@Sarah977 I had an American Eskimo dog that knew how to open the garden gate, which sometimes didn't latch properly, and take herself for a walk around the neighborhood. The gate had a spring which closed it, and she figured out how to push against the gate until it opened enough for her to get her nose into the gap, and pull it open.
The only way I found out she was doing it is, one day, someone called me from the street to say he saw her, and where, but he was going to work and couldn't wait.
I went rushing out in my pj's to look for her, but couldn't find her. After a frantic tear around the neighborhood, I came back to get dressed and pull out the car, and she was calmly waiting by the back door.
I got the gate fixed after that.