[BAD]

Abbey is almost 8 months old. She's doing great. Except for one important thing. Recall!

We have been testing her off leash at safe places like in front of our house and at the park when she plays with her pals. This has been working fine until recently. When play is over and it is time to either go into the house or back on leash she won't come. She stays just far away to avoid capture. It is very frustrating.

Should we just go back to long leash "come" training? I hate doing that since all the outdoor play is great exercise for her. At the park she plays with other friend's dogs and out front of the house she is retrieving a ball. We also walk her for an hour mid-morning.

Her regular treats don't work in getting her to come back. I was thinking of getting some special liver treats to get her back.

Your ideas will be appreciated.

 

[Guest]

Maya started that around 9 mos. I have since gone to whistle training and making her come during playtime and other outdoor activites and then letting her resume playing or what ever so she won't see coming to me as the end of funtime.

I have been working so much it has hard to fit in her training. After late April I will be done traveling so she is going back into "boot camp" so she will learn the new commands and reinforce the old.

And I think getting special treats just for recall are a great idea and something I am going to get for Maya.

 

[*sharon*]

Do you call her at the park only when its time to go? We call Rosie randomly throughout our visit to the dog park. That way she doesn't associate being called with having to leave her doggie friends. We even leash her once or twice, walk around to another part of the park, and then remove the leash. That way she doesn't try to run when we have the leash out after calling her.

 

[MaxandMe]

Like i did to MAX just earlier this morning

said real loud BYE MAX and closed the door...within 5 seconds he hightailed it and was standing waiting at the front door! and then i waited a few more seconds before opening it.

once in, hahhahaa he ran into his crate by himself :shock:

the other thing i do is WHISTLE training...didn't have the whistle as max had run after a bird while on leash :roll:

 

[lmtoth2]

Dexter has a tendancy to have selective listening. We started keeping a bag of treats at the door and now we let him out...he does his business and I call him...when he comes back I give him a treat...now I treat every other time If he looks like he isn't going to listen I shake the treat bag. Knock on wood - he has been really really improved the past month.

 

[gene]

Except when Miko is on squirrel patrol, a good shake of the cookie jar gets mine running for the door. When Miko's "on duty".....an atomic bomb explosion will not distract her! :wink:

 

[ChasP505]

Do you call her at the park only when its time to go? We call Rosie randomly throughout our visit to the dog park. That way she doesn't associate being called with having to leave her doggie friends. We even leash her once or twice, walk around to another part of the park, and then remove the leash. That way she doesn't try to run when we have the leash out after calling her.

One of my co-workers leads a dual life as a graphic artist and a professional dog trainer. We were talking about this subject and what you're saying is exactly what she recommended. She also said to run your dog through all the basic commands before letting him/her off leash. She's really tough on the concept that the dog is not ready for off leash play until it fully understands that the recall command is not an option.

 

[Shaia]

we also do lots of recall work when playing and then we release with a "go play!" make it like a game - fun. come and get a treat and then go play! if they ignore you when you call, you approach them and grab them and say too bad and give a short sit-stay. then repeat. if you can't catch her, what helped for me was keeping a thin leash attached to shaia while she way playing. it was fine - never got caught in anything. our trainer recommended this. if i called her and she wouldn't come, i would approach her and if she would bolt, i would step on or grab the leash and say "too bad." then i would make her sit stay for a bit and then release her with a "go play." this has done the trick for us - her recall is so good, even when i call her away from play, but i never call her and then leash her. if i want to leave i'll say "let's go!" and i'll start walking home and she'll follow and when we get down near the street, i'll say "all done" and give her a treat and leash her. i guess we have lots of little conversations the way we started was the 2 of us out at the park - boyfriend on one end and me on the other and we would call her back and forth between the 2 of us so she learned "shaia come!" that's a good starting point to build from so they get to know the command. we practice every day at the park so her recall gets stronger with distractions. good luck!

 

[BAD]

Thanks all for the good ideas. We have lots to work with.

 

[lindamarie]

Lots of good suggestions here!
Bogie was /is not one for coming when called either. But, I never leave him off leash in the yard without a few liver "magnet" treats. This has him working fairly well when called. Problem is, he seems to know whats coming and starts picking up sticks and stuff. Then when I say HERE.......he runs for the freeze dried liver treat..........all in all, they're working so I keep a bucket of them on hand!

 

[BAD]

I've got to look for those liver treats. I think that will get Abbey's attention. I like the short leash idea. That would work when we throw the ball for her out front. I have an old puppy leash I think would work.

We've played that come game in the back yard with Abbey. She does great and it's fun. But she knows when we are outside, she can evade us.