Bad Bob

[Oldashthearab]

Bob is in the bad books today....as the months go by he is getting better and calmer (10 months old now), but today he reminded me he is a) still young b) a terrier and c) a pain in the a*%e!!!
His recall and obedience is really improving to the point where yesterday i had him walking off lead, to heel, up to another dog and after brief play he came when called, today on the other hand he caught his 1st rabbit.......
It was a mixi rabbit (hence how he managed to get it) but problem was he didnt despatch of it, just run around with it and i couldnt get near him. After about 10 mins he got bored, dropped it and came trotting over, my boyf did decent thing for poor rabbit although Bob hadnt done much damage.
So should i be pleased he not got the terrier killer instinct and just work on his recall or be cross that it just played with it?
I was very frustrated esp when everyone else has an opinion on where im going wrong with my dog :-(

 

[CorvusCorax]

He's not bad - just a young terrier acting on instinct!
If you were a kid and you had a yummy biscuit or an awesome and someone came over and tried to take it off you for (seemingly) no reason, you'd run off, wouldn't you?!
In future you can keep something on your person to exchange and teach him that giving stuff up isn't the end of the world.

We teach our dogs - well, one!!! - they can 'win' stuff, but only if they give it back, if you see what I mean? So give something, let them carry it about, tail waving, all pleased as punch, give it back...and the reward for giving it back is either having it back, or having a play with a different object and swapped back again, using the 'out' or 'leave' command to let go and the 'free' or 'OK' command when it's OK to have it.
It's something you can work on, but really, I don't think it's the end of the world that he was proud to have found himself a small fluffy thing!

 

[Oldashthearab]

Thank you, i know he is just doing what comes naturally and he is very good at 'leave' etc when i ask but guess the rabbit was just too big an ask for now!!!
I always carry treats or tennis balls (his favourite) but i think it may have taken me offering him half a cow to consider giving up his prize ;-)

I also just realised how the end of my post sounded.....i DO NEED advice
I just get bit protective over him when people say he is naughty and dismiss him when in reality he is a young dog that (hopefully) will get there!

 

[CorvusCorax]

It must be nice to be perfect, eh?
I thought I had it all sussed until a certain dog bulldozed into my life, ripped up my rulebook, chucked it out the window and then went outside to have a nice piddle on it

For some dogs, it's harder to overwrite centuries of chase-catch behaviour bred into them. It's a bit like trying to teach me not to like wine don't stress it just keep doing what you're doing.