The Canine Escape Artist

Escape behaviors are serious problems for both dogs and owners because they often have significant and even tragic consequences. Dogs at large are in danger of being hit by cars, getting in fights with other dogs, or being injured in other ways. Loose dogs who are not spayed or neutered may breed and contribute to the numbers of animals who are already unwanted. Owners of dogs who are caught running loose may be required to pay fines, as well as paying an agency for sheltering the dog until it is reclaimed. Roaming dogs can bite or attack innocent people.
For the dog’s, the owner’s, and society’s sake, it is not acceptable to ignore escape behaviors and allow a dog to consistently get out of the yard and run loose. In order to resolve these problems, an owner must determine not only HOW the dog is getting out but more importantly WHY the dog is getting out.

HOW DOGS ESCAPE

Owners often describe their dogs as jumping fences, but most dogs actually climb fences by using some part of the fence to push off from. A dog may also dig under the fence, chew through a fence, learn to open the gate, or use any combination of these methods to get out of the yard. Knowing HOW your dog gets out will help you modify the fence, using some of the suggestions explained below. But until you know WHY your dog wants to leave the yard, you will not be able to successfully resolve the problem. The dog who is intent on escaping from her yard can usually find a way to do so. Thus you must understand the reason(s) why she wants to leave the yard and decrease her motivation for doing so.

WHY DOGS ESCAPE

Fear-related behaviors:
   Dogs often escape when they become frightened by something and attempt to get away from the thing that frightened them. In the summertime, thunderstorms and firecrackers often frighten dogs. Cars back-firing, garbage trucks, hot air balloons (the WHOOSHING sound the gas makes), and gunshots are examples of other noises which commonly frighten dogs. Escape behaviors caused by these noise phobias will occur when the dog hears the noise. It may take some detective work on your part to determine if the times your dog escapes correlate with when the noises occur.
Separation anxiety:
   Many dogs become anxious when they are left alone by their owners, even if there are other pets at home. Dogs can manifest separation anxiety by housesoiling, destructive behaviors, barking, and/or escaping from the yard. Most often, dogs who escape for this reason do not wander far, and can frequently be found sitting on the front porch when the owner returns. Escapes due to separation anxiety will usually occur only in the owner’s absence, or when the dog thinks the owner isn’t home.
Sexual roaming:
   Intact males will often go to great lengths to search for a female “in season”. Intact males may also be more interested in patrolling and defending their territory. If these dogs are frequently taken for walks around the neighborhood, they may think their territory includes much more than just their backyard. They may want to leave their yard in order to mark and “check out” their territory. Neutered males who have a history of escape behavior problems prior to neutering may continue to do so because the behavior has now become a learned pattern.
Socialization and “boredom”:
   If spending time out of the yard is more fun than staying in the yard, escape behaviors will be reinforced because “good things” happen to the dog when she escapes. Neighbors may take the dog in, play with her and feed her. While out, she has the opportunity to investigate many interesting smells, visit other dogs, and get a lot of exercise. The reinforcement value for escaping will be even more pronounced if the dog doesn’t have many other opportunities for these activities and receives little attention from her owners.

WHAT NOT TO DO:

Never try to punish your dog after she is already out of the yard. Dogs associate punishment with what they are doing at the time. The only way your dog will understand that she is being punished for escaping is if you actually catch her directly in the act of getting out of the yard. This means that you must see her coming over, under, or through the fence. Yelling at her, hitting her, or dragging her back to the yard after she is out will create an even bigger problem the next time. The only thing she will learn is not to come to you after she’s out because she knows “bad things” will happen to her. Then you will have not only a dog who escapes, but one you cannot catch after she’s out!
If your dog is escaping because of a fear-related problem or due to separation anxiety, punishment is never appropriate even if you do catch her. Punishing fear-motivated behaviors only makes the dog more afraid, and thus makes the problem worse.

CALLING YOUR DOG BACK

If you are trying to get your dog to come back to you, get down on your knees, call her in a friendly tone of voice, and use either a food tidbit or special toy to encourage her to come. You can also run away from her to entice her to follow you. Don’t try to chase her. Praise her lavishly when she comes to you. You are rewarding coming when called; you are not rewarding escaping. If your dog does not reliably come when called, you may need to work on this command later using lots of praise.

RESOLVING THE PROBLEM

Appropriate methods to resolve escaping problems must be based on why the problem is occurring. Escaping problems often do not have quick and easy, “25 words or less” solutions. If the problem is caused by fear, techniques must be used which decrease the dog’s fear and therefore her motivation to escape. Review the article titled "What to Do if Your Dog is Afraid of Thunder and Other Startling Noises" . Dogs with separation anxiety must learn how to be calm and unafraid when left alone. An article on separation anxiety is also available. Many severe fears and phobias require professional assistance to resolve. Studies show that neutering will decrease sexual roaming in about 90% of the cases. If the behavior has become a habit, appropriate punishment techniques may also need to be used (see below).
If your dog has more fun outside her yard than in it, you must work to find things for her to do in the yard and also give her more opportunities for play and time with you. To encourage your dog to play by herself in the yard try: a large, beach-ball size ball made of hard plastic which the dog can push around with her nose, 2) tying a tug-toy onto a pole or fence, 3) a toy on a pulley which will dangle, or 4) a KONG toy stuffed with tidbits of food. You might also consider installing a dog door to allow your dog access to the house or garage so she can vary where she spends her time. Try spending more time with your dog: play fetch, take her for walks, let her have more time inside the house, and/or enroll her in an obedience class.

PREVENTING ESCAPE

Choosing to only make modifications to your fence to prevent an escape may not be successful if you do not address the reason for the behavior as well. Your dog is likely to just find another way to get out if she is still motivated to do so. Making escaping more difficult, AND decreasing your dog’s desire to escape will have the greatest change of success. If your dog is climbing the fence, try adding wire which faces inward to the top. This prevents her from obtaining a toehold. Jump harnesses may be obtained at some pet stores. If your dog is digging under the fence, try buying wire, placing large rocks or bowling balls at the base, or laying chain-link fencing on the ground, making it uncomfortable for your dog to walk near the fence. Leave your dog inside more. If your dog isn’t trustworthy inside, you will want to resolve those problems. Chaining your dog should be a last resort and should ONLY be a temporary measure until a more permanent solution can be found. Chaining does not give the dog sufficient opportunity for exercise and play and can be dangerous if done improperly.I f you must resort to this temporarily, contact your local animal shelter for suggestions on how best to do so.

APPROPRIATE PUNISHMENT

If you catch your dog in the act of escaping (and the problem is NOT fear or anxiety related), try squirting her with water from the hose or making a very loud noise such as banging a metal bucket with a metal pipe. Punishment will be more effective if your dog is not aware you are going to catch her and the water or noise comes as a total surprise. However, punishment by itself will not resolve the problem. You must also give your dog less reason to escape and make it more difficult to do so as discussed above. If you are unable to resolve the problem on your own, consider consulting an animal behavior specialist to help resolve the problem.

Written by Suzanne Hetts, Ph.D.
Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist,Denver Dumb Friends League (Humane Society of Denver)
IF THIS MATERIAL IS REPRODUCED THE AUTHOR AND DDFL MUST BE CREDITED



		2007