Preventing Your Dog from Going Missing

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Below are just a few tips for keeping your dog safe. Download my comprehensive booklet above for detailed information.

Maintain Fences
  1. Check your electric fence and collar batteries! Check your electric fence and collar regularly to be sure the system is working properly.  In winter, extreme cold weather can cause batteries to die quicker than normal. Deep snow and snow banks in driveways and yards could allow your dog to jump or walk over your invisible fence. Check the collar signal to make sure your dog cannot escape the yard.  If you find a problem with the invisible fence, keep your dog on a leash at all times until you remedy the situation.
  2. Look for holes/gaps in the fence itself or any digging underneath the fence.  Make sure nothing is positioned next to the fence that your dog can climb on and use to get over the fence.  In winter, deep snow and snow banks in driveways and yards could allow your dog to jump or walk over your fence. If your dog might be able to get over the fence, keep your dog on a leash at all times until you remedy the situation.

           NOTE:  Electric fences and physical fences do not deter predators from entering your yard. 
​           Never leave your dog outside unattended.


Keep Your Dog on Leash

Off leash dogs can take off in an instant​. Do not let your dog off leash.  Your dog may leave the yard to go exploring or to follow a scent, person, dog, cat, or to chase a squirrel.  Your dog might spot a deer or other wild animal and take chase. You may or may not be able to call your dog back to you, but why take the risk?  Dogs can and will chase deer for miles.

        NOTE:  Off leash dogs are at risk of being attacked or killed by predators.

Train Your Dog
  1. Train your dog to come when called. Teach your dog to come when called so that if he/she starts to run off, you might be able to call the dog back to you. You need to train your dog to come when called in all sorts of situations and work on this skill diligently for months before you could have a dog that is pretty reliable at coming when called. Remember – dogs are not programmable machines and every dog, no matter how well trained, can decide NOT to come. When hiking, keep a long line on your dog so you a have a way to stop your dog should she start to take off.
  2. Train your dog not to go through an open door, crate door, car door or gate without your permission. If your dog knows this rule and obeys it, you have a better chance of your dog not seeing the open door or gate as an opportunity to bolt.

Supervise Your Dog

Never leave or send your dog outside alone.  Dogs left outside are at risk of running off, being stolen, and being attacked by predators or other dogs.  No dog should ever be left outside alone.  Predators can jump and climb very high fences and come out of the sky.  Go outside with your dog and when you come in, bring in your dog. Too many small dogs let outside alone are taken by predators. This happens in fenced yards, unfenced yards, and yards with invisible fences. Coyotes can easily climb a 6-foot fence. Hawks, eagles and owls can drop down and kill a small pet in an instant.

If you send your dog outside alone - you are always taking a chance that a predator will kill your dog. You may have done it for years. Your luck may run out. I can cite cases I have worked on where a dog let outside alone disappeared without a trace. Some owners had been letting dog out alone for years. In one case, after 10 years, a predator took the dog. In another case, a small dog was ripped out of his harness while tied outside. I saw the coyote tracks in the mud and the torn harness still attached to his tie out.

It’s not safe. Predators are hunting 24/7 and they are hunting everywhere.

Check and Secure Doors and Gates
  1. Check your doors and gates to be sure they latch properly when closed.  Many dogs have escaped by pushing on a door or gate that did not latch properly.
  2. If your dog knows how to open doors and gates, then you need to install childproof devices.  Some dogs are very adept at opening gates and doors.

Secure Your Dog in a Vehicle

Dogs should always be secured in a vehicle for many reasons.  Use a crate or a dog seatbelt in the back seat to secure your dog.  Never put your dog in the front seat.  If your airbag deploys, it could kill or severely injure your dog.  Unsecured dogs can:
  • Jump or fall out of an open window
  • Bolt from your car if you are in an accident
  • Be injured by being thrown around the car
  • Jump out of an open car door

Collars, Harnesses, and Leashes
  1. Check your dog’s collar and/or harness regularly to make sure it is not worn or loose enough that your dog can slip out of it.
  2. Buy a martingale collar if you have a dog that tries to back up or throw her head to get out of a collar.  A martingale collar is designed to tighten if a dog tries to back out of it and throw off the collar.  Martingales are good to use for fearful or skittish dogs who may get frightened and back out of a collar.  Many dogs have escaped when they were frightened and backed out of their collars.  A frightened dog is going to run away quickly and become lost.
  3. Check your leash to be sure it is not frayed or chewed and that the clip is functioning properly.  Never let your dog chew on the leash.  I have seen dogs bite a leash in half in one bite and take off.
  4. Use a safety cord that you can buy from Bold Lead Designs www.boldleaddesigns.com.  Attach one end to the dog’s harness and the other to the dog’s collar.  That way if your dog escapes from one piece of equipment, the dog will still be attached to your leash.

 
Identification Tags, Microchips, and GPS Trackers
  1. Put an identification tag on your dog’s collar (which should be worn at all times) with your name, address and cell phone number. Do this even if your dog is micro chipped.  It is quicker for the finder to read a phone number on a tag and call you than waiting for someone to scan the microchip.
  2. License your dog and put the license tag on your dog’s collar. Not only is it the law, it is another way for someone to identify the owner of a found dog. Using the license tag number, local police/animal control officers can look up who owns the dog
  3. Microchip your dog.  Your veterinarian can microchip your dog.  There are also low cost clinics that offer microchipping.  Remember to register your chip number with the company that made the chip.  If you move, update your address and phone number.
  4. Buy a GPS tracker for your dog’s collar that will let you know if the dog leaves your property and tell you where the dog is.  Several GPS products are now available.  I use the Fi tracking collars.
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Stolen Dogs

Dogs are stolen all the time. If your dog is outside unsupervised, then your dog could easily be stolen. Stolen dogs are often sold on websites such as Craigslist or FB pet sites. Stolen dogs are also used as bait in dog fighting rings. Sick people steal dogs to harm them. Prevent thieves from easy access to your dog.
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Dangerous!!!
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This shows the safety cord used with a head halter. It can be used with a harness and collar.
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Martingale Collar
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Fi dog collar. Use my code to get $20 off at activation □ https://shop.tryfi.com/r/QX7XCC/?utm_source=referrals