Geraldo is a four year old Weimaraner. His owners called me after a scary incident had occurred.
Geraldo had wandered out of the yard and was nearly hit by a car. Despite his owners’ frantic calls, promises of treats, and squeaking of his favorite toys, he was oblivious. He didn’t even look back to acknowledge their distress.
The only way they were able to capture him was to drive next to him and open the car door. Always up for a ride, Geraldo happily climbed in.
Geraldo, however, was not alarmed in the least. After all, everything his owners had been doing throughout his life had led him to believe that freedom was his due.
1. Although his yard is fenced, the gate was frequently left ajar. Geraldo, intrepid dog that he is, had learned to test the gate with his nose and voila! release!
WHAT WE DID: We made a nice big sign to hang on the gate that said “CLOSE THE GATE, STUPID!” (not for the dog, for the humans)
2. Geraldo was always let out into the yard without supervision. The rules of sit/stay/come that were enforced inside the house, in Geraldo’s mind, did not apply in the yard.
WHAT WE DID: His owners agreed to spend 10-15 minutes a day playing and doing basic obedience (including recall) in the yard with Geraldo.
3. After spending many hours of his life in the yard, Geraldo found it intensely boring. After all, he had explored, sniffed, dug and rolled on every inch of it. The toys in the yard – a tug rope and a ball – needed a human counterpart to play with them.
WHAT WE DID: His owners bought some food-based puzzle toys and put two different ones in the yard every day for Geraldo. They bought a sand box and made a digging pit for him. Once in awhile, they even fed him his meals outside, scattered all over the ground.
Now, why would any dog want to leave a yard like that!
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