A bad un

[oneforthepot 6]

Got myself a big problem i have a beddiexgrey first cross i have had her from a pup she is now 1year old and to be fair she has been a nightmare from day1, very very headstrong wont listen to me one bit..I wont go into everything but the latest problem which i have probably caused is she wont come back and she pissed off the other night for nearly 2hours when she did turn up at my back door i gave her a bit of a bollocking hit her a couple of times and shook her..now i have one serious problem(wish i wouldnt have hit her but how do you teach em right from wrong)she wont come anywhere near me and wont come back to me at all a stranger got her back for me today at the end of a walk i took her on..its like the dog has just not bonded with me at all...i am really worried as i know she is going to get her self killed on the road or sumut..this is my 2nd lurcher my first one was so easy to train i didnt know i had her she was that good but this one is the total opposite..i am really at the end of my tether if anybody can give me some advice i would really appreciate it..

[Gaz_1989 9,539]

I am no expert on training lurchers. However in my little experience bonding with the dog is paramount.

 

I started off with my pup trying to train it this and train it that, it just didn't want to know. So then I got pissed off and shouted at it and so on.

 

After reading on here and having a re think. I changed tactics.

 

I gave up on training and concentrated on bonding with him. Lots of play, cuddles, chilling on sofa etc. And then the training happens itself, because of the bond, he WANTS to come to me when I shout him and he WANTS to bring his toy back when I throw it.

 

Go back to basics, forget training, start bonding.

 

And get one of those 10 foot extendable leads. I used this to aid recall. Call the dog to you for a treat and a cuddle. If he doesn't come then you can give a little tug on the lead.

 

Some people say "don't be soft with then" cuz they are working dogs etc etc. In my opinion of you don't bond then he will do nothing for you.

 

Afterall dog is mans best friend right? Not just a tool to catch game.

 

Gaz.

[nasher1 258]

You know a big part of the problem already, hitting and shaking her when she finally comes home, this is just my opinion mate but I think your the problem not the dog, better calm down go back to basics read a few books on the subject

[rocky1 942]

some people MIGHT say get rid of the dog or pts ,but you we only be passing the problems on 2 some one else and that would be even worse ,bear with it mate and like the lad said stick with it and go back 2 basics ,i,m sure you can turn it a round ,give the dog a chance a know you will have give loads but it will make a better dog man if you can turn this situation a round and the pleasure you will get out of it ,it is much easier 2 fling the towel in ,i hope you can sort this out for you and your dog ,keep us posted

[ferreter.al 22]

keep it on a lead,spend loads of time with her and try and form some kind of ralationship where you are the boss but she wants to please.play with her on garden and stuff,when she trusts you she will probanly come back to you,i wouldnt let her off lead if she keeps running off as she will end up getting hurt or more to the point the poor f****r that swervs to miss her and gets hurt.

[reddog70 236]

I am no expert on training lurchers. However in my little experience bonding with the dog is paramount.

 

I started off with my pup trying to train it this and train it that, it just didn't want to know. So then I got pissed off and shouted at it and so on.

 

After reading on here and having a re think. I changed tactics.

 

I gave up on training and concentrated on bonding with him. Lots of play, cuddles, chilling on sofa etc. And then the training happens itself, because of the bond, he WANTS to come to me when I shout him and he WANTS to bring his toy back when I throw it.

 

Go back to basics, forget training, start bonding.

 

And get one of those 10 foot extendable leads. I used this to aid recall. Call the dog to you for a treat and a cuddle. If he doesn't come then you can give a little tug on the lead.

 

Some people say "don't be soft with then" cuz they are working dogs etc etc. In my opinion of you don't bond then he will do nothing for you.

 

Afterall dog is mans best friend right? Not just a tool to catch game.

 

Gaz.

some good advice there its easy to think my pup should be doing this and that by a certain age etc and compare it to other individuals frustration can soon set in. the pup has got u worked out and knows your mood you can bet he wasn't far away just didn't want to come back for the rollocking i wouldn't even think of taking him out where he could be vulnerable unless your calm and collected good luck

[wuyang 513]

I wouldn't let her off the lead for some time. A friend of mine has just gone through exactly the same as you with his whippet. He had to slowly rebuild the bond they had. First, at home, he waited for the dog to come to him and then praised him loads, he never went over to the dog for a while, not saying this is the right way, but this is what worked for him. He then went out and did basic recall, but had the dog on a long length of washing line, he used treats and praise, but use what ever works for your dog. My friend had to spend months slowly building up their bond again, but it paid off. Although i will say this, the other night for no reason, the whippet once again wouldn't come back to have his lead on, it was dark and close to the main road, it took him 2 hrs to finally get it back on the lead...(it went over to a stranger who grabbed it). My friend said he really wanted to give it a belt,( as i can imagine), but he refrained. Funny thing is he's has been alright since. It is really strange as once the whippet gets in this frame of mind he dosen't seem to trust anybody he knows...weird.

 

One thing i will say is one of my jack russell bitches who is now very obedient was not always this way, when out hunting and she knew we were heading back to the car she would put her head down, deaf ears on and fly off, that was it she was off hunting regardless. I must mention she was around the 12-18 month mark. Her recall at home was perfect. This bitch was very submissive to me, but my god she was head strong. She is now the most obedient dog i have. I can't say for definite what changed her, but i gave her a lot of lead training at the time, sort of keeping her on her toes, with a lot of direction control and upbeat commands when i changed direction. For some reason after a period of doing this she was like a different dog...maybe a coincidence. I personally think if i hadn't of put some time in and forgot about hunting for awhile she might have gone the other way and been a nightmare.

I think it with a bit off patience and time you will have a excellent dog (holding your temper will pay off...trust me ive lost mine enough times to learn the hard way.) atb wuyang

Edited December 27, 2010 by wuyang

[oneforthepot 6]

Thanks for all the advice im not going to give in just yet, i know its back to basics..its just that i seem to be taking 1step forward and 3 steps back all the time with her..i personally think shes a bad un but i wont give in shes got till the end of the summer to sort er sen out. As for trying to bond with her i did have her solely in the kitchen to start with but now i have let her have the rest of the house all she wants to do is go upstairs and lie next to the bed out the way..my last dog was outside for 7years and she was fine with me..

[oneforthepot 6]

Wuyang thats excatley the same as mine. straight as she knows the walk is coming to a end the problems start..I know she isnt a thick dog shes to smart for her own good...

[artic 595]

Got myself a big problem i have a beddiexgrey first cross i have had her from a pup she is now 1year old and to be fair she has been a nightmare from day1, very very headstrong wont listen to me one bit..I wont go into everything but the latest problem which i have probably caused is she wont come back and she pissed off the other night for nearly 2hours when she did turn up at my back door i gave her a bit of a bollocking hit her a couple of times and shook her..now i have one serious problem(wish i wouldnt have hit her but how do you teach em right from wrong)she wont come anywhere near me and wont come back to me at all a stranger got her back for me today at the end of a walk i took her on..its like the dog has just not bonded with me at all...i am really worried as i know she is going to get her self killed on the road or sumut..this is my 2nd lurcher my first one was so easy to train i didnt know i had her she was that good but this one is the total opposite..i am really at the end of my tether if anybody can give me some advice i would really appreciate it..

 

I admire your honesty.

 

Hitting a dog isn't going to teach any dog to trust you. You say from "Day one" why was the dog a problem then? What have you done to solve the issues?

 

Food usually works to train any dog, coupled with lots of calm talking, petting, and socialising.

 

A dog wandering around for seconds is a danger to other road users let alone the dog itself, and two hours! This dog could condemn an early death, and even worse you going to court for neglect.

 

I would go back to basics with this dog before giving up, however the problem may not be with the dog, but it's owner.

[morton 5,368]

Take the dog out with somebody else,see how it reacts to them,if it interacts with them and is more responsive to there commands then stand next to them and praise it as nescessary,if the trust slowly starts to build,it will take awhile,then persevere.If the dog reacts to them only then i would look for a suitable rehoming,do explain the reason though.Learn from your mistakes,we,ve all made them.

[Born Hunter 17,774]

Mine was just like that. Regularly just pissing off on walks from 4 months old for up to an hour at a time hunting, jumping the fence in the garden the second she knew she was out of reach to look for cats in the village, she even ran as fast as she could from me across a field because she remembered seeing a hare in the same field days ago so she went looking for it, problem being she decided to hunt the rough banking next to the A1 looking for her imaginary hare!!!! As hard as i tried me and her just couldnt bond, I took her everywhere with me and training everyday but she was such an independant little b*****d she just saw people as a neccessary inconvenience... She NEVER wanted fuss, just to be taken out to cause havoc and myself a headache. The number of times i came home sweating and cursing like f**k and because i had run a cross country marathon after my bloody lurcher in the heat of summer, throwing the lead down and saying "that f*****g dogs got till 2 to wise up or im shooting the f*****g thing", then half hour later me and the dog would have a bit of a moment and I could start thinking right again and figure out how to sort our issues out.

 

It wasnt untill she turned 12-14 months that we really bonded (shes sat at my feet as a write this on my bed as she regularly does when not in the kennel), I cant say exactly what it was that did it (a bit of advice and help from a well known lurcher woman gave me abit of self belief) but I think it was when the penny dropped that working with me is more productive that working on her own and the bond we have now is sound!

 

She is my first lurcher and its a learning curve. Ive made mistakes but I try my best by her and she trys her best by me.

 

Incidentally my bitch carries terrier (wheaton) blood too...

 

To quote jakie drakefore "the beddy cross is a dog that works with you, not for you", maybe some sense in that.

 

atb

Edited December 27, 2010 by Born Hunter

[DeerhoundLurcherMan 997]

I never hit my dog.....it would break whatever bond I have with him. When you have a special bond with a dog I believe tone of voice is all you need

Build the bond mate....atb

[wuyang 513]

You could always try training to the whistle as it dosen't show any frustration or anger, whereas shouting her back can do.

Edited December 28, 2010 by wuyang

[lurchergrrl 1,441]

You could always try training to the whistle as it dosen't show any frustration or anger, whereas shouting her back can do.

 

Sound advice. Best thing I ever did with mine was start them on a whistle.