My Jack Russell (Roscoe) has a bad habit of running away for a few hours at a time. . . he eventually comes back. But each time he does it, it’s another crazy emotional rollercoaster ride.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

That is scary. A dog that escapes and runs like that is trying to tell you, he needs to get out, more and EXPLORE. JRTs are a crafty breed. How long and how often does Roscoe get walked? Is he microchipped, and ALWAYS (except when getting a bath) wearing his collar with proper ID?

There is a great article on this ~ I supplied the photo, it’s of our Chloe ;-) see pg 14

http://floridapetbook.com/drafts/current_issues/FPB%20V4I1%20web%20part%201.pdf PHPSESSID=a6161e80ceb1cc26e3a519dcf345d1f9
tina

if you have a yard, you should keep him on a steak or a lead or if you have a fence keep him/her behind it.make sure that the steak or lead is very long so that your dog can explore more but you no were to find it.

you should walk him more.
if he dosent get out to much.

Jules ~ you never answered how long/often Roscoe gets walked. Dogs are social, pack animals. They are not meant to be left alone. They can get in lots of trouble (hit by car, encounter bufo toads), or stolen and used as bait in fighting rings or used as test subjects in medical labs.

You need to exercise Roscoe enough that he is tired and not wanting to escape and go explore by himself.

AKCdog ~ I have a warranted, extreme dislike (ok, it’s downright hate) of flexileads ~ why, is in my blog along with a lovely scar on my leg.

uhh i dont use them long leashes its just it was a example because my old friends aunt used to use them

One of the most important commands a dog MUST learn is come. It could save his life. Start by playing “hide and seek” around the house. During your daily routine, duck behind a door, call to Jules “Come Jules” using a high pitched happy voice. As soon as he finds you have him sit and treat and praise immediately. Sit is ALWAYS part of the come command and helps avoid your dog coming to you and zooming past. Do this often . Then start by taking him outside on a long lead (not a flexilead but a long training lead) and work on it, gradually giving him more space to “come” to you. Timing with praise and treats is imperative tho. Must be done immediately. Eventually you can wean from treating your dog every time he does something positive to just praise. I even want a “paycheck” after I do my job and so does your dog. lol

Once he “gets” it and you are comfortable with it and he happens to start to “bolt” out the door just stop (never chase him or else he thinks it is a game) and say Jules, come! Make him WANT to come to you.

Make sure he gets tons of excersise everyday. A stimulated dog is a responsive dog. Perhaps a local agility club? A doggy day camp a couple of times a week? JRT’s are extremely active lil guys and need constant stimulation. And remember, if you have gone thru a training course and completed it that doesn’t mean “ok, my dog is all trained now”. It means that you now have the tools in which you can work with your dog every day of his life. It’s a wonderful bonding experience and he’ll always want to be “home” with his family.

Good Luck!

Hey guys,

I just wanted to keep you posted on what’s going on with Roscoe. Things are much better now. To answer all your questions, he gets walked pretty often. I do have a dog walker for when I am at work. So normally he gets walked about two to three times daily. However, I have been doing tons of research and you will never guess what I stumble upon. There is this company called Zoombak. They created this GPS/tracker for dogs (and cars). So basically, I put this little gadget on Roscoe’s collar and if my baby runs away again I know exactly where he is. Since the last incident he has not run away; thank goodness. But if he does, I get a text message from the company telling me where he is. Pretty cool uh? So now to amuse myself, while I am at work and I know he is with his dog walker, I can track what streets they are walking on.

I am so excite and relieved. Check out their website: www.zoombak.com

I bought this gadget from Petco, but i think they sell them also at Bestbuys.

Did somebody say there was a STEAK in their back yard?? Oh I would NEVER leave, in fact I’ll be over for dinner!! :)

Seriously I wish Roscoe the best. Mom has a dog run in the back yard, but she doesn’t leave me on it unattended, she is too afraid that someone would take me or that a coyote would come along (even though I know I could take ‘em!!) I get walked 3 times a day (this is good for Mom hehehehe) and the 2 legger kiddies play with me for hours. Shiba Inus are a breed that can literally never be off lead, they have a high instinct to run to find new things. Even though our yard is fenced, Shibas are known to dig out from under fences. I highly recommend putting in a dog run in the back yard, they have them at PETCO. Check out this website that shows exactly what they look like: http://www.unchainyourdog.org/Trolley.htm The site shows the need to pour concrete to install a post, really it can be so much easier than that, our dog run is attached between the shed to another tree. If it ever became unloose and broke off from one of the ends, they have a safety feature built in for this exact scenario where there is a “block”, in other words, the lead just gets very long so that the cord running from it does not slip off of the end and your dog cannot run off. We love it!!

Great idea on the GPS for dogs. Mom basically gets lost in her own backyard (okay, she gets lost in a paper bag) and finally got a Blackberry with GPS for the car. I’ll have to look into those GPS’s for dogs. Anybody have a link? Thanks :)

Kitsu asked about GPS products for dogs. I am not familiar with the one Julie mentioned, but in a recent article, The Digital Dog, published in Boca Dog Magazine, I mentioned two such devices and provided links to them. Here is the quote from my article:

“Global Pet Finder from Nokia, and PetsCell™ from Pets Mobility. Their primary purpose is to find your dog if he gets lost. Both use a device that attaches to your dog’s collar. With both products you log onto the company’s site and define your dog’s virtual yard. If he leaves that area, you’ll be contacted immediately and will receive continuous updates about his location. Both products also have a feature that monitors the environment and alerts you if it becomes dangerously hot or cold. Global Pet Finder is available now; PetsCell™ will be available mid 2008.

Global Pet Finder uses GPS to track your dog’s location. You can choose to be contacted via cell phone, PC, or PDA if he leaves his virtual yard. https://www.globalpetfinder.com/store/purchasecollar.aspx

PetsCell™ has an additional feature: The device used is a waterproof cell phone. When you call your dog’s phone, it automatically answers and puts your voice on speakerphone. The dog’s phone is also useful if he gets lost; there’s a “call home” button that can be used to contact you. PetsCell™ uses three state-of-the-art technologies: A-GPS (Assisted Global Positioning Service) which provides more accurate and faster tracking information than GPS; CDMA Code Division Multiple Access), a type of cellular technology; and 3G (third generation) cell phones. You can receive tracking nformation on a 3G cell phone or online. http://www.petsmobility.com/petscell/“

I had to chuckle….can you just envision this? Rover gets out, luckily, has his (PetsCell) phone on….After marking every bush on his block, chasing the mailman, and attempting to mount a female….His phone goes off. Its his owner, “Rover get home, NOW!”. Rover looks befuddled, like, where the heck is she hiding? He hightails it home, locking the gate behind him, and runs to his favorite sleeping spot.

Thanks so much Carla, in fact I am glad this whole subject came up. Like many dogs, Kitsu is microchipped, however I have heard of more Shibas that have gone missing, much to their families’ devastation. There is a Shiba Meetup Group here in MA that I am going to start bringing Kitsu to soon. I am on the Meetup email list, and when a Shiba went missing last week, people from the meetup literally all sent out an email and gathered looking for him for days. There were several sitings, and finally one rainy night Animal Control set up a covered shelter with food in the area he had been and finally caught him and he is now home safely. Having a GPS would have made this so much easier. Again, thanks for the links.

Yeah. I just really love this new gadget. It’s really a life saver. I may buy an extra one and put it in my daughters book bag and see where she goes after school. LOL. But it is really a great product. and it was affordable too.

LOL Jules … I was thinking the same thing for my daughter and son! Glad to hear it’s working out for you,
Sharon & Kitsu

LOL. seriously. check it out (www.zoombak.com) I wish someone came up with this idea years ago when my other pup went missing.

Yea, call it the Lo-Jack for kids!

OMG, I called the company yesterday to ask a few questions about the gps tracker and my dog.  I made the same joke with the representative about using it to track my kids and she said that is also one of its purpose. 

This little gadget is pretty cool.  You can use it to track the dog, your child, and your car. 

I am amazed.  Technology is sooo amazing now.