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‘That’s a great life hack’: Rover sitter shares trick to catching dog if they run away from you

‘I don’t play chase my dog because of that reason.’

Photo of Brooke Sjoberg

Brooke Sjoberg

Adorable little puppy(l) Rover logo on green t-shirt covered in dog hair(c) Woman wearing hat shares her experience taking care of dog(r)

It’s a moment that can send your heart straight to your throat. One that any pet owner dreads. If your dog runs away from you, an easy trick that requires no real effort besides being able to think on your feet can have them coming right back.

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One Rover dog sitter says she used this hack to entice a puppy to run back to her when she slipped past her and out the garage door.

In a video that has drawn over 837,000 views on TikTok, user Shelby (@goodluckshelby) says she chased the dog she was taking care of for several blocks before she remembered a simple trick to get the dog to turn around.

“I can’t remember who made this, but whoever made the TikTok about how you’re supposed to catch a dog if they’re running away from you, I could literally kiss you on the lips right now,” Shelby says in the video. “Like straight on the mouth, doesn’t matter who you are.”

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Rover sitter uses simple trick

She then explains her dog-sitting situation. “I just had to chase a dog—not even my dog, I’m a Rover sitter, and I just started watching this puppy today,” she says. “She’s in her toddler era. She’s six months old and she’s a little [expletive].”

Shelby says she did not intend to leave the door open and accessible to the dog, but the puppy took the short opportunity to escape and ran with it.

“She decided to go for a run when I had the garage door open,” she explains. “And I was trying to close it before she got to it, and I was not fast enough. She was way [expletive] faster,” she says. “[I] proceed to have to chase her for eight or nine blocks.”

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Suddenly, Shelby remembered a TikTok she saw. “And then I remembered, oh my God,” she says. “I remember a TikTok about how you’re supposed to run away from them, and they think it’s a game. So I did that, and guess who followed. This little [expletive]. I was able to tackle her [expletive] and bring her home.”

The Daily Dot has reached out to Shelby via TikTok direct message regarding the video.

How can you keep your dog from running away from you?

Aside from the simple solution of leashing dogs whenever a door is going to be opened, several methods can entice a dog to run back to you if they have eloped:

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  • Teaching dogs basic commands like “stay,” “lay down” and “sit” as well as recall can be valuable tools in managing tendencies to run away.
  • While running away to redirect them to you is a solid method, simply choosing not to chase them—not entertaining the game the dog might be trying to play—is also another recommended method.

‘He thought we were playing.’

Several fellow dog sitters and pet owners shared that they employed this and similar strategies to manage dogs who tend to run.

“I’m also a sitter on Rover- this works! I also put Apple AirTags on the dogs when they come in for extra security,” one commenter wrote.

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“My dog got out once,” another said. “I chased him for ~45 sec and then I realized he thought we were playing. I pretended to give him a fake treat and asked him to sit and he did which allowed me to pick him up.”

“My dogs got loose and ran into busy 5 way intersection,” a third wrote.. “They were saved by a stranger opening their car door and asking if they wanted to go for a ride, an all 3 of us hopped in.”

@goodluckshelby

she’s a runner she’s a track star

♬ original sound – sheeeeb

Some shared that they had tried something similar before, only to have it not work out for them. They noted that this was likely because they have particularly willful pets.

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“My dog genuinely doesn’t care if I run away from him,” one commenter wrote. “He knows he shouldn’t be out away from me and knows if I get him that ends. Hes a smarty.”

“Unfortunately that doesn’t work for all breeds, I would turn around and my dog would be out of sight,” another commented.

“I tried it… and it didn’t work,” a third said. “She just watched me run away and ran the other way and went about her business.”


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