whenever I allow her off the leash, off she bolts, & sometimes I spend several hours chasing her(often through other peoples property)trying to catch her to bring her back home. Does anyone have any answers as to how I can stop this, or shops/companies where I can hire an electronic dog training collar as I think this is best way of resolving my problem,as she is big,strong & very stubborn. I live near Belfast in N.I
Your first problem is that you need to work on recall before you even consider walking your dog off a leash. Your dog needs basic obedience. Try a local PetSmart and PetCo or shelter to see if there are any obedience classes available in your area.
If you absolutely cannot afford an obedience class, contact me and I will help you figure out exactly what your dog needs to learn and how to teach it to her.
Use a 15 to 20 foot long lung rope. Let her wonder off, call her by name followed by ‘come’. If she ignores you just start pulling her to you until she is close enough to praise & lavish her with praise. You can repeat your commands until she starts coming to you most of the time. Then give one command & if she doesn’t come pull her in. You want to get to the point that one command is enough.
This will have to be a bunch of times so that she associates the command with with the conquencies.
But, your best bet is to enroll in an obedience class. This is taught in the classes. Not on a long line but it is taught in the classes.
I have to agree with the Husky poster – you do NOT let an Akita off the lead in any area where there may be cats or other dogs. Take her to a good training class where you can learn how to train her correctly – chasing after any dog when it won’t come back is a complete waste of time – especially a dog with the size and endurance of an Akita. Akitas are stubborn but they are not difficult to train if you have any experience of Spitz breeds.
By the way – you don’t “Order” an Akita to do anything – you ask her and, if she is tuned into you, all she will want to do is what you want her to do.
Please do not resort to electric shocks, that’s no way to treat one of this stubborn but devoted breed. Correctly trained and motivated, Akitas are capable of a high level of Obedience.
check out this site to help you train your dog
hi i have the exact same problem, i just got a 2year old black labrador and i just can let him outside without being tired up or on a leash, because he just runs of, i feel so crule and i hate having him tied up.
i dont exactly have an answer for you more like a request
i need an answer for this too but since im only 17 i cant afford a dog training collar, (since they cost approx 300euro) so i was wondering if you could contact me with your solution please
(i live near galway, R.I.)
You need the help of a professional trainer. Any untrained dog will run away and not listen.
A trick. If you want to leave your dog free, tie a 30 + feet long rope to his collar that you leave dragging on the ground, when your dog decides to exit your property it’s easier for you just to step on the rope then to run after the dog.
First of all, why do you want to allow her off the leash? This is so unsafe for your dog… Even the most well trained dog, one who NEVER runs off can spot a cat, rabbit, other dog – whatever, and the chase is on… No matter how much you yell for them to come back. The only safe place for your dog to be unleashed is in your fenced yard, or at the dog park!
First off, STOP CHASING HER. It’s natural instinct for a dog to keep running away if you’re headed their direction — they think it’s a game! Instead, call her name and start jogging or walking in the opposite direction. If she’s ignoring you, make a bunch of noise so she notices. Believe me, she’s going to get curious about where you’re going and what’s so interesting by you, and she’s going to run towards you, instead of away. When she does, use a big, happy voice and give her lots of praise. You want her to learn that coming to you is a GOOD thing.
Second, you need to teach your dog the basics of “come”. Dogs are not born knowing this command, and using an electric collar is not going to teach your dog the word. You need to put in the time and effort yourself.
Start with small distances, say a few feet, and in a low-distraction area (such as your living room). Call your dog to you (I use “(Name), Come!”) When she does, praise and reward with a treat. If she doesn’t come to you, turn around very quickly and start jogging to somewhere else in your house. When she runs to follow you, turn around, praise and reward. Repeat, repeat, repeat. As she’s consistently coming to you, try backing up a few feet and doing it again. Do a few sessions every day, with twenty to thirty repetitions each time. Make sure she knows that when she comes when called, good things happen.
Once she’s very consistent in your house (consistent as in, she comes when called when you’re in a different part of the house, and she’s coming when called at least 95% of the time), move to outside. If you don’t have a fenced yard, use a long lead so you maintain control over her. Again, you’re going to need to practice. Chances are, she’s not going to realize that when you call her to come outside, she’s supposed to follow the command. Start small once again, and work up to calling her from 20-30 ft away (depending on the length of your lead). Again, if she doesn’t come, turn and go in the other direction. When she follows, praise and reward.
When she’s coming in low-excitement areas, try taking her out into the “real world”. When you’re on a walk, or at the park, use her long lead and randomly call her to come. EVERY TIME, praise and reward. As I’ve stated before, if she ignores you, turn and go the other direction. She will follow, especially once she realizes she gets rewarded for it.
If you consistently work with her, she will learn to come every time. It took about six months for my own dog to become almost 100% reliable on recall, with daily practice. It can be done, but you need to be dedicated. She just needs to realize that good things happen when she comes to you. 🙂
Don’t let her off the lead.
PLEASE DO NOT USE AN ELECTRIC TRAINING COLLAR
they are not a good training aid and can lead to very bad aggression problems towards the operator (you), so your dog being very big and strong is even more of a reason not to use it.
The best way to train your dog not to run off is to go to some training classes and get professional help. and remember you need to train before letting your dog off the lead and not after.
I have been studying animal care for 2 years i am now doing a diploma in animal management we have jst been studying animal handling so here are a few tips-
you need to be consistant and firm,
give her a treat everytime you catch her or when she comes back
do not shout at her as this will only give the attention she is seeking.
hope this helps
Definately use a long line, like 20-30 feet like suggested. Just remember that Akitas by nature are very independent and strong willed. Be patient and work with the dog. However, you shouldnt have your dog off leash anywhere outside of a fenced in area.
hi i have been a keeper of Akita’s for a few years now and akitas are a very stubborn bread of dog if an Akita will not do the things you ask the first time dont waste your breath asking a second time . Akitas are a hunting dog and there instincts over run there loyalty it is recommnded you dont let Akitas off there lead as if they take a dislike to another dog they will kill it
My daughters dog a pit cross labrador who is 8 1/2 months used to stay at her boyfriends house and was always in a crate night and day, but when they used to take him out they didn’t need a lead and he wouldn’t run away. He has been with us now for around 8 weeks and at the beginning we where able to take him out the same way. In my house he has the run of the house and only spends 4 to 5 hours in the open crate in the garden while we are at work. He sleeps inside the house, but suddently over the last few days he’s been running off at the first chance of the door being open and wont come back when he’s called. He doesn’t go out as frequently as he used to, could this be the reason why? My daughters thinks it’s because he now can run around the house as he pleases that he thinks he can do this outside. How do we get him to listen and not run off? My daughter wants us to stop him having the run of the house and i’m not happy with this.
practice in your house first, theres not as many distractions.
have a hand full of nice treats, then just keep calling her and rewarding with a treat.
repeat this until she responds in the house. then buy a very long leash (or a tie 2 leashs together) then practice in the park with the treats, making her come right to you.
then when you can trust her completly THEN let her off.
tip: when calling a dog to you, crouch down (or even sit on the floor) this makes the dog more interested in what your doing
Akita’s and Husky’s are very stubborn and as sled dogs majority of them can never be let off the lead, unless they are in an enclosed area.
Bobobee, I rarely let my dogs off the lead as I take three out at once, and they can be ‘skittish’ if something frightens them, so they have their ‘romp’ and free running around the garden. Only time they are let off is on holiday when we go to a beach with no-one on it, or in the fields, and to be honest, they dont move far from our sides, but if something frightened them, a loud noise, or another dog worried them they would bolt, so it is for their own safety, and my nerves!!
I wish all the SBT owners around me would keep their dogs on a lead too, as they are the main reason why my dogs are so skittish as they insist on worrying them and they are not the most obedient.
use a very low stern voice not a high pitched squeaky one! And then when your dog does run off walk in the opposite direction this worked on my dog.
Also, you could start off by using a fenced in area so she can’t run far and train her in here until you can trust her. Ask your local rescue centre if you can use their play pens!
Hope i helped!!
and also, DONT KEEP YOUR DOG ON A LEAD ALL OF ITS LIFE!! they like to play and run!! i absolutely HATE people who keep their dogs on leads. They don’t deserve dogs. at all
You need her to learn to Come reliably before you let her off her lead in an area where she can actually get away from you.. You are playing a dog’s favourite game ‘ Chase me ‘
First of all do you know anything about your breed?
Akita’s must not be let off the lead unless in a secure enclosure
This breed is very stubborn just like my breed ( Siberian husky ) and its a well know fact they are strong willed and don’t do well on the recall
They have an extremely high prey drive and are generally dog aggressive
You should have done your research long before now!
bobebee
Some breeds CANNOT be let off their leads so they are exercised other ways
its not cruel at all, its for their safety more than anything
Just try to keep her on a leash at all times, or make sure there are no ways of her getting out. Its natural for a dog to try to run away, you cant really stop them unless they are really obedient. Yeah a electric fence might work, and she’ll soon figure out not to run away, but Id suggest trying almost everything else before getting one. Try doggy gates near the door. Unless your outside, but you shouldnt be letting her off her leash when your outside. Good luck!
First of all, that is great you are trying to train your dog. I own an akita as well and training has been challenging but not impossible. One of the biggest things I learned is that you need to be a clear, consistent, and calm leader. Your akita also needs to respect you or else she will not listen to you. I would strongly recommend finding a local trainer who has worked with akitas in the past to help with basic obedience. I would also recommend 2 good books that have helped me with training my akita, The Dog Listener by Jan Fennell and Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson. The books are polar opposites in training theory but I have used pieces of both and it really has helped me. You should also try what others have posted at home such as walking with a long leash to work on recall or try it in an enclosed backyard. However, I would not let your dog off leash until you can fully trust that she will come back to you. Good Luck!
I have a Lab mix and she is very smart once yoy trick her to come back you can never use the same method it we do not let her off the leash but because of grand kids and just mistakes she gets out the house she will run around the neigborhood until she gets tired which may be 2-3 even 4 hrs this is very furstrating because she is a goood dog and follows commands in the house on the leash outside she is pretty good but does pull sometimes we have tried praising her when she comes back and punishing her tried treats nothing works she is about three years old thought she would be settled down more by now.