# Running away



## CMB (Jan 24, 2021)

I nearly had a heart attack when Sophie’s harness slipped off and she ran away from me. She would not come. 
She ran in front of a motorcycle!
finally I dropped to my knees and begged her to come. 
she did. 
She gets walked constantly. We love her so much but she will NOT come when called.
Is this a Maltese thing? She has a little poodle in her but looks like a Maltese. 
Ive never had a dog that doesn’t come to me. Does anyone know why or what I can do? 
thanks Colleen


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## edelweiss (Apr 23, 2010)

Get her a step in harness---much safer.


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## maggieh (Dec 16, 2007)

I’m glad nothing bad happened. I have a girl who would get excited and run towards anyone when she was young. I taught her two potentially lifesaving commands. Stop in a loud stern voice to get her to stop in her tracks and a very special recall that always had a wonderful reward when she came. Have a trainer help you with this. FYI she’s not a pure Maltese but she passed her Canine Good Citizen test with flying colors so don’t let anyone tell you they can’t be trained. It’s the owners who usually don’t want to take the time and make the effort to do the training.


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## zooeysmom (Aug 1, 2011)

Oh my gosh, how terrifying! I have had a couple of dogs/foster dogs who would run away if they got off leash. I agree with Sandi about getting a harness that fits properly! And make sure it is good quality--I prefer something that works rather than something that looks cute! I have seen some really poor designs of harnesses. I prefer the old fashioned nylon type. A dog that does not have a recall should never be allowed off leash unless it's in an enclosed area (I know this was an accident). 

As to whether or not it's a Maltese thing, I can only speak anecdotally. My Maltese had a perfect recall and no desire to ever run away from me. However, I fostered a Maltipoo and he got loose one time and he started running for the hills. Luckily, my younger and more athletic sister was over at my apartment and she was able to catch him. I currently have a standard poodle who has a very poor recall, and I recently trained one of her relatives who had no recall!


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## CMB (Jan 24, 2021)

edelweiss said:


> Get her a step in harness---much safer.





edelweiss said:


> Get her a step in harness---much safer.


Step in harness. Ill look it up


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## CMB (Jan 24, 2021)

zooeysmom said:


> Oh my gosh, how terrifying! I have had a couple of dogs/foster dogs who would run away if they got off leash. I agree with Sandi about getting a harness that fits properly! And make sure it is good quality--I prefer something that works rather than something that looks cute! I have seen some really poor designs of harnesses. I prefer the old fashioned nylon type. A dog that does not have a recall should never be allowed off leash unless it's in an enclosed area (I know this was an accident).
> 
> As to whether or not it's a Maltese thing, I can only speak anecdotally. My Maltese had a perfect recall and no desire to ever run away from me. However, I fostered a Maltipoo and he got loose one time and he started running for the hills. Luckily, my younger and more athletic sister was over at my apartment and she was able to catch him. I currently have a standard poodle who has a very poor recall, and I recently trained one of her relatives who had no recall!


Thank you


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## CMB (Jan 24, 2021)

zooeysmom said:


> Oh my gosh, how terrifying! I have had a couple of dogs/foster dogs who would run away if they got off leash. I agree with Sandi about getting a harness that fits properly! And make sure it is good quality--I prefer something that works rather than something that looks cute! I have seen some really poor designs of harnesses. I prefer the old fashioned nylon type. A dog that does not have a recall should never be allowed off leash unless it's in an enclosed area (I know this was an accident).
> 
> As to whether or not it's a Maltese thing, I can only speak anecdotally. My Maltese had a perfect recall and no desire to ever run away from me. However, I fostered a Maltipoo and he got loose one time and he started running for the hills. Luckily, my younger and more athletic sister was over at my apartment and she was able to catch him. I currently have a standard poodle who has a very poor recall, and I recently trained one of her relatives who had no recall!


Thank you


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## edelweiss (Apr 23, 2010)

My Lisi is a houdini & can get out of almost any harness---except the mesh step-ins. Her neck is tiny & I have to buy xxs or or XS---she is sort of between those sizes but more XS.


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## CMB (Jan 24, 2021)

edelweiss said:


> My Lisi is a houdini & can get out of almost any harness---except the mesh step-ins. Her neck is tiny & I have to buy xxs or or XS---she is sort of between those sizes but more XS.


I ordered an XS from Amazon. Ill get it today. Its the Voyager step in.


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## Abella's Mommy (Mar 31, 2019)

CMB said:


> I nearly had a heart attack when Sophie’s harness slipped off and she ran away from me. She would not come.
> She ran in front of a motorcycle!
> finally I dropped to my knees and begged her to come.
> she did.
> ...


Coleen
Welcome to SM!
I am glad to read that you have ordered an escape proof harness for Sophie.
I would also encourage you to teach her the BASIC commands that EVERY dog should know:
Come, Sit, Stay
These commands are easy to teach and could well save her life and will make her an even bigger joy to have around....and give you peace of mind.
There are lots of options: Private trainer, You attend training classes, Online training classes, Books on training, etc. Just pick one that meets your needs invest the time and have fun with it. Training is a great bonding experience between you and your fluff and the rewards are great.
🐶 🐾🌷


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## CMB (Jan 24, 2021)

Abella's Mommy said:


> Coleen
> Welcome to SM!
> I am glad to read that you have ordered an escape proof harness for Sophie.
> I would also encourage you to teach her the BASIC commands that EVERY dog should know:
> ...


Thank you


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## Happinesstogo (Oct 17, 2015)

CMB said:


> I nearly had a heart attack when Sophie’s harness slipped off and she ran away from me. She would not come.
> She ran in front of a motorcycle!
> finally I dropped to my knees and begged her to come.
> she did.
> ...


I hope someone here has an answer. I only had one dog that didn't come consistently when called and it was a Maltese. I can well imagine how scared you were. I suggest practicing recall with her everyday. Even if you get a foolproof harness, she might still slip out an open door or gate. 

Lainie


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## Dixie's Mama (Mar 19, 2008)

Hi Coleen. Our first Maltese, Dixie, was very smart and learned commands easily. She suddenly started to blow off the “come” command. A trainer told us to forget using come anymore since she’d blown it off. We picked “here” for our new command to come. While helping us train her with it she advised us to use a new treat to give her when she came HERE. We chose chicken baby food. Worked like a charm. Messy though. lol
Good luck!


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## CMB (Jan 24, 2021)

Dixie's Mama said:


> Hi Coleen. Our first Maltese, Dixie, was very smart and learned commands easily. She suddenly started to blow off the “come” command. A trainer told us to forget using come anymore since she’d blown it off. We picked “here” for our new command to come. While helping us train her with it she advised us to use a new treat to give her when she came HERE. We chose chicken baby food. Worked like a charm. Messy though. lol
> Good luck!


Excellent idea. She will not COME. So I’ll switch it to Here. Thank you


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## zooeysmom (Aug 1, 2011)

Excellent suggestion, Dixie's Mama!


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