Lab has decided she likes to explore......

[hockeybc69]

We have a black lab thats now 6 months old.

Very very mellow. Listens great in the house..(key point)

Sits, stays, comes. Etc etc....

My goodness, let her outside and in the last couple weeks, she has gone berserk!!!!!!!!

She takes off and it takes a team from the house to get her.

We live on large acreage with woods and a HUGE swamp/river valley behind the house.

She doesnt even hesitate... She is GONE!

A couple times I have been terrified she is gone for good in the last week.

I was deer hunting this weekend up north and she took off on my wife into the swamp. Great... dog running in a swamp and there are deer hunters out, and my wife and daughter are in full chase mode.

I am open... What the heck do I do about this??????

She was just fine going outside with my other lab from a young pup till now. She has realized she can run like the wind... Ugh...

[MuleShack]

Well if you dont have a fence on the property, you could install invisible fence. My neighbors put it on 2.5 acres and it seems to operate good.

I let ours out with Ecollars on 3 acre lot. Takes a little extra time in the beginning just like with the invisible fence. If you are consistent they know where the boundaries are if they get buzzed with a warning at a certain area and if they cross it they get zapped. They remember and respect the boundaries. Only problem is if they are allowed to cross it when you are not watching, then the previous training is out the window again...

Also sounds like you could use some leash obedience training outside also.

[hockeybc69]

she does great with the long leash on her outside... once off, she knows it.

I can take her all over the yard and make her stay, and go around the corner of the house. She is great.

That leash is off, and she has learned, "time to run". GRRRRR.

Unless, you refer to something else for leash training... ??

Trying to avoid getting invisible fence and such. I have never owned a dog that wants to run. Always had labs that you let outside in teh morning, and open the door in the afternoon and there they are... right on the step or driveway.....

very frustrating dealing with this "new" experience.

[MuleShack]

Most basic obedience is taught on a short leash, whoa for pointers and stay for flushers, heel, sit, here or come etc. If the dog was older, i'd say that he needs more of the leash training to reinforce this because apparently he is not respecting the comands as soon as the leash is off. But being he is only 6 months, that is a little young yet if you havent done any formal training with him.

Maybe he only gets to be on a 50' lead while outside until he can behave himself?

Getting an Ecoller is your insurance and your able to back up your commands. If you tell him to come (after you make sure he knows what come or heel means) and he doesn't listen, give him a poke to let him know you can reach out and touch him from a distance.

But having him respect you starts with the short leash training and corrections with the leash. Some pro trainers have the ecoller on as well with this training and if they are not following directions or wandering, they find a hot spot. I'm not talking shocking the living daylights out of the dog, but rather setting it on a 2 or 3 just so they are reminded they need to focus.

[Ufatz]

Have to assume you have ruled out her first heat period? Has she ALWAYS done this?

My Annie would go out the door in the morning and right to the lake and the woods. She might stay there an hour or two. But she would always respond to the whistle and return to the front deck. We live on a lake with a large chunk of land and lakeshore.....noo other people or dogs.

You might need a steady diet of stern obedience work for a while. And, as others have said, an ECollar if you have to, used with great care! (I dislike the dam things but acknowledge thier effectiveness)

And ya know what, it could just be that you are dull and boring! She gets out and KNOWS there is fun stuff down in the swamp, good smells, little creatures to chase and up where YOU are there is nothing FUN! LOL

Keep working with her on obedience.

[ole matty]

Start out on 30-50 ft check cord. If she tried to take off hold on the rope, it will yanked her. After few weeks work on where its off limit to her.. After that start her on e-collar but left the rope on her too.. Repeat the steps.

It worked for me on my world stubborn border collie/lab. Now he know where is off limit. Only go off when I am with him or told him to.

Good luck! Puppies can be fun and pain in the but at the same time!!!!!

[EBass]

Your PM box is full hockeybc69. 69, nice!

[Todd Caswell]

It all boils down to lack of OB, and rember the dog is 6 monthes old, but also the perfect time to begin a formal OB program where these commands aren't an option anymore. A couple monthes of solid OB and you should be able to air the dog anywhere and have it pay attention. I had one the same way I couldn't wait for her to get to the poont where I could CC her, now she's the most OB dog I have.

[hockeybc69]

Thanks guys. Good feedback.

As I noted, she has been great in the house and outside until just recently.

I think she realized she has legs and can run faster than me. LOLLL.

Big surprise out of the blue really.

Thoughts all noted and thanks. Need to get going on the repair work.