Sorry this is one of my long-winded posts hehe... Does anyone have a dog that will 'sort of' obey and come back if it gets loose, but hesitate to give in and come all the way back? This happened with Moro last night... she walks every day with me or my husband on a leash and harness, she also has another leash and a regular collar for just taking a potty break outside. Well, last night around 12 am I had Midas outside for what I thought would be a quick bathroom break. He seems to naturally understand where the edge of the front yard is (our front is unfenced, back is fenced in) and doesn't want to wander more than a few feet from my side; I've never seen him run away or not come when he's called, which is really nice. So I had Moro taking a break on her leash and collar while Midas did his thing loose in the front yard, since she hates not getting to go outside at the same time he does. Anyway, Midas went to the bathroom and I praised him and called him back, and he came running back right away and went straight into the house.
That's when I started to follow him up the porch with Moro, and in a split-second, she backed out of her collar and left me standing there on the porch with her leash and collar in my hand. It happened so quick!! She's gotten out accidentally like this before and came back, but we don't ever let her run loose unless we can't help it like last night. I let Midas back in and then went to find her. She always goes the same place when this happens, there's a lab chained up at the house next door and she runs over to play with him. I walked over there and called her... she came running back to our yard, but about 10 feet from the front porch and getting her to go home, she turned around and went back to the other yard. This happened 3 or 4 times in a row... I would approach slowly and call her, and she'd follow me ALMOST all the way back to the house, before turning and running back to her next-door playmate. After a few times of this, I went and got Midas, hoping that if I had him with me, she would follow us back to the house.
This is when she really got stubborn I actually thought it was going to work because she followed me and Midas all the way back to the house, and Midas went right up the front steps and back in the house. But Moro stopped at the edge of the steps, and didn't run. Just STOOD there looking at me, while I held the door open and Midas sat by the doorway! I called her a bunch of times, then I started trying to sweet-talk with her by telling her she'd get a treat if she'd just go in the house, but she continued just standing there at the edge of the porch, looking from me, then out towards the neighbor's house, and back at me again, as if trying to decide which one would be more worth it, lol... While I was standing there with the door open talking to her like an idiot for a good 10 minutes while I waited for her to make up her mind, good little Midas actually tried to encourage her to come back in... he'd walk off the porch to where she was standing, lick her in the face and then walk back up the steps and into the house... but she still wouldn't follow him. I didn't want to make a move toward her, I was afraid she would take that as her cue to start running again and thought it would be better if I could get her to come all the way inside on her own, but she wouldn't.
I had to get my husband then and he went outside and yelled at her. As soon as she heard his voice, she layed down in the yard with her belly in the air, and he slipped her leash & collar back on and brought her back inside. I think it's harness time all the time for her now, since she can't so easily slip out of that. Anyway, we didn't punish her, but my husband told me last night that she wouldn't listen to me because she doesn't consider me 'dominant' and that I don't have the same authority in my voice when I talk to her... which is true; my voice is a lot less commanding than his can be and she is quicker to obey him at times. Do you think this is a dominancy thing? She obviously knew what she was supposed to do and that I wanted her to come back inside, but I guess she was testing me, or something. Anyone else seen their dog behave like this? with her being a part wolf I know a lot of places say that they are notoriously difficult to get to return when they are running loose... it is a good sign that she at least mostly came back and didn't run away completely, I suppose... anyone have any advice on how to get her to come all the way back inside if this should happen again? We're gonna try to not let it, of course, but we all know that sometimes dogs just get out before anyone can help it. We practice "come", "sit", "stay" & "fetch" when she's in the fenced yard with me, and she does really well, but she knows the difference between when she's inside the fence and when she has freedom to run off and not listen.
That's when I started to follow him up the porch with Moro, and in a split-second, she backed out of her collar and left me standing there on the porch with her leash and collar in my hand. It happened so quick!! She's gotten out accidentally like this before and came back, but we don't ever let her run loose unless we can't help it like last night. I let Midas back in and then went to find her. She always goes the same place when this happens, there's a lab chained up at the house next door and she runs over to play with him. I walked over there and called her... she came running back to our yard, but about 10 feet from the front porch and getting her to go home, she turned around and went back to the other yard. This happened 3 or 4 times in a row... I would approach slowly and call her, and she'd follow me ALMOST all the way back to the house, before turning and running back to her next-door playmate. After a few times of this, I went and got Midas, hoping that if I had him with me, she would follow us back to the house.
This is when she really got stubborn I actually thought it was going to work because she followed me and Midas all the way back to the house, and Midas went right up the front steps and back in the house. But Moro stopped at the edge of the steps, and didn't run. Just STOOD there looking at me, while I held the door open and Midas sat by the doorway! I called her a bunch of times, then I started trying to sweet-talk with her by telling her she'd get a treat if she'd just go in the house, but she continued just standing there at the edge of the porch, looking from me, then out towards the neighbor's house, and back at me again, as if trying to decide which one would be more worth it, lol... While I was standing there with the door open talking to her like an idiot for a good 10 minutes while I waited for her to make up her mind, good little Midas actually tried to encourage her to come back in... he'd walk off the porch to where she was standing, lick her in the face and then walk back up the steps and into the house... but she still wouldn't follow him. I didn't want to make a move toward her, I was afraid she would take that as her cue to start running again and thought it would be better if I could get her to come all the way inside on her own, but she wouldn't.
I had to get my husband then and he went outside and yelled at her. As soon as she heard his voice, she layed down in the yard with her belly in the air, and he slipped her leash & collar back on and brought her back inside. I think it's harness time all the time for her now, since she can't so easily slip out of that. Anyway, we didn't punish her, but my husband told me last night that she wouldn't listen to me because she doesn't consider me 'dominant' and that I don't have the same authority in my voice when I talk to her... which is true; my voice is a lot less commanding than his can be and she is quicker to obey him at times. Do you think this is a dominancy thing? She obviously knew what she was supposed to do and that I wanted her to come back inside, but I guess she was testing me, or something. Anyone else seen their dog behave like this? with her being a part wolf I know a lot of places say that they are notoriously difficult to get to return when they are running loose... it is a good sign that she at least mostly came back and didn't run away completely, I suppose... anyone have any advice on how to get her to come all the way back inside if this should happen again? We're gonna try to not let it, of course, but we all know that sometimes dogs just get out before anyone can help it. We practice "come", "sit", "stay" & "fetch" when she's in the fenced yard with me, and she does really well, but she knows the difference between when she's inside the fence and when she has freedom to run off and not listen.