Can I stop my gundog running off?

The dog is part-trained and bought from gentleman who lives around 150 miles from me. Everything seemed okay when he demonstrated the dog’s ability. However, since the problem has surfaced the gun dog has shown no signs of improvement. The seller says that he cannot take the dog back and I’m worried I’ll lose him.

JEREMY HUNT SAYS: I think it’s important to make sure that if you’re going to buy from an online seller out of your area that you should try and find out something about them.

It might just be that the dog is struggling to fit into his new home, or that he has a tendancy to run off, hence the reason he has been put up for sale.

You seem to have warmed to the dog and it sounds like you want to rectify the problem.

I don’t see why you can’t do that.

You suggest the dog is a kindly sort so hopefully you can build on this, if he was hot headed you’d have a bigger problem.

Don’t allow the gun dog to be loose in an area where he can run off, this might mean restricting exercising space.

Undertake basic obedience training and lavish him with praise throughout.

Make sure you feed him personally and do as many menial tasks as you can to strengthen the bond between you.

Progress to simple retrieves to build up trust then extend the distances, still in a safe area of course.

Whistle him back from time to time too.

I’m convinced this will do a lot of good and don’t be afraid to ask for professional help.

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