no one had claimed or adopted him and his time “ran out” they were to call the barn and someone would fetch him back. AC assured us that he would be fixed and adopted quickly, on account of being so handsome and good-natured. They didn’t call back so I assume he was adopted.

This is why you shouldn’t let your dog wander. I’m sure someone really misses their dog.

20

Please fence your yard or make some other plan to keep your dog and others safe.

I’ve recently had a cat disappear; there’s an unfamiliar dog in my yard at night that may be the cause. I haven’t been able to catch it yet. It has a collar and tags but is too quick for me. In addition, this dog and another that is let to run free in the neighborhood shit in my yard–a lot. One of these dogs growls and charges me when I shoo it off my property. It also runs in the street at a blind hill and has caused numerous near-misses from cars. The neighbor whose dog this is says “oh, it’s a friendly dog.” I’ve seen it rush pedestrians and engage their dogs, often when the neighhbor is not home. The police won’t do anything until it bites someone, at which point it will be impounded and euthanized, which is a damn shame and has nothing to do with the dog.