My 11 month old pomeranian cross has some problems with other people and other dogs, she hates places like parks but I take her to try get her used to it.

The other day I took her to a closed off space and let her off the leash after running around a bit she crawled under a tiny gap under a fence and ran off. I called her and called her but she just wouldn't come to the fence. I bolted like lightning around the park to the houses and found her wandering around the street. Thank god I found her!

When at home she obeys every command like sit, come, stay etc but in parks she won't stay still and doesn't listen... and runs off.

Is there anything I can do to help her other then keep practicing? How will I know when its safe to let her off the leash again? I am not going to do it for a while though because she is so small she gets through the smallest gaps.

One rule of dog training is never give a command you can't enforce. There are some dogs that will just not come when free to run off like that. This is not a good area for me to help. Most of my training and experience is in a program that forbids having the dog off leash except in a secure area. All I can suggest is work on obedience and leadership.

I have found that dogs that will run of every chance they get at home, will stick with you in a large, safe area away from home.

I guess because my personality is not on the same map as your politicly correct individuals. So this should be no surprise in lite of the outcome. I have had Jake, my blue heeler 21 years July. At a very young age dogs and dog suprises piquéd my interest. Referring to suprises in reference to the crazy comical stuff they do. I was at the time driving to the gas station when this little flea hotel with a dog costume begged me to teach him to drive. All the while understanding logically that mom isn't going to go for this even with winning lotto #'s. But I don't care, because this little speed demon needs me. I paid off the acting house warden to keep the this paper shredder on the promise I would pick up poo. That's easy he won't poo that much. 17 year olds know everything except how much puppies poo an how much fun it is to get the smell out of carpet to pass the wardens approval. I have this brainstorm in regards to puppy training, and look out Libraury Will is on a mission. After reading a few pages from the only book available at school. I scored the hippy version of puppy behavior in bell bottoms 101. Didn't take me long to gather the since to what is required to even produce minimal obedience at best. It's a matter of minutes an he has learned 4 things, feeling proud as any 17 year old father could. I proceeded to show off my back breaking 20 minutes of expert dog training to others , a few months pass, I changed some of his commands from sit, to have a seat, and shake was now Gimmie sum, Only because I am the coolest person I know I had a moment of clarity about little ol Jake. I lucky to have a dog smarter than me. Tossin a tennis ball with him , it accidentally went inside a empty flower pot he couldn't get the ball out so he brought the pot back ball inside to insure his playtime wasn't cut short. I have no idea why I assure you it was none of my efforts at all. Over the years he has brought me little suprises that make me laff so hard I get tears. There isn't a door he can't open, some take longer than others. His latest stunt is the one way dog door to the back yard, Rocky the rotty and buddy the couch cushion look alike blk lab use the one way door an will enjoy outside time until let back inside. Not jake, he opens the privacy fence an proceeds to the front door to ring the door bell, so he doesn't have to endure life with out climate control or the off chance I fall asleep with a open can of pringles without his sneaky portion. If I fall for 3 sets of Dad I want to drive the car eyes. I have to keep Buddy leashed to at least one working brain. Not his fault he has hit in the head by a well placed bumper and no one wanted to fix him. I don't this I did a very good job because he is a few fries short of a happy meal. So when NEW people comment on how well mannered an obedient my dogs are I proudly take all the credit. Knowing full well all I did was teach um to have a seat and gimmi sum. So if anyone is desperate enough to seek my back breaking procedures in training, sorry class is full.

DocWill dog owner and super scooper because I am cool!

Ant, I agree with labman. Please keep in mind that most municipalities have a leash law in place. I know that you want her to exercise and run around on her own, but if you want to keep her safe and guarantee that she won't ever do what she did to you again, you need to keep her on a lead.

To give you some peace of mind and allow her to run around, what you can do is buy a long, 30 ft, horse training type lead. That is what I do when I want to play fetch and let my dog run around. I don't know if there is a specific name for them. There is a hook for the collar on one end of a 30 foot rope, the other end is just loose. Tie a large knot on the open end. If the dog starts running away or crawling through a hole in the fence, you can step on the rope to keep her from going any further and gently "rein her in." You can ask your vet or a local trainer if they sell this. If they don't, you can make one yourself. Go to a local hardware store and buy a long piece of nylon, heavy cable, cotton,. whatever you feel is very sturdy and won't break if pulled on. Buy a hook that looks like a leash hook with a loop on the end of it that is large enough to pull the rope through and double or triple knot it tightly. The hook is attached to your dog's collar. You are basically creating a very, very long leash without a loop at the end where you normally put your hand or wrist through. That loose end should be knotted, as I mentioned earlier. This should resolve your problem and keep her safe.

P.S. Sorry DocWill, didn't see your post when I wrote and posted this.

Its all good, Labman has probably forgot more than I have ever learned on this stuff! If his magic worked on cats I would send Houdini to him for proper plant trimming and the understanding the important health risks involved with hi speed fan blades.