Our 4yo gsp bitch has taken to bolting from the garden when out out for her last wee at night. We have an unfenced field at the end of the garden which for 4 years has never been a problem but suddenly we have major issues. By day she will happily stay in the garden without wandering but after dark we have to take her out on the lead otherwise she disappears. She is well exercised, works as a search & rescue dog so is well stimulated, and isn't usually alone for more than 3 hours at a time. This behaviour has now been happening for 5 months & I am exasperated. On normal walks she has also got very over confident & will happily range well out of sight & whistle range to the point where I would question whether she is in control. I desperately need to bring her down a few pegs & rein her in but don't know how to tackle her issues. Any suggestions?
I couldn't cope with my breed without a fully fenced garden. It sounds as if she may be picking up on the scents of night time visitors, and wanting to investigate. She sounds to be a very fit dog. On walks, have you tried working on her recall? It doesn't sound as if she is bad enough to need a refresher on a long line, so I would just go back a stage or two, and begin recalling her while she is still well within a the range at which she is reliable. Make this fun, and reward her well for a smart return, only gradually allow the distance to increase. You can phase the reward to an intermittent one as she becomes sharper and more reliable.
Two things springs to mind they are : 1) she's searching for someone/injured animal she's probably heard a distress sound & has she works as a search & rescue dog she's gone into work mode after hearing the sound. 2) She's is testing you to see how far she can push the boundaries, Never having any dealing with this breed I not sure what their normal behaviour is like. calm/boisterous/bold/confident/out going/bossy/excitable/easy to train/hard to train.
An afterthought. Do you have a regular SARDA trainer? If so, do follow their guidance, they are the experts in their discipline, and will be used to guiding owners of dogs which are too far ranging, or losing their concentration. As you are not going to want your dog to be Velcro'd to your side, how about using 'Send To' or, 'Send Back' as a game? The distances and the markers could be varied, (I know someone who is able to send her Beagles well over a hundred yards), and you could then choose whether to reward the Recall, or the Drop and Wait.
