Once a Flight Risk, always a Flight Risk?

I was thinking about my own Charlie when we adopted her from TOH. I felt like she was such a flight risk then. Any opportunity to run out the front door and she would do it! She definately behaved like a stray when we adopted her. I wonder if she was so used to wandering that she thought that was where she wanted to be?

JAAMS postings about Dodger bring up those feelings that I had in the beginning with Charlie.

And certainly she doesn't seem like as much of a flight risk now. She can be in front of the open door and not run out. She has gone out in the front yard with us before and stayed right at our side. Sometimes FIL will forget to close the back gate and she still stays in the backyard.

Right now I think she has realized that she has a good life with us! She gets pet for hours a day, has plenty of good food, and we take lots of walks together. We also play daily whether it is inside or outside. She is loved by everyone in this household and everyone who visits her.

But even so I am glad that she is microchipped and that we have a tag on her collar with our phone number and address.

Do you think think that once a dog has that "stray" experience ---- in essense...Once they are a flight risk, that they will always be a flight risk?

I am happy to take all of the precautions! But wonder if she will ever try and leave us!

Re: Once a Flight Risk, always a Flight Risk?

It's absolutely something that is in the back of my mind with Dodger, which is why we're going to get him microchipped.

We had two dogs when I was a kid, and they were such happy dogs...always licking us, playing with us...but they LOVED to run, and they were FAST. If they got out, they would just start flying. Sometimes it was just up and down the block or around in circles in the street, but a couple of times they would go around the block (always to the same lady's house )

I think they just thought the world was their backyard, so I think it can absolutely happen

Re: Once a Flight Risk, always a Flight Risk?

Both of my dogs have been with me since they were several weeks old.
Bruno will always escape if you let him and Vito never will.
Nothing bad has happened to Bruno a day in his life but he loves the chase. The handful of times he's run, he came running back to the house after a few minutes.
We have baby gates at both staircases so he can't get to the door and bolt.
I believe some dogs just want to explore, with or without their people.

Re: Once a Flight Risk, always a Flight Risk?

Ozzie likes to run and explore, so it is something I think about, but he also constantly looks around and doubles back to make sure Mom or Dad is close by. UNLESS he's chasing a squirrel, and then the loon could run to China and not look back once

Re: Once a Flight Risk, always a Flight Risk?

I could be wrong, but i think a lot of it depends on the breed (or the combination of breeds). My dog is a breed that you simply cannot let off the leash b/c they run. If a dog had a history of running away, i'd always be nervous about it.