Oh Henry! Bit of training help needed please

Spudlet

Well-Known Member
Joined
20 April 2009
Messages
19,800
Visit site
Naughty Henry is far too clever for his own good
mad.gif
He has worked out that if he squeezes under the electric fence at work, I can't get him and he can run amok eating poo
mad.gif
mad.gif


This is an issue because two of his walks everyday are round the farm, and almost all the fields are in use at the moment. I can't keep him on the lead constantly as he needs the run, but am running out of places I can safely take him! His recall is getting much better but it will only take one stroppy horse to seriously hurt or kill him
frown.gif


My current plan is to get hold of a cheapo lunge line, and to let that drag along the ground behind him so that I can grab it and check him if he heads under the fences.

Do you think this will help him to get the idea that this is not allowed?

Or has anyone got any other ideas?
 
Ive used a long line on all our pups over the years and now have a soft rope one which is about 20 feet long with a snap clip on the end. It works well but wear gloves as once its been dragged through wet grass and poo a few times its not nice to reel in again!
 
Ellie was terrible for it! I tried all the usual shouting and screaming, mad blasts on recall but NOTHING! Just the smirky 'yea whatever' look.

I stopped her by literally running to her (where she was stood eating poo) and giving her a smack and a very loud 'leave it' and a loud clap/growl... she soon got the idea that 'leave it' etc and the evil glance meant she was being a bad pooch. Or maybe run over to the little grubber and use the 'leave it' command and spray water in his face (if you don't mind carrying the little spray bottle around with you when out walking)
 
I can do that in the post and rail fields and I do, and he is much better with those ones, but he knows that I can't get into the electric fenced ones (there are three strands of wire so I can't wriggle under, not being spaniel-sized
grin.gif
) so he just ignores me
mad.gif


I think the long rope is the way to go - Spaniel, gloves are a must, the mucky little so and so goes through all sorts of things
grin.gif
 
The lunge line would work, but just be warned that a) it spooks the hell out of horses when it's trailing behind them! and b) he'll know when you take it off he can get away from it!
grin.gif
Little sods aren't they
mad.gif


Otto doesn't eat horse poo, it's shocking! He comes in the stable when I muck out and just sits waiting by the door. His breeder bred horses, so he either gorged himself as a pup and is sick of the stuff, or he got a hiding for it!
 
[ QUOTE ]
The lunge line would work, but just be warned that a) it spooks the hell out of horses when it's trailing behind them! and b) he'll know when you take it off he can get away from it!
grin.gif
Little sods aren't they
mad.gif



[/ QUOTE ]

That's what I'm afraid of, that he'll just learn to behave when attached to a lunge line
frown.gif


Henry has actually eaten so much poo on one occasion he was sick but it doesn't seem to have put him off
mad.gif
 
Take up jogging then he can get a run, it'll just be on lead
tongue.gif


Luckily Beastie knows 'leave it' rather well. Although I think it's the growl I do at the same time that scares her
tongue.gif
The labs know better than to have a munch
grin.gif
 
Ive always tried to train ours not to go into fields either through open gates or under post and rails. Keep hold of the line but let it stay loose (this may involve you looking like a bit of an idiot trying to run in stealth mode behind the puppy) and as soon as he starts to head to the boundary shout a sharp NO and then stand still. If the NO doesnt work the jolt from the line will reinforce it. It needs to be a strong jolt, often it needs to be enough to flip a pup over, but he should soon learn to associate that NO with the action that follows!
 
I would agree with the long line ( and gloves !) Do you have a high value treat ( chicken, sausage etc) that Henry loves ? If you do then I would go back a few steps in his training and reinforce his leave command, starting by training him to leave a toy etc, only giving him the high value treat when he leaves something when you ask him too, not for any other behaviour. Then work up asking him to leave the poop, use the long line to help if he is not getting it. I would definitely not use a water spray etc, you want to encourage the dog to work for you, not be scared of you. Good luck
 
I have a similar problem with horse poo, or to rephrase it with Evie eating horse poo. She gets the furthest point across the field and tucks in, with one eye on me, I have tried charging up and "beating" her whilst she is in the act, but as soon as I get within reach she grabs a mouthful and legs it
tongue.gif
I can stop her if she is heading for piles near to but she always manages to find a load at the furthest point, I think she and the horses plan it together, it is never in their usual droppings area that I pick up in, just a little random pile specially for Evie
grin.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
I have a similar problem with horse poo, or to rephrase it with Evie eating horse poo. She gets the furthest point across the field and tucks in, with one eye on me, I have tried charging up and "beating" her whilst she is in the act, but as soon as I get within reach she grabs a mouthful and legs it
tongue.gif
I can stop her if she is heading for piles near to but she always manages to find a load at the furthest point, I think she and the horses plan it together, it is never in their usual droppings area that I pick up in, just a little random pile specially for Evie
grin.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

'I promise not to chase you or bark at you EVER again if you agree to poo really far away from where the human walks, so i can munch away and not receive "beatings"
smirk.gif
grin.gif
'

Clever doggie
grin.gif
 
Yep, reckon thats about it, although in her defence she stopped chasing/barking when she was quite small. Trouble is the nags have just gone into the big field for the winter which I walk across . Previously she had to duck under electric fence to get at the delicacy and I could stop her. Mind you at least she eats it in the field, Buffy sneaks it in the house and eats it there. Particularly pleasant in the winter when it is frozen and she leaves it to warm up.
wink.gif
 
Niiiice, thawing poop
crazy.gif


I suppose the alternative is for me to tip a bucket of water over Henry then let him get on with it and hope that the fence arcs and he gets a shock that will put him off again!
 
As you know, I am an advocate of the long line! Some of the people use a really thin whispy line (will ask on Sunday what it is actually made of) so that the dog doesn't feel the extra weight attached and realise they are still not quite 'free'.
 
[ QUOTE ]
As you know, I am an advocate of the long line! Some of the people use a really thin whispy line (will ask on Sunday what it is actually made of) so that the dog doesn't feel the extra weight attached and realise they are still not quite 'free'.

[/ QUOTE ]

That could be good. I've tried just dropping his lead but he knows (and it's a nice lead, I'll kill him if he drags it through anything nasty!)
 
Top