how do you train dogs?
 

does anyone here know anything about how to control dogs? i'm in a situation where we moved to the country with 2 dogs that are used to the suburbs. at our last house we didn't have a fence but all the neighbors did so it sorta boxed our yard in a little bit though not completely. and so we could use that as a buffer to let the dogs go there and basically keep an eye on them and yell at them if they tried to wander off and it was easy cause they were fenced in on three sides. now there's no fences, no limits and if we let them out for even a second they run all over the place and wander off.

so basically i got a 25 ft chain with a post and if they want to go outside they have to be chained or else they'll run all over the place. thing is i know there are dogs that you can just let outside and they're fine. but i don't know how to do that. my dogs seem to have figured out that if they run off they'll get yelled at and that's about it so it's worth it in the end for them.

My relatives installed an invisible fence. The dogs wear special collars, and anytime they try to pass the boundaries, they get a jolt. Works like a charm. Might be expensive, though.

yea. i'm not trying to spend any real amount of money on some animals.

A good old fashion newspaper. If your dog escapes take out the news paper and hold it up in the air, point at your dog and point at the paper and tell your dog that if it runs away again you are going to put an add saying dog up for adoption - your dog will get the message.

i've already tried threats of violence and abandonment. my dogs don't seem to speak english very well.

Get a dog whistle. When you blow the whistle, it won't make any sound. Your dog will think that you've lost it when it sees you blowing on a noiseless whistle and will rush to check on you.

I think for a lot of dogs it really just comes down to repetition. Obviously dogs, like any any other trainable pet, learn at a different pace, so comparing your dog's level of obedience to another won't do much more than test your patience. I've had some very very difficult dogs in the past, some that were just too uneconomical and destructive to keep, but I've also had a few that were very quick learners. It seems like your only options really are to build your dog a temporary restrictive area (if you don't want to spend much it's pretty easy to build fences out of wooden pallets and a bucket of cheap nails, you can find those up for grabs behind damn near any department store / retail outlet), buy your dog an invisible fence system, or keep your dog on a leash when its outside and take it around exploring the area so it's not so eager to explore at its own leisure.

EDIT: Dog whistles are a good suggestion and may be one of your better options. Try it out, they're cheap.

Leaving your dog outside unattended is a good way to lose them. Dogs aren't cats. Dogs are idiots and will wander off and get lost.

I think John should walk his dog like all over the neighborhood maybe a mile square radius of his house. And take his time and let the dog sniff its way around and leave little pee pee here and there, that way if the dog gets lost it can find its way home. When a dog pee pees in different places it like a like you leaving a message posted on someones wall but it's like for other dogs and they say things like "Yo dawg I wuz here."

Aye, the dog is probably just really stoked about all of these new places to explore. Take him around, explore with him (or her?), let the dog piss everywhere, and maybe it won't be so eager to take off on its own.

Do you think it is wise for John maybe to knock on his neighbors' door and get permission for his dog to pee on thier property. I mean that would be the respectable thing to do right?

No way, basic dog-o-nomics, if the dog pisses on the neighbor's house, the dog gets to keep the house.

Does this work for people too?

If so I own a lot of homes.

And probably a few people as well.

see the thing is the neighbors have a dog and if they let it outside it just chills there. it really wont wander off that far. but our dogs will go towards any people or animals that they see instantly. and when i say i live in the country i mean i could find a ****ing cow before i find a store. it really is the middle of nowhere. this is the only type of environment where i would conisder giving them that kind of freedom. but i don't know any of the neighbors or if they would be cool with random dogs ransacking their property like that.

we did try taking them for walks.... doesn't help. they're always eager as **** to engage anybody or any animal they come across no matter what. it's like an instinct or something that they couldn't ignore if they wanted to. i might try the whistle idea though, that's basically the only idea i've read here that i haven't already tried or am unwilling to pay for.

Dog whistle to the rescue. Good luck.

How do you train the dog to not kick up sand in the direction of your towel on the beach?