You have to be especially careful of this during the 4th of July. There are many explosions and it is a situation the dog is not used to. Thunderstorms can also startle your German Shepherd, causing him to run away. There are stories of German Shepherds even jumping out of windows due to the fear these explosions can cause. Being close to your dog, making sure the dog understands you are there will help you with that.
Some German Shepherds may simply want to go on an adventure in the neighborhood. This could be to interact with other people, it could be to forage for food, it could be to go for a run. This also ties into simply getting bored, and keeping your dog active when he’s out and about can help prevent this from happening.
How to stop a German Shepherd from running away
To prevent your German Shepherd from running away, you need to understand the root cause of this behavior. Once the root cause has been determined, appropriate preventative measures can be put in place, depending on the situation.
The situation can vary and therefore the solutions must be specific to the situation. Running away from home needs to be approached differently than running away on a walk.
How To Fix Missed Training
You need to start with my post which gives you step by step all the basics of command training like for your German Shepherd.
Do not exceed the GO.
Anchor placement method: dropping an object with a familiar scent
The anchor placement method is usually taught to children while traveling. Parents or guardians agree on a place that should be the «anchor» where anyone straying from the family or group can wait. The understanding is simply that if they wait long enough, the party will return to the area where the missing individual is anchored and find it.
The same principle can work with a dog. However, it is too complex a system to communicate to a dog! With the stimuli and environment changing with every road trip, camping adventure or long-term visit, you can’t expect your German Shepherd to internalize too many anchor points. That’s why keeping an eye out and making sure you train your dog not to stray too far pays off better.
Training
If you want a dog that you can train not to drag you along the road when you go out for a walk or tackle the surf at the earliest opportunity, the German Shepherd is a good choice. Once your shepherd understands what you want from him, there’s a good chance he’ll do the best he can to comply.
Of all the breeds in the world, the German Shepherd is far from the lowest maintenance dog you will find. Physically and mentally, Shepherds require a fair amount of maintenance. Here are some things to prepare for: