# Why don't farm dogs run away?



## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

It just occurred to me at my riding stables today that all the farms around here have dogs. And almost all of them just let the dog do whatever they want, usually just walking around, sniffing the people that come up, etc.

I just wonder, they don't have any boundaries and they don't have fences or chains. How come they don't run away?

These farms are all on the side of the road with huge areas of grass and land, they could very well leave if they wanted to. They just wander around the farm and go into the house when the owner does at night...

I asked the stables' farm owner and she said she's never tried to train her dog to stay within the limits of the farm.

Why is it that a lot of people's house dogs runs away whenever the door is open or try to get out of the fence? Why do the SPCA find lots of people's pets on the street because they've escaped?


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## Foyerhawk (May 7, 2009)

Because most dogs don't get any freedom, so it's exciting and new. My dogs don't run away. I have a suburban house so I can't and would never let them roam, and their house dogs. But if I open my front door, they'll go in and out, and they don't leave my front yard. My dogs are routiney off leash and get tons of freedom, so it's not a big deal to them.


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

I've had a couple of dogs that could not be persuaded to run away if you asked them to.

One had been a stray. She had a good idea what life was like on "the outside" and she wanted no part of it - unless I went with her. She would climb over a six-foot fence, just to show us she could, and then come right back.

The other was a similar story. We had a fenced yard, but rarely closed the gate.

Esther could probably be trusted at this point. Molly could not.

I think farm dogs DO run away sometimes, or at least venture out onto the highway. I've seen more than a few dead on the shoulder.


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

RonE said:


> I think farm dogs DO run away sometimes, or at least venture out onto the highway. I've seen more than a few dead on the shoulder.


I've personally never seen/heard of a farm dog running away or especially into the highway unless they were being chased.

My dog won't run away either, she just wanders around her favorite spots and then comes back to sit at the door to be let in.

But I never see the farm owners worried about their dogs wandering around or running away. They don't even think about it!


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## GSDGAL (May 27, 2009)

because farm dogs aren't couped up in houses, they have acres upon acres to roam, so it's not a big thing for them, plus they also have an exhausting job that gets rid of all their primary dog needs, so they don't feel they have to roam.


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## HayleyMarie (Dec 22, 2008)

> because farm dogs aren't couped up in houses, they have acres upon acres to roam, so it's not a big thing for them, plus they also have an exhausting job that gets rid of all their primary dog needs, so they don't feel they have to roam.


Agreed. My dogs are farm dogs and do not roam. They have acres and acres to run. And they mostly just stay in the yard. But farm dogs DO know their boundries if they didnt they would be running away ect ect. Its also that they do have a job per-say. My dogs never need walk or exercise they pretty much do it all on their own. But I do take Teags to the dog park pretty often so she gets really socialized!


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## cherryhill (Aug 21, 2009)

> because farm dogs aren't couped up in houses, they have acres upon acres to roam, so it's not a big thing for them, plus they also have an exhausting job that gets rid of all their primary dog needs, so they don't feel they have to roam.


totally agree with that same goes for my dogs.

whenever i have a new pup i always let it out with a long lead and just practice calling it back so that when they get older they realize that running outside doesnt mean running away and isnt as exciting to them.

also all my dogs go up to the barn everyday to do chores off leash, so they would never run away they have livstock to attend  plus i teach my dogs to drop on command even when running full speed at something, just in case they run after a rabit or something. also all my friends that live on farms have all their dog off leash all the time, they would never run away when they know that there are sheepies to be herded  my dogs are never on a leash at home. but they also love coming in the house after a good session of playing and working time 

But i have never heard of a farm dog that ran away. maybe if it didnt like it owners but thats another story in its self.



/Amanda


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## pamperedpups (Dec 7, 2006)

I agree with RonE. I've known and heard of plenty of farm dogs who wandered off.


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## GSDGAL (May 27, 2009)

HayleyMarie said:


> Agreed. My dogs are farm dogs and do not roam. They have acres and acres to run. And they mostly just stay in the yard. But farm dogs DO know their boundries if they didnt they would be running away ect ect. Its also that they do have a job per-say. My dogs never need walk or exercise they pretty much do it all on their own. But I do take Teags to the dog park pretty often so she gets really socialized!


Yeah I agree, i live on a farm ina rural community, my dogs aren't farm dogs, but they know there boundaries. I lock them up around this season because of wild dog baits being put out and don't need the lure of meat to entice them... but from late summer to late winter my dogs are always home, and there is quite a busy highway 1/4 of a mile up the road.


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## marsha=whitie (Dec 29, 2008)

my dogs have the freedom to wonder where ever they want, and they do so. Every morning around 7:30 they take a trip down the hollers, hunting for rabbits and dead animals (ew.) They usually get back home around 10 or so, and after that they just hang out at the house. They never cross the road, but instead go wandering through my neighbors 200+ acres of farm/woods (he doesn't mind them doing so, unless they go to the house, which they don't.) They come back because they get food and love, and have warm houses to sleep in. That's why they, and every dog I've ever had, never run away.


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

So if a dog doesn't find it exciting to run away and to gain freedom for the first time, they usually won't do it?

The farm dogs around here don't really have a job, they're essentially a pet dog that lives in a farm space.

The one at our stables just wanders around and does as she pleases. Not like she has to check the livestock or anything. They only have horses lol and the horses live in their own stalls.

I'm wondering if it's just certain breeds that won't run away? For example if I kept a hound on a farm, would it stay around the farm as well? I think I've heard of one hunter that has a couple of hounds and they just hang around his house. He has a couple acres of land.


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## GSDGAL (May 27, 2009)

My friend lives out on 2000 acres west nsw australia, she has two beagles and one bloodhound, as well as 5 kelpies and BC's...they are always home and the hounds do nothing except go hunting every other sunday


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

Lots of farm dogs run away. You only see the ones that don't run away because they're still there. My aunt/uncle live in the country, and I swear I can't count how many dogs they've been through. Most "were last seen heading east on the blacktop", and then never seen again. I'm certain most were shot by the neighbors. Some of course must have been hit by cars, and some probably found a nasty coyote to tangle with. But we'll never know.

Going by their experience, this seems to be the status quo:

Males tend to run away, intact males of course. They've never had a neutered male so I don't know if a neutered boy would stick around or not.

Sporting breeds run away much more often. Every Lab they've ever had has run away at a very young age. The dogs that stuck around were a GSD mix, a Poodle mix, and their current dog, a female Lab mix, but they've learned their lesson and keep her tied when they're not home. They had a Husky that stuck around a long time, but eventually he went looking for a female and never came back. They have not had a lot of dogs that died of old age......

Females tend to disappear if they aren't spayed in time (they do spay their female dogs). I suppose they go out to find a male and something happens.


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## GSDGAL (May 27, 2009)

You probably have a point. I guess in aus it's different too, because you rarely find a farm dog with no purpose...all the farm dogs are generally herding breeds, and they work their butts of rounding cattle or sheep all day...


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## melgrj7 (Sep 21, 2007)

I have some relatives that have farms and "farm dogs", they have been through several dogs. Some stay, some run away and get hit or shot. They tend to get mostly herding breeds now because they said they stay around the best. They own many acres, have horses, have barns. They feed their dogs well, the dogs sleep inside at night. Some still run away or wander into the road and get hit.


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## Nargle (Oct 1, 2007)

A while back my boyfriend and I were driving to visit his cousin in the country. They keep their dogs on their land, with wither wire fences (The wire is stretch between posts with about a 1-2 foot gap underneath so the dog could easily get through) or no fence at all. It was shocking how many flattened dogs we saw on the side of the road.

My guess, some of them DO run away. But the kind of people that don't care enough to keep their dog safe obviously don't care if their dog gets killed, they just keep replacing them with new dogs.


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

The farm owner currently has a GSD and a Chow/shepherd mix. I believe both are fixed. They are well loved and are family pets as well as they go in the house when the owner does and she does love them dearly and I believe she's not one that just doesn't care if the dogs run away and get them replaced. 

She said none of her dogs have ever run away but she's always had a herder or GSD or a mix of one or the other. 

A couple of other farm dogs I saw were a lab, an English Bulldog, a Cardigan Corgi and a couple of mixes, some Aussies and some GSDs. They all seemed content to stick around. I guess a lot of farm owners kind of know which breeds of dogs are useful to them and the breeds that don't generally escape. 

I just thought it was an interesting thing compared to a lot of people's dogs dashing out of the front door at the first chance they get.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

Nargle said:


> My guess, some of them DO run away. But the kind of people that don't care enough to keep their dog safe obviously don't care if their dog gets killed, they just keep replacing them with new dogs.


THAT's the truth anyway. 

I don't actually see a lot of dogs dead on the road. I do, however, tend to stick to the Interstate, so the only dead dogs I see are those that fell out of the back of the pickup. But on the back highways I assume there are more road-killed dogs. On the dirt roads the dogs aren't usually killed outright, so they run off somewhere to die, or go home so their owners can shoot them.

My mom (both parents actually, but my dad does not report to us about the dogs he sees on his route) is a rural mail carrier, and she actually gave up the "real" rural route for the one that stays in/around town, because she saw too many dogs suffering. She couldn't stand it anymore. Dogs that chased the mail vehicle, but slowly got to the point that they couldn't chase anymore, until one day she didn't see them at all (she figures heartworms? I don't know what else would cause a gradual decline like that). Farmers shooting stray dogs, or their own dogs if the dog got sick/hurt or did something they didn't like. Dogs starving or injured and nobody does anything (AC does not go out in the country---they're on their own). Etc. It's pretty gruesome out there.



Michiyo-Fir said:


> I just thought it was an interesting thing compared to a lot of people's dogs dashing out of the front door at the first chance they get.


Novelty, and entertainment. If a housedog in town runs out, the owners chase him and make a big fuss. Lots of fun! If a housedog that lives in the country runs out, nobody fusses about it, so the novelty is lost. It's just no fun anymore.


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## Nargle (Oct 1, 2007)

Not all dogs dash out of the front door. Basil never has. And I think a lot of it has to do with sheer luck. Sure, some breeds are more prone to chase things or get carried away following scents, but for every single dog, there's a risk. No breed is guaranteed to automatically know boundaries, and that speeding cars or poisoned meat are deadly, or that there are people that will shoot them. I wonder if people who actually care about their dogs start taking extra precaution to keep their dogs safe once they lose one.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

Nargle said:


> I wonder if people who actually care about their dogs start taking extra precaution to keep their dogs safe once they lose one.


There was a family a few years ago that lost their 2 dogs (a Lab and a Saint Bernard)----VERY well cared for and well loved mostly-indoor pet dogs. They just let them out to pee and never saw them again. They rented a billboard, went door-to-door to EVERYONE in the area, mailed fliers, put posters up in 4 different towns, etc. As far as I know, they never found out what happened. I haven't spoken to them, but I would guess they now have a fence or a tie-out for any dog/s they have gotten since then. I would anyway.


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## dakotajo (Jan 29, 2009)

I agree with the people who say some farm dogs do take off. Some hang out at a farm nearby, cross the highway (some do get hit) take off for a few days at a time. There are those that stick around and some like to wander. I have a few family members on farms unfortunately lost pets to being run over or getting shot for being on someone elses land


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

It never occurred to me that farm dogs ran away or are shot and run over. Our farms aren't really farms lol they're just at the corners of the city and even the farm dogs have no jobs to do, just hang around and keep the owners company or just walk around the farm.

I'm 99% sure the farms I saw (mostly blueberry, strawberry, other food) or riding stables' land farms don't have guns. I think it might have something to do with it being harder to get a gun in Canada? Not sure but I've never heard of anyone shooting their own/or their neighbor's dogs! Wow..that's shocking! 

Does anyone think sometimes owners in the city are way to paranoid? My neighbor won't even let her dog out to pee without a leash in the front yard/complex area. (About 10 town houses share a sort of yard thing)

I let Nia out to pee/poo/wander near our houses without a leash almost everyday with my supervision of course. But then I trust her enough not to run off, besides most of it is fenced with only a small space for people to walk through. I feel like some people are a little too uptight about it. 

I may be a bit biased...I guess if your pet really did run away or get run over you would be very uptight about it with the next dog.


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## MoonStr80 (Oct 9, 2006)

Michiyo-Fir said:


> It just occurred to me at my riding stables today that all the farms around here have dogs. And almost all of them just let the dog do whatever they want, usually just walking around, sniffing the people that come up, etc.


Thank you for bring this up. I always ask myself how do they train the dogs not to run off? See, if my dogs see the door swing open they'd take off in a heart beat. But the Farm Dogs stick around in the yard, I've no idea what they do differently which is awesome believe it or not


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

Michiyo-Fir said:


> It never occurred to me that farm dogs ran away or are shot and run over. Our farms aren't really farms lol they're just at the corners of the city and even the farm dogs have no jobs to do, just hang around and keep the owners company or just walk around the farm.


I don't know any actual working farm dogs, either. They're just dogs that happen to live on a farm (most are not working farms nowadays....it's not profitable anymore--- large corporations rent the land).



MoonStr80 said:


> Thank you for bring this up. I always ask myself how do they train the dogs not to run off? See, if my dogs see the door swing open they'd take off in a heart beat. But the Farm Dogs stick around in the yard, I've no idea what they do differently which is awesome believe it or not


I don't believe they do anything different, or "train" the dogs not to run off(most of them anyway). I maintain that it's just the novelty/entertainment factor for town dogs. Once you have the chance to run off ALL THE TIME, it's no fun anymore. Toby will door-dash at home, but when I let him off-leash in the rurals, he sticks pretty close.


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## Sonn84 (Mar 29, 2008)

My oldest dog had free run when I lived way way out in the hills here. He knew where it was safe to go and where it was not safe to go. He would usually leave around 7 am after eating you could hear him barking and chasing things throughout the day and he would come home around 7 pm. He never tried to run away not sure why.

But I think he much prefers his life indoors since I now have to force him to go out long enough for a walk or just to pee.


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## dakotajo (Jan 29, 2009)

Michiyo-Fir said:


> It never occurred to me that farm dogs ran away or are shot and run over. Our farms aren't really farms lol they're just at the corners of the city and even the farm dogs have no jobs to do, just hang around and keep the owners company or just walk around the farm.
> 
> I'm 99% sure the farms I saw (mostly blueberry, strawberry, other food) or riding stables' land farms don't have guns. I think it might have something to do with it being harder to get a gun in Canada? Not sure but I've never heard of anyone shooting their own/or their neighbor's dogs! Wow..that's shocking!
> 
> ...


Here in Canada you have to have a licence to own a gun. Alot of people have rifles or shotguns and can shoot whatever is on their land.


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## marsha=whitie (Dec 29, 2008)

Sonn84 said:


> My oldest dog had free run when I lived way way out in the hills here. He knew where it was safe to go and where it was not safe to go. He would usually leave around 7 am after eating you could hear him barking and chasing things throughout the day and he would come home around 7 pm. He never tried to run away not sure why.
> 
> But I think he much prefers his life indoors since I now have to force him to go out long enough for a walk or just to pee.


if you don't mind me asking, which part of KY are you from? I'm native to the southern part of NKY.


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## lizziedog1 (Oct 21, 2009)

> Sporting breeds run away much more often.


The bird hunters I know come back home with their dogs everytime.

Around here, many "farm" dogs that don't return are probably coyote bait. We have a large population of them. Sometimes at night the whole choir begins to sing. it is a neat sound, but I get goosebumps fro it.


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## .308 (Jul 26, 2009)

IMO "farm dogs" do wonder and do get off their owners property at times.

The biggest issue as I see it is the owners mentality.

People with a decent amount of land (farms...) sometimes have the attitude that they have so much property that they don't have to supervise the dog outside because they (dog/dogs) won't wonder off the land (except for people with 2,000 acres) but they can, if left unsupervised.

Happens around my place all the time (or perhaps they're strays or dump offs, not sure). Problem is, few people in my neck of the woods actually utilize dog tags, and you aren't sure if a dog belongs to someone or not (heck, people don't even use collars). Dogs become more like livestock, and if you lose one, you just get another because you can get them cheap.

Anytime our animals are outside, either my wife or I are with them, or they are placed in a fenced in area.

Oh, and sometimes if our dogs want to go outside and you tell them it's time for a walk, you better get away from the door at times, because they will be like a train heading at full speed for the garage door to get outside. The thing is, they can "bolt" out the house (not that we want them to and we do try to get them out of that habit) but once they get outside, they usually do stay on our property because it's a decent run to get off and we don't have to worry about them getting to the road where they could get hit (although we are always right behind them outside).

Our newest guy in foster care, along with taking three others on a hike the other day


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## Foyerhawk (May 7, 2009)

It's news to me that sporting dogs run away. I've never lost any dog in my entire life, including fosters, and I turn them all loose in the woods, sometimes even just days after getting them. That includes Basenjis, Salukis, Borzoi, Whippets, track Greyhounds, Goldens, Labradors, German Shepherds, and various mutts.


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## .308 (Jul 26, 2009)

> I've never lost any dog in my entire life, including fosters, and I turn them all loose in the woods, sometimes even just days after getting them.


I've never had a dog that wondered out onto the road and got hit by a car, but that does not mean without my supervision, it will never happen.

Taking an animal into foster care, without knowing the animals "push buttons" from it's past, I'd find it very dangerous to let the animal "loose" in the woods, particularly days after just getting them.

Heck, some of MY dogs will get a bug up their butt and have their prey drive kick in and go running off in a split second if I don't watch them.


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## Foyerhawk (May 7, 2009)

I use my judgment. There are some I wouldn't turn loose after just days.

I know dogs. I can read dogs. I got it covered


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## jesirose (Mar 27, 2008)

.308 said:


> I've never had a dog that wondered out onto the road and got hit by a car, but that does not mean without my supervision, it will never happen.
> 
> Taking an animal into foster care, without knowing the animals "push buttons" from it's past, I'd find it very dangerous to let the animal "loose" in the woods, particularly days after just getting them.
> 
> Heck, some of MY dogs will get a bug up their butt and have their prey drive kick in and go running off in a split second if I don't watch them.


Agreed. I had a foster that I'd had for weeks, took ON LEASH to a large fenced in yard, and she escaped. I can't imagine letting a dog I'd had for a few days go off leash in the woods. That seems so irresponsible. 

"Farm dogs" DO run away. They do get hurt. I know of several that have been hit by a car. The ones that don't run away stick around because they know where their food comes from and what they have to do to earn it. They have plenty of time to roam, so after a while it's not as important. Dogs that are always inside and in the backyard can't resist checking out new experiences.


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## TxRider (Apr 22, 2009)

Willowy said:


> Lots of farm dogs run away. You only see the ones that don't run away because they're still there. My aunt/uncle live in the country, and I swear I can't count how many dogs they've been through. Most "were last seen heading east on the blacktop", and then never seen again. I'm certain most were shot by the neighbors. Some of course must have been hit by cars, and some probably found a nasty coyote to tangle with. But we'll never know.
> 
> Going by their experience, this seems to be the status quo:
> 
> ...


Yup lots or "farm dogs" run off, especially intact males. You see the one's that haven't. Lots get poisoned, shot, run over..

My sis has kept dogs outside without a fence for decades. Neutered males and spayed females seem to hang around, she rarely has had one run off. They may wander to the neighbors, but usually just hang out in the yard with the cats or chickens or whatever else she has running around. A lot less now that she's getting older.


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

My own experience with sporting dogs - especially hounds - is that, yes, they do come home from the woods with you - though a beagle who has jumped a deer may need to be intercepted a few miles down the road or in the next county.

That same dog may bolt if a gate or door is left open at home. My own opinion is that they are wanted to head back to the woods.

When talking about dogs who 'run away,' I think a distinction needs to be made with respect to motivation. A dog who is severely mistreated may truly want to escape. I think a lot more runaways are simply bored or curious about what's on the other side of the river or the interstate or looking for a close encounter with another dog or a squirrel some other interesting critter.


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## txcollies (Oct 23, 2007)

our farm mutt of 14 years never ran away, and when I was growing up she was with us wherever we went, whether riding in the golf cart, following the tractor, hiking in the back 40 off lead, or doing whatever...

She was the second best dog we've ever owned. Sadly she passed away last winter, at a good old age.


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## HayleyMarie (Dec 22, 2008)

> our farm mutt of 14 years never ran away, and when I was growing up she was with us wherever we went, whether riding in the golf cart, following the tractor, hiking in the back 40 off lead, or doing whatever...


Same I have had some amazing dogs growing up. That never ran away. But would follow me and my brother around like it was her sole purpose in life. All my dogs would follow me around when I was riding or quading or just running around in the forest and fields. They were amazing protectors and would do anything for you! Shadow was a Bouvier. Maddie was a Westie and Badger was also a Bouve.


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## Nargle (Oct 1, 2007)

Michiyo-Fir said:


> It never occurred to me that farm dogs ran away or are shot and run over. Our farms aren't really farms lol they're just at the corners of the city and even the farm dogs have no jobs to do, just hang around and keep the owners company or just walk around the farm.
> 
> I'm 99% sure the farms I saw (mostly blueberry, strawberry, other food) or riding stables' land farms don't have guns. I think it might have something to do with it being harder to get a gun in Canada? Not sure but I've never heard of anyone shooting their own/or their neighbor's dogs! Wow..that's shocking!
> 
> ...


Do I think people in the city are too paranoid? Absolutely not. If I remember correctly, it wasn't long ago that Hallie the Beagle bolted out of the front door and was struck by two cars. It's wonderful that she got away with only a fractured pelvis, but not every dog is so lucky. There's a busy 40 mph road about 50 ft from my apartment. It doesn't take but a couple of seconds for a dog to run 50 ft, and it takes even less time to be turned into a doggy pancake. So Basil is on-leash 100% of the time if there is not a secure fence between him and the road. Basil is WAY too valuable to me to be any less "paranoid."


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## MafiaPrincess (Jul 1, 2009)

Michiyo-Fir said:


> So if a dog doesn't find it exciting to run away and to gain freedom for the first time, they usually won't do it?


I think that has something to do with it. I have a friend with a horse farm. Originally when we went up, freedom was a new concept and they wanted to take off, but she has a lot of land and the perimeter is fenced.. so I wasn't too horribly worried. I never left them out unsupervised. After a few visits it became old hat.. and while they like to explore some and sniff. They seem to be over the newness of it.. and are more likely to stick close by.

Same thing sort of worked with our door dashing issue. I'd take one dog out at a time onto the front porch on a leash and read a book. Took them out often and suddenly the area outside the door became less exciting. Neither tries to door dash anymore, and if they wander out accidentally when someone comes home, they don't leave.. or try to take off they chill at the door to come back in. Something they wouldn't have done before. 



Michiyo-Fir said:


> I'm wondering if it's just certain breeds that won't run away? For example if I kept a hound on a farm, would it stay around the farm as well? I think I've heard of one hunter that has a couple of hounds and they just hang around his house. He has a couple acres of land.


Friend with a horse farm has an intact male JRT who happily roams the farm, does occasionally wander over to the closest neighbours but never takes off. Don't think it's breeds I think it's individual dogs.


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## HayleyMarie (Dec 22, 2008)

> Do I think people in the city are too paranoid? Absolutely not. If I remember correctly, it wasn't long ago that Hallie the Beagle bolted out of the front door and was struck by two cars. It's wonderful that she got away with only a fractured pelvis, but not every dog is so lucky. There's a busy 40 mph road about 50 ft from my apartment. It doesn't take but a couple of seconds for a dog to run 50 ft, and it takes even less time to be turned into a doggy pancake. So Basil is on-leash 100% of the time if there is not a secure fence between him and the road. Basil is WAY too valuable to me to be any less "paranoid."


I agree with Nargle. City living is way different than country living. In the city you are about 50 feet away from a road. In the country I am at least a two acres from the road. Whenever I am in the city with Teags I constantly worry about vehicles and she is always on-leash. And I am a paranoid ninny. In the country that is not that case at all. I never worry about her getting run over. She always stays in the yard that is surrounded by a wall of trees that she never goes through!


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## Inga (Jun 16, 2007)

This has been an interesting thread to read. I laugh at how strongly people feel that farm dogs hang around the property and don't ever run away. I would agree that some farm dogs do live long lives and hang out on the farm without ever trying to run away. I would also argue that many of them get hit by cars, farm equipment or are taken out by wild animals (depending where you live) 

I know many people who live on farms and have gone through countless dogs before finding the ones that hang out there forever. I lived in the country for some time and my dogs did go out without leashes but not before they had a very reliable recall and they were not left out and forgotten, I was always aware of where they were.
Call me paranoid but like others have stated. My dogs mean way too much to me to risk their lives to preventable accidents. Whenever I can help it, I will err on the side of caution.


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## txcollies (Oct 23, 2007)

actually, in my area atleast, the farm dogs don't run off, and they do last for years, and rarely get into trouble. All in all, except for the occasional male visitor when my bitches are in season, things go very well out here. ;-)

Our mutt was the last farm dog for us, all we have are the purebred performance/show dogs.


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## BellaPup (Jul 7, 2007)

When I was a kid, my grandparents had a hundred+ acres of farm land in Michigan. They always had "farm dogs" to control the pests (rabbits, woodchucks etc...). They pretty much stayed on the property patroling for the Bad Guys. Blue, however, decided that woodchucks were boring and went to the neighboring farm and started killing their live-stock. My grandparents had no livestock, so he did not know the difference. 

Well, farmer's don't take too kindly to that and told them if he saw Blue on their land again he'd have no choice but to shoot him. They tried EVERYTHING to keep that dog either inside (that didn't work! My grandpa almost shot him himself after he ruined his chair and chewed through the screen door). So they tried tying him up to the laundry pole - he tore the thing right out of the ground and took off. 

Well, we all know the outcome. The farmer up the road felt SO bad, but it was his livelyhood. I cried for weeks. 

Lots of bad things can happen to farm dogs. I would think they still need training so they know right from wrong (not like it helps the blood-lust  )

Blue: - I still miss you!








[/IMG]


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## .308 (Jul 26, 2009)

> Lots of bad things can happen to farm dogs. I would think they still need training so they know right from wrong (not like it helps the blood-lust )


That is the ONLY reason why we use an electric collar on some of the dogs (to ensure that they stay on our property if they get a "bug up their butt" for any reason).


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## GypsyJazmine (Nov 27, 2009)

They do run away...They get hit by cars, shot by hunters & neighboring farmers, stolen by bunchers, etc.
I live in the country...10 miles out from the closest town of around 900 people...My dogs have fenced yards that they stay in when outside...I have off leash dogs with great recall but they are never left out of the house or fences unattended...It just isn't worth taking the chance imo.


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## jnite (Jan 18, 2009)

I find the wanna be farm people the worst with their dogs. These are the people that move to the country from a town or city(no offense), these people seem to think they can have any dog on a small acreage and it will stay there. Most of these kinds of dogs always get into trouble because they have nothing to do and their owners think it's fine for them to run around the countryside terrorizing livestock, wildlife or other people's pets. We are on a farm and the one dog that is loose all the time stays fairly close to home, and our neighbours know him and if he does happen to go to their place they know they can scare or chase him home and he won't go there again. But he is not a wanderer like our other dogs, the others are only loose when we are outside as we can't trust them not to wander off.


Many true farm dogs do live long and happy lives, as I said before the problem around here isn't the farm dogs but the acreage dogs.


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## .308 (Jul 26, 2009)

> Many true farm dogs do live long and happy lives, as I said before the problem around here isn't the farm dogs but the acreage dogs.


Dude, no offense, that's the biggest load of hogwash I've heard in a while.


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## Spicy1_VV (Jun 1, 2007)

Farm dogs do run away. Some wonder off the property and others run off but come back. Actually many dogs that run away come back whether they are farm dogs are not, if they have the opportunity. Others get lost or might be picked up by AC or someone else or killed. 

Farm/country dogs also succumb to tragic ends if they do wonder off and they get into trouble. 

The two dogs up the road wonder to other people's properties. One also chases cars so does go in the street. The road isn't far from the house (the speed limit is 55mph btw). They finally bought a kennel but I never see them in it so what is the point.  
The GSD stays around the home, usually tied out when not inside. Once when I went by there and was charged the dog left the property but returned back to the house as I stayed calm. So obviously though loose didn't go anywhere. 
My in laws dogs never leave, but they are somewhat supervised. The one just chases his ball for acres and acres. But he's never ran off. He is also kenneled plenty of the time too but he doesn't run away just because he is without freedom all the time. 
My Uncle never restricts any of his dogs. One kept going to the neighbors and they said if he didn't stop the dog they'd shoot it. So my Uncle tied the dog out, but he got loose. Didn't end well! 
I know of a "farm dog" which was killed 2 weeks ago, I was told the story, I didn't witness it. What I was told by a friend is the lady in front of her literally ran over the dog as it ran out in the road. 
I know a guy back where I used to live, him and his wife had several dogs and a couple got hit by cars. They lived on lots of land by the road was near. After that a friend of ours bought the home which had 2 dogs. They lived there for a good while and always let the dogs outside loose but one got hit right in front of the kids. These were not exactly farm dogs but like pet dogs, still they had free roam of all the land and still the one went to the road. 

Some that wonder off are killed by coyotes, shot by other farmers/ranchers, poisoned (or they get into poison it might not be intentional), hit by cars, some just don't come home and no one really knows what happened. Sometimes they might be killed on or very near their own property so they didn't really run away but there was danger.

Reasons why they don't run away is varies or can be a combination of things.
They know where they home is, they have freedom so they don't dart off for the thrill, breed can play a role, how they raised through training and/or how they grew up learning can also be a factor, they have a knowing of their boundaries (animals can know their boundaries), again some do run off. 

You could really ask the *same question* of suburban or house dogs. Why do (some) not run away? 

Mine are not door darters. Even those which are in practically 24/7 I could leave the door wide open for some they won't go anywhere unless given permission. Others do need to be told stay and remember their manners (that they don't go to the door first or try to get in front of me), but it isn't an issue. Now Thunder has darted out the door a couple times (well once my son let him out) and it was ONLY to go to the bathroom. He ran out, peed and ran right back to the door. Otherwise he doesn't do that. I'm sure I couldn't get him to leave if I wanted to. He "loves" me too much, he is very attached to me. He's the type who would be beating on the door to come in. My Cane Corso I bet I could leave out ALL day with no supervision or fence and she might find things to get into trouble and play with but she wouldn't be going anywhere. I do let some go out potty without a leash and in unfenced areas but with supervision and they are always running right back to me as soon as they are done. I did the same with a couple when I lived in town too but I really didn't want to risk it most the time (I kept thinking WHAT IFs) so I let them to the fenced backyard or took them out front on lead. 

I do live in the country now and I still don't let them wonder as they please nor do I leave them even in a fenced area unsupervised. Because of the reputation of my breed and the fact that some might get into trouble it isn't worth the risk. LGDs I can be more lax with and it is in the nature of (some) not to stray. Many of my Pits have no mind to leave, but I don't leave them out there to their own devices. It doesn't matter if they are coming from inside, tethered or kenneled, they just don't want to run off. 

Also a lot of dogs I've seen that dart and run, they don't actually run away. They run around. Some also run, stop and when the owner gets close run farther and keep doing that. Like it is a fun game of chase.

ETA
As well when I lived in town there I had neighbors who's dogs would run loose all the time or sometimes. One was an older dog, they had never really tied him out and didn't have a fence. Sometimes he'd wonder off of their property but he didn't really go anywhere just didn't stay 100% within the boundaries. The other had a fence but the dog would escape and it was aggressive so that was an issue but she wouldn't run away. Then another that moved in a couple houses down had 2 dogs which they let out in their yard and they would stay there unless the kids (which were very young and also allowed to run about unsupervised) would wonder off, they'd follow. The smaller one would also leave the property to chase, bark and bite people/other dogs, but that is about it. None of these dogs ever ran away.


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## GypsyJazmine (Nov 27, 2009)

jnite said:


> I find the wanna be farm people the worst with their dogs. These are the people that move to the country from a town or city(no offense), these people seem to think they can have any dog on a small acreage and it will stay there. Most of these kinds of dogs always get into trouble because they have nothing to do and their owners think it's fine for them to run around the countryside terrorizing livestock, wildlife or other people's pets.


I agree to an extent...Some dogs do need a job to do to stay put...That is why we bought our little farm so we could get our dogs goats & poultry to guard as that is what they are bred to do & a couple really need to do...I still keep them fenced with their charges even though they are bonded...Still not worth the chance imo or my husband's who is an old farm boy.
eta: It is the farm dogs up the road who are constantly on the paved 55 mph roadway who I am always on the watch for so I don't hit them with my truck.


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## .308 (Jul 26, 2009)

> I agree to an extent...Some dogs do need a job to do to stay put...That is why we bought our little farm so we could get our dogs goats & poultry to guard as that is what they are bred to do & a couple really need to do...



A little hint. If you bought your little farm to keep your animals busy, you could of saved yourself a lot of money and given them "jobs to do" before hand

So, the aussie who roams off their owners land because they don't have any animals to heard goes wondering looking for animals to heard? LMFAO!


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## GypsyJazmine (Nov 27, 2009)

.308 said:


> A little hint. If you bought your little farm to keep your animals busy, you could of saved yourself a lot of money and given them "jobs to do" before hand
> 
> So, the aussie who roams off their owners land because they don't have any animals to heard goes wondering looking for animals to heard? LMFAO!


No, they already had a job to do before we moved here that was guarding us, our house bunnies, guinea pigs, & cats...We also took classes & were regulars at the dog park (still are) but, for two of my dogs who showed true guardian heart & soul, we decided to take it to the next step for them when we moved for my hubby's new job.
& yes, dogs do roam off of rural properties to do the job they were meant to do if left to roam...That is why it is strongly encouraged that livestock guardian breeds stay fenced because they often will find something to guard & when it is another's livestock & the farmer can't then get near his livestock because of the dog often tragedy ensues.


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## cherryhill (Aug 21, 2009)

Ok so i was reading through the first post again and think that they meant that the farm dogs that they are talking about stay out without the people? my dogs are never outside with out me for long only a minute or two while i grap something inside, same for my friends with farm dogs. that is why i was saying that there dogs would never run away. and it doesnt help that they have strongly working bred aussies/dogs, that if they are not with you they are watching the sheep. so now that i understand more of what the first post meant, i have to say that farm dogs run away sometimes, but on the other hand i have known people with tons of acreage that dogs never leave so it really just depends on the dog. 
anyways guess i read the thread to fast or something, but my dogs are always off leash or around the barn they have alot of freedom and acres to run, but come in everytime i come in if i am staying in for awhile.



/Amanda


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

cherryhill said:


> Ok so i was reading through the first post again and think that they meant that the farm dogs that they are talking about stay out without the people?


No actually the farm owners are usually out too doing some sort of work like gardening, tending horses, etc. The dogs just tend to wander around the people and sniff here and there. They don't seem to want to run very far from the owners. If the owners go to a different part of the farm to do some other work or back into their houses, the dogs follow.


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## cherryhill (Aug 21, 2009)

Michiyo-Fir said:


> No actually the farm owners are usually out too doing some sort of work like gardening, tending horses, etc. The dogs just tend to wander around the people and sniff here and there. They don't seem to want to run very far from the owners. If the owners go to a different part of the farm to do some other work or back into their houses, the dogs follow.


oh ok understand. thats how mine are they just wont leave my side sometimes


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## .308 (Jul 26, 2009)

> The two dogs up the road wonder to other people's properties. One also chases cars so does go in the street. The road isn't far from the house (the speed limit is 55mph btw). They finally bought a kennel but I never see them in it so what is the point.
> The GSD stays around the home, usually tied out when not inside. Once when I went by there and was charged the dog left the property but returned back to the house as I stayed calm. So obviously though loose didn't go anywhere.


Sums up my area pretty well. Added the couple of female dogs that I always pass from time to time who always seems to be pregnant.



> My Uncle never restricts any of his dogs. One kept going to the neighbors and they said if he didn't stop the dog they'd shoot it. So my Uncle tied the dog out, but he got loose. Didn't end well!


We're always outside with the dogs, however, with so many at times, keeping a head count can be interesting. I have a neighbor that has asked me to keep a dog or two off his property. I informed my neighbor that I've built a tie out for the oldest dog who doesn't like to listen in her old age at times, built a fenced in area for the dogs if we were not outside with them (electrified as well for the "harder" dogs), and even spent some good money on e-collars to keep the dogs on our property if some of them get a bug up their butt, but when HE leaves food and trash outside of his trailer on a regular basis, a dog being a dog will follow it's nose to the food. Long story short, somehow my neighbor knows that even if my dog is on his property due to his ignorance of leaving food outside, he won't touch my dogs. Worse case, I have to spend a couple of grand for the legal fee's.

Nice to know that I spent all this money on property and I still have some yahoo's who leave food and trash outside on the ground outside of their home in a rural area. No, no rabid animals during the day would ever be interested in food.

Three things you don't mess with, a man's wife, his dog and his money. 



> No actually the farm owners are usually out too doing some sort of work like gardening, tending horses, etc. The dogs just tend to wander around the people and sniff here and there. They don't seem to want to run very far from the owners. If the owners go to a different part of the farm to do some other work or back into their houses, the dogs follow


The question is, what do the "farm owners" do with the dogs once they (the people) go inside their home?



> That is why it is strongly encouraged that livestock guardian breeds stay fenced because they often will find something to guard & when it is another's livestock & the farmer can't then get near his livestock because of the dog often tragedy ensues


The other simple solution is to be with the dog outside. Doesn't matter if it's a working breed or a mutt. Dogs will be dogs, and left unsupervised in an unsecure area, they will wonder at some point in time.

As I've mentioned before, it all comes down to metality. Usually people in rural areas think that because they have land, their dogs can roam wherever they want to.


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## pugmom (Sep 10, 2008)

.308 said:


> We're always outside with the dogs, however, with so many at times, keeping a head count can be interesting. I have a neighbor that has asked me to keep a dog or two off his property. I informed my neighbor that I've built a tie out for the oldest dog who doesn't like to listen in her old age at times, built a fenced in area for the dogs if we were not outside with them (electrified as well for the "harder" dogs), and even spent some good money on e-collars to keep the dogs on our property if some of them get a bug up their butt, but when HE leaves food and trash outside of his trailer on a regular basis, a dog being a dog will follow it's nose to the food. Long story short, somehow my neighbor knows that even if my dog is on his property due to his ignorance of leaving food outside, he won't touch my dogs. Worse case, I have to spend a couple of grand for the legal fee's.
> 
> Nice to know that I spent all this money on property and I still have some yahoo's who leave food and trash outside on the ground outside of their home in a rural area. No, no rabid animals during the day would ever be interested in food.
> 
> Three things you don't mess with, a man's wife, his dog and his money.


I pretty much agree with all your other posts in this thread....but I thought this kinda strange...I agree that the guy is an idiot for leaving food and trash outside his home...its gross and probably an eyesore...but is it on his property??


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## .308 (Jul 26, 2009)

pugmom said:


> I pretty much agree with all your other posts in this thread....but I thought this kinda strange...I agree that the guy is an idiot for leaving food and trash outside his home...its gross and probably an eyesore...but is it on his property??


Technically, no it's not his property, he rents the trailer and land.

But, yes, it's on his "property".

He has every right to live as he so wishes, no problem there on my end. However, if he gets upset that my dogs go to his place due to the reason that he leaves trash (including fast food/bones...) outside on the ground, what does he expect will happen if dogs get a wiff of it?

He can do whatever he wants if my dogs go onto his property (and it doesn't happen very often), but to every action, there is a reaction. 

The simple way is I've already talked to a lawyer. The neighbor knows what the harder way is.


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## pugmom (Sep 10, 2008)

.308 said:


> Technically, no it's not his property, he rents the trailer and land.
> 
> But, yes, it's on his "property".
> 
> ...


what is the harder way?...I'm sure your lawyer knows what the law is in your state/county ..still leaves a lot of "what ifs"....I would just stay away from the guy..and keep my pets far away and off the property of the jerk...next time he might put some rat poison out with that trash


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## .308 (Jul 26, 2009)

pugmom said:


> what is the harder way?...I'm sure your lawyer knows what the law is in your state/county ..still leaves a lot of "what ifs"....I would just stay away from the guy..and keep my pets far away and off the property of the jerk...next time he might put some rat poison out with that trash


The first plan included giving him trash cans.

The second plan included taking pics of his property.

He had a dog in a pen outside of his place that would break out and wonder onto my property. I'd socialize with it, and let him have some "fun" on my place, no big deal. One day, pen gone, have no clue as to what happened to the dog.

He's let some people put a "pull along" trailer and stay at his place for extended times, no big deal (hooking up a LP tank to the trailer and having another residence on the property is a no no via county code, perhaps 1/3 of an acre of land, so two trailers sticks out like a sore thumb).

I consider myself a "nice" reasonable neighbor. I find peoples dogs on my property who I don't know who ownes them, I try to find their owners and there is no reason why I can't be nice to the animals.

However, if one of my dogs gets "accidently killed" becuase the only thing they are doing is checking out trash/food on the ground because the owner is too lazy, or wants to live like trailer trash, I become not so nice. Plain and simple.


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## Poly (Sep 19, 2007)

Interesting thread.

I can only speak from one perspective - that of a "suburban all-breed rescue". Only a few of the dogs handled are actually from suburban shelters. Many (most??) are from mostly rural, out-of-state, shelters that are bursting with dogs, and have to find a place to send them to or they will have to kill them. 

The (suburban) shelters that I am personally familiar with are pretty much steady - 'dogs incoming' approximately equal to 'dogs adopted''. They can usually handle their own adoptions. Of course, they'll accept all the help they can get - thank you very much But most of the time they don't really need to ship out dogs. 

Bottom line, all those homeless rural dogs have to be coming from somewhere. I can't say whether they come from actual farms or not. But they are definitely from "farming areas".


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## Nargle (Oct 1, 2007)

.308 said:


> However, if one of my dogs gets "accidently killed" becuase the only thing they are doing is checking out trash/food on the ground because the owner is too lazy, or wants to live like trailer trash, I become not so nice. Plain and simple.


.308, if your dogs get hurt because they wandered onto someone else's property, it's 100% your fault. It doesn't matter how "lazy" your neighbor is, it's not your property and you need to watch your dogs and keep them on YOUR property. It sounds like your dogs are a nuisence.


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## .308 (Jul 26, 2009)

Nargle said:


> .308, if your dogs get hurt because they wandered onto someone else's property, it's 100% your fault. It doesn't matter how "lazy" your neighbor is, it's not your property and you need to watch your dogs and keep them on YOUR property. It sounds like your dogs are a nuisence.


Really?

I wonder why I put the zip line out for the older dog?
I wonder why I built a fenced in area?
I wonder why I spend money on electric collars?
I wonder why if the dogs are outside in an unsecure area, someone is outside with them?

All that said, COMMON SENSE. Put trash outside your trailer on the ground, with food littered in with the trash, what do you think your increasing your odds of happening with that trash next to your home in a rural area?

I can assure you, I absolutely love the fact that I have all of this property, and some yo yo living in a trailer down the road doesn't have any common sense. The only chuckle I get is that normally it isn't my dogs going to his place because of their noses.


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## BradA1878 (Nov 28, 2009)

This is an interesting thread, I've enjoyed reading it.

Here in Taos we have a strange problem with people just allowing their dogs to roam free, add to that the roaming dogs that come over from the Pueblo land and it makes for a really big issue. The roaming dogs even "pack" together and attack livestock - they do more damage than the local predictors! Also, there was a wolf-dog breeder here for a while and he "lost" several of his breeding stock (they ran away) - so we have these crazy huge wolf/coyote/dog mixes running around.

Anyway, my point is, a lot of the people around here let their dogs just run free, the dogs will go off for a day or 2 and then return. It's always asking them if they worry about the dogs when they are gone, but they usually respond with something like "no man, its nature, they know what to do man, its cool". Taos is a very "alternative" place.

One thing I find really interesting is how social these dogs that run free are. They do great with people, dogs, and new thing, they will even wonder into your home if you keep the door open!

It makes me wonder if their is something to be said for "natural socialization", a process where dog socialize naturally to their environment w/o help from us humans and our puppy classes, dog parks, and training.

Don't get me wrong, we don't allow our dogs to roam like that, so we have to do the forced-socialization thing too (puppy classes, training classes, meet ups)... but sometimes I wonder if that is where the nature vs. nurture thing really presents itself w/ dogs - in the socialization. Perhaps we can never really make a clean argument as to how much of it is breed (nature) and how much is the environment (nurture) when we are forcing socialization the way we have to do in today's society. (???)

Anyway, to the original point/post, our dogs are kept behind a fence and on lead and they will run when they have a chance, but when we added Blue (our CC) to our family I decided to test my theory (above) and trained him almost exclusively off-lead...

Well, Blue is the only dog we have that will not wonder off. Some of that is breed, I'm sure, but a lot has to do with the way we raised him - he is just not as excited about the "freedom" as the other dogs are.

So, I think it's a combination of breed, environment, having a job, and being fixed/intact that dictates a dog's willingness to roam.

Also, an interesting side point, Blue is extremely barrier frustrated now - he is a monster on leash toward other dogs, but is fine off-lead with them... So I wonder if that is due to the "new" method we used to raise him. Or, maybe that's just part of his breed too... who knows. lol


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## JLWillow (Jul 21, 2009)

Does anyone here live in a neighborhood and walks their dog off leash?


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

JLWillow said:


> Does anyone here live in a neighborhood and walks their dog off leash?


With my big lab, a leash was a formality. To the local police, it was a critical formality so, after a few warnings, I used one.

I told the story a while ago about a woman walking two dogs off lead past our house. I heard a horrific racket from my dogs outside and looked out to see two strange dogs near the fence. The owner was standing on the sidewalk, forty feet away, looking quite unconcerned. Esther looked like she was getting ready to jump the fence, or knock it down, so I went to the door and suggested to the owner that she gather her dogs and move along.

Two minutes later the dogs were at our back gate (we live on a corner) and my dogs were gong berserk. I went out again and told her to please get her dogs and she said, "It's okay. They don't bite." I said, "That's beside the point. Mine do."

They don't, or at least, they never have, but I was about ready to bite somebody myself.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

lizziedog1 said:


> The bird hunters I know come back home with their dogs everytime.


Is that what you're all mad about? If you read the CONTEXT, you'll see that I was talking about MY family.....all of their sporting dogs have taken off at a very young age. Labs, mainly, because there's always "free Lab puppies" available. Sporting dogs that go somewhere with their humans usually come back with them, yes, but a young untrained intact male Lab left alone while everyone is at work.......


Poly said:


> Bottom line, all those homeless rural dogs have to be coming from somewhere. I can't say whether they come from actual farms or not. But they are definitely from "farming areas".


A lot of farm homes do not spay their dogs. So there's always puppies. Some kill the puppies, some give them out to anyone who will take them (hence the "free puppy" ads). Some end up in the shelters. And, because of the surplus of free puppies, NOBODY adopts an older dog from the shelter. So....an overly crowded shelter system.


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## jinxy (Nov 25, 2009)

we've had many farm dogs and only one that ran away. We live on over 500 acres and we have a river running through our property with many fields and woods for the dog to run through. The dogs all seem to know the river is the boundary line(even though we never teach them that). We have had some dogs that would swim across the river to chase a raccoon or something. The dogs know where there food is and where there family is. I'm sure our dogs have roamed farther than they should and came back but thats ok if no one gets upset. Most days, after our dogs are done working with us outside, they just wanna go and rest somewhere.


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## .308 (Jul 26, 2009)

No offense, but with 500 acres, you'll pretty much have at least over 1,000 yards of land in any direction you look (depending of course of the layout of the land), losing even one dog on that much property is pretty hard to do.

Sincerely curious if your animals are spayed/neutered?


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## Kay Weber (Oct 21, 2009)

Farm dogs have the freedom to go most everywhere with their pack "family" and it's normal to stay together.

We had a dog Oreo who jumped fences - we just couldn't keep her in. We lived in a VERY small town with lots of fields so we really didn't have to worry about her. But she didn't go anywhere, she'd go hunt awhile and come right back... Then she'd jump back into the fence with the other dogs. That freedom made her a very stable content dog I think. Not that the other dogs weren't happy but they always wanted to know what was other "there". 

Now we have 10 acres "cattle paneled" in so they have the whole area. Most of the time they wait on the front porch for us to go roaming around with them. They love it when I take off down the trail. Packs move together!


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## Cracker (May 25, 2009)

For all those dog owners that showed up at our clinic with a dog HBC (hit by car) who said "But she's never run into the road before!" I always thought..well, how many times does it take for your dog to be injured or killed? Once.
There is always a risk that a dog will run off, after a squirrel, spooked by a loud noise, chasing a scent etc. Whether urban or rural a dog unsupervised off leash is a risk. The farm dogs that stay are often dogs that find it naturally very rewarding to stay nearby or who have a very strong bond with their owners or livestock (for whatever reason, be that training, lots of reinforcement, natural instinct and personality etc) but they do NOT all stay around. You can reduce the risks by supervising, training and giving your dog a job but nothing is risk free. It is up to US to protect our animals, sometimes from themselves...lol.
Having a velcro dog myself I'm PRETTY sure that Cracker would not go too far without checking in with me...but she also has a very strong prey drive so I cannot depend on our bond to keep her safe at all times, it would be foolish to assume that the bond we have trumps instinct and it could cost us dearly to assume this way.


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## winniec777 (Apr 20, 2008)

JLWillow said:


> Does anyone here live in a neighborhood and walks their dog off leash?


Our dog is never off leash but I see others walking their dogs off leash in town all the time. Blows my mind.

We live in a semi-rural area with subdivisions and town a mile or two away. Almost all of our neighbors let their dogs roam around off leash, which ticks me off, esp. the terrier next door that comes to my yard to go potty and the three bumper-eating, dog-charging mastiffs down the street. These are beautiful, giant beasts friendly to neither dog nor man. They stick to their property....until they don't, and come charging out at anything that approaches. 

I have no idea why people who live on a few acres think it's ok to let their dogs run all over the place, but they do. This was the biggest surprise about moving out here. Grrrrrrrrr.


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## jinxy (Nov 25, 2009)

.308 said:


> No offense, but with 500 acres, you'll pretty much have at least over 1,000 yards of land in any direction you look (depending of course of the layout of the land), losing even one dog on that much property is pretty hard to do.
> 
> Sincerely curious if your animals are spayed/neutered?


Yes they are...I make that the first thing to do if we get a new dog.


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