running away and not coming when called

Question
I have a pretty serious problem with an almost 2 year old pomeranian.  We just got him in January this year. He is a very good and obedient,(for the most part) little guy.

The problem is, there have been two occassions where he has gotten out the door (scooted right past me) and started running down the road. I have tried leash training him to come when I call, then pulling his leash to me, if he did not respond immediately the first call. He now comes every time I call him when he is on the leash.  Which is not what he does when he has gotten loose, or scooted out the door. I called his name, said "come", and he just ran away all the faster. What do I need to do to get him to obey me when he is accidently loose or gets away from me?  I need help with this problem, because this last time, he went up to a dog that was chained in its yard, at a house a mile away from where we live, and the dog (german shepard) attacked  my pomeranian, biting him in the stomach and leg. My Pomeranian is recovering now.. but Im afraid he will do this again.. getting away from me.. and not coming when called.. possibly getting hit by a car.. because my pomer runs straight down the middle of the road.

Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated!  I hope there is something that will work with him, he is such a good and wonderful little dog.
Thank you for your time,
Sincerely,
Sabrina_youngwolfe1957@hotmail.com

Answer
I'm glad your little dog is recovering well. Scary stuff. My guess is he doesn't really know "come" (or only knows it if he is on leash). And possibly the tug on the leash is more of a cue than the actual word. If he gets loose on you, he's excited and probably barely hears you - and knows he has the option not to do it anyway. I would make lots of noise and run the other way, find an imaginary mouse in the grass or get in the car and head him off rather than teach him that when I say "come" he doesn't need to listen. And that's what is happening. I'd practice off leash recalls in safe locations, with really good treats. Gradually making them longer and more exciting. At first I wouldn't even say "come" until the dog is already headed towards me. So, I'm actually naming the behavior rather than asking him to do a word he really doesn't understand in that context. I would call and treat him randomly in the yard, and recalls would always be for good treats. Even once he's good at it. Also never call him to you for something he won't like.
Another thing he needs to learn is to wait at doors. Start at an uninteresting interior door, on leash. Ask him to wait, and reach toward the door handle. If he doesn't move (I use a clicker, but you could use your voice) mark that and give him a treat. If he does come forward, sign disqustedly and walk away (since he's on leash, he'll be coming with you) Eventually get him to the point - touch the handle, rattle, turn it, open door - where you can go through the door and release him. Then start it off leash - just walking away if he breaks. When he's good at that, go to a more interesting door and start all over with just reaching towards it, on leash. If I am going out and not taking my dog, I may release him backwards by throwing a handfull of treats back into the room with my release word, so he's not thinking about forward and has a nice time while I'm closing the door. Until he knows this (and really, I would probably do it anyway, even when he does) I'd limit his access to that door when people are likely to be going in and out - a baby gate would do for a little dog. Good luck. Sandy Case MEd CPDT www.positivelycanine.com