How to stop your dog escaping or running away

• Fear or panic. Fireworks, storms, unfamiliar people and fast-moving things can make a dog run and hide.
• Boredom. A dog without enough to do may go looking for something.
• Chasing. Wildlife, cats, runners and anything else that moves.
• Being left alone. Some dogs try to escape because they're worried when they're on their own.
• Recall that isn't reliable yet.

• Check your fences and walls regularly. They should be tall enough for your dog and free from gaps or damage: dogs can squeeze through small gaps, and many love to dig and jump.
• If your dog is prone to digging or escaping, check the boundary every day, and keep them on a lead in the garden until any gap is fixed.
• Move bins, boxes and anything else they could climb on away from fences and walls.
• Give a digger somewhere they're allowed to dig, like a sand pit.
• Check the garden is secure before you let your dog out. If there's any risk they could get out, keep them on a lead or long line and stay with them.

• Put your dog in another room or behind a baby gate before you open the front door.
• A lightweight house line can help you manage them when visitors arrive, but always take it off before you leave your dog alone.
• Teach them to sit at every door and gate, and reward them for waiting until you invite them through.

• Check their collar, harness and lead fit well and are in good condition. A three-strap harness can help stop a dog wriggling free, and for extra security you can clip both a collar and a harness to a double-ended lead.
• Keep them on a lead or long line until their recall is reliable.
• Practise recall with food or play rewards, so coming back is always worth it. Chasing your dog while calling them can make them think it's a game.
• Find out what frightens your dog and plan around it, like fireworks nights.

Enough exercise for their age, health and size, plenty to do through the day, and not being left alone for long periods all help stop a dog looking for excitement somewhere else.

Make sure whoever finds your dog can get them home. That means a collar and tag with your name and address, which the law requires in public places, up-to-date microchip details and a recent photo. Dogs Trust also suggests considering a GPS tracker, and a QR tag lets whoever finds your dog reach you straight away.

If your dog goes missing, start our lost dog checklist straight away, and call your council's dog warden: see how to get your dog back from the dog warden.