How to train your dog to not run away off leash?

You may have inadvertently trained your dog to bolt every time you unleash her. She doesn’t know the difference between being let off leash inside the park fence, where she is free to bolt or when you do it in an open area or near a road, where it scares you that she might run into the road and get hurt. First, stuff your pocket with yummy treats. Get yourself a very thin, long lead or strong string or twine and attached it to your dog’s collar and the other end to your belt. Then attach the regular leash to the collar. Ask her to sit and then unclip the regular leash and see what happens. She will most likely bolt, but then will be surprised when all of sudden she is stopped by that “invisible leash” that somehow appeared. When she is surprised by the other leash and stopped mid-bolt, immediately call her name and give the “come” command and then give her a yummy treat. Make a big deal out of the fact that she came back. After several of these “bolting-interrupting” episodes she’ll begin to see that bolting doesn’t work anymore and that she gets praise and yummy treats from coming back rather than taking off. A word of advice, unless you are in a fenced-in area or enclosed park I wouldn’t recommend that you take her off leash for safety and legal reasons.

One reliable method is clicker training—an associative learning process that relies on rewards and positive reinforcement rather than punishment. Follow these steps to get your dog to pay attention when you call: Choose the right setting, for your dog’s training, choose a comfortable, distraction-free spot where you can maintain control, such as a fenced yard. Attach your dog to a long line, a long line is a leash that measures fifteen feet or longer, it allows you to create a significant distance between you and your dog while still being in control. Give them a command, as your dog explores the space at the end of the long line, call your dog’s name or tell them to come. Click after the desired behavior, the moment your dog performs the desired behavior, click your dog clicker to mark that behavior. Treat, immediately after clicking, reward your dog with an edible treat, this action reinforces the idea that the clicker sound signals an oncoming treat. Always pay attention to a dog off-leash, keep your dog in your line of sight if you’ve decided to take the leash off in an open space like a park, beach, or hike. Start leash training early, ten weeks is a great age to start leash training a new puppy, though you already start as early as four to six weeks old.