Something terrible happened in my neighborhood last week spurred me on to write this article. A beautiful chocolate Lab named Clyde, my neighbor's dog, got hit by a car he was chasing. Clyde was a popular dog, and the whole neighborhood was sorry to see this happen to him. It is too bad his owner didn't take the time to boundary train Clyde-it was obvious he had a problem with chasing cars.
You can use the following tips to train your dog to stay within his boundaries. Once you have successfully boundary trained your dog, you can be more relaxed when you have him out in the yard.Among some other reasons why a loose dog is a hazard are encounters with aggressive dogs or with people who are scared of your dog. Of course, boundary training your dog is even more important if you don't have a fence around your yard to keep him fro running off.
You can boundary train your dog by applying the tips below in a consistent and positive fashion.
* Start the boundary training by marking the perimeter of the desired area with a marker of string or rope-something visible. Put him on his leash and walk with him around the inside of the new perimeter markers. You can walk close to the marker, but not so close that the dog can cross it. If your dog tries to step past the edge of the boundary marker, just lightly tug on his leash, and firmly command "no" before he can cross the line. When he comes back to you, praise him and give him his rewards-affection and a treat. If he does try to cross the line, remember not to punish him for trying to go past the boundary-just concentrate on rewarding him for not doing so. Be sure to repeat the training several times a day until your dog gets the idea. Dogs are smart, and before long he should learn his boundary.
* For the next step, get a lead 20 feet or so long, so your pet feels less control from you. If he tries to cross the boundary be ready to tug on the longer leash and say no to stop him from crossing. Keep repeating this exercise several times a day-being sure to give lots of praise and treat rewards when he resists the urge to cross the line.
* Now that he seems to have started learning the basics of boundary training, you can move on to the next step- a further test to see if you have really boundary trained your dog or not. Put something on the other side of the boundary that will surely tempt him to want to cross over. A good test is to have a family member or friend that the dog likes, or perhaps another dog, wait on the other side of the boundary line. Take him for his walk using his normal leash and as you near the temptation, be prepared to prevent him from crossing the line in case he can't resist the temptation. If he does try to cross over the boundary, you will need to go back a step and keep practicing that one some more. If he passes the test, try tossing his favorite toy across the boundary. If he can resist that very strong temptation, he is doing great and is ready for the last step of his boundary training.
* Now you are ready to test him off-leash. Take off his leash, and walk with him at the heel position, staying inside the boundary-be sure to keep praising and rewarding him for staying with you. Repeat the training exercises for perhaps 10- 15 minutes several times every day. You can reinforce this training strongly by practicing it each time you and your dog come out into the boundary area. If your dog hasn't been boundary trained properly he'll try to cross the line and you'll need to go back to the last step.~
I know anyone who is reading this loves their dog. So if your dog can get out take the time, patience and effort required to teach boundary training to your dog. Boundary training is a good insurance against the chance of having your dog get lost, hurt or worse.
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