# Training Blue Heeler Cross to Stay Inside Fence



## Rick (May 10, 2002)

Buck is a wonderful BH cross with 1/4 B. Lab and Austr. Shep.

Smarter than me - better instincts and reflexes too. He is a please the owner and be owner's shadow dog.



Short story is dog Buck busted out (twice in a row) of camp when we left yesterday and spent 3 hrs on a 100 foot rope run. Today we must leave again for 3 hrs. Should I play ball to "tire"him (right) and give attention, and try the honor system once, or play a bit, and put him on the run for 20 minutes as a reminder, or put him on the run from the start today and maybe the next 2 or 3 times we leave together?

T I A !!

We have a 550 foot perimeter fence (dogs and cats easily enter and exit from at least 3 places) inside @ 3 acres. We own 75 surrounding acres - cattle farms for 1000-acres. He-patrols for deer etc. , and looks to us for approval to advance. He ALWAYS stays when I leave in a vehicle, and HAS normally stayed with Sammy the 14 Y.O. Husky when Ann leaves in the car with me. Yesterday we left with no spare time for an appointment, got 1/4 mi down the switchback to the gate and Buck showed up. I scolded him, had him mount the back of Subaru. Took him back up, and I swatted his butt as a gesture, told him to stay (inside the not dog proof fence). Got to the gate - you guessed it - there was Buck. Told Ann to wait in the Holler and took him up and clipped him on the 100 foot rope on the north side and pulled his 30 gallon pond within reach. I praised Sammy and Buck for staying 3 hrs later when we returned Home. See question above if you missed it. Thanks!!


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## Haven (Aug 16, 2010)

I wish I could help. My grandfather in his 80s lives on 1 acre on a busy road and has always trained his dogs to obey the property line. You would think they were being kept in with an invis fence if you didn't know better. He also trained his lab to fetch the newspaper from the drive and bring it to him each day. I think it boils down to spending a lot of time with the dog and walking the property line a lot with them as puppies.

He always kept one dog at a time though. I would imagine that 2 or more dogs left to their own devices while the owner is away will stray if tempted by an animal.


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## laughaha (Mar 4, 2008)

This looks like a really high energy prey driven dog (by the breeds). I'm having trouble believing you have a Husky that doesn't run/wander, even if it is 14 yrs old- that breed is REALLY known for it. Labs are also known as runners. I think exercising the heck out of him will be great, but then put him on the line when you leave, always. He will be fine. It's not like he's always on it and it will give you peace of mind. Perimeter fence training is great, but he already knows that it's alot of fun to run when you are gone. I doubt he'll ever be 100% reliable.


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## RedDirt Cowgirl (Sep 21, 2010)

Shadow dogs, aka body dogs, are a heartache when you leave them. I believe in my heart that the aussies, shepherds or cattle dogs, feel bound to take care of you and when you leave, it's just not right to them to not come after you. Don't have a answer for you, but I don't think it's anything you can train out of them. They're worried, not running for fun. (I've been without a dog since our dear little red heeler passed away, but the more I think of how it was with her the more I wonder if it's the right thing to get another while I have to leave the ranch without a ride-along.) I used to put my body dog inside on occasions when I was still noticably outside to make her more comfortable when I actually had to drive off.


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## Rick (May 10, 2002)

Thanks for the replies. Sammy is shown in my Avatar, is a mix, and weighs 60 Lbs. She only wanders because of her slower mental state. 

As for Buck, the only time he was outside the fence when Ann and I returned from an outing (before Thursday) was several months ago when he and Sammy were 10 feet from the gate when we returned.

Buck was on the line for 20 minutes before we left today and then 3 hours while we were gone after he chased us. As was said he'll be fine, but I need a shadier place. The line loses shade after 5 pm. We usually are back by then. Thanks again.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

I agree with Cowgirl. Can you leave him in the house when you leave?


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## JasoninMN (Feb 24, 2006)

I have always trained my dogs to respect boundaries with out shocking them or hitting them. I think invisible fences are useless because they don't really train the dog, all they are doing is putting up a barrier, then battery goes dead and dog takes off. A boundary trained dog stays in the yard. I would start walking him to the areas he is going through, tell him to stay in then yard and when he follows you make him go back to the other side of the fence with a firm "get in the yard." Continue doing this till you can leave his sight for a few minutes and he stays then work up the period of time. Sounds like a lot of work but its not if you consistently reinforce he has to stay on his side of the fence.


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

I would highly suggest an invisible fence with a collar for "stubborn dogs'. He will respect the boundary if the correction is set high enough. And once they know the boundary, they don't cross it even if there is a power outage for a short period of time. Since he is a heeler, I would get the "stubborn dog" collar and set it at a fairly high correction. You want him to learn within just one or two times of challenging the fence. You just have to remember to change those batteries once a month though. Since you have a fence already, I would just run the wire along the fence itself. Easier than digging that way.


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## Ellen West (Sep 17, 2010)

I agree with Reddirt too - "doing what meekasmom would do" would be a very cruel thing to do to a heeler. :flame: Anybody with an aussie heeler mixed into their dogs would do well to read up on them, they are definitely a dog of a different color. 



mekasmom said:


> I would highly suggest an invisible fence with a collar for "stubborn dogs'. He will respect the boundary if the correction is set high enough. And once they know the boundary, they don't cross it even if there is a power outage for a short period of time. *Since he is a heeler, I would get the "stubborn dog" collar and set it at a fairly high correction.* You want him to learn within just one or two times of challenging the fence. You just have to remember to change those batteries once a month though. Since you have a fence already, I would just run the wire along the fence itself. Easier than digging that way.


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

Stubborn dogs require a higher correction. That isn't mean, it's simply true. And heelers have a higher drive, therefore would require a higher correction level like any high energy, high drive dog. It would only take one or two corrections of the collar, and the dog would not challenge the boundary. That's just the way it works. If you start too low, the dog learns to ignore the correction, and gets that static shock many times. Starting high stops the unwanted behavior with one or two corrections of the collar. If that offends you, then it does. But it is true.


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## RedDirt Cowgirl (Sep 21, 2010)

Sorry, but you can correct behavior, not nature. If Buck were running off to goof around, that's behavior that should be corrected. If he's running after his owner, that's what he was bred to do, even unto death. I think it would be punishing a heeler for what it was bred to have in it, and the bottom line is, you can't punish nature out of these dogs. I think Buck's owner will know what's the right thing to do. Sounds like that's all Buck's trying to do too.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

I again agree with Cowgirl and Ellen. It isn't a matter of simply being stubborn or hard headed with this type of dog. You can quickly demoralize this type of dog and really shut him down. He's a very smart dog and can be trained. If the OP doesn't want to train him, or doesn't know how, the dog should be put in the house when the owner leaves.


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## momtaylor (Jul 3, 2008)

I have a blue heeler. He is very protective of me to the point of being aggressive if someone approaches me that he doesn't know when we are out. When I have to leave for any time, I take him and the lab I also have, for a short walk, let them relieave themselves and then put them back in the house to await my return. Now, as I am shutting the screen door and locking the big door (travel trailer) I am talking to thm all th time telling them momma will be back shortly and to be good till then. I also make sure the curtain is opened for thm to look out and see me as I leave and come back. If not they always yank it down trying to see outside as I leave. Seems crazy but it works. the heeler is high energy and we do spend lots of time playing but I think because of the higher intelligience they have, by talking to him I let him know I am returning and he understands it. 
JMO but it works for my heeler and for my lab. hope it helps you too.


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## RedDirt Cowgirl (Sep 21, 2010)

I used 2 phrases for my heeler, "you stay" when I went outside the fence but didn't leave the place (so she wouldn't press the gate she usually had egress with), and "you stay - be good now" when I left her in the house, whether to mow or drive off. When she heard "be good now" she would heave this big sigh. Can't wait for a doggie-brain translator machine...


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## Willowynd (Mar 27, 2005)

First...age of dog? Know that large breeds are not mentally mature until 3 yrs of age...and some individual dogs take a bit longer, some a bit shorter. I trust no dog outside without me supervising constantly until this age and/or they have demonstrated the maturity needed to remember to stay in the boudaries when your not present. Until a dog is 100% reliable, the only answer is to not leave unsupervised unsecured until they reach that point. Crate, room in house or barn, secure kennel,secure tie out (I have seen dogs pull the stakes- so by secure I mean to a secure object), etc are all options when they can't be watched.


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## Rick (May 10, 2002)

Thanks for all of the thoughts. 

I like Havenâs Dadâs training. I just donât have the time, but am working with him. Fortunately Buckâs desire to please overrides my lack of time / abilities. Laughaha has the situation about right. Sammy is slowly stepping over the line to Doggy Heaven. She started Summer of 2010. Last night she ignored her dinner for an hour and finally ate 10 minutes after I put a few drops of Kefir on it.

Wednesday we will have a chance to get him to stay up on the ridge once again. He has to bolt 1400 feet down a switchback road and at the gate we own the 5 acres across the road. The road ends in 600 feet. All other property for a mile is cattle pasture. If he roamed after we left he would be relatively safe down there, but obviously not best.

Let me be clear Buck is running after ME, not for fun. He stops at the woods until I tell him to advance - or go with him! 

I donât like electric fence use, but can imagine the occasional use of one. Sorry to stir up a subject that has little room for compromise- Electric fence and collar.

We do not have indoor pets. Buck would probably behave IF he understood, but I have allergies. We all work very well with this system.

RedDirt has it nailed. The unused barn is available, and the line or a relocated line. I would commit suicide before I would demoralize this dog. Hard to believe a âpound puppyâ mix could come along and be better behaved than our all around best dog ever -black lab - shepherd that was on the way to the pound when my boss called in 1988 and begged me to rescue it.

BTW Buck is 14 months old.

Thanks again for all of your input!


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## thaiblue12 (Feb 14, 2007)

I had this problem with my one LGD, he felt if I was leaving in my car he needed to go with me. He hates being in my car but will run right behind my car as far as he can go. Everyone else can come and go as they please but not me. I started something I regretted, I would get out of the car and force him to go home. Well then he thought we were playing a game and he would run back and forth. 
So that is when I started something else I maybe should not have, but it works. I give him something to keep him occupied. He wont follow me anymore once my car is no longer visible. So I started giving him beef bones, or bones filled with some peanut butter, etc something to keep him occupied when I leave. 
I call it paying a toll  
He is kept busy and not zoned in on the fact that I am leaving and he eats his bone and gets back to what he is suppose to do. When I come home he is with the goats, sleeping in the shade or whatever. He follows me all over the farm when I do chores, he stays with me until he sees or hears something, then he goes off barking, but comes back to my side. So I guess he is in part guarding me as well, but I do have to leave so I re-directed his attention to something better then trying to follow me. It maybe the wrong thing to do but I have to go to work, get my daughter to school and etc so I took that route.


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## Rick (May 10, 2002)

thaiblue12 said:


> I had this problem with my one LGD, he felt if I was leaving in my car he needed to go with me. He hates being in my car but will run right behind my car as far as he can go. Everyone else can come and go as they please but not me. I started something I regretted, I would get out of the car and force him to go home. Well then he thought we were playing a game and he would run back and forth.
> So that is when I started something else I maybe should not have, but it works. I give him something to keep him occupied. He wont follow me anymore once my car is no longer visible. So I started giving him beef bones, or bones filled with some peanut butter, etc something to keep him occupied when I leave.
> I call it paying a toll
> He is kept busy and not zoned in on the fact that I am leaving and he eats his bone and gets back to what he is suppose to do. When I come home he is with the goats, sleeping in the shade or whatever. He follows me all over the farm when I do chores, he stays with me until he sees or hears something, then he goes off barking, but comes back to my side. So I guess he is in part guarding me as well, but I do have to leave so I re-directed his attention to something better then trying to follow me. It maybe the wrong thing to do but I have to go to work, get my daughter to school and etc so I took that route.


I am going to try 1 more time Wednesday when I must take Ann to the Chiropractor. I thought of soup bones, but I won't always have them. He is likely to ditch a bone if he wants to follow. Ann does not drive. He accepts her as runner up when I leave.


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## thaiblue12 (Feb 14, 2007)

Even after he is done with a bone I take it then I stuff it with some peanut butter and a couple of pieces of dog food. The bones last a long time if I do not run them over with my car, lol. 
My grocery store sells them in bags of 3 or 4 for like $3 some are the joint but others are part of a leg? Once he gets the marrow out, it is hollow down the middle and it can be stuffed with peanut butter. 
Also give it to him away from the direction you are leaving. Go to the opposite side of the house. Thsi wya he might hear you start the car but he will be busy and hopefully not come around to check. 
If I get far enough away he "forgets" about me if he has something good to eat, like any typical man, I mean dog lol


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## Rick (May 10, 2002)

Well....For anyone interested in this lovable little canine of ours....

I gave both dogs a bone, and Ann and I left. He ditched the bone and was behind us after 15 seconds. Instead of riding him back to the top I left the car on the Switchback, and walked him back to the side gate he loves to breach - Needs fixed. He politely waited for me to open it as he knows I insist on him using the gates. I told him to get the bone. He did. I left. He brought the bone to the gate and scooted under. I put him on his line. Moved his water tub.

FF 5 hours. I let him off when we arrived, and said "Buck and Sammy stayed when Daddy go Bye-Bye". We emptied the purchases. By now Buck was under the Pick-up with the cat. I warned Ann, then told Buck Stay! Daddy go Bye-Bye. I went down in the holler, and came back in a couple minutes. I praised Buck, gave him a dog treat, and asked Ann to stop what she was doing, ignore Buck - get in the car. Buck got under the Pick-up. Before 5 seconds were up, Sammy the old girl led Buck after us. Stopped the car pointed up and said lay down and stay. Both layed down in the shade of the Pick-up. After a couple of minutes in the holler we came back up. Buck got lots of praise and a spoon of Breyers butter pecan since we hadn't stirred up a new peanut butter. It will take lots of trips like this to get him on board, but I really think he will learn it.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

Sooner or later you will have the best trained dog in the county.


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## Rick (May 10, 2002)

Buck stayed again today, so he really seems to understand. I tried leaving the gate open but he followed us down the drive. I put him back but didn't scold him - and closed the gate. We have clocked him at 21 MPH so I deliberately moved at only 5mph. He stayed and moved down toward the gate he usually escapes under. I hollered stay from the truck. Low and behold he did. He got to lick peanut butter off of my hands for his special treat and boy did he like that!


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## RedDirt Cowgirl (Sep 21, 2010)

Sounds like you're developing the mind meld. You and Buck are both lucky dogs.


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