[Guest]

I recently adopted a roamnng that happened to chose my van outside to sleep. In my area there are lots of roaming and no animal control. It's been two weeks he's with me. He's young and nice, very smart dog. I already taught him to sit and to come. Ah, I live in the countryside. The dog (Lemmy) likes to stay with me and my mom in my property the whole day, he either sleeps under the car that's parked inside in the shade, or when we go in the land he comes nearby and sits next to us. during the evening when my neighbour's dog comes out (he is his best buddy) I bring him out so they play and have fun, The thing that I don't like much but I have no idea what to do, is that when he had his dinner, he stays with us another hour or so, but when dark comes, he wants to go out. If I don't, he finds a way to sneak in, My fence isn't perfect, It will still take me over a month to have the whole thing dog proof. But he does not go far. He goes to sit on my neighbour's gate threshold and stays there all night. Yesterday I even went out to see if he would follow me farther, but he does not. I think he sleeps there because there is a better view of the road, I just don't know why. Maybe it takes time to lose the roaming habits. Like before, a week ago or so, when he went out in the afternoon he came home with a chunk of bread.. he did so twice, both times at 4.15, a quarter hour after the local store opens, as the good people there feed poor roaming. I went there and told them to try not to feed him, but I got the dog to stop going there, I bought him some bread and I slowly tapered off this bread thing with 50% bread bites and 50% meat, now it's just meat, he no longer thinks of bread anymore. I never feed him bread, I know it's very bad for them, I feed him a raw diet.
I also walk them outside of our property when I can I know I should do this every day, but we are really busy it's spring and we are doing agriculture and cleaning up a piece of land thats huge and left to itself for years. he always comes with us, the land is very big. I know it's not OK but he seems very happy.
Sorry for the long winded post. Do you have any suggestion on how I could make him like to sleep inside, rather than on my neighbours threshold? it's not a super dangerous area, as it's like a coul-de-sac. What I don't like much is that there are many other roaming dogs passing by, but he is very sociable and never got into a fight with any of them, but I still don't like it. Is tthere any chance I could do something other than slam everything shut which as I said it will take a long time to do ?
Thanks a lot!!

 

[3GSD4IPO]

I wonder if he was dropped off by someone and he sleeps there watching the road and waiting for them to come back.

Years ago (in the mid 1970's) someone dropped a female German Shepherd up the road from my house. I was a kid and was not allowed to have a second dog. That dog waited there for days looking for the (no good) people who dumped her.

Eventually I went up to her with hot dogs and took her to the animal shelter where (back then) I am sure they put her to sleep.
I still have bad dreams and feelings about having done that. I know now.. 40 years later... in my soul that dog would have been the one of the best dogs I ever had.

I do not know where you live (what country etc.) but the only way to stop your dog from interacting with stray dogs is a really good fence.