Ok I need a bit of advice on this as my pup is the first pup i've owned all previous dogs have been rescue dogs and already trained by the Rehoming centre.

What is the best way to off leash train an 8 month old staff.

See when she was a wee one she could walk around the park (at quiet times with nothing to distract her) right next to us without wondering but as she's older (i'd say from sort 4 and half months onwards) she wanders and won't listen to a word me or the other half say.

We take her to the woods a lot and it would so nice to be able to potter along with her not stuck to our side but a nice short distance away. I want her to be able to ignore another dog if we need her to, not have to keep her leashed up for when she see's the other dog from a distance and goes shooting off!

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Around 6 to 9mths is the prime time for them to go deaf and ignore you its basically the teenage strops. It usually co-incides with hormones, dont know if she has had a season yet or been spayed? They can come into season from around 6mths on. When they are pups they a dependant and eager to please, once the hormones kick in and they get to being adolescents then they try to please themselves

You need to up all her training in general. The more she runs off and realises she can the harder its going to be to get her back on track. I would personally keep her on a long line while retraining her. If she has got deaf to her name maybe try a whistle. You start indoors with the whistle and some treats. walk around and each time you blow the whistle, give a treat immediately, she should follow you around. Use high value ones, cheese,chicken,sausages,hotdogs, anything liver based and they also like the chesse spread in tubes usually you can get ones with bits of ham and different things in it. Keep her utmost few favourites just for recall.

After a few sessions indoors, try it to call her when she is in the garden, try doing it with you standing outside the backdoor, and when thats OK call her from inside the house. When thats Ok take it outside on the Long line.

Never, let her off go sniffing about and reel her in and take her home. They get wise to it and learn it means home time so will avoid. Instead call her back periodically throughout the walk, treating and then sending off again with go play, sometimes throw a ball a few times before sending off with the go play, other times a game with a ragger, sometimes whistle/call and run in the other direction so she comes and chases you, to her another game,
you can even hide, whistle her, and reward when she finds you. This way it keeps them guessing what they are going to get so they usually stay more interested in you. By calling her back and sending her off again, she doesnt know when its going to be home time, so again less likely to run off or avoid you.

Once you have got it reliable with the long line, drop it but use it as a drag line, if she starts to go deaf or wander you then have a way to bring her back. Do all the same things. Once that is reliable you can then let her off.
Start with few distractions. if that goes well then start to build up to more and more distractions. But always carry on with the periodically calling back and the go play send away again.

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