dog wont come back problem

[t5avs1 2]

hi all trying to train a bitch to come back when told and or whistled,

but the problem is she just runs around you in circles etc and knows you cant get her when off the lead, i am taking her on a enclosed astro turf football pitch so cant loose her she doesnt run off,and stays close just does the above!

 

any help guys would be very helpful many thanks tom

[Irish Lurcher 1,013]

How old is the dog???

 

I always start off my recall in the house believe it or not. I would spend time in the kitchen with the pup and always turn the training into a fun game for them. Whiling allowing pup to explore the room you can recall it without the fear of distraction and allow it to be fussed over and maybe a wee treat, this then extends out into the back garden, and then the field, it all depends on how old this dog is.

[t5avs1 2]

thanks for the reply, its 8 and a bit months old done plenty of it in the house and always comes when told in the house but just not when out and about!

[Irish Lurcher 1,013]

Am no expert on training springers, but maybe be a wee bit forceful, have you ever heard of chancing your arm, well thats what it sounds like to me.

[skycat 6,174]

Sounds as though the dog has hit the 'sod you' stage: like most 'teenagers' who think they know best and rebel against any form or authority. I usually take the dog out of the field for a while, train well away from interesting scent, work on the recall, using a long check cord if necessary and try to keep calm LOL It is usually just a stage, though a stage which can last for months if you don't change the way you are doing things.

 

With my Airedale, who is very strong minded, I did lots of dummy work in the field with her: letting her look for bird scent in open land with just a few weeds for pheasant and partridge to hide in. I let her hunt up, but had to use a long cord to begin with to stop her working too far away from me. Once I had her working closer I hid a rabbit skin dummy, chucking it behind me and her so she didn't see where it fell, then working her to it. Finding and retrieving it was her reward for searching, but of course I fixed the retrieve first, and she's an obsessive retriever who comes in fast with the dummy. She didn't care if she was looking for the dummy or a real bird: it was the finding and retrieving which made her happy, so of course she came in with the dummy and I praised her. Of course this method wouldn't work if the dog doesn't want to retrieve like mad, but it did for me. She came in better and faster holding a dummy in her mouth than if I had just called her to me.

 

The other thing you can try is to lie down when the dog isn't looking at you, preferably so the dog can't see you like in a field of set aside or long grass. Call it and let it find you, then act all pleased and surprised when it does, loads of praise, mad games etc. The dog will learn to see finding you as a real treat after using its nose to locate you. Coming to call should always be a fun thing which the dog sees as a reward in itself. If the dog is very food obsessed you could use a food treat from time to time,but not all the time as the dog will only come in for the food. Occasional reward is a much stronger incentive than continual reward.

[t5avs1 2]

thats what i thought but didnt want to if it was goin to make it worse, no not heard of that what is it pm it if dont want to put it on here, i thought maybe giving her lots of praise etc when she does do it but if have to catch her give her a bit of a shake with the scruff.

[Mooch. 177]

My dog used to do this. I solved it (I think) by doing retrieves down a very narrow footpath flanked by stock fencing, the dog couldn't run in circles if he tried. A few weeks of this (with lots of praise when he came in) and he was coming straight back even in wide open fields.

Edited February 14, 2011 by Mooch.

[lemoncakes 0]

Sounds as though the dog has hit the 'sod you' stage: like most 'teenagers' who think they know best and rebel against any form or authority. I usually take the dog out of the field for a while, train well away from interesting scent, work on the recall, using a long check cord if necessary and try to keep calm LOL It is usually just a stage, though a stage which can last for months if you don't change the way you are doing things.

 

With my Airedale, who is very strong minded, I did lots of dummy work in the field with her: letting her look for bird scent in open land with just a few weeds for pheasant and partridge to hide in. I let her hunt up, but had to use a long cord to begin with to stop her working too far away from me. Once I had her working closer I hid a rabbit skin dummy, chucking it behind me and her so she didn't see where it fell, then working her to it. Finding and retrieving it was her reward for searching, but of course I fixed the retrieve first, and she's an obsessive retriever who comes in fast with the dummy. She didn't care if she was looking for the dummy or a real bird: it was the finding and retrieving which made her happy, so of course she came in with the dummy and I praised her. Of course this method wouldn't work if the dog doesn't want to retrieve like mad, but it did for me. She came in better and faster holding a dummy in her mouth than if I had just called her to me.

 

The other thing you can try is to lie down when the dog isn't looking at you, preferably so the dog can't see you like in a field of set aside or long grass. Call it and let it find you, then act all pleased and surprised when it does, loads of praise, mad games etc. The dog will learn to see finding you as a real treat after using its nose to locate you. Coming to call should always be a fun thing which the dog sees as a reward in itself. If the dog is very food obsessed you could use a food treat from time to time,but not all the time as the dog will only come in for the food. Occasional reward is a much stronger incentive than continual reward.

 

 

i like ths post. the lying down in the grass idea sounds like it may work. you would probably get a bit wet tho lol. i had a friends pup that used to do the same thing. i just used to crouch down, call the pup and have a treat in my hand. let them come over give them the treat and a fuss and hold the collar for 10 seconds and then let them go. that way they see being caught as a pleasant thing. and that it doesnt just mean you are going home and its the end of his fun.

[Nik_B 3,790]

Sounds as though the dog has hit the 'sod you' stage: like most 'teenagers' who think they know best and rebel against any form or authority. I usually take the dog out of the field for a while, train well away from interesting scent, work on the recall, using a long check cord if necessary and try to keep calm LOL It is usually just a stage, though a stage which can last for months if you don't change the way you are doing things.

 

With my Airedale, who is very strong minded, I did lots of dummy work in the field with her: letting her look for bird scent in open land with just a few weeds for pheasant and partridge to hide in. I let her hunt up, but had to use a long cord to begin with to stop her working too far away from me. Once I had her working closer I hid a rabbit skin dummy, chucking it behind me and her so she didn't see where it fell, then working her to it. Finding and retrieving it was her reward for searching, but of course I fixed the retrieve first, and she's an obsessive retriever who comes in fast with the dummy. She didn't care if she was looking for the dummy or a real bird: it was the finding and retrieving which made her happy, so of course she came in with the dummy and I praised her. Of course this method wouldn't work if the dog doesn't want to retrieve like mad, but it did for me. She came in better and faster holding a dummy in her mouth than if I had just called her to me.

 

The other thing you can try is to lie down when the dog isn't looking at you, preferably so the dog can't see you like in a field of set aside or long grass. Call it and let it find you, then act all pleased and surprised when it does, loads of praise, mad games etc. The dog will learn to see finding you as a real treat after using its nose to locate you. Coming to call should always be a fun thing which the dog sees as a reward in itself. If the dog is very food obsessed you could use a food treat from time to time,but not all the time as the dog will only come in for the food. Occasional reward is a much stronger incentive than continual reward.

 

We're having the same problem with our Labrador. It's a dog that hasn't been castrated and he is a wilful little bast4rd. I find it comes in phases and some days he can be very good and other days really bad. Yesterday he ran off and I couldn't find him, when I did find him he was playing with another dog and refused to return to me. When I got hold of him I gave him a massive boll**king and put him straight on the lead.

 

The problem is that there seems to be nothing he is more interested in than playing with other dogs. I hear people saying that I should be more interesting than the other dogs but I cannot see how. Part of me thinks it is his testosterone and age (he is 15 months) but creeping in to the back of my mind I feel like I have screwed up with him letting him 'socialise' too much.

 

Cheers

[skycat 6,174]

You could well be right: allowing a young dog to run off and play can result in the dog thinking that is the most important thing in life. Particularly young male dogs. Let's face it: young males of many different species (horses, humans, canines to name but a few) group together to form gangs, have fun, test their macho-ness etc etc LOL

 

The problem becomes a problem when that habit becomes engrained, it becomes such a habit that the dog just sees this behaviour as normal. I once had a young dog like that, and I had to be very firm with him, never letting him run off and play with other young dogs. It might sound harsh, but you need to make him focus on you, not other dogs, and you're not being cruel by not allowing him to interact with other dogs if you need him to work for you.

 

By the way, bollocking into him when you got to him is not the right thing to do. You should say nothing, just grab the dog's collar and put him on the lead and walk away with him. There's no point punishing him for being the dog you have allowed him to be.

 

You need to work on the recall in a controlled environment, use a long check cord if necessary.

Each time he runs to another dog you can stop him, with voice and cord, then call him to you, reeling in if necessary before praising a lot. Throw a dummy for him when he comes to you: make him obsessed with it rather than the other dog.

 

It will take a while, maybe even a few months, before the new habit of coming when called is as engrained as the old habit of running off to play with other dogs, and you need to be 100% consistent. Only when the dog is completely obedient in all situations can you relax the reins a little and allow him to play, but only once you've got him coming the moment you call.

It is always easier to get good habits from the start than trying to correct old bad habits: I wish you luck!

[Nik_B 3,790]

I have always trained recall and he does go through very good patches where I can recall him away from other dogs, just recently he's been hard work.

 

If I am to stop letting him off the lead how do they get their exercise? My lab has huge amounts of energy and I let him run it off usually before we do any training, as there is no where I can go that is dog free what would you suggest?

[ftm 3,357]

try taking the dog out with a well trained dog and let yours watch how its done with the other dog being praised and given treats the penny might just drop .Never bollock the dog when it eventually comes back to you just bite your lip and put it on lead ignore the twat it probably will take time but if you keep at it it will cme good .most dogs have it in them its just more owners havent