Your dog is loose! You just went out to get the mail. You shut the door but didn’t pull it closed. Your dog pushed it open and he’s running out your front gate. What do you do?
Does your dog have a good recall?
No?
Too late!
- Keep an eye on where your dog is heading. Rush back into the house for your keys, a leash, a food bowl, and some treats. Grab your phone if it’s nearby.
- Follow your dog, but not too closely.
You don’t want to drive the dog even farther away from home, toward a busy street, into traffic, or toward a public area with other dogs and people, like a park.
- Get your dog’s attention.
Clap your hands, rattle your keys, show him the treats.
Shy dogs may be frightened by loud noises, even from their owners. If you know your dog is easily scared, don’t make more noise than you must to get the dog to look at you. On the other hand, confident dogs may be very good at ignoring you, so it may take more movement and sound to attract their attention. Do not move too close to the dog while you are trying to get him to look at you.
When the dog knows where you are, you’re in business.
Your job?
- Get the dog to follow you, so you can lead him home.
Never move toward the dog.
Let the dog come to you.
Do not scold the dog, do not yell commands, do not sound threatening.
- Face away from the dog as much as you can. Use your peripheral vision to keep track of him. Glance back to see where the dog is, but try to avoid direct eye contact.
- Move away from the dog. If you see the dog following you, do whatever you think might encourage him to continue. Talk to the dog quietly in a happy tone.
- If the dog does not start following you immediately, be more attractive!
Have a party! Sing a song, dance a few steps, clap happily.
Make yourself seem as non-threatening as possible while you convince the dog that you are much more interesting than anything else happening around him at that moment.
The faster the dog follows you, the faster you should move. Run away!
- Keep moving away from the dog and toward home until you reach your front gate. Run through the gate with the dog right behind you. Keep running until both you and the dog are inside the house. Throw treats on the floor and let the dog eat them while you shut the front door!
Do not punish the dog once he is safely home.
He has done the right thing: he has followed you.
What if your dog escapes from somewhere other than home?
You might be putting him into the car, walking him when the leash breaks, even attempting to end a visit at the dog park. The dog is wearing a collar, maybe even dragging his leash. He’s in an unfamiliar place or a place he doesn’t want to leave. Either way, he’s distracted.
- If the dog stays with you, praise him and step on the leash.
Lean over, away from the dog if possible, and get the leash back in your hands. Then praise the dog and—if you have treats with you—give him a jackpot (many treats at one time). He’s been good!
- If the dog trots away, follow him.
If the leash is still attached to his collar and dragging behind him, try walking up to him calmly and stepping on the leash. Again, if the dog cooperates with being caught, he should be rewarded.
- If the dog runs away, ask yourself why.
Is he frightened? Is he afraid of being caught because, in the past, he’s been punished after being caught? Is he confident but curious? Maybe it’s his first time ever running loose without you. If your dog is not spayed or neutered, is it possible there’s romance in the air?
- Follow the dog and act according to what seems best to do for him.
Other people may offer to help. Some may even intervene without asking. In most cases, you have the best chance of catching your own dog. Many dogs run away from strangers. Ask your helpers not to approach the dog themselves. The best help they can give is to form a perimeter in the hope that you can approach the dog while they stand guard to redirect him back to you.
If your dog goes to someone else, ask them to step on the leash, if it’s trailing. (It’s never advisable to take an unknown dog by the collar.) If the dog is not harming the person, but just wants to sniff or make friends, ask the person to stand still, hands clasped, until you can get there.
- Approach your dog carefully.
No direct eye contact.
Stand sideways to the dog.
Move sideways to the dog.
Do not wave arms or clap hands.
Do not try to grab the dog or its collar.
Talk to the dog quietly and calmly.
- Kneel down slowly.
- Yawn or pretend to chew gum. (Yawning is what dogs do to de-stress other dogs.)
- Feed treats, if you have them, from one hand.
- At the same time, very slowly and calmly, reach under the dog’s chin to take hold of his collar. Do not make the mistake of grabbing at the collar from above, where the dog can see your hands coming.
- Once you have the collar in your hand, attach his leash, if you have it, or walk him very carefully to a safe place. Again, praise and treat the dog for his cooperation.
It’s never the dog’s fault if he is loose, no matter what he did.
If your dog practices recalls in your home, in the yard, and on leash, he’s much more likely to come when called if he gets loose, since he’s been rewarded for many recalls every day.
Accidents happen. Dogs do get loose. Coming when called can save your dog’s life.
