I think the post on vehicle travel is important, we all need to OWN our actions & decisions

we do things at home to aide in safety as well

Such as...we have a large fenced backyard, Bean is  free to come & go out that back door with no leash / No restrictions

However, we have two front exit doors, one slider one solid

Bean is only allowed to exit the house into the NON FENCED area, on leash & only through the door in the laundry room....This is a precaution DUE to the grandkids leaving the door ajar at times......If Bean gets out the front of our house, she's about 30 seconds from a road that School buses & Log trucks frequent...............So I find the additional discipline & one door exit quite calming....I do not take any chances ( when I can help it )...but sometimes bringing in groceries etc...that sliding door is left ajar & she could nose her way out....this way she doesn't even realize that it's an option..................NOT to say that >>>>if it were wide open ...she wouldn't GO FOR IT............

My point is.................we ALL love our dogs and do find things that WORK 4 US......helpful hints and "lessons learned" are always welcome for ME & Da Bean

Renee'

Yah right Beans! I'm not falling for that, if I told everyone how when my dog escapes I don't bother chasing her because she is a master eluder, I would be run out of town by a torch carrying mob.

(that's how I keep SANE! the stress she causes me when she decides not to listen to my command to come home has taken me to tears)

My former home was completely fenced.  We had a BC rescue named Tippy.  We would leave Tippy outside and when we came home Tippy would be laying by the front door waiting to come in.  We had a couple fights over who was leaving the gate open and no resolution.  So we started chaining and locking the gate.  A couple days went by and there was Tippy on the front porch again.  We were concerned so we put a dog run in the back with a locking gate.  We thought maybe a meter reader was letting him out.  Well in another couple days, there was Tippy again on the porch.  Then we got sneaky.  On a Saturday morning, H made a big show out of going to work and I hid in the house and watched Tippy in the run.  He went in his house and had some water then decided it was time to go.  He climbed over the fence.  Just like someone climbing a mountain.  Paw over paw.  Since then, I've not had as much faith in fences.

I don't have a fenced yard now and it hasn't been a problem.  I go outside with Spot.  In the summer he is out in the yard with us a lot.  He knows his boundaries and won't leave.  Even for squirrels and other dogs.  He has been known to stand at the edge of his territory and cry.  But he won't leave.  He knows he can go down to the river and check out the swans and geese and he does that every time he goes out.  When Spot goes in the car or in the front yard he is on leash.  I take Spot out running or biking every day on leash as well.  This next summer I'm going to start working him off lead running and on the bike.  He usually gets the hang of things really fast.  I live in a pretty rural area but Spot has never been on the road alone.

My next home will be fenced.  It would be nice to let Spot out to play alone.  But till that happens, one of us will always be with him.

I have very limited time and patience and money for vet or doctor bills, so I try to run a pretty tight ship 'round here....

I stop dogs at the door, when dropping out of the truck, etc. Truck has a wonderful aluminum 2 hole dog box with slider vents that can be opened or closed depending on the weather. Drop chains are used on the truck to keep them put for their business while on the road. If we're in the Pathfinder they're in crates. Sometimes I let Dulcie ride up front, but these days I'll put her harness on and run the seatbelt through the back of it.

Dogs loose in the wide world for any length of time get e-collars on. I've lost years off my life as it is watching them dart out to chase something in front of logging trucks on dirt roads.

I just built the Ultramax Dog Containment Facility last summer, complete with hot wire around the bottom and at the top. Nobody is going under or over it... but then I also have a pigeon coop in there which keeps everyone quite entertained inside. If I drop them loose out of the truck at home, they make a beeline for the yard gate.

Crates are in the back utility room, which can be doored and gated off from the rest of the house. Daughter has been taught to LEAVE US ALONE when I'm feeding. We've trained the dogs to tolerate us messing with their food dish, but i'm not pressing my luck and she should steer clear of other people's dogs eating from a bowl anyway. OTOH I bring her in to give each crated dog a cookie now and then- she loves it and so do they obviously.

Dogs are taught to put up with us futzing with feet, eyes, ears, mouth, etc. so they're ready to go to the vet and get the best care possible when they need it without undue hassle or sedation. All the mushing stuff I do keeps them socialized them pretty well- they've been around strange people, dogs, bikes, cars, motorcyles, snowmobiles, giant trail groomers, even headed nonchalantly into helecopter prop wash once. At this point in life they're like "strange situation number 3,852....whatever".