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Mobile invisible fence for dog that likes to wander too much during hikes?

1330 Views 12 Replies 9 Participants Last post by  3GSD4IPO
Hi,
My brother and I hike quite a bit and he has a large mastiff family type mutt who is sweet as he can be but has a tendency to wander. On our most recent hike he wandered off and disappeared and pretty much scared us to death (was hunting season) and we literally were running around in the woods on a night with zero moon and found him around 22:00.

Of course we can use a leash, and god knows we have been trying for years to get him to heel/stay close by but neither us nor the two trainers we have tried have been able to make any headway. We just think that a leash or having us yell "Heel" every few feet is less fun for us and less fun for him (we think) so we were wondering if there is something like an invisible fence device that can give him the freedom to run off 20ft or so but remind him to stay relatively close if he strays/lags too far.

Thanks in advance!
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I hate to say.....but a Mobile Invisible Fence is a fantasy.

This type of device is known as training and call back for a return.

More off leash call back training is needed. As a suggestion, instead of yelling for the dog, try a whistle. The sound will carry farther than your voice, plus it will save your vocal chords. You don't need a "silent" dog whistle. (BTW, these are not silent) Any whistle will work, just choose one and stay with it in training.

My mini-schnauzer didn't respond consistently to the "silent dog" whistle. I dumped it and tried a Bobby whistle. His call back is nearly perfect with the Bobby whistle. He has been over 200 yards and out of my sight with a return call from the Bobby whistle.

Second task is to begin the call back training. Many books and videos to use as guidelines. Start with short distance in the house with plenty of rewards. I started with the whistle sound, if the dog would look, then treat. Soon, the dog would come to me, treat. Then the distance was slowly increase with treats and praise. When we ventured outside, this whole process restarted but with the dog on leash. Anyhow, the point is gradual small increments. Now, my dog returns, automatically sits to receive treat. The treat is random between play, snack or pet. He never knows what he will receive.
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