Too enthusiastic recall

[davisn]

Hi all,

Just had a phone call from a friend of a friend. She got a rescue lab bitch about 2 months ago. she's about a year old, has received very little training & has had at least 3 homes.

Heel/lead work has come on really well. she is very food orientated, to the points of being really rude if she doesn't get a treat when she is expecting one. Her recall is very good (in enclosed field or garden), but she comes back so fast & excited that she heads straight for her owner & ploughs into her or runs past as she can not stop in time. She is very hyper & bouncy when out. Sounds like she is getting quite a bit of exercise, but limited off lead due to her excitability.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to tackle this?

I've suggested using a toy instead of treats as a reward. Training to a whistle to take the voice out of it in case that is adding to the excitement. Teaching her new tricks to exercise her mentally. Go for a 121 session with a good local trainer to get a professional opinion. But I am by no means experienced in training dogs, so I could have it completely wrong!

 

[CorvusCorax]

I would use a two ball recall. So, dog is on the recall, owner if they like can keep running backward a little. You can either hold the ball out to get the dog to stop, or hold it behind the back so the dog does not get it until it stops smartly in front of you. Then drop it and let the dog run through your legs. So the dog is coming to you, not past you.
Let dog run around like a loony with ball and then produce the second ball, repeat ad nauseum!

If the dog is mugging her, she can put the food in a clenched fist, move it around, try to push the fist against the dog's mouth - the dog will then recoil a little and relax and then will take the food a bit more gently, hopefully.

They are not huge, insurmountable problems, great food drive and recall, some people would kill for that!

 

[Bettyboo222]

Biscuit also has this problem but only because he really wants to be next to you, he was never given food as a reward just fuss and cuddles.

This is going to sound crazy but I started 'squeaking' when he ran into me, just a single high pitched squeak now he either runs past you and circles back if he is too fast or sits in front of you if he can.

 

[Dobiegirl]

Darcy my Dobe is very greedy and would snatch treats from your hand, I taught her to leave it, I made her sit, present the treat ,she goes to snatch it I say leave it, present the treat and leave it until she is calm. I then say take it and she takes gently, I practised this at home first before doing it in the field and it works for her.