31-10-2008, 04:26 PM
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Pet Forums Senior Member
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Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: East Sussex
Posts: 520
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Re: Recall Rant (arggghhhh!!!)
Quote:
Originally Posted by louise5031
Thanks DPT, it definately is going to take a lot of consistency from my part which I find difficult as admittedly I'm very impatient. However I'm determined to get this to work as I know how lovely it was last week when we enjoyed our walks together. I'm meeting the lady with all her dogs this afternoon and will whistle call all the other dogs back and play/treat when zach comes too. Hopefully this will start to sink in.
One question, when did your dogs start really enjoying games on walks? Zach does like fetching the tennis ball and will eagerly play tug/football/frisbee at home but when we go out hes just really not that interested. The reason I ask is because DPT you said Harley loves his frisbee, and the lady's black lab will sit ignoring all the other dogs because shes so desperate for the lady to throw the ball. Are all dogs meant to be like this (retrievers mainly I'm talking about) or do some just prefer play with other dogs? Or is it just that he's a pup and will soon grow into liking games with me?
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As with all things its down to early conditioning (and 6 months is still early enough so don't worry).
Zach just needs to be conditioned and learn that you hold the key to resources that are really fun.
Again its best to start off at home with these games and find out which one makes him really excited, then in conjunction with whistle training, when you recall Zach at home with whistle and your voice, reward him with treats and a high energy game that you know he really loves.
You'll need to do this over several months, starting at home, then as Zach becomes reliable in one location with low distractions, build on adding new locations and level of distractions.
I really can't stress how slowly this should progress, so you'll need to put your patience hat on 
As you've studied Psychology you'll understand the Pavlov's Bell principle of classical conditioning.
After months of conditioning Zach should pair the sound of the whistle with coming back to you for high value treats and an exciting game. |