Those of you on Nextdoor in the Old Town or Del Ray neighborhoods may be familiar with Jake.
Jake has become a local celebrity as residents follow his excursions around Del Ray, frequently posted by his owner along with pleas for help finding him.
Jake is an American Foxhound mix who has a knack for running away at every opportunity. Jake has escaped through a gap in the fence (which has now been covered), by pushing open doors or bolting through unlatched gates, or even by running away from his owner, Don Alexander, when Alexander accidentally dropped the leash while on a walk.
One of Alexander's recent posts on Nextdoor had the subject line: "This is the last time I will post about Jake, can you help me?”
“Well, it turned out not to be the last time, because I needed some more help," Alexander said. Jake has escaped around 10 times.
“He’s ready to run anytime,” Alexander said.
Foxhounds are known to be dogs that like to take off running. The breed is meant to go on long hunts, using their nose to follow foxes.
Jake has traveled miles from home, and residents have reported seeing him cross the very busy Richmond Highway and other major intersections. Luckily, Jake hasn't been hit by a car, but keeping Jake safe is a serious concern for his human.
How to Stop a 'Runner' Like Jake
Through Nextdoor, Alexander has gotten no shortage of recommendations from people on how to keep track of Jake and prevent him from running off.
Many people have recommended invisible fences, which come with a collar that will give a dog a shock if he goes over the boundary or the invisible fence. However, with Jake’s keen sense of adventure, a small shock may not deter him from running off to explore.
Other suggestions have included GPS trackers and collars with Jake’s name and a number to reach Alexander stitched on in case Jake’s tags fall off. An employee at the National Zoo who works in construction offered some advice for creating a re-enforced entry point at the front door with a baby gate to keep Jake in the house.
Alexander has now ordered the GPS tracker and the custom collar but hadn’t seen the post from the zoo employee. He has gotten so many responses to his post that he doesn’t read through all of them.
But what else can you do to keep a dog from running away any chance they get?
Training — for Dog and Human
It’s not just the dog that needs to be trained — the human needs to be trained, too. The owner needs to be resilient about keeping all doors and gates shut.
Alexander hadn't been around a dog for nearly 45 years when he got Jake, so being trained to keep all his doors and gates shut has been a big change for him.
“It’s more a matter of making sure I haven’t been lazy and haven’t been making mistakes,” Alexander said, knowing that this is the best way to keep Jake from running away. He now triple checks his gates in his yard before letting Jake out, most of the time. Jake did make another trip out on Oct. 10.
Brad Huber, the director of training at Olde Towne School for Dogs, had a few recommendations for also training your pet to not run away. One of the main ways is to build a relationship with your dog.
“Not that a dog like that doesn’t love their parent, but there is obviously a lot of motivation to get out and roam free,” Huber said.
He recommends doing things like taking your dog out on new adventures to satisfy their need to explore. This means taking them to new trails or new neighborhoods, so they begin to associate getting these adventures with their owner. Also, feeding dogs treats is a great way to bring focus back on the owner.
“To show that dog when you have the privilege to go outside, it is not to run free,” Huber said, “but rather to go out and enjoy time with your person.”
Basic behavioral training would also help a dog build their relationship with their person. One of the things dogs who like to run off have in common is that they see themselves equal or above their humans, according to Huber. Getting them to work with you and respect your authority is one way you can help build respect with a dog.
You can also try to train the dog to want to stay inside. Huber suggests doing this by putting the dog on a long leash, opening the door and allowing the dog to go towards the door and outside. As the dog gets to the end of the leash, start calling them back, and then offer them a highly- desired treat they usually would not get, such as cheese or deli meat.
This will teach the dog it is highly rewarding to come back to the house even if they get out.
Owners can also work to make the home more interesting for the dogs. Foxhounds like Jake are bred to use their nose, so you can play scent-centered games with them. Examples include playing hide-and-seek with a treat around the house or even under different cups in front of them.
Exercise
Image via D.C. Dog Runner
Another strategy Alexander is using to keep Jake home is having him taken on daily runs.
D.C. Dog Runner was another Nextdoor recommendation, and Alexander has had them take Jake on hour long runs.
Bryan Barrera, founder of D.C. Dog Runner, has seen that running a dog can help with many behaviors like aggression, chewing furniture or escaping. The dog might have pent-up energy and may just need to run it out.
“What we’re hoping with the running is that it gives you 24 hours of peace,” Barrera said. “That they’ll be satiated, they won’t be doing the things they are always doing.”
The exercise itself can help, or the task of running can give the dog a sense of routine and purpose. Dogs don’t have to be taken on a run every day, in fact most dogs are taken only once or twice a week.
If you don’t want to hire someone to run your dog for you, Barrera will be releasing a book in January that will go over everything you need to know about running your dog.
While it appears to Alexander that Jake has endless energy and is never tired the day after the runs, Jake seems to enjoy them. In addition, Jake will soon be getting a 30 ft zip-line that will allow him to run around the yard while still keeping him tethered at home.
