recall

[hippyhounds]

we,ve now had sonny for 6 months and his recall has always been quite good but he has now decided in his dumbness that going back on lead is a big game of chase.he won,t come back when called he gets about 2ft away from you then starts running around like a nutter.he does,nt go far only about 10 ft away but as soon as i try to put his lead on he starts again running around.he does this for about an hour before he will come to you.
i,ve kept him on lead for a few days then tryed again with the same results and after you,ve been out with the dogs for 2 hrs you dont want to spend another hr trying to get a dog back on lead.
this has been going on for a couple of weeks now.


i dont know what to do as he is such a high energy dog.any suggestions would be much appreciated.

[tesse0barney]

tesse did this for a while... in the end we got in the car without her and one time started the engine. this obviously only works in the car park is within the park and safe to do etc. every now and then she pulls the same stunt again. i just take a couple of steps out of the park gates and she comes running - it's a narrow gate onto a dead end so no traffic.


the other thing i read about doing is through out the walk putting your dog on the lead and let him/her off again. in theory they learn that just cos they go back on the lead it doesnt necessarily mean the end of the walk.

[hippyhounds]

thankyou for the advice,we have to put him back on lead quite often depending where we are walking so he already knows hes allowed back of.
i also walk of and leave him but i can only come so far of the fields as there is a road at the end of the lane we cut through to get on to them.the other day i went the oppisite way back on to the fields and he soon came running but not close enough.

i think it may be the saluki in him coming out now hes getting older and if it is he will have to stay on lead which is a shame but nothing else i can do.

[Lisa]

You need to totally look like you couldnt give a damn and dont want him back anyway In situations like this ive always found the best thing you can do is totally ignore the offending dog. Sit on the floor (at this time of year you may need to take a couple of ripped up black bin bags with you ) surround yourself with the other dogs and sit chatting away to them cooing and gooing over them and feeding them something tasty like garlic sausage or chicken, cheese etc. If he comes over to you still ignore him and then offer him a piece. Once he takes the piece you have him and he can go back on leash. The more you engage yourself into the come here you little git scenario the more he will continue to push your buttons.

Also if he is willing to come back at certain other points on the walk but just not when he knows he is at the end of the walk vary your walking pattern and where you start and where you finish, just use a bit of reverse psychology shouldnt be too hard with a dog as dense as he is Just DONT engage in a battle with him or it becomes more of a game.

By Scarlett Greyhound age 8 1/2 mnths (ive taught my Mummy all she knows you know)

[sharron]

Another thing you could do is during a walk, is to put the lead back on then take it of again. this is so that he doesn't like that it end of walk, boring time starts.
You could also try walking the other way, if he starts.

[helen7]

admin said:

You need to totally look like you couldnt give a damn and dont want him back anyway In situations like this ive always found the best thing you can do is totally ignore the offending dog.

Also if he is willing to come back at certain other points on the walk but just not when he knows he is at the end of the walk vary your walking pattern and where you start and where you finish.

I totally agree with this. We have a saluki lurcher and if he thinks you're wandering off without him and don't care he panics and comes charging back to us.

Beano used to run away at the end of the walk and think it was fun to prat about and not be caught. he grew out of it but it was bloody irritating when you were in a hurry to get home once the walk was over I agree about varying your walking patterns and where you start and where you finish if you can. It's the element of surprise, especially with a dog who won't be able to work that out

The other thing you can do is during the walk frequently recall him and every time he comes back to you take hold of his collar. Make him wait and then give him a command to let him know he can go again. This way, hopefully, he'll not know when the lead is going on and when it isn't so again the element of surprise!

good luck,

helen

[amy]

Yes Jack used to do this when we first got him - now we have a we're fed up and leaving now and don't care if you come or not command it's BYE-BYE, sometimes accompanied by exaggerated waving, and always brings him running! It's because once we were in an empty fenced park and he was being a git, so i stepped out, closed the gate, shouted BYE-BYE THEN and waved and then started exaggeratedly walking off a few steps down the road and he shot over, and hasn't done it since
Also I always often call my dogs back various times during the walk, although obv not constantly or they would just get bored and start to ignore it. They always get nice treats, usually are then given a toy or sent off to play again and occasionally go onlead at this point and get let off again in a bit.

[hippyhounds]

thanks to everyone for the advice.i always say bye bye to mine and they come running.i have changed where i let him of and on the lead so its more unexpected and its working up to now.sonnys just such a plonker i think he thinks this is a new game.he is now only going offlead on his big walk he has lost out on his 2 playtimes with daisy morning and evening and its doing his head in but hopefully he will learn if he doesnt come back when called he isnt going off.

[Nettie]

Taking your dog by the collar everytime he returns even if you're not going to clip on the lead is something that most training classes teach. It really does make a difference because it becomes the 'norm' for the dog to be caught by the collar every time and if it is time to clip on the lead, you've already got hold of him so he can't bugger off.

[loopylou]

Suggs used to do this grinning as he did, when we went to meet Molly and walk them together Jackie told us to do the 'bye' and walk off without looking back.It worked then I discovered gravy bones again thanks to Jackie.Now his re-call is excellent.I call him back a couple of times and also hold his collar.After an initial mad run he walks along by my side.I would never have dreamed he'd do this 3 months ago

[turnip711]

Good Old RECALL hey We have had to learn a few tricks with Mungo too!!!!

We were advised to run in the opposite direction from him calling his name, it works for Mungo!! I know you have limited space before you get to the road though!! Another one we do is hiding and calling him, he has a panic as he thinks you have gone and then sticks to you like glue for the next few minutes. Also during the walk when he comes back to us of his own freewill we give loads of fuss,reward and treats, so coming back is a pleasureable experience and not just 'oh i have to go back on my lead'. I made the mistake in the beginning of thinking if he ran off put him back on his lead everytime or only put him on his lead when its time to go!!! We put him on and off his lead throuhout the walk at intervals or holding his collar when he comes back for a little while, varying it so as its becomes normal and acceptable for him!! But again i had to remember not to do it everytime

With a dog Al owned before he found that if he sat down on the grass and pretended to look at something or find things in his pocket Major was too nosy to resist and came back or stop and pretend to look interested!

Its all good fun and takes lots of trial and error to see what works best for your dog!! We found the dog training classes have been really helpful and we were told that the more work we did with Mungo in the garden and close heal work, the better he would be all round and it works (well most of the time )

Good Luck

[hippyhounds]

tryed everything with the big plank.its definitly the saluki in him as for a week he hasnt done it and today excelled himself with a hr and 15 mins of not wanting to come back and thinking its a game.(at least the sun was shining today)

there isnt anything we havent tryed nothing works we just have to wait till hes bored and wants to go home.