Will try not to waffle too much but i don't want to drip feed so need to give the background.. I have 2 husky crosses who are normally well behaved. I don't let them off lead in open areas but I walk them daily in a secure field and they have great recall to whistle and voice.
I am at home with them 90% of the time (I work from home), however I do have to go to London for a day once or twice a month. A few months ago a delivery driver came when I was in London and opened our gate and literally just drove off and left it open. The dogs wandered off and were brought back about 45 minutes later by someone in the village. I only know about it as we have cameras set up and my husband thought, rather than returning the dogs, that someone was stealing them. I didn't recognise the person that retuned them and nobody left a note or anything. I kicked up a stink with the delivery company and put it behind me. I did buy a chain and padlock for the gate though.
All was fine until 2 weeks ago, I was busy working in my study and someone knocked the door. I was on a conference call, dogs were sleeping in the kitchen. I was distracted and stupid,y didn't close the front door properly (it is a stupid door that doesn't close properly unless you lift the handle), I went back to my computer and carried on with my conference call until about half hour later I heard the front door bang in the wind. I then realised I hadn't shut it properly and so I panicked and called the dogs.. they were not there. I rushed out and ran through the village blowing the whistle, nothing. I quickly called my dog walker and asked if she was nearby and could help look for them, which she did. Eventually after 2 hours we found them, literally 100 yards away in a small field at the back of one of my neighbours houses. I put their leads on and was just taking them home when someone shouted out to me that the dogs had killed some poultry. I was mortified, and gave her my details, she wasn't the owner of the poultry but knew the owners and could see the field from her house so had seen what happened. About half hour later the police turned up saying they had been called because the dogs were causing a nuisance. They came in and I explained what happened and that they didn't break out of the garden but I stupidly had ,eat the door open. They said the only damage they saw was one dead chicken and they weren't classing it as a police matter so it was up to me and the livestock owner to work out. Later that day the owner of the chickens came round carrying a dead cockerel. I apologised profusely and told him I was a twat and had left the door open and I would obviously pay for any damage. He said it was the second time they had been in his field and they had also chased his sheep. I was shocked as I had no idea what he meant by second time, I then realised it was him that had returned them after the delivery driver incident. I told him that I didn't know they had been at his place when they got out before, and as he hadn't left a note or come to tell me how could I know. He said he was going to be getting lots more sheep and that he would not be happy if my dogs got out and attached them again. I promised I would do everything I could to keep them from getting out.
Fast forward to today.. I was mowing the front lawn but the stupid lawn mower kept cutting out and I had no idea why so I called my husband to come and have a look at it. Stupidly he came out and yet again left the door open.. this time wide open. We were both standing there fiddling with the lawn mower and the dogs bolted and I mean bolted out of the house and ran at what must have been 30mph in the direction of the field. My husband took off after them and I ran to get a whistle and their leads. I was just leaving our drive when the dogs came trotting up quickly followed by the farmer. I had no idea what to say to him, he was furious and said he is calling the police and will get the dogs taken away. They didn't get a chance to harm any of his animals but that is only because he was there.
I am literally crying and shaking and have no idea what to do. The dogs are both very well trained, will recall without any issues when out but today they were not stopping for anything.. they knew they were going to the field and nobody was going to stop them. I have put a baby gate between the kitchen and the hall so they can't get to the front door now, but I think it may be too little too late. I just don't know what to do.. they get lots of exercise plus mind games every day.. I take them for a 3 mile walk in the morning and the evening every day plus I do lots of agility and scent training games with them so they're not bored. Just don't know if I can ever trust them again.. I now know that if they ever get out they WILL go back to the field and very likely will kill either more poultry or sheep.
Does anyone have any experience with dogs that have done this? Can they be trained out of it? I will do whatever I can to ensure they do not ever get out but mistakes happen and I just can't guarantee they will never get out again. Is reforming the only alternative?