Running out the door, all the time.

Question
  I have a female, five year old black lab named beauty, but she has a problem. When we received beauty from a man that my mother worked with, he failed to tell us that she had a running problem. i figured it was just a lab thing but wanted to be sure. Any time the door is left open she darts out and runs away from me. After she has been out running for about half an hour she will come running up to me like she did something good. Beauty is emotionally attached to me, but i thought that would make it easier for me to train her. She was fixed about two weeks ago, and i was told it would stop her from doing it. It has not. Before the school year started I would run a mile with her almost every night to ware her out, the vet said she needed exercise. i would take her out to play ball with me and my other two dogs but she will run from me. What could be the cause of her running like this?

Answer
Getting her fixed may ease the problem more after her existing hormones have time to wear off.  Having had her fixed by 6 months may have lessened the problem.  There simply are no good studies relating spaying and behavior.  There are strong opinions, but little to back them except those with old fashioned ideas and those willing to say anything to reduce the millions of dogs we slaughter for lack of homes.  

The key to most behavior problems is approaching things using the dog's natural instincts. Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog. Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones. You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/ For more on being top dog, see http://www.dogbreedinfo.com./topdogrules.htm

That may be no more effective than spaying.  It is the nature of some dogs to roam.  Most of my experience is with intact dogs less than a year old.  Some of the ones we have had would bolt out the door every chance they got.  One of them would come running up to you if he saw you coming with the leash.  The best thing to do is to learn to stand to the side of the door so when opened, your legs block the opening.  Step through and quickly close the door.  That can be tough with little kids, the elderly, and untrained guests.  Our one dog almost knocked the legs out from under my father in law when he was standing in the door way.  

Some of the people pushing later spaying say their dogs don't try to get out.  Others give the advice about exercising them, etc.  I am not sure some behaviors have a good solution.