You're probably inundated with training advice but implementing "touch" (where he comes up to nudge you and gets a treat) is a trick you can practice and practice with low stakes, which is good bc yelling "COME HERE" at a dog that's playing keep away is never a good look (talk to me about the three hour dog park visit some time. Talk to me about it. I dare you.

Ahhhh, welcome to life with a runner. We've got one. And she's part pit, so she also has the advantage of scaring the crap out of people as she runs toward OUTSIIIIIIIIIIDE and also chipmunks and rabbits and birds and all the prey.

Pro tip: even once you get your own children fully trained regarding proper door technique, there's still a chance you'll come out of the bathroom to find that the neighbor kids have... "Why is the back door open? Talia, what are you doing here? WHERE IS THE DOG?!?!?"

Oh my gosh. So funny. I love the description of your husband's appearance. That was the best. Thanks for sharing.

Aaaaand you are now the neighborhood's favorite reality show. Picture it, middle of dinner "Storch's are in pursuit again!" All run to the window. That's my role on our street as our Chihuahua can apparently dissolve through doors and gets out and runs for freedom like we hold her hostage. I've worn innumerable awful outfits in pursuit of this tiny little hell hound. Good thing I love her. LOL

Oh, but that little face!!!

My Lola was a runner, the more I chased the more she ran. There is nothing like tramping through the neighbor's yard at 8 am while wearing P.J's. Lola would take off for hours, whoring all over the neighborhood. Once some kids found her brought her back to us. They had renamed her Unicorn Cupcake. Whenever she would run my husband and I would say. Lola's gone all "Unicorn Cupcake" again. It's extremely stressful, I feel your pain sister girl.

I'm laughing but this is SO familiar. I wouldn't trade my beagle for anything, but sometimes I do longingly stare at those families that can take their dog on leisurely off-leash walks. You've got the right idea with extra latches, gates, and always locked doors inside the house. We also have a fenced in yard AND an electric fence because one wasn't enough to contain her. (She needs both the visual of the fence and the slight shocks from the electric fence to keep her from running into the next county.) Also... She's six. So I'm not sure it's ever going to get better bc she hasn't grown out of it yet. And I'll warn you now, Halloween with the doorbell and door opening/closing a billion times, just go ahead and crate him the whole night.

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. Also, I think you need to put one of the runs to music. What soundtrack would you create? I'm hearing lots of DMX.

One thing that has worked really well with my dogs is a trick where you suddenly collapse on the ground and pretend to cry. Beau will come over to save you! Might work especially well if you get one of the boys to do it.

If you have a hallway to the door that is able to be spanned by one of those metal tension gates that has a an automatically closing gate you can walk through that keeps the dog away from the door entering or exiting. Our St. Bernard would get out like that and 150 lbs of dog pushing past you is hard to stop. Shredded cheese was also a thing. If we got the bag and shook it she would come. We trained them by sprinkling it on the kitchen floor so she would know what it sounded like.

This is one of those posts that I feel bad laughing with... I feel so bad for you. All you want to do is keep the little dude safe... but Noooooo!

We got a rescue and I chased her repeatedly. I thought she was a runner. A year later we can walk her off the leash, she stays close when I'm bringing in groceries and she always comes when called. It actually makes me a little sad, because clearly she wasn't a runner she was just trying to get home, but now that home is here....no more problems.

We just hired a very pricey dog trainer to get our small terrier mix under control. He fixed years of bad behavior in minutes with an electric shock training collar. Everything from barking/growling at neighbors, wanting to murder small children, running at open doors. Dogtra is the brand he recommends. Will work for up to 400 yards away. If it will keep your new little guy from getting run over, its worth it! It only takes a few corrections too before they get it and learn what not to do. We are SO HAPPY!

Your post brings back hilarious memories of our sweet dog who was also a runner. He was truly the best dog we've ever had, but he never outgrew the running. He got slower with age, making it easier to catch him and thankfully, he didn't try as hard to escape as he got older. Despite the running, we loved him immensely and miss him very much.

Recall training sessions with an "emergency" recall word. Pick something unusual; not here or come. Example: unicorn Put the dog on a long lead, let him run it out, then say unicorn excitedly several times while reeling him in. Reward with lots of high value treats/high value toy that he only gets for this emergency recall. Repeat as necessary until he will drop everything and come back for this word.

Double comment - and hell, I wish I could spend a couple of Benjamins and figure out how to teach the kids what they need to know!

My dog is a runner too. Playfully one day I decided to put her on my treadmill, slow speed of course -- she loved it! Now I have her walked the treadmill at least once or twice day. After a couple of months. No more running away. I mean she still does occasionally, not as far. At least not every time the door opens.

We have a 75 lb chow that's a runner. Plus he's a total dick around other dogs, so win/win for me. He outweighs the girl by 10 lbs and he has quickly figured out she's the weak link, he will bulldoze her over to escape. Our neighborhood is full of dogs so we keep his harness and leash on 24/7. He uses his neck rolls to slip out of collars, so in a harness he stays. We keep a stash of treats on the table by the door to distract him long enough so we can get out.

Ahhahaaha, I'm sorry, but hilarious. Love the visual. My Jack Russell Terrorist (mix) requires an invisible fence, for us it worked like magic and changed my life, highly recommend. Also, lots and lots of positive reinforcement for coming when called (because he would still run from us in the yard and refuse to come inside, especially right before bed at night, awesome, I loved that). He would also get himself trapped under the 1' high deck (requiring boards to be pried up to free him, on 3 occasions- one being in the morning, before work on a 95° day, love dogs). Whoa, sorry to vent, I hope your dog does none of that. It will get better! This has brought back a lot of traumatic memories, we were frequent visitors to dog shaming those first few years! Terriers, sooo infurating, so cuddly.

omg, that last picture, he is ADORABLE! The visual of you in your pajamas and boots and Jason looking like a grave digger had me lol!

We have a coonhound who is a runner when she catches a scent and can go for miles. We keep a GPS tracker on her, from whistle.com for peace of mind.

Electric fence has been huge for a friend of mine with a runner, although they reinforce with cheese when dog gets spooked by the fence. Over there is hurty and hear you get cheese.

I fell down on a hill and dropped the leash and the treat bag one time and off goes the beagle, with all my incentives. So, I'm filthy, bleeding, ripped clothes, limping, standing in the road trying to convince the dog to come, literally incapable of chasing her... And a car kind of stops. "Open your door and call her. She'll come to you."

The dog did, in fact, run to the friendly stranger. Who then gave me a lecture about obedience classes. Then I limped the dog into the house and waited for my husband to come take me for x-rays.

I'm glad your neighbors are nicer than mine were.

You might have already mentioned this, but an invisible fence might be a good idea.

Something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/PetSafe-Wireless-Containment-System-PIF-300/dp/B0001ZWZ8O

We had a dog who did that growing up. He loved car rides though, so all you had to do was open the passenger door of the car, and look like you were getting ready to go somewhere and he's come running. Good luck!

My Oreo likes to sneak out and wander the neighborhood. After 14 years of this, the neighbors know to just yell at him to go home. He shows up on my doorstep barking to be let in. He used to be a sprinter, but he's mellowed. I hope the same happens to Beau.

Haha, I say that ALL the time about our most challenging dog: it's a good thing she's cute! I was already thinking that about Beau before I read the end of your story. But seriously, he is SO cute!

We have a runner....and recently purchased the "Whistle" dog gps tracker. It's given us GREAT peace of mind. http://www.amazon.com/Whistle-100-0500-00-GPS-Pet-Tracker/dp/B015DV0O9C/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1460063429&sr=1-1&keywords=whistle+dog+tracker

I also recommend an electric fence. It's the only thing that worked for our dog. He got the hang of it in one day and now is contained to the back yard and a small portion of the front yard. I first tried a do it yourself one that I ordered on amazon but did not have success with it so I got a professional company to come out and install it and then they also spent some time with the dog training him to understand the boundary flags etc. Well worth the expense!! My Sully is harmless and just wants to play but the joggers in the neighborhood did not appreciate a 60lb dog running after them :)

GPS collar, HEAVY clicker training, long lead attached to both harness and collar. NO SHOCK COLLARS.

I am astounded by the amount of suggestions for using electrocution for dogs. I'm not animal activist, but the thought of electrocuting an animal as part of training is barbaric. There are plenty of alternatives.

(I foster dogs and have recently had a runner in the shape of a Jack Russell Terrier. Two weeks of positive reinforcement training and the adopter could let her off the lead the week he got her. It's longer, harder work, but it does work.)

I'm sure this has been suggested, but can you have him on a stake with a tie out cable in the backyard? Then you wouldn't have to worry about holding the leash and he could be out with the kids.