My Friend didn't want a fence around her yard. So they put up some kind of device that gave the dog a gentle zap if the dog crossed that line. After a while they were able to do away with the zap and the dog stayed in the yard.

I can't let my Dogs in the front yard, because there is no fence. They tend to want to chase cars. Just not worth the risk. Pawle dashed out of the house when I was unloading Groceries and made a mad dash down the Country Road towards the Freeway. Little Stinker finally stopped just short of the Freeway and visited our neighbors goats.

First of all, thank you for giving a rescue dog a loving home.
I don't have any advice about keeping your dog from running away. We had two german shepherds who I thought would have never done that, but one day while I was at work, my dh opened the garage door to go somewhere and they bolted. He called me at work and I came home to try to find them. I think I met everyone in the county that day going door to door and I called the police and the sheriff's dept to ask them to be on the lookout. No luck. They came home on their own that evening covered in mud. I think they found a mud hole to wallow in inside a dilapidated barn in the field next to our house. They seemed like they had a lot of fun, but I sure diodn't.

We got an underground fence after that and it worked, but it was rather costly and the batteries in their collars had to be replaced every couple of months.
If you are going outside just to take the dog out, you probably should have him on a leash. If you want him out there while you are working in the yard or are out there for relaxation, maybe you could use a stake that screws into the ground and a longer leash.

By all means a companion would be wonderful for him. It would be a good idea though to take your dog to where the other dog is and let the two of them be together for a short while to see how they get along.

When I lived in an apartment I had one little dog because of the rules, but when I bought a house I got a cat who loved playing with her. Ever since then I've had two dogs at a time until now. I've had three for the past year and a half. That last one we got is a big boy and he is a lot more work that the other two put together, but they have a lot of fun together.

Goog luck to you with your dog. I hope someone here can help you. What is his name? Wanna share some pictures?

Linda

I could never have a dog without a safe, fenced, as in chain link, yard to keep him in.

Can you keep the back yard fenced?

As for the electric fences, ththe jolt is more than a "gentle zap". It's enough electricity to make them stop cold even if they're chasing something. The worst part is, it will keep your dog inside your property, but it won't keep other animals out.

What if a large aggressive dog is loose and comes after him. He can't run out of his yard, but the other animals can run in.

It's a kind and wonderful thing you did to rescue this little guy. I hope you can come up with a safe secure yard for him to frolic in. He'd probably love a companion, but then you'd have double the reason to provide a safe, fenced yard. Two dogs are like two little boys. Together the'll find far more mischief to get into than each one would think of alone.

Caroline is right about the Invisible Fence not keeping other animals out. My daughter lives in somewhat of a rural area. They have a 1 acre lot. Other dogs, armadillos, deer, possum, cats, etc, can come in but their dog does not go out. Their dog cannot get away from them or he gets zapped. Those animals could have diseases, including rabies, causing lots of problems.
I'm very much against using something that will zap an animal. I believe it is harmful and abusive as it hurts them.
We completely fenced all our property and cross fenced where we can open the gates but an area is still completely fenced from a good distance from the house across and then to the back, approx 4 acres. You might want to see about fencing an area of pretty good size to the side or back of the house for exercise.
Fencing is not cheap even if you do it yourself. However considering the dangers to the pets by not having fencing, it was worth the expense.
Lynn

About the invisible fence we had. Our dogs had a large fenced in area ( chain link ) that they had access to 24 hours a day through two sets of doggie doors; one from the laundry room to the garage and then from the garage to the pen. They were not allowed outside that area unless someone was in the yard with them. Anytime I worked in the yard they wanted to be right there. Even then the garage door was kept open so they had access to the doggie door to go inside if they wanted to. They never made another attempt to run away, but I didn't want to take a chance.
The company who installed our underground fence came back to our house three days to work with our dogs to teach them the boundaries. It may not be for everyone, but it kept our dogs from possibly getting out on the highway in front of our house.
Linda

When we first got Brit' the Border Collie, also a rescue dog, he'd do the same thing. He'd run like the wind if he got loose. But once he became part of the family pack and bonded to us, he doesn't stray more than 20 feet from us. It just took some bonding. :) Hopefully time will help with this.

Blessings,
Haley

Just a suggestion as to how to train a rescue dog to come when called. After all, do you know his name? Well maybe the one someone gave him a few weeks ago. But to you know the name he comes to. No, I'm betting you don't. And he doesn't know his new name also means he's suppose to come as he did with his old name.

Get a stout line of nylon rope. not really heavy, he's a little guy and I'm sure not that strong. Just good strong line. Tie it to his collar/harness and let it drop on the ground and stand still. Let him go a few 100 feet, make a loud noise, like stop, whoa, hold it, or his new name and then step on the line. Don't pick it up with your hands. You don't want him to see you holding him back. Once he's looking at you squat to the ground and pretend to be searching for something all the while talking in a nice voice to him. He will be very curious and will return to you at which point you greet him with his name and a treat. And make it a really good special treat that he never gets any other time except when he returns to you. like a piece of a hot dog a bit of cooked beef....something really good.
Never take him out without the long line. And I'm talking LONG line, and never allow it to get past the place where you can step on it.
We worked with a Newfoundland for 3 months. It wasn't that he wanted to run away, he was raised in a kennel and we are country and he just figured that when he ran sooner or later he'd come to the fence/confines of his space. We have 180 acrea, wasn't going to happen. lol We used a heavy weed trimmer line for him, and each day it worked better and better until we were soon able to take him out and he'd stay around and if distracted by then he knew his name was Hersey and he'd respond. Now after 6 months he's a farm hand and earning every bit of treat he gets.
just an idea that worked for us. This method was told to us by my brothers boss who trains bird dogs for hunting.
And by all means get him a buddy/friend. Two dogs are no more work than 1 and what they can learn from one another will be so much more than you can every teach them. It's your job to make sure they learn the good things from each other. And I'm betting your boy won't be going far if he thinks his bud is at your knee getting those special hot dog treats. And for sure, if you put them in your pocket you'll smell like a giant hot dog and have their full attenion most of the time. :.)

Been watching deligently The Dog Whisperer. He just intrigues me.

One thing I have learned, from watching, is EXERCISE every single day your pet.

And during the process of walking, exercising, pass him by those dogs that he wants to visit.

Might help!

And watch The Dog Whisperer!
He's on NGC Friday nites from 7-8 and 9-10

Congrats on rescuing a dog! All our (5) animals are rescues and we don't regret any of them. And by all means, consider getting him a buddy. However, that can make training a little harder because they will learn one another's bad habits. It's definitely possible though to train 2 dogs at once, but you'll have to work with them individually until they get it.

simpleme posted GREAT advice. You have to teach this little guy his name and you have to teach him to come everytime you say 'come'. It can't be an option. Right now he doesn't know the rules so you can't expect him to. Don't let him fail! Keep him on a leash until he does learn and then you can let him off a little at a time. Once he learns that he can run across the road and that it's fun, it will be harder to break him of it.

Have fun with your new friend!

We are having the same problem with a 5 month old German shepard (also rescued from a home where she could roam). We live on 6 acres of land, all fenced but she can dig out. The underground fence would not work for us. Our neighbors have 2 large dogs that stay on there property. They let us borrow their shock collar. We haven't used it yet, but will start tomorrow. The collar comes with a hand held remote. When the dog gets close to the boundries you set, you press the shock button. From the articles I have read it takes only a few shocks and they learn not to get close. Are they cruel? Compared to injury or death, I think not. Also, we live 40 miles from the nearest vet and there is no emergency care. These shock collars are in the $300 to $400 range but you could get them on e-bay for less.

I trained my dog to "come" by using a piece of balogna as a reward when she answered to my voice. I'd let her go as far as she wanted, then said "Come,Molly" and held out the balogna. She learned fast. Dogs want to please. I don't think rescue dogs have any particular behavior problems. Good luck with yours.

Have you considered clicker or whistle training?

Thank you so much for your good wishes, advice and suggestions. We will definitely try the boundary line
technique with him that simpleme suggested. I think that will work well with him since he loves a treat.
I also agree with the name issue. He doesn't know his name.
We have renamed our little guy Hoppy. We named him that because he literally hops like a rabbit (clearing the ground) while chasing the birds from tree to tree in our fenced backyard. LOL It is a sight to behold. The vet had estimated his age at 3 or so, but by his puppy- like habits we are thinking he is closer to 2 yrs old or maybe even a bit younger.
The name they gave him at the rescue was Roosevelt. That was a bit hard to say plus it didn't fit him to us
anyway.
The backyard that is fenced is huge, so he has plenty of room to run and chase the birds. I don't think the
invisible fence could ever be an option for us since we live in the country with woods close by where lots
of wildlife live. It wouldn't keep other animals out.
I feel we might be expecting a bit too much from him. I agree that we need to give him some time and
just be patient with him.
Thanks again for all of your responses.
BTW, we heard from the rescue tonight that has the other little guy we were looking to adopt and they say that he
is recovering from a bad skin condition and is currently not available. I really hate to hear that because
that is something we have never had to deal with even though the schnauzer breed is quite prone to
them. It makes me wonder if it would be recurring.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hoppy's rescue page

Schnauzers have always been a favorite breed to me for some reason. They're usually gentle, a nice size and the neighbor had one when I was growing up. Thank you for rescuing the little fella. Its a "pet" peeve of mine when I see people going to puppy mills and the like with so many great animals needing homes. I have two rescue cats, both came from abusive situations and are great company. But I digress.

I think you've been give several good options. In the short term I'd definitely keep him on a harness and have a rope by the door to put him on when he goes outside. When I had my little Llasa Apso, I fixed up a sliding leash so I could put him on it, let him out (I'm on a rather busy street) and if need be, could even pull him back if he didn't come when called. He did get off the rope occasionally.... argh! But he was fun to have around and it worked well. I firmly believe in a harness instead of just a collar. If the run or pull they get choked with a collar and if it's a harness, it grabs more of the body. I think it's especially important on the small dogs.

He's in new surroundings. Talk to him a lot and use his name. It doesn't take long to learn his name and depending on his temperment he'll likely want to please. Now my little guy ("Rookie") was a great dog... but he had a bit of a 'tude! He'd throw an occasional temper tantrum. But we still got along well and I really miss the little f@rt. Very intelligent. As most animals are.

Give him a scratch on the ears for me, and a biscuit or two.

Our dog was always on a lead when she was outside (we didn't have a fence). We clipped it to a wire that ran from house to garage, and it was long. It sure didn't seem to make her miserable.

They always name animals at animal shelters, and I always rename them. I had cats naned "O.J." and "Pinto" that I re-named "Otis" and "Sookie" I think Hoppy is such a cute name-repeat it often and he'll learn it,I'm sure. And remember, when you take a resacue animal, you are saving two lives-the one you bring home and the one you make room for in the shelter.