I have a collie cross who i rescued when she was about a year old. I have had he

1. 49

   loubie77posted 15 years ago

   I have a collie cross who i rescued when she was about a year old. I have had her for 9 months...
   
   now and have house trained her, sit, stay, down, come etc. She does all this brilliantly in the house and is a very gentle dog. However as soon as we get to the end of our front garden she starts a pitch whine and wants to just run. On the few times I have let her off she just runs and will not come back. I have had to look for her for hours before I can catch her. She get s an hours walk a day and play in the house but i want to let her off her leash as she needs to run. I have tried using a long lead and re-calling her with food, takin toys, gettin her to chase me, letting her run and nothin

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2. 75

   sasanquaposted 15 years ago

   Are there any fenced parks in your area that allow dogs? If so, that might be an option for you.
   
   How have you been training her with the long leash? You can start with a short leash, call her, and reward her with verbal praise and food straight away. As she achieves this, you can gradually lengthen the leash. You may have already tried this however.
   
   I guess it might also be worth trying to find out why she is running away. Does she just want to stretch her legs? Or is she seeking out other dogs to play with? Is she desexed? These could all be contributing factors.

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3. 65

   MoRitaposted 14 years ago

   Collies are herding dogs.  The average collie can run up to 40 miles a day and be just fine.  My dog runs off leash at a  full run for 2 hours a day and still is not tired.  When he did 3, he was barely tired.
   
   As the other person mentioned, an off-leash dog park with a fence is a good idea.  Walk around it with the dog to keep her moving and thinking.
   
   Otherwise, you can get a remote collar.  I have used one on my herding dog.  Yes, I tried it on myself first.  The very good ones are a little more expensive, but they are very gentle, the levels go up incrementally, and they are excellent back-up where your dog might endanger herself.
   
   For example, one of the dog parks near me does not have a fence.  It has coyotes in it, and the coyotes have led dogs into the nearby highways.  In this case, the collar is good because it keeps the dog safe.
   
   If you use a remote collar, make sure to have a professional help you with training or you could end up mentally harming your dog if you train incorrectly, inconsistently, or unkindly.
   
   My dog is very "soft."  He is not mentally damaged from his remote collar.  He responds to just a vibration (like a cell phone) tone that some collars have.  His is a Dogtra.
   
   Good luck!

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