Dog runs away every walk: going to lose him forever if we can’t stop it

[Teifion]

We have a seven month old puppy who in the last few weeks has suddenly gained new confidence on walks and just runs off out of sight and won’t respond to calls to return. He was fine before this and had surprisingly good recall.

We take treats on every walk and reward recall but he’s now too excited by other things for treats to tempt him back.

Several times in two weeks I’ve thought he was lost forever. For a few days I’ve walked him in the only fenced area for dog walkers near us but it’s small and he hates it so won’t run at all in there and therefore is hyper and manic from lack of exercise all day. We can’t even practice recall in there as he won’t run. I can’t practice recall on a long extendable lead either as he won’t run when on those!

Any ideas what to do to train him not to run out of sight?

Lots of good advice here. I liked the PP who said her dog would ignore a marching band of squirrels for a ball!

One thing I haven't seen mentioned is that coming back to you should always be a positive experience. If your dog doesn't come back and then finally does, don't punish the delay! You can reward less than you would do a good recall but still reward, e.g. one bit of kibble.

Another tip is to be unpredictable with rewards. As you rebuild the recall, keep your dog guessing about what they're going to get and sometimes they should hit the jackpot such as warm meat.

He’s become a teenager, and you know what idiot they are. Long lead and plenty of training, or secure dog fields.

7 months old is still very young and you (and everyone who walks him) need to be practising recall training daily. Do not let him off the lead where he is at risk until you have got it.

you need to have it nailed at home first, then introduce distractions, then out in public in quiet enclosed places introducing more and more distractions.

we also used to do what someone mentioned above about regularly abruptly changing direction, hiding behind trees etc so they learn to keep attention on you at all times. You need walks every day that are proactively training at this age - your dog will love it and it will be more stimulating for him that randomly running off

We used to completely mess with our dog by walking in the opposite direction if he got too far from us. You have to hold your nerve but after a few times they learn that they need to check in. They run off because it's more interesting AND they know where you'll be when they come back.
Also reward for coming back on their own accord or choosing to walk by you. Dogs learn better when they work things out for themselves - it's far more rewarding - rather than just obeying a cue.

Buy Total Recall by Pippa Mattison and follow it to the letter.

People are suggesting a long line - they don’t mean one of the extendable things with a handle, they mean a long line that you can buy in various lengths with no handle. The idea is that they have freedom to run around but someone can step on the end of the line if they go too far.

As others have said you need to go back to basics training and use really high value treats (primula cheese in a tube, liver paste, sausage, dried sprats) and really focus on getting his recall reliable before you let him off in larger areas.

It sounds like you’ve just rested on your laurels a bit when he was younger, before he had the confidence to run off and now you’re paying the price. I suggest you engage with a good dog trainer.

oh, and get a whistle. Mine have all been trained only to eat their food when I blow the whistle, so they associate the whistle with food.

You can hire bigger fields that are enclosed, might be an option for the moment. Also if he runs off do not chase him, run the other way all excited and he will follow you. You need to make yourself the most exciting thing on the walk. Keep going with the traIning lead too, have him on it and two people with treats and get him to run between you so he gets used to running on it.

I’m no dog expert but we have eight hounds that are renowned for running off. Recall was the ONE thing I wanted to be strong and we did at every opportunity. We played recall games in the living room, we played recall games on the field and made sure that that his return to us was “worth it”. You have to be more exciting and rewarding than what he’s chasing. That’s a pretty tall order but by playing the games we almost embedded the behaviour.

Read total recall

Is he being a teenager?

Pack order/dominance theory has been completely discredited @Witchywoowoowoo and nobody uses those training techniques any more. Poor recall is not about them "not knowing their place", it's just their natural curiosity and the need to explore that makes them lose focus.

puppies have good recall initially which causes a false sense of security. When puberty hits they can suddenly smell all sorts of nice things, driven by hormones. You should keep on the lead until it calms down and you retrain

Like @CoubousAndTourmaIet said.
Be mindful that some working dog breeds do not have recall and cannot be trained for recall. Yes they'd follow but whilst also doing their own thing which often involves dangerous activities like catching some sort of prey or getting hit by a car.
The teenage phase, usually around the age of 7 months, can be challenging especially with male dogs.
Just be patient and ride it out. Train, always train, there's no reason not to.
If you put the time in, consistently, you will get your true dog by the time they are 18-24 months old. At that point in time, you really can't change much. Especially if the breed is of an independent nature.
Go back to basics and be consistent. If you have a Labrador, you'll be fine very quickly. If you have an Afghan Hound, there's no hope.

He’s at that age where he will forget everything he has learned, because he wants to. That being said he can look as forlorn as he wants to - he only gets off the lead when he’s proved himself. He’ll look even more forlorn under the wheels of a car or in another dogs mouth.

I say that as the owner of a dog breed that is not good off lead and so never is but constantly is hassled by dogs who’s owners think it’s ok to run up and growl at mine.

She passed away a few years back. She wasn't into balls. She liked tuggy toys but I didn't want to encourage that. She loved a cuddly toy - those were her favourites - but walks were for exploring, not curling up with her cuddly!
We did get there with her but it took a while and a very long line - likely 32 ft as a PP mentioned.

Ours was the same age when he lost his recall. We went back to long lines and on lead walks only. It took a few months and he could be trusted again.

Same here @ProfessionalWhimsicalSkidaddler Livestock Guarding breed, always on the lead. She was getting a lot of hassle from other dogs until recently, but now everyone seems to keep their dogs away because of her size, although she is a big baby truth be told.

Aaw! Mines a prey driven mountain dog/guarder! Yes, I have probably become locally as that bitch with the black dog but if it saves someone’s dog then so be it.

Keep him on the lead, use a longline , practice in a dog exercise field.

The ball is a game changer. Ddog (Cockapoo) never legs it with a ball in his mouth. He wears a tracker though just in case. He also walks regularly with my sisters dog who has excellent recall. When she comes back so does he.

Dogs don't necessarily need lots of running about to be knackered. Massive amounts of sniffing is more tiring than running alone.

Long line and sniffy walks. Buy a tracker before you let them off again.

Bernese or Great Swiss? Mine's a Pyrenean. Huge and as stubborn as they come!

In Ireland there’s very few places you’re allowed let a dog off the lead, given all the problems I see on mn, I don’t know why the uk don’t do the same. He can have a perfectly lovely walk on a lead

You need a long lead

Go to a class or a trainer. My dog had excellent recall from a young puppy until about 1. Then a few months of being an absolute arsehole and needed retraining from basically the beginning. Now she's nearly 2 and fine