Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2011 2:44 pm Post subject: Running away on walks
Hey,
Im just looking for any tips or training methods to help me out.
My boy is going to be 8 months shortly and I still have no confidence in him off the lead.
I let him off when I know its quiet or we are on walkways well away form roads.
Firstly he does understand recall, as if I say "come" or blow the whistle twice he comes running to me. This does sometimes take maybe 2 or 3 recalls if he is having a good sniff.
I also use hotdog, cocktail sausages, chicken when we are doing recall work, and he attends puppy training classes once a week.
However today is a perfect example, of him running after another dog, normally we can see a clear path ahead, and I usually put him on the lead if I am not sure of the dog approaching, but sometines we turn a corner and before I can see in front he is off (like a greyhound out a trap), no matter how many "come" or whistle blowning I do he is off.
Now this in my eyes has to stop and he is running a fair distance to get to these dogs I'd say maybe 2 or 3 football pitch lengths, so we are not talking a little bit ahead!
The problem is sometimes its an older person or a mother with kids, or worse dogs that are not keen on an over excited choc lab bounding towards them.
Once I finally catch him, I put him on the lead and that is it he walks the rest of his time on the lead with no more treats.....is this wrong?
Today I thought I'll give him another chance so off the lead and 3 mins later and 2 football pitch lenghts covered just to eat horse poo...again he was not listenig to the commands.
He was back on the lead and marched home, and he knew he had done wrong as no treats for crossing the road calmly etc....again is this wrong?
I just want him to ease up and not bolt at the first sign of a dog, I would have though at nearly 8 months he would be acting slighly better and not running off after every dog he sees!
I am open to suggestion and training tips so please fire away.
One other thing is that even when on a lead he is still so excited about another dog, it usually takes 3 or 4 tunring and walking a few steps back with him to correct him before he can walk past another dog in a semi hyper state! Even a treay in his face wont stop him crossing my path to get to the other dog!
Have you tried a long training line? Not ideal if you have a lot of trees around of course but you can get them around 60 ft long so he would have the chance to zoom around with you still having a means of stopping him when needed - so call/whistle whatever and if he comes back lots of praise but if he does not come back he can only go so far before you stop him.
We have exactly the same problem.
Cooper is now 10 months old and he was so good off lead. Would come back when we called and would greet other dogs nicely with a big waggy tail and play bows.
But a few weeks ago, i was practising some short recalls off lead when he either heard another dog or got a whiff and off he ran.
completely oblivious to me hoo-haaing like a mad thing!
Luckily the woman with her 4 dogs was more than happy, phew.
Then about a week later noone was around, so we let him off, and he bolted back the way we had come, across a road!! (ok only a little access road, but still - cars!!) to get to this poor lady with a fairly elderly daschund on a lead.
I just pelted after him, put him on the lead and marched him home, apologising profusely to teh poor woman and her dog.
so since those 2 incidences, we have kept him on lead. and just practising short recalls on lead.
But he is the same when he sees a nother dog, he just wants to go say hi, and he is strong. He ill also just park his butt down and refuse to move if we try and move away form them!!
my back is suffering!
But what i would say is, as frustrated and pulled about i get, he responds so much better when we leave that incidence behind and be positive for the next thing. so if your Brodie then walks nicely, or sits and waits at the roadside etc etc, then praise.
He wont know that you're still cross about his excitement from earlier.
Always try and finish your walk on a good note, something you know he will do well. Dont set up to fail. That way it leaves the whole walk with a positive feeling that definitely helps to de-stress me.
But if people have tips on how to calm him around otehr dogs I would be grateful.
Its getting to the stage where walkers are'nt wanting their dogs anywhere near us, because Cooper looks like a crazed aggressor, when all he wants to do is say hi.
For the first reply....yeah I have a 5m extn lead and a 10m training lead. I was hoping to step away from these but maybe best to go back on them, although they are anightmare with trees and other dogs as you said.
For teh second post, yeah there was a spell when Brodie was doing better, i.e he would still run to dogs but only when they were much closer he wouldn't run a distance to get to them!!! At 10 months you one could be hitting the teenage stages, maybe mines is just entering these.
I know what you mean about a road, Brodie did the same chasing a bird, thankfully it was 6:30am and its an end very quiet street that a path runs up along but still its a road!
I'll start to re-enforce the positive times again after a 3-4 mins of back on the lead and being frog marched for being bad!!
What do you do with him on a walk to keep him with you? Do you play, take a special toy out etc.? Does he get regular interaction with other dogs of a similar energy level where he can enjoy time with another dog AND be with you, rather than running off to find them?
When we are on a walk we do some training i.e walk to heel, sit and stay etc, we sometimes take a toy with us and other times is just a fun walk for him to sniff and run about, but we always do heel on and off the lead and recall.
as for interaction with other dogs on his level not lots, he goes to puppy class once a week, and there are a few dogs that he meets that will play, but generally most of them are little grumpy for a puppy!
I dont stop him playing with dogs, as long as teh dog is ok and owner is fine he is free to play.
All of what Angela says, and is there other people you can walk off lead with, I found this has really helped with the excitement levels, as Mischa really knows who her doggy friends are now, and as a group they do stay close they play and chase each other, then when we see other dogs they are not so important.
When we are on our own she stays close as she loves her ball and if I have it, she wants to play with me, I am continually practising recall with both dogs but if I know there is a reason they will not hear me or already off and running, I wait till there is a window of opportunity as in a glimpse over her shoulder or she can hear, then its bouncing, singing, dancing, or running in other direction to get her interest back again. It works but it all takes time, be patient and keep at it.
Olly was EXACTLY the same at that age, having been really good before. I think it's a teenage phase. He has calmed down again now, I just upped the practice and lured him back to me with liver cake (his favourite thing in the world).
It has been taking my 2 out to areas where I know lots of other dogs will be walking off lead regularly that has really helped them to realise that
1) not every other dog and human is exciting
2) not every other dog WANTS to play with them!
I let them run, play, hooly, greet all the other dogs who are doing the same, take a toy to play with them if it seems right to, have treats to give them whenever they happen to choose to be close to me and I try to keep training/instructions/commands to a minimum. After a couple/few months of doing this (Luna when about 14months old, Tucker since coming home July-13months) they were both more chilled when generally out and about in less doggy areas. Tucker is happy to leave a dog on the opposite side of the field alone now - unless it is REALLY giving off major 'play with me' vibes or is one of his bestest friends!
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