Lab/Great Dane Puppy!!

[Nyboy]

My 1st cavalier Lola would come find me, Because I spent almost 5 figures on her I wasn't happy about her running loose. One day I hid and watched her, she climed a 6 foot chain link fence like she was running up a flight of stairs.

 

[ducks4you]

My 1st cavalier Lola would come find me, Because I spent almost 5 figures on her I wasn't happy about her running loose. One day I hid and watched her, she climed a 6 foot chain link fence like she was running up a flight of stairs.

Years ago we took in an 18 month old male boxer mix, bc they said he needed some room to run. Our 5 acres wasn't eNOUGH room for him to run bc he would escape and run for 3 days, then come back to get fed. I tried to keep him inside and he would pee on the furniture. I tried to keep him in the basement and he would rip things up. I bought 4 panels of dog fencing and he would dig under to escape. I tried to keep him on a chain and he hurt himself.
THE POINT?
Escaping and running is an ADDICTION for any dog. Once they taste it and PRACTICE it, you cannot break them of it.
PLEASE retrain your dog if they start to play the "escape game".
I, too paid a Lot for Eva, "My expensive ball of fluff", and the MOST IMPORTANT training is for her to come when called. It is very helpful that my older dog Pyg would "die a 1,000 deaths before running away." Eva comes when called and has become attached to Pyg, so that Eva follows Pyg everywhere.
When we visit DD's house, and DH takes Pyg out first, Eva panics a little, so DD's and I work on "sit/stay." 5 minute training sessions are very valuable and dogs can be trained to do so MANY more things that people realize.
ANY escape artist does not deserve praise for making his/her own decisions, even if you like what they do. Animals tend to overdo it.
I have witnessed a few dogs with excellent training. One was a pair of Austrailian Shepherds owned by a farmer that sold me hay. When I drove to his barn they would great me, but it was to establish that it was Their barn. When he delivered hay for me they would exit his truck and lay down and wait for ORDERS.
Another was a girl we knew on campus. One summer she asked if we could keep her German Shepherd for a week while she went out of town. We lived in town and had back yard fencing. We said that we could do it, but her dog would have to shelter in our garden shed, where there was plenty of room for a dog. This was a dog that she took everywhere and had hiked the Appalachian Trail with this dog. She told her dog what was going on, and besides feeding and putting out water, she was the quietest houseguest we ever had.
THIS kind of training is possible, but it takes your TIME, a few minutes here, a few minutes there and CONSISTENCY.
I guess I do not like to let an animal decide the job bc I have trained more horses than dogs. Any horse that makes his own decisions is a 1K+ lbs of "I can really hurt you." Therefore, I train mine to follow MY lead. In the wintertime I stall at night to make sure that their hooves stay dry and during storms. I turn out by making each horse walk around the gate, come around, put his head over the fence and WAIT for me to take the halter off. A horse has to turn to run off and I never get kicked. I learned this some 34 years ago, that your horse needs to face you when you release. When my horses has been confined I tell them that they can "go run and act stupid" after I turn them out. Freedom is important, but it MUST be controlled. In my case I have good fencing.
Pyg is having trouble with the cold, so when I do chores for several hours Pyg goes inside and Eva stays outside with me. I monitor her and frequently call her. She comes running and I hug and love on her to reinforce her to LISTEN to my voice. She is using her nose and learning every inch of her "estate." That is a good thing, too.
I also use cheese cubes at the door when I let her out to encourage her to come in. She REALLY likes that game. She listens now about 95% of the time and at 5 months old I am pretty satisfied. I also let Pyg out to bring her in should she Not listen.

 

[Nyboy]

Ducks at 5 months you are doing great. I know a very well respected GS breeder, she told me GS don't start to devolve a brain till 3 years old

 

[baymule]

Trip is still in puppy jail. We both have been sick with the crud, so he had to take a back burner. We are making diabolical plans on putting a hot wire around the pastures and cranking up the dial for a shocking experience.

Carson has gotten HUGE. He probably goes about 60 pounds now at 5 months old. He lays his head on our recliners and walls his eyes when he wants to go outside and has learned to bump the storm door when he wants back in. He drags his treasures up on the porch to mangle, chew and destroy them. Sticks, pine cones, pieces of cut off lumber, plus things that he shouldn't have, but somehow finds, like our work gloves.

He still wants to be a lap dog and gets in my lap. I laugh and hug him, he brings so much joy to us.

 

[baymule]

Got a picture of him taking a nap.

 

[thistlebloom]

You're gonna need a bigger lap.

 

[Nyboy]

I am a sucker for big floppy ears

 

[thistlebloom]

I am a sucker for big floppy ears

What are you talking about? You can't even see Bays ears.

 

[Carol Dee]

What are you talking about? You can't even see Bays ears.

 

[Nyboy]

What are you talking about? You can't even see Bays ears.