Elderly dog ditches me every chance she gets

TooManyDogs

So here's the story, I have a 13 year old b.collie x, I got her at about 9 - 12 months old and the vet reckoned she'd been on the streets for about 6 months judging by how worn down her teeth were. So for the last 12 years its been a case of you can take the dog off the streets but you can't get the streets out of the dog. She was microchipped when the pounds were refusing to get scanners because it would need extra personel (union matter :rolleyes:) and has managed to escape from every garden I've every had. Her current escape route is to climb up the inside of a 6ft hedge and then jump over the fence I scaped the face off myself dragging behind the hedge. So when she's in the garden she's on a zipline so she can travel 45ft up and down. That pisses her off.

Now she has a new trick though, when we go for a walk and I let her off the lead she'll stick with me for a while, then lag behind a bit and at some stage while myself and my sis are yakking she'll piss off! She always comes home but I'm sick with worry until she does, we live fairly rural but still I worry about cars/other dogs/people apart from the fact that wandering pets drives me nuts so I don't want one of my among them.
She's mostly deaf, has a major old lady f-you attitude now so re-enforcing recall is fairly pointless, she just doesn't give a sh/t! Beyond being on an extendable lead permenantly has anyone any ideas? She loves to run so would hate to think I'd have to confine her for her golden years but so far it's all I can think of.

Any ideas???

Whispered

ahhh the cheeky old bitch!

Maybe if you stop it just as it's starting? I like to be able to see the dogs all the time, so if one lags behind, we all stop and call him on, they now sort of automatically stay within a certain distance. Could you try correcting her for lagging behind? Maybe she has to be within a certain distance at all times, and if she goes beyond that she is put back on the lead for a min or two.

I think I read a post of yours a while back where you do that anyway (I could have the wrong poster though). But other than that I can't really think of anything.

Tranceypoo

Honestly, I would just keep her on the lead, get an extendable one if you don't have already, I just wouldn't run the risk, like you say, traffic, other people etc. She sounds like a character though!!

My dogs have no recall so they're just never ever allowed off lead!

TooManyDogs

She really is a pain in the behind, she's been my greatest challange bar none! When we moved to this house my neighbours would regularily bring her back from the nearest village 3 miles away, and in the end, having patched up every possible escape route we could think of, we ended up setting up a Phantom-cam just to figure out how she was getting out! She would never let us see her leave or come back. Sneaky cow!
I taught her agility when she was 5 and she took to it really well, then she got bored and would fake injuries in the ring!!! The judges used to give out to me for running an injured dog, so that was the end of agility. Now she back answers if we give out to her and decides when she should have been fed and grumbles until she does get her dinner!!!

I'm now thinking of buddying her up to one of the other dogs, so at least she won't be on a lead, and there's plenty of them so they'll only have to put up with bringing her around one day a week

Whispered

She sounds brilliant!!

mymo

I love this dog!:D:p

I guess the buddy method is the only way, I would think that letting her off and putting her back on the lead if she lags behind or starts to wander will just make her move faster or be more sneaky.
I have to say she sounds like that mad old aunt we all had growing up (please tell me it's not just my family, one on each side).

My fella is only 3 and answers me back when I tell him no, or to wait, and moans if you move him over to sit down, or even turn on the hall light at night, cheeky sod.

Just hope he never takes up escaping!

Love the zip line, great safe way for dog to enjoy garden, and fun to slide on when she not on it;)

TooManyDogs

mymo wrote: »

I guess the buddy method is the only way, I would think that letting her off and putting her back on the lead if she lags behind or starts to wander will just make her move faster or be more sneaky.
I have to say she sounds like that mad old aunt we all had growing up (please tell me it's not just my family, one on each side).

You're so right!!!! I have 2 on the same side

I reckon you're right about making her extra sneaky, I'd say I'd get her back once or twice and then I'd be hosed.
I once came home early from work sick to find her out the front on the green (different house, very built up) playing the the local dogs. She spotted my car about the same time I spotted her, I swear I could hear her say 'Oh Fcuk' and run into my neighbours garden. By the time I got the car parked in the back garden there she was all whistling and innocent. I went into the neighbours and asked about her going through their garden, they said " oh every day like clockwork, about half an hour after you go to work and she comes back through an hour before you go home" :eek::eek::eek: She would hop the wall into neighbours garden and squeeze through their gate, it had been going on 6 months!!!

anniehoo

^^Ahahaha TMD, she sounds absolutely hilarious! Im in knots here...no advice for ya sorry

trio

This dog is a LEGEND!

goat2

did she belong to travelling people, sounds like a dog that cannot stay in the one place for long, could one fetter her when she is in the garden, at least if it is a loose fetter, she will not be able to climb the garden wall

magentas

TooManyDogs wrote: »

I taught her agility when she was 5 and she took to it really well, then she got bored and would fake injuries in the ring!!! The judges used to give out to me for running an injured dog, so that was the end of agility.

I never use this phrase but...LMFAO!!!:D

TooManyDogs

Glad she's entertaining everyone, here's another couple of her exploits.

Whilst climbing up the self same hedge to escape she unfortunately twinged her crutiate ligament and couldnt put any weight on her hind leg. Back from the vet, prescription of crate rest to hopefully avoid surgery (old dog v's anaesthetic) we let her out for a pee, had to go back in to deal with small child, came back out a minute later to find her gone! Back through the poxy hedge but this time on 3 legs!!!! Pee break by lead after that.

So maybe I am just naive but even I couldn't have predict the latest one.... She had a haemotoma in her ear. Back from vet, ears wrapped on top of her head and big buster collar on. Says I "No way she'll manage climbing the inside of the hedge with that bucket on her head", let her out for a wee........ how silly was I?? Gone!

I swear she's part b.collie and part star trek teleporter

TooManyDogs

goat2 wrote: »

did she belong to travelling people, sounds like a dog that cannot stay in the one place for long, could one fetter her when she is in the garden, at least if it is a loose fetter, she will not be able to climb the garden wall

She's on a 45ft zipline in the garden, but that's no substitute for a proper walk. She only gets out of the garden now if she tricks someone (normally visitors) into letting her out without putting her on the line.
Favourite ways are
- To whine, and do the wee-wee dance - copped onto that one
- Start retching which normally gets someone running for the back door, run to the grass and then saunter away - got that one sussed
- Start retching, when no-one gets up anymore to let you out, go to the water bowl and drink as much as possible, then start retching again - result = people running as they hear the water hit the floor!!!

I spend my days muttering like a nut case "damn dog, damn dog" :rolleyes:

mymo

Bet the small child is nothing after 13 years with this dog;)
Good practice:D

I have no advice except maybe write a book on the teleporting dog?
I'd read it going on what you've said so far.

Love the fake retching and pee dance, reading this I imagined the mission impossible music playing while the dog sets up her escape plan.

TooManyDogs

So tried Phantom on her first buddy walk today after she was caught trying to escape via a leek field!
She's not impressed, neither was Ellie who got chosen to be the first buddy

Whispered

How did it go?

TooManyDogs

Not too bad considering. Ellie wasn't overly impressed and Phantom tried towing her along but they got the idea and it went well! Ellie likes to hunt in the ditches so tomorrow it'll be Little Dude's turn to babysit and the rats can tremble in fear again

belongtojazz

Are they connected by a lead? I knew your dogs were well trained but I couldn't for the life of me figure out how you were going to get one dog to babysit to another one
Is puca ruled out of this duty? She's so teeny phantom probably wouldn't even know she's there

TooManyDogs

Yep connected by lead!

Yeah I could imagine Púca flying if she was a buddy

ShaShaBear

I'm in absolute stitches. A 13 year old dog that has probably spend on maximum 9 months of her life without your guiding hand. Sounds to me like she's nothing short of an absolute character. It's obvious she gets more than enough attention, exercise, food and socialisation. She's simply doing it to get on your nerves.

Sounds like me at 15.

toadfly

Have to admit I love this thread and this dog TMD!! She sounds like such a chancer and a real character.

Stheno

I'd a red setter once along with a gsd as part of my herd of dogs.

the red setter used get selective deafness on walks, so I trained the GSD to fetch him, I'd be there shrieking "GSD, fetch Red Setter" and off he'd go, find the red setter, bite him on the ass, and bring him back

That an option?

Said red setter was also a master thief, he once managed to eat all the chocolate from the christmas advent chocolate decorations off the Christmas tree, whilst leaving the wrapping intact.

rainbowtrout

Dogs are far too clever for their own good. My two Jack Russells have selective deafness when they are out on walks so I have to stick them on a lead well in advance of meeting other dogs if they've been off, otherwise they'd be off chasing them, not to attack, just for the craic.

One of them took to sleeping in the spare room last year, I only noticed when I heard a hollow thump (laminate floors upstairs) a couple of mornings running when my alarm went off. Realised after a few mornings the dog was getting up, before I came out of my bedroom and heading downstairs so he wouldn't get caught. He was coming upstairs about half an hour after I would go to bed.

So I had to make sure the door to the spare room was shut at night, I don't always remember though, and I'm a night owl so rarely in bed before 12. Norman, has changed tack though, house locked up, lights out a couple of nights and Norman nowhere to be seen downstairs, of course he was in the spare room, well out of the light shining in the door.

Been keeping tabs on him recently and he likes to 'head up to bed' around half 11 each night He's like clockwork in case there's a chance I won't spot him going and forget about him when I'm going to bed. Far too clever

TooManyDogs

Stheno wrote: »

I trained the GSD to fetch him, I'd be there shrieking "GSD, fetch Red Setter" and off he'd go, find the red setter, bite him on the ass, and bring him back

That an option?

Class dog!

Nope unfortunately not an option. Phantom is the dog I would have chosen to train to fetch another dog!!! The other options I have are

Mad Ellie (basically Rainman),
Oscar (gets over excited and runs around barking),
Little Dude (JRT, no work ethic unless you can show him what's in it for him first!),
Púca (JRT, born deaf so would be deaf leading the deaf!)
and Wiley (GSD x SP SP, very pretty but unfortunately the spaniel side is stronger than the GSD side so she's very enthuastic, hates to work away from me and if in doubt runs around in circles)

ShaShaBear

OP, I bet you really treasure that family of yours. I can only hope if I ever manage to socialise my old boy, I'll have as many nuisances as that :P

pokertalk

looks to me like the agility classes really paid off to help her escape from ya:D
what a class dog. i think she maybe just too smart .love the faking an injury its like a kid who dosen't wanna go to football on a saturday morning or school so fakes it. DOES SHE KNOW SHE IS A DOG?:D

TooManyDogs

So the tethering has generally been going well, I have 3 victims that I can tether Phantom to successfully but she's developed another strategy! I generally go walking with my friend, so when the dog Phantom is tethered to tries to pass my friend Phantom will immediately go on the other side of my friend thereby clotheslining her!! So far it's had her on her ass once and roaring another 2 or 3 times.

I don't think I'll ever get the better of this dog :rolleyes: