Recall

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Emma86

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I have seen a lot of threads about people cross when owners can't recall their dogs.
Because I know how infuriating it is when you or you dog are mobbed by another dog who's owner has no control I keep my pup on a flexi lead at all times now, unless we are on private land and we are the only person/dog there. She is 7 months.

We are working on recall but seem to be getting no where. She is an angel on the lead and responds to all commands, will come to me, sit, leave other dogs/cats/birds etc. But the second she is off the lead this all goes out the window. Her new 'trick' is when I command 'here' she drops to the floor wherever she is, waits for me to get close then ******s off again! She wont go far from me and will always check where I am but if she was to see a person or dog that's it and she is off. Hnec the keeping her on the flexi!

We are soon to have some training with a police dog trainer (friend of a friend) who can hopefully help, but in the mean time WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?!

HELP!
 
Something that has helped me with a challenging Yorkie is to have a pocket of really really yummy treats (sausages worked for me). As soon as he even thought about coming back to me I threw him yummy treat. He then came closer as I was far more interesting than the rest of the world because I had sausage in my pocket!!

Its got to be something that the dog absolutely loves. Whilst walking I sometimes also throw a treat just for the hell of it so he has always got an eye on me. You could also train the STOP command which helped me too. Good luck!!
 
It's a normal age for the boundaries to be pushed!! What breed is she?

You can use a yummy treat but I hand feed my dog his normal food so he knows to return to me knows he will be fed. Start that with feeding randomly when he checks in and eventually introduce a command.

He is all about the ball too so he sometimes gets that. I do not wave the food or ball at him (that's bribery) and I make myself part of the game so he must return to eat/have the game, not just tank off again.

Don't be afraid to go back and use a long line and do plenty of repetitions. It could be that she has associated the click of the lead being removed with FREEEDOOOMM!!
Lots of dogs do it, they are not stupid.
I had to revert to the long line several times and do tonnes of repetitions and I may have to do so again, dogs do not one day become fully trained, they can all have their moments :p

I reiterate, he ONLY gets food from my hand or pocket. Even the raw food, I hand it over or place it in a dish and he must do *something* even a sit, before he eats. So food comes from me and when he is demonstrating a behaviour.

If she drops, replace the 'here' command with 'drop' as she is ignoring the 'here' command. She is teaching you to come to her and STILL is tanking off.
People really use the 'here' command too much which can cause it to be ignored (myself included) and please don't say COME HERE! as that is two commands. See also SIT DOWN!
So you might need to introduce a new command and start from scratch if 'here' means, ignore mum, stress, run away etc. Like 'come' or 'back' or something.
Only use the name as an attractor, it's not a command.

Don't be frustrated and keep your voice nice and positive. Don't lose your temper as she can sense this from several fields away and will keep her distance, as would I :p

When the dog returns I try to be nice and positive and have a game to make a positive link. If I am really fuming I will ignore and not look at him, keep turning and walking away (like I am isolating him).
But try and make yourself appealing. She finds it more appealing to run around like a loon, than to be beside you. Or, she does not feel COMPELLED to come back to you.
Depending on her type or personality, you must let her know that you are the centre of the world - she must either want to come back to you or she knows that she MUST come back to you.

Just some random thoughts!!
 
Agree with all that's been said! I would also swap the flexi for a long-line.

The flexi lead has constant tension, and the dog will always know you're hanging around on the other end of it :p you can let a light long-line go slack, (they're not *always* stupid, they'll still know they're attached, but it's a step closer to being off-lead) or drop it on the floor etc etc and go from there :)
 
CaveCanem said:
It's a normal age for the boundaries to be pushed!! What breed is she?

You can use a yummy treat but I hand feed my dog his normal food so he knows to return to me knows he will be fed. Start that with feeding randomly when he checks in and eventually introduce a command.

He is all about the ball too so he sometimes gets that. I do not wave the food or ball at him (that's bribery) and I make myself part of the game so he must return to eat/have the game, not just tank off again.

Don't be afraid to go back and use a long line and do plenty of repetitions. It could be that she has associated the click of the lead being removed with FREEEDOOOMM!!
Lots of dogs do it, they are not stupid.
I had to revert to the long line several times and do tonnes of repetitions and I may have to do so again, dogs do not one day become fully trained, they can all have their moments :p

I reiterate, he ONLY gets food from my hand or pocket. Even the raw food, I hand it over or place it in a dish and he must do *something* even a sit, before he eats. So food comes from me and when he is demonstrating a behaviour.

If she drops, replace the 'here' command with 'drop' as she is ignoring the 'here' command. She is teaching you to come to her and STILL is tanking off.
People really use the 'here' command too much which can cause it to be ignored (myself included) and please don't say COME HERE! as that is two commands. See also SIT DOWN!
So you might need to introduce a new command and start from scratch if 'here' means, ignore mum, stress, run away etc. Like 'come' or 'back' or something.
Only use the name as an attractor, it's not a command.

Don't be frustrated and keep your voice nice and positive. Don't lose your temper as she can sense this from several fields away and will keep her distance, as would I :p

When the dog returns I try to be nice and positive and have a game to make a positive link. If I am really fuming I will ignore and not look at him, keep turning and walking away (like I am isolating him).
But try and make yourself appealing. She finds it more appealing to run around like a loon, than to be beside you. Or, she does not feel COMPELLED to come back to you.
Depending on her type or personality, you must let her know that you are the centre of the world - she must either want to come back to you or she knows that she MUST come back to you.

Just some random thoughts!!
Click to expand...

stargirl88 said:
Agree with all that's been said! I would also swap the flexi for a long-line.

The flexi lead has constant tension, and the dog will always know you're hanging around on the other end of it :p you can let a light long-line go slack, (they're not *always* stupid, they'll still know they're attached, but it's a step closer to being off-lead) or drop it on the floor etc etc and go from there :)
Click to expand...

Really useful stuff thanks guys.

CaveCanem we *think* she is a flat coated retriever now. Definitely not purebred, she is a rescue, also some suggested possibly setter in there.

I will definitely change the command when she drops as although its not what I'm asking for I imagine it could come in very handy.

Cocktail sausages are the only treat she takes any interest in when there are distractions around so I will keep these on me all the time.

stargirl88 I hadn't thought of that about the flexi lead so will use a lunge line for practicing. I try my best not to sound cross with her (but as much as I love her she can be infuriating!) so will make sure I keep my cool.

SO... Tonight I will take her to some fields where there will be very little distractions (hopefully) armed with chunks of sausage, and use the long line.
Do I wait until she comes to me, treat and then use a new command, (probably 'back') Or as she is coming to me do I use the command then treat when she gets to me?
 
Don't feed her today before you train her. If you use food, always train the dog hungry.
I would actually start with her normal food from my pockets and bring in the big guns if you need them/hit a sticky patch later but it's up to yourself :)

Ideally you want to be handfeeding for a few days so she knows you = food.
As you say start somewhere with no distraction/somewhere enclosed to get the behaviour drilled in and then build in the distractions.

As and when she checks in with you I would use the verbal cue and feed at the same time but that's just me. Then over time when she knows what it means use it as a command if that makes any sense. If you've used 'here' before and she ignores it I would train it as a totally new command/exercise.
It can take hundreds of repetitions.
 
No helpful advice, I have similar issues with my BT in that he will come but only after he has said ‘hello’ to whatever he was aiming for. In an emergency I usually yell and run in the opposite direction so he chases me.

Anyway.

We were doing normal lessons in a class but they hardly did any off lead work. So I posted on a gun dog forum and found a place about 15 miles away that does ‘rural companion’ training. We’re going for an assessment lesson next weekend but it seems pretty keyed towards those that want the dog off the lead in the countryside.

I’ll keep you posted on how our lessons go!

(I had the puppy off lead at the yard for the first time last night, he’s 15 months and it was 8pm so no one around, we’d just finished agility so he was in a ‘listening’ mode. He stayed with me in the feed room whilst I made the feed up and then stayed with me until we got to the fields when he went investigating. I think we’re getting there with this off lead stuff!)

I’m finding agility helps as he’s off lead and the other dogs are exciting but jumps and tunnels with a treat at the end are more exciting!
 
Yes definitely keep us posted. :)

I am really keen to do some gun dog training with her. Me and my brother shoot and I would love to eventually have her retrieve for us. I was going to wait until she was older as I am a little embarrassed at how boisterous she can get, but maybe this is something I should look into sooner rather than later? If so does anyone know of any in Bucks?

She is very good around horses but I definitely don't have the balls to let her off at the yard yet so well done you!
 
I don't use food rewards but each to their own. What I do is get another dog that you know will 100 percent come back and take them out together. When its quiet let them off.

Call them back and yours should follow the other dog. Do this a few times and guess what you have a dog that recalls. This is what I have done with all mine.
 
Ooh I meant to post an update. We had our first dog training recall lesson at the weekend, typically as he was meant to be naughty he behaved perfectly.

Worked on getting him to walk nicely at heel, dog picked it up in seconds (then forgot as he saw a child, then remembered, then forgot as he saw a tree in the distance, then did it perfectly, then saw a stick and forgot etc..)

Then moved onto having him on a long line, every time he ran past us we had to change direction so we were heading a different way to the one he had just run, been practicing this in the fields by my pony, works well and he is starting to pay more attention to where I am going. We did this on and off the long line.

Was also told to get him out with me when I poo pick, have him on the long line and get him to follow at heel, then when I go and grab a poo get him to sit whilst I move around and not move until I move back into the heel position. Plus getting him to sit no matter where he is (incase of horses playing up etc).

Lots of practice to be done but seems to be working so far, all the above done without treats so I don’t have the panic of him not behaving unless I have bribery!
 
That's a lot of good control work Dizzle!! And will certainly make him think.

Another thing I heard at the weekend is from a pup, use the flexi or the long line to bring the dog straight back to you with a ball or when playing fetch or when you recall it....teaches the dog to come straight back from wherever and avoids ending up with the dog going round the world for a shortcut when it does come back.
(Sample quote: 'Your dog thinks you're a ****ing roundabout!!')

I don't see what I do is using 'food rewards' or 'treats' in training - he gets fed from a daily allowance, if he 'no wanta worka today' (which is rarely) it goes back in my pocket/a tub for the next day.
 
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