CAPITAL HUMANE SOCIETY
2320
The Canine Escape Artist
Copyright Denver Dumb
Friends League and Humane Society of the
Escaping is a serious problem for both you and your dog, as it
could have tragic consequences. If your dog is running loose, he is in danger
of being hit by a car, being injured in a fight with another dog, or being hurt
in a number of other ways. Additionally, you’re liable for any damage or injury
your dog may cause and you may be required to pay a fine if he’s picked up by
an animal control agency. In order to resolve an escaping problem, you must
determine not only how your dog is getting out, but also why he is escaping.
Why Dogs Escape
Social Isolation/Frustration
Your dog may be escaping because he’s bored and lonely if:
·
He is left alone for long
periods of time without opportunities for interaction with you.
·
His environment is
relatively barren, without playmates or toys.
·
He is a puppy or adolescent
(under three years old) and doesn’t have other outlets for his energy.
·
He is a particularly active
type of dog (like the herding or sporting breeds) who needs an active job in
order to be happy.
·
The place he goes to when he
escapes provides him with interaction and fun things to do. For example, he goes
to play with a neighbor’s dog or to the local school yard to play with the
children.
Recommendations:
We recommend expanding your dog’s world and increasing his “people
time” in the following ways:
v Walk your dog daily. It’s good exercise, both mentally and
physically.
v Teach your dog to fetch a ball or Frisbee and practice with him as
often as possible.
v Teach your dog a few commands and/or tricks. Practice these
commands and/or tricks every day for five to ten minutes.
v Take an obedience class with your dog and practice daily what
you’ve learned.
v Provide interesting toys (Kong-type toys filled with treats or
busy-box toys) to keep your dog busy when you’re not home.
v Rotate your dog’s toys to make them seem new and interesting (see
our handout: “Dog Toys and How to Use Them”).
v Keep your dog inside when you’re unable to supervise him.
v If you have to be away from home for extended periods of time,
take your dog to work with you or to a “doggie day care,” or ask a friend or
neighbor to walk your dog.
Sexual Roaming
Dogs become sexually mature at around six months of age. An intact
male dog is motivated by a strong, natural drive to seek out female dogs. It
can be very difficult to prevent an intact dog from escaping, because his motivation
to do so is very high.
Recommendations:
v Have your male dog neutered. Studies show that neutering will
decrease sexual roaming in about 90% of the cases. If, however, an intact male
has established a pattern of escaping, he may continue to do so even after he’s
neutered, so it’s important to have him neutered as soon as possible.
v Have your female dog spayed. If your intact female dog escapes
your yard while she’s in heat, she’ll probably get pregnant. Millions of
unwanted pets are euthanized every year. Please don’t contribute to the pet
overpopulation problem by allowing your female dog to breed indiscriminately.
Fears and Phobias
Your dog may be escaping in response to something he is afraid of
if he escapes when he is exposed to loud noises, such as thunderstorms,
firecrackers or construction sounds.
Recommendations:
v Identify what is frightening your dog and desensitize him to it
(see our handout: “Helping Your Dog Overcome the Fear of Thunder and Other
Startling Noises”). You may need professional help with the desensitization process.
Check with your veterinarian about giving your dog an anti-anxiety medication
while you work on behavior modification.
v Leave your dog indoors when he is likely to encounter the fear
stimulus. Mute noise by leaving him in a basement or windowless bathroom and
leave on a television, radio or loud fan.
v Provide a “safe place” for your dog. Observe where he likes to go
when he feels anxious, then allow access to that space, or create a similar
space for him to use when the fear stimulus is present.
Separation Anxiety
Your dog may be escaping due to separation anxiety if:
·
He escapes as soon as, or
shortly after, you leave.
·
He displays other behaviors
that reflect a strong attachment to you, such as following you around, frantic greetings
or reacting anxiously to your preparations to leave.
·
He remains near your home
after he’s escaped.
·
Factors that can precipitate
a separation anxiety problem:
·
There has recently been a
change in your family’s schedule that has resulted in your dog being left alone
more often.
·
Your family has recently
moved to a new house.
·
There’s been a death or loss
of a family member or another family pet.
·
Your dog has recently spent
time at an animal shelter or boarding kennel.
Recommendations:
Separation anxiety can be resolved using counter-conditioning and
desensitization techniques (see our handout: “Separation Anxiety”).
How Dogs Escape
Some dogs jump fences, but most actually climb them, using some
part of the fence to push off from. A dog may also dig under the fence, chew
through the fence, learn to open a gate or use any combination of these methods
to get out of the yard. Knowing how your dog gets out will help you to modify
your yard. However, until you know why your dog wants to escape, and you can
decrease his motivation for doing so, you won’t be able to successfully resolve
the problem.
Recommendations for Preventing Escape
For climbing/jumping dogs: Add an extension to your fence that
tilts in toward the yard. The extension doesn’t necessarily need to make the
fence much higher, as long as it tilts inward at about a 45-degree angle. For
digging dogs: Bury chicken wire at the base of your fence (with the sharp edges
rolled inward), place large rocks at the base, or lay chain-link fencing on the
ground.
Punishment
·
Never punish your dog after
he’s already out of the yard. Dogs associate punishment with what they’re doing
at the time they’re punished. Punishing your dog after the fact won’t eliminate
the escaping behavior, but will only make him afraid to come to you.
·
Never punish your dog if the
escaping is a fear-related problem or is due to separation anxiety. Punishing
fear motivated behaviors will only make your dog more afraid, and thus make the
problem worse.
·
Punishment is only effective
if administered at the moment your dog is escaping and if he doesn’t associate the
correction with you. If you can squirt him with a hose or make a loud noise as
he is going over, under or through the fence, it might be unpleasant enough
that he won’t want to do it again. However, if he realizes that you made the
noise or squirted the water, he’ll simply refrain from escaping when you’re
around. This type of correction is difficult to administer effectively, and
won’t resolve the problem if used by itself. You must also give your dog less
reason to escape and make it more difficult to do.
·
Chaining your dog should
only be used as a last resort, and then only as a temporary measure until a
more permanent solution can be found. Chaining your dog doesn’t give him
sufficient opportunity for exercise and can be dangerous if done improperly
(see our handout: “Keeping Your Dog
Confined To your Property”).