Our dogs give us great joy every day and accompany us in good and bad times. They are our family and therefore, one of our greatest fears when welcoming them is that they may get lost. Knowing that they may be harmed, that they may be hungry or thirsty, or that they don't know how to return home, is a very hard time for us.
Without a doubt, the ideal is to put all the means at our disposal to prevent it from happening. Therefore, if you are wondering how to prevent my dog from getting lost, on our site we offer you 6 essential tips to prevent your furry ones from getting lost. Follow them!
1. Identification systems
It is the primary measure that we have to take into account when our dog comes home. There are several systems to identify your pet, but these are the main ones:
- Microchip: The dog and cat chip is a device (about the size of a grain of rice) that is implanted under skin, is very important and mandatory in many countries, including Spain. It must be implanted by a veterinarian and registered in the database of your region so that, in case your dog is lost, you can recover it. The information contained in it is a numerical code, which can be read by specific readers and which will give access to basic information about your dog and yours by a veterinarian who has access to the database. We must not forget to inform our veterinarian of any change of address or telephone so that he can keep the data updated.
- Identification tag: there are many models, plastic, metal, with different designs and sizes. They usually contain basic information, such as the name of your pet, the name of the owner and one or two contact telephone numbers. They are placed on the dog's collar or harness and anyone who finds it in case of loss, can contact the owner quickly. Currently, however, there are more complete systems, such as tags that contain a QR code, which contains more extensive information about the animal, such as its he alth status, if requires some medication, etc. and anyone can read the information with their mobile, downloading an app to read this type of code
- Collar, harness or some other accessory that can facilitate the identification of the animal more quickly. We can choose colorful and original designs so that they are easy to identify from a distance.
two. Education and socialization
The puppy's socialization stage is extremely important and will determine her future behaviorboth with members of her species and with others. This stage is between between 3 and 12 weeks of life and it is in this stage that we must make a special effort so that our puppy interacts with known and unknown people, with dogs (better if they are trustworthy, that we know and know that they are friendly and that they are correctly vaccinated and dewormed, especially while our puppy has not completed his vaccination plan).
It is also the stage in which we must accustom the dog to different stimuli, noises, environments, etc., so that when he being an adult he does not react with insecurity and recklessness in front of them. If we carry out this stage correctly, we will have a self-confident dog that enjoys our company, creating a bond with him that will be crucial in preventing our dog from escaping. The first step to achieve this is for our puppy to trust us and vice versa.
In addition, it will be very helpful for him to learn basic commands, so that if he gets distracted or disoriented he will come to our call. It is highly recommended to start with the order to "look", since our dog will learn that if we give him that order he should focus his attention on us and it gives us the opportunity to Teach him new commands knowing we have his full attention. Other very important commands are "come" and "stay", which we will have to practice a lot and in case the dog goes away, it will be the way to return to our side and will stimulate his self-control when the distraction is very strong (for example, when we open the door of the house and we don't want him to leave without our permission).
Therefore, we must work a lot with them on self-control, teaching them to know how to be calm and stable in situations that are very exciting or that generate anxiety. We must ensure that we are meeting their physiological, physical and emotional needs before beginning any training. If you cannot achieve these goals on your own, Go to a qualified professional for advice.
3. Containment systems within the home
If we have a garden, terrace or patio, it is best to install a perimeter fence that is made of a resistant material and with a height according to that of the animal. It is also advisable that the base of the fence be cement or a small wall to prevent them from escaping by digging. We will carry out the necessary maintenance of the installation and repair any damage that may appear.
Inside the house, especially keep in mind the correct state of doors and windows and try to give the dog "its place" at home and teach him that when we leave the house he is able to stay in his place, be it his crib, carrier, sofa, etc. in a relaxed way and not try to escape every time we open the exit door.
4. Containment systems outside the home
Now outside the home, we must also assess some containment systems:
- On the street: the collar or harness and leash must be of the highest quality possible, according to their age, size and activity physical. In urban areas it is always advisable to go on a leash, since it is much easier that, even if he knows how to go by our side without a leash, he can be scared by a loud sound or similar and his reaction is to run away. In rural areas or green areas, you can consider letting it loose only if it has already learned to be loose and they are quiet and sparsely populated areas. If he doesn't know how to walk loose, you can go to dog parks, which are fenced and controlled areas where he can exercise and socialize with other dogs.
- In the car: once again, it will be very important that the materials of your carrier, harness or retention system that we use are quality. In addition, we must get our animal used to traveling by car as a puppy and allow him to go calmly, so that when he opens the door or the trunk, he does not run away because he is very scared or excited.
5. Castration
Beyond the he alth benefits that this technique can offer, neutering the dog is something to keep in mind since even if our dog knows the basic commands, he is balanced and relaxed when we leave. house or out for a walk, we must bear in mind that the smell of pheromones produced by a female in heat is very attractive and difficult for them to control and they will have a lot of more tendency to escapism to try to mate.
A female in heat will also be more likely to run away for the same reason. That is why it is a highly valued decision, since if our furry escapes to reproduce, not only can we lose it or something happens to it, such as being run over, but it can also have litters unwanted with the consequent risk of abandonment and contribution to overpopulation
6. Other systems
There are devices with GPS technologyon the market that can be attached to the dog's collar and are connected to the mobile so that we can find our friend if he gets lost. We can even establish a security perimeter so that if the dog crosses it, we receive a notification on the mobile and also informs us of the dog's physical activity.
Finally, we can find collars and harnesses with reflective material or with LED lightswhich are very useful for night walks and/or nature walks.
