I have a Clover dog. (What the heck is a Clover dog they think?) She is 1/2 Great Pyrennes, and it is thought maybe a pinch of Lab. I got her at 3.5 months from a rescue org. From the first day on she has not behaved like a normal puppy. For example: I brought her home and she hid behind a table leg. After some coaxing, I got her out into the living room that first night, turned on the TV, and she ran into the kitchen scared. Well that was about 7 months ago, and in general she is spooked by loud unusual noises- except thunder storms. No, I have no idea what happened in those first 3.5 months. But all of this is not the problem. The problem is...

If we are in the house she behaves relatively well. If I tell her to come, she comes. If I take her out on a leach, and I tell her to come...she comes. If I take the leach off of her - zoooooom over the hill we go, running like an idiot out of the yard. I can yell: COME, STOP, NO, STAY, TREAT(!), &@%#$- all commands (except for the last bit of profanity) that she understands under controlled circumstances. She may disappear literally for all day. I usually get a call from a neighbor informing me that she has showed up at their house hours later. The neighbor(s) usually has a dog of their own. When retreived she has enjoyed herself running through the woods behind the house rolling in mud and deer doo doo. Needless to say her daddy dog is none too pleased. I could tolerate the messes, if only she would come within a reasonable time of being called!

I would have thought that she at least would be interested in staying home to play with her little brother Barney (Black Lab 5 months) who I got so that she wouldn't have the desire to climb out of her pen during the day when I was at work. The two play together, and get along very well, and she now seems content in the pen with him to keep her company. So exercise in a 20X22 ft pen during the day should be a release for some if not most of her energy. At least little Barney is tuckered out when I get home. He also is well behaved. On the weekends I take both with a neighbor's dog for a walk through the woods to a pond 1 mile away untettered. Even after this vigorous exercise, on the way back she may take off on me say about 40% of the time. Again it will be hours later before she shows up- somewhere.

It has reached the point where I expect one of two things will happen: 1. One of the neighbors will tire of it, and call Animal Control to throw her into doggy jail. I do not know how many times I would choose to bail her out again with this behavior. Or 2. She will get hit by a car.

Again, the fustrating thing is that she understands the commands. But left off the leach, and it's yippee over the hill we go. Suggestions on any new age training methods to get rid of this problem? Other suggestions?