Teaching recall

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vieshot

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Duh, simple right!?

I have a rough collie puppy who had very little interaction with humans while with the breeder and was loaded off to a pet rescue at seven weeks in Ireland.

So now hes mine but although hes keen to follow me if I walk away from him, hes still wary and if I walk towards him he will retreat and run away. Hes come on loads but hes not your normal puppy who goes ballistic to see you and wants to jump all over you covering you in kisses; the normal high pitched exciting human that will coax most puppies to come bounding over will do the exact opposite with him. He will retreat and think your nuts.

Im thinking treats and patience and it will come but does anyone have any other ideas? Hes not your average puppy- far from it!
 
For now just work on your bond, he is still a baby.
Work out his favourite treat and his favourite toy (ball on a rope is good because you can keep it active and tease him with it) and establish the fact that you are the source of these things. Keep these things on you all the time and even in the house, if he comes over to you, praise this, every time. Then take this outdoors.
 
I wouldn't walk towards him if you can help it, if he is worried go down to his level and get him to come to you. Instead of the high voice, then just use a soft voice to him. It will take time but he will soon learn to not be frightened. I would say though that if there is something that frightens him, don't be tempted to make a fuss and re-assure too much, that has the opposite effect, makes them think there is something to worry about.
I think you are right tho, patience and treats are the best way. I would keep wee tasty things on me to praise him when he does something quite bold, or at least bold for him. Don't try to shield him from too much tho. I love rough collies, just a bit too much high maintenance for me :p
a pic of him would help....well not really but would be nice to see anyway :D
 
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Super cute!

As above! I would just let him come to you but make 100% certain you reward him anytime he is near you (I walk around with a bum bag full of treats when I have a puppy so I can reward every time they do something good). Don't walk towards him if that upsets him, you wouldn't want to teach that as part of the recall anyway otherwise it may lead to you having to chase the dog around to catch him rather than him coming to you. Does he come to a really nice, smelly treat? If yes then that's the way to go. Or if he comes to a toy.
 
God I love this forum - it's like everyone knows what my questions are already. Going through the same with my rescue dog. Keeping everything low key, open arms and body language, treats well on show. One week on and she's doing great with that. Have found that she doesn't like going past me in an enclosed space i.e. at a door unless I stand really really still.

One thing that has helped me this week is this. Don't think of what has gone before but think of where you want your pup to be in the future and work towards that.
 
There are many on here who disagree with my general stance on and approach to, dogs and their training. This may be further evidence!! But it doesn't necessarily make me right and others wrong.

Right, the question in hand, and this is how I approach it;

When a puppy, or any dog for that matter, is aware of it's name, and it chooses to ignore my recall, I go out after it. I start this within a confined space, the house, or the garden, it doesn't matter which, but I need to have the dog contained. Once recall is perfected there, then it's time for the wider world. I've taken in the odd pet-homed and unruly sheepdog, with a view to giving them work, and use the very same system.

Once in the wider world, then the same rules apply, ignore me, and I'll come out to meet you upon your return, though by then, the recall should be set in place.

Alec.
 
Alex this is a pup that has had little or no socialisation with people and taking it slowly will pay dividends in building trust. The op is trying to build a bond with this pup and cornering it will not do this.
 
Dobiegirl said:
Alex this is a pup that has had little or no socialisation with people and taking it slowly will pay dividends in building trust. The op is trying to build a bond with this pup and cornering it will not do this.
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Regardless of the pups background what I understand Alec to be saying is correct. You establish your bond/boundaries first of all in the house, then in the garden, then on a tennis court, then on the cricket pitch, then in the hay meadow and then.......

In other words you start your training (using whatever tactics you choose!) in a STERILE environment and then once you achieve success there you up the ante and move to another environment with more distractions.

Unfortunately with dogs you have to proof each and every behaviour in a multitude of places. Just because you have recall or a bond in your kitchen doesn't mean to say that it will transfer to the big wide world without doing the steps inbetween.

One thought....I see from your photo that you have an older dog.....have you thought of coupling the pup to that? Could work but depends on the degree of nervousness of the pup and relationship with the other dog. Sometimes an older calmer dog can teach things a lot quicker than we, sorry, I, can. :) Just a thought.

BTW.....jolly hockeysticks should be the approach IMO for such a nervous dog....not 'there there'.
 
If this was my puppy and it was wary of me walking towards it the last thing I would want to do is to corner it, from how I understand it this isnt a puppy running up to the owner and running away which is a play behaviour but seems to have trust issues.

I am not a fluffy bunny by any stretch of the imagination and I would be wanting to build the pups confidence in me and itself before working towards any training. If this is a nervous puppy I would be rewarding this puppy everytime it came to me as others have said. Some rough Collies can be of a nervous nature and cornering it is not going to help it overcome it.
 
vieshot said:
Duh, simple right!?

....... the normal high pitched exciting human that will coax most puppies to come bounding over will do the exact opposite with him. He will retreat and think your nuts.

.......
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vieshot, simple? No, not always!

The greeting which you've offered your new pup, is obviously having the reverse affect, so I think, that what I'd do in your shoes, is that in the evening, I'd probably try sitting on the sofa, with the puppy beside me, and in silence, just stroke his face, and do all the things which you'd normally do with a puppy, as a health check; hold his head in your hands, and check the whites of his eyes, lift his lip, and check his teeth, carefully inspect his feet, those sorts of things. When you're bored, then put him on the floor, and see if he wants to stay with you. Eventually he may do.

I do my best to avoid puppies such as yours, because they can be hard work, but I tend to bully (in the nicest way) my way into them, rather than allow them to do it on their terms. I hope that you don't misunderstand that, it's more of a no-nonsense approach, in that you wont allow them to have their own way.

The other point is that he's now come to live within a pack, and he's probably seeing your other dog, as his leader. It's often the problem with puppies which come into a home, where there are existing adult dogs. The best way to deal with it, which it sounds like you're already doing, is to have time with just the pair of you, by leaving your older dog either indoors, or have a family member take him for a walk, whilst it's just you and the pup.

When puppies are as shy as yours, avoiding eye contact can help, at least until trust is built.

He still looks to be very young, and I suspect that his lack of interplay with humans, may be an inherited trait. At his tender age, and what is he? 14-16 weeks? I would expect most puppies to learn about you, very quickly and willingly.

I'm certainly not, nor have I suggested that you corner your puppy. The reserved puppy can be the most difficult, working on the basis that stopping them is much easier than getting them going!

I probably haven't been much help, but I wish you well.

Alec.
 
Firstly i have to say "Oh My God, how sweet!!!". I wasn't expecting the dog to be so tiny - how on earth did it end up in a rescue at 7 weeks?? I have not had a lot of experience with young puppies and timid ones at that for many years but I recall my first puppy I was bought as a kid, she was terrified - this was at a puppy rescue and all the other pups were bounding all over, she just hid quaking under a chair. She turned out to be THE most loyal, loving and protective dog we've ever had, she was fab!

I would do as others have said - find the stimulus first, whether it be food or a favourite toy and I would sit yourself on the floor and wait for pup to come to you and then reward with whatever chosen 'treat' you have and would also say his name at the same time so he learns that that means to come to you. At the end of the day, he's still very small - humans are HUGE and scary to him. Had he been socialised properly then this probably wouldn't be an issue but sadly this is not the case and to him, humans are obviously very intimidating. I guess you just have to make sure whenever he comes to you, it's a pleasurable experience.
 
No advice but just wanted to say that your pup is gorgeous!!!! I have a rough collie too but she's a very old lady, would have loved to have seen her as a pup!
 
It just needs time really. Lots of good tips already, my favourite way to start recall is as simple as calling them when I feed, even if they're a few feet away, then call them for a fuss or a treat in the house before moving to the garden etc, & never call them for anything negative until it's established.
 
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