Just got back from taking 1 yr old dog for run in the local field. 2 1/2 hrs later have got wet feet, blue hands and feeling very frustrated. Cassie used to be very good on recall then at 6 mths developed a rebellious streak and refused to come back (had a few standoffs) then we saw a 1-1 trainer who showed us how to use the long training lead correctly. We trained her with this for a couple of months at which she was fab then we tried her without and again brill. She would drop the ball at my feet and put her head forward for me to touch her collar before she ran off. This lasted a few weeks then she had a small relap so we started from scratch again. She was brill from day one of the training so again after a period we let her off. For a few weeks she was very good then it happened again - so started from scratch again until we got to the same stage as before 100% recall. Until today. She only retrieved the ball and dropped it for me x 2 then refused to come back. I tried to remain calm and just carried on throwing the ball and walking. At first there were no other dogs so it wasnt as though she was distracted. Eventually there were other dogs and that was it - i was ignored. (Usually she ignores other dogs/owners as long as she has her ball to retrieve). She wouldnt come anywhere near me. I couldnt contact my hubby so eventually rang a friend who also had no luck. Other dog owners tried to help with no avail. Eventually after 2 1/2 hrs i could take no more (it was freezing, I had missed an appt. and i was very wet) so i rang the grandparents who come ASAP. Within minutes of Cassie seeing them so ran straight to them!!!!!!!!!! I dont ever want to let her off the lead again which i think is a shame as she loves it but i am worried about this happening. I have been back to basics time and time again and everytime i think its worked this happens. Can dogs be happy without being off lead?? Sorry rant over.
p.s treats - no matter how smelly or nice and toys DO NOT WORK outside of the home.

Are you reinforcing the recall training? Go back to long leash and go over the same work you did before but keep going back every so often to re-enforce it. Sometimes when they won't come back, it's easy to get frustrated and angry and the dog can sense this making it even more reluctant to come back. When she does eventually come she should be rewarded even thought she's sent you on a wild dog chase for hours.

Yes we are. My daughter is not as keen to let her off the lead because of past problems so will often use the training lead as reassurrance. Trust me - she did not come close enough to find out if i was angry today and i kept my voice light and was dancing around like an idiot waving my arms to try to make it fun for her to come back (as I have been advised on this forum). My father in-law praised her when she came back to him so she did not get told off but i must admit inside i felt like it was reward for her bad behaviour

sounds obvious but only praise when they instantly react dont give them any if they come back 5 mins after the recall. This usually starts on lead - then goes to offlead..

hey, deb! :--)

ages are stages, in dogs as well as ppl - i would bet that U as a toddler were more of a challenge for Ur mum vs U as a neonate, when all U did was depend on others.
the more independent a young animal becomes, the more they are self-willed - this is a natural process, not some anarchic rebellion, LOL. puberty (6-mos) is the beginning of the transit to adulthood, so naturally there are more independent behaviors and some testing.

i would just let her free inside a fenced area; it is not the end of a dogs life NOT to run entirely free! she will not go into a suicidal funk, LOL - so long as she gets adequate exercise + fun time in the sun + fresh air, it is fine!

if U like + feel it is safe, let her run with a drag on a harness - a 10 to 12 ft length of thin sturdy cord with NO wrist-loop is good, but U have to keep her within eyeshot to use it safely - if she can go haring-off into woods + brush, where she cannot be seen, that is not safe. she could get hung-up + be stranded out there.

if she wears the drag, call her ONCE - and make it inviting, squat, open Ur arms, etc.
if she does not respond, IGNORE her for a bit... then ever so casually, walk up NOT on the dog, but on the drag --- and Step On It. then bend-over + pick it up.

the reason for STEPPING on it is to pin the dog momentarily - many dogs learn to twitch the drag away when they see U bend-over in the distance, so to avoid that irritating behavior, Step on the drag to pin it down.

i would still work on recalls now + then - once or twice a week. they need practice to remain strong, and what U offer must be BETTER than what the environs offer at the moment. calling a dog who is chasing a bunny, or playing with another dog, is an exercise in futility - it teaches the dog not to come when called.

good luck - most dogs are way too immature to come RELIABLY under distraction until they are at minimum, 2 years old. a recall under distraction is Post-Graduate level schooling, and this pup is still in grade school, LOL.

** Levels Training ** is a terrific training program, designed by sue ailsby -
it is fun, pos-R, Free!, and on-line. her downloadable Book is on her website, dragonflyllama.com --
the TrainingLevels list is on Yahoo-Groups,
and the tracking log is on-line at honkersoftware

the steps to training or re-training a highly-reliable recall are brilliantly covered in Levels Training, and PROOFED thru the entire training process - so holes are found + fixed early. cheers,
--- terry

terry pride, APDT-Aus, apdt#1827, CVA, IPDTA, TDF

OMG poor you, I know that feeling.

All i do now is walk mine on a lead, As he never listens to me, Only my OH.
We have tried everything! Sometimes i feel like its never ending

mine only ever get walked on lead now, apart from when I get to a fully enclosed area, that I know they cant escape from, they get plenty of exercise running besides my bike and on a running machine at home so I know they are fit and happy.

Mo

i know it seems like rewarding them when they FINALLY come back is rewarding the bad behaviour but you are in fact rewarding her coming back to you and trying to encourage THAT behaviour. some people shout and get angry with the dog when it finally comes back which actually confuses the dog as it thinks it is being punished for coming back to the owner which can then make the whole recall worse as it will do everything to avoid punishment. so although it feels like you are rewarding wrong behaviour your are actually rewarding the dog for the desired behaviour if that makes any sense lol

also if you have a very long training line the dog can still get a run but you are always in control but beware of dogs on long lines running round you in circles as you could end up very tangled lol

wendy

Out of interest, what happens when the dog see's a rabbit or some other small animal? Do they ever try to chase? I have come off my bike so many times because they pull me off!

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Lilly, Max, Henry and Sammy. The joys of my life!

post #9, goodvic

hey, vic! :--)

i would suggest a k9-Springer, they are very simple to install + work well - the dog is then ** under ** Ur center of gravity, and cannot pull the bike or U over, even if they try to lunge.


with dogs who are truly predatory, not just slightly excited,
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i do NOT use the safety-break plastic link to attach them, i use a short bungee-cord with the hooks bent entirely closed, and the entire juncture of the hooks is then laid against the other half of the bungee, making a figure-8, and the whole center is taped-over to cover the pointy hooks AND the section of cord the hooks lie against.
i then use double-ended spring-clips to attach this figure-8 bungee to the Springer on one end, + the dogs collar on the other.

i hope that makes sense! it is a lot easier to do than to explain, LOL.

U can operate a bike with 2 Springers, one to either side, each with a dog - but then U must be sure to have sufficient shoulder-width to allow for the 2nd dog, and watch very carefully for traffic!
with 2 dogs, U become a wide-load vehicle,

cheers, and happy dog-biking,
--- terry

terry pride, APDT-Aus, apdt#1827, CVA, IPDTA, TDF