Recall Help... Need Ideas!!

Katikins

Katikins

Well-Known Member
Joined
4 March 2010
Messages
772
Location
Den Haag, Netherlands
Visit site
OK, quick bit of background info. I currently walk my friend's 2 dogs 3 days a week and they are a lovely pair. Both rescues but pretty well rounded dogs. Laika is a shepherd/husky mix (I'm guessing) who is very people and attention orientated and Parker is a GSHP who couldn't really care less and is a very laid back chilled out dude.

When walking, Laika is great, can let her off the lead and her recall is fabulous as she's always into whatever you are doing. Parker, on the other hand, I'm struggling to find things to get him focused. He is not bothered by treats (though he'll take them if you shove them in front of him) and although he loves his ball in the garden, when walking the smells and birds and everything else is FAR more exciting.

At the moment he stays on the long line when we're in the woods/beach/dunes etc and both his owners and myself have been working on his recall on the long line which is really not that bad. But he kind of has this resigned air about him that he's only coming back because he knows he has to and I'm really struggling to find ways of getting him to pay attention.

When walking on the close lead I try to keep him listening (has to heel, sit at the curb, stay when I say etc) and when on the long line I am literally leaping around like a mad woman to try and get him excited about me... but nope... he's far too chilled for that and would really rather be off doing his own thing!

So, does anyone have any bright ideas that we could try? He is such a lovely lovely dog and he does really like people... he just doesn't NEED people, if you see what I mean?

OK, cookies and diet coke if you managed to make sense of all that, and here is a picture of the terrible twosome :)

20120605_130253.jpg
 
Cool pair, I would say the husky was more a lab x husky:)
I would stop all the off lead exercise whilst you work on his recall and re introduce high reward food, so in the house call him randomly and give him cheese/chicken/or order some "arden grange liver paste" they love it:)
After a good week of recall using his name and high reward treats around the house an garden, then take to the longline in a secluded field (no other dogs) and work with the long line and the tube of liver paste, call him (treat him) let him go again and repeat it. If he does not come in, then reel him in on the line and treat when he gets there. If you wish introduce a whistle, call his name (whistle) and then treat when he comes. You could eventually take his name out.
Do this along with on lead exercise for a good month. Then test him in a small enclosed field, but never let him get more than 2 meters away (very important) it will feel like you are constantly recalling him at fist (and you will be) esp your first few weeks of enclosed field/court/yard sessions and tire him out on along lead walk.bike ride before these sessions.
This will tell you if you can get recall with a more intense programme or weather you will have to introduce more intense methods.
Vey important to keep him on lead for a good few months now whilst training is in place, it took me 6 months to train my wire haired pointer. He was not toy or treat orientated, it was the actual not allowing him to get to far that did the trick;)
 
Re the GSP.....as it isn't food orientated, I would EITHER not feed it at all at meal times and use its food as the treats for recall whilst on the line as prescribed by CAYLA above. Hunger is a great motivator and he won't die if he misses out on a deal of his ration......personally, I feed raw so in this circumstance I would be looking to feed chicken etc and not kibble which is pretty boring. :) You may need to up the ante a bit with your choice of food for a bit.

Alternatively, if he is very hunty I would use the hunt as the reward/motivator and get him hunting for you. I would plant tennis balls out randomly in a field and, initially on a line, as above but use the hunt of the balls as the reward. It gives a purpose to his hunting, it is self-rewarding and you use it to reward when you call him into you....he comes and then immediately, verbal praise and send him off to hunt a ball again. Roll the balls in rabbit poo to get them a bit more exciting!! :eek:

Personally, I think your biggest problem, as I understand it, is that these are not your dogs. Therefore, consistancy is going to be the greatest issue. You can't expect them to do X with you three days a week and then be allowed to do Y with their owners for the rest of the time. Try to get your friend singing off the same hymn sheet if you can....will make life a lot easier for all concerned.
 
gunnergundog said:
Personally, I think your biggest problem, as I understand it, is that these are not your dogs. Therefore, consistancy is going to be the greatest issue. You can't expect them to do X with you three days a week and then be allowed to do Y with their owners for the rest of the time. Try to get your friend singing off the same hymn sheet if you can....will make life a lot easier for all concerned.
Click to expand...

Definitely this, I have tried to train a few dogs for other people but it all goes out the window if the owner doesn't do what you are trying to tell them and it is incredibly frustrating to see hard work undone through a few simple lapses...you're better off training the person rather than the dog.

Agree, hand feeding is an excellent tool, if you are using balls, I always use balls on ropes as you can keep them live and active and I always use a set of two, to incentivise the dog coming back and not just pegging off with the first ball - swap one for another on each recall and then when the game is finished let the dog carry one for a while as a prize.
 
Thank you for all your replies. Some great ideas so far. Luckily the owner is a very good friend of mine and we're looking to ensure we communicate so that we are being as consistent as possible. They have only had the dogs a couple of months so it is really really early days.

I think the hunting game could be a really good incentive for him and will see about him only being fed as rewards as well.

Thanks again and I'll keep you posted :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top