Help needed to catch our puppy!

[Spot_the_Risk]

Doddi is nearly five months old now and generally very lovely, but we are having occasional problems catching her. This is the situation, we have four dogs including her, and they get run every day at our field. If they are going in the van, they all jump in and out very keenly, no problem. Tonight I was in the Landrover which she can't get into yet, and she's never tried to jump into as we don't want her getting hurt. They'd have a good run around the fields, played ball etc etc and it was getting dark, time to go home. The adults all jumped in the Landy, Doddi needs to be lifted in. So I do the normal 'come on Doddi, good girl, here' etc etc, and she won't come right up to me, stays about five feet away. Maybe it's because all the other dogs have jumped in and she's on her own although she doesn't ever appear to be shy or coy, or she doesn't want to be lifted (we do it properly, fully supported). Now in the perfect world I'd just run away (well hobble, bloody knee) and she'd follow until she got close enough for a big fuss etc, but she won't leave the Landrover, so that doesn't work. I would have tried the chuck a pebble at her bum and comfort her loads thing, but she was watching me! I managed to catch her in the end, but had to make a lunge for her collar which is not the plan at all, but I was getting nowhere fast, and am very lame and slow moving at the moment. Any suggestions peeps? We are thinking to use treats, but we don't really like treat training, and also the other three will jump back out and try to mug me!

I should say this isn't a daily occurance, but we need to nip it in the bud before it becomes a habit. All our other dogs will come runnign straight up to us for a cuddle, but she stays slightly out of reach. She's never had a wallop, so there's no reason to not approach, and when she has something in her mouth she will let you have it happily, and we then give her loads of praise.

 

[Slinkyunicorn]

I would just offer her a treat! When Max is having a 'moment' and recall etc goes to pot I just go back to a treat on recall etc and his memory returns as if by magic!!

 

[soloabe]

Treats or her favorite toy.
Call her to you with the treat and then when she gets to you ask her to sit, put your finger in her collar and then give her the treat.

 

[RubysGold]

Why don't you like treat training?
I would offer her a treat to get her to come to you, better then staying out in the cold and lunging at her collar. (I've done that plenty of times)

 

[CAYLA]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Im sick of doing replies to be kicked off

shorter version

place her on the lead mid way back and treat her when placed on the lead and at intervals all the way back to the car, then place her in and treat her again, so she assosiates a positve for making her way back to the car and getting in, dont allow her the option to keep hesitating, and obs never try to catch her as she may begin to bolt, as well as the treats and placing her on the lead as u head towards the car even may be worth placing a small crate in the landrover to seperate her from the rest of the dogs and give her a pigs ear on the way home so she assosiates a positive with the journey home of which she msut get in the car for first

I dont use alot of treat based reward, but if it works it's worth a try.

 

[minmax]

Our puppy needed lifting into the car and was wetting himself when we caught him. My other half had made some steps for the old dog to get in and out so I've started using them. He now knows hes to go up them and it saves him getting upset by being lifted. I leave the boot up and he goes in on his own if he wants at the stables. (4x4)