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I have a 8 month old female boxer/shepherd. She like to play a game of catch me. What she does is she will jump against our front storm door and she can get it open and then she'll take off across the street. She will come when you call her but only if she is in the house or she can't get away. Any help is greatly appreciated!

Thanks, Rachel

>>I have a 8 month old female boxer/shepherd. She like to play a game of catch me. What she does is she will jump against our front storm door and she can get it open and then she'll take off across the street. She will come when you call her but only if she is in the house or she can't get away. Any help is greatly appreciated!
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>>Thanks, Rachel

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You need a double barrier system, something to keep her back from that door so she can't get out. You also need to go to training with her for several months (minimum) and establish a strong recall through training. There are no short cuts to good training. Don't let anyone chase her. Run away from her instead. And never punish her when you get her to you. There is a lot more about training and safety at the link below my signature.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47

I would be afraid that she would wander off too far though. We have been kepping the doors locked so she can't get them open but when we are outside we have to be able to get back in... We have been training her from the day we got her when she was 4 months old from a shelter. We havnt taken her to any classes or any other training than at home. I probably should but is she too old?

>>I would be afraid that she would wander off too far though. We have been kepping the doors locked so she can't get them open but when we are outside we have to be able to get back in...
Although it may seem odd, running away from your dog should actually get her to follow you. Its instinctive for them to follow. It can be tough if something else has already caught your dogs eye. Try running into the house (may sound funny but it should work)
>>We have been training her from the day we got her when she was 4 months old from a shelter. We havnt taken her to any classes or any other training than at home. I probably should but is she too old?
Nope. No dog is too old. You said she was 8 months? However it can be increasingly more difficult to train a dog the older it gets. The trouble with training an older dog (which at 8 months your dog isnt too old ) is that you have to sort-of untrain certain behaviors in order to establish new ones. Hope I made sense!

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- Thanks, Novice Trainer

She doesnt usually take off because she sees something, she usually does it if she knows she did something wrong i.e. took food out of my 3 yr old sisters hand or off the table.... but alot of the time also its just a game to her.. Thanks for your help if anyone else has any advice it would be greatly appreciated.
If anyone is interested on my website there are pictures of her.
www.rachelszoo.com

>>She doesnt usually take off because she sees something, she usually does it if she knows she did something wrong i.e. took food out of my 3 yr old sisters hand or off the table.... but alot of the time also its just a game to her.. Thanks for your help if anyone else has any advice it would be greatly appreciated.
>>If anyone is interested on my website there are pictures of her.
>>www.rachelszoo.com

You may find this page The secret of a happy recall interesting. The reason why so many people (including me) find it hard to get there dog to come is simple. We tend to call them to clip their nails, dematt, go inside, take away chew toys (ones that wherent ment to be chew toys) ect. Certainly no fun your your dog. So they come to associate 'come' with negative side effects. OR... You dog runs away because he thinks its a game like you said. You need to teach your dog that 'come' IS the funnest game in the world. Here is how to train your dog to come.

What you should do is get one of those long leash/teather/chains. 25 feet maybe. Attach one end of the leash to your dog, and let the other drag. Having a leash attached to your dog seems to have some psychological taming effects. Plus its easier to catch a 25 ft cord then it is to catch a 3 foot long dog. (NOTE: Because they tend to get stuck on things try not to leave your dog unattended with a leash attached.)

You should have a pocket full of treats with you make sure they are small enough your dog to eat quickly, nothing to large. (I used to think raisins where a good replacement for commercial dog treats but reciently I have read raisins can lead to kidney damage/failure in dogs! Just an interesting bit of information.)

Anyways what you need to do is walk backwards away from your dog. Say 'come' and clap your hands to get him excited and to come to you. Its important that you say 'come' when your dog is in the act of 'come'ing. Give him a treat when he does. If you have trouble getting your dog to come use the leash to guide him towards you. Eventually your dog shouldnt associate come with going inside and ending the fun. Rather he should view 'come' as part of the fun! Hope this helps. It may take sometime but it should work.
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- Thanks, Novice Trainer

Thanks for all your help,Ill have to try working on come outside she will come to me in the house but once she gets out the door she doesnt listen anymore. Earlier today she did take off on me so I ignored her as you suggested and maybe 2 minutes after I went inside she was barking at the door wanting me to let her in.