Don't Fence Me In

When a dog is constantly trying to run away, or escape your yard, it can mean the dog is bored or frustrated. The backyard becomes his jail, and it's natural to want to escape. Once he is free, he does what dogs do naturally: Walk, sniff, and explore what’s on the other side of the fence. The dog has found something to do that will satisfy his needs.

Dogs who become escape artists are naturally active types. You can’t leave them without an activity. If you do, they will find one on their own! The answer is more exercise. If your dog wants to roam the streets, let him roam the streets, but in a healthy way - on a leash!

Jack in Exile

It's very important that your dog understand your rules, boundaries, and limitations, especially when you have to protect yourself. In the animal world, claiming space is a very basic concept, but even the simplest movements can give your dog the upper hand.

Claiming space is the act of using your calm-assertive energy, mind and body, to "own" whatever it is you want control over, and to establish the bubble of space around you that only you can say who enters and who doesn't. Once you have asserted yourself and the area you've claimed as yours, the dog will respond to the behavioral rules that you set there.

Consider how sheepdogs do it: They stand firm and upright, with confidence, and move toward and around the sheep, maintaining eye contact and telling the sheep where to go. You can do the same. The inner dialogue is important, because what you are communicating in your mind will show through in your posture and movement. In essence you are saying "This is my space; you go over there."