Why does my dog run away?

United States
July 21, 2010 8:02pm CST
I really love my dog. Sometimes I mess with him, but he still gets happy when he sees me, but a lot of times he tries to run away. Many times he succeeds and i need to fun an entire block to catch him. I wonder if he actually hates me. I don't know what to do, he keeps getting bigger and I'm thinking of making him an outside dog, but I'm afraid he'll run away when I'm not home.
1 person likes this
6 responses
@inu1711 (5285)
• Romania
22 Jul 10
No, your dog doesn't hate you. But from previous experiences, he understood that comming to you means the end of the fun and play time. Dogs love to wander around. And when they are young, they tend to wander more, to discover the world. Be sure you satisfy this need of your dog. Put him on a leash and walk with him at least 1 hour a day. If you exercise him properly, his tendence to run away when you are not at home will diminish. There could be accidents when he runs away (somebody leaving the gate open or something), but your dog has to come every time you call him. You don't have to fun the entire block to catch him. :)) As you said "he keeps getting bigger", I suppose he is still a puppy. This means you still have time to teach him to come. "Come" is the most important command a dog should know. He has to learn that comming when he is called, always means a reward from his owner. A reward can be some food, or a toy, or only a pet from you. Like any command, "come" should be taught in a quiet place, with no distractions for the dog. When he does no mistakes when called in that place, then you can repeat the command in another place, with some distractions. But you can't just ask him to do something he never learned about. Check on youtube, there are plenty of movies about teaching a dog to come. Good luck!
• Philippines
22 Jul 10
I don't think he want to run away, I think he just want to play with other dogs. Or he want to fling with other dog. Dogs love to play outside to feel they have freeedom. Why dont you buy another dog for his playmate.
1 person likes this
@jillbeth (2705)
• United States
22 Jul 10
It sounds to me like your dog just likes having you chase him! He thinks it's a game. Your dog may have a dominant personality, and those types of dogs often only interact with people when they want to! I'd suggest that you go to beginning obedience classes with your dog so he will learn to come to you when he's called, and other basic obedience training so you will be able to control him better. Dogs need to respond quickly to their names for their own safety~the owner can keep his dog out of dangers like running into the road or getting into fights with other dogs when the dog is quick to obey. I've raised dogs for a lot of years and have learned some ways to catch dogs who run away, and what doesn't work so well (like chasing them)! Maybe it will be of some help to you: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1074045/tips_for_catching_a_running_dog.html?cat=53
@snowy22315 (168394)
• United States
22 Jul 10
I think you should reward him when he comes to you, if he knows there is something in it for him he will probably comply. He may not see you as being the leader either. Dogs do what they want when they think no one is in charge of them.
1 person likes this
@o0jopak0o (6394)
• Philippines
22 Jul 10
maybe its fun for him.
• India
22 Jul 10
If you want your dog to be with you, you have to give proper food for it.:)
1 person likes this