Off Leash control/ recall help please

[robfromga]

Very good tips here!

[martemchik]

Originally Posted by vickip9

One word: e-collar. Or would that be 1 1/2 words?

Anyway, I had the same problem with my boy. So I got an e-collar, took him to the off-leash dog park, and began training. I would let him run and do his thing and then I would give the come command. If he didn't come immediately, I gave him a little buzz. He started coming to me after that. Now I've gotten it to where I just give a little whistle and he immediately turns around and comes back to me.

However, it's a different story if he's chasing something.. Then all bets are off. Needless to say, we're still working on that one.

Sorry but this is something that is definitely very easy to teach without an e-collar. I'm not saying it doesn't work, but its the "easy way out" and your dog comes to you out of fear of getting shocked rather than wanting to come to you because something good is going to happen. Many dogs like this won't recall when the e-collar is off because they know that they can't get punished for not listening. It took me a good 6 months to develop a 100% recall no matter what is going on, and no matter what he's chasing, be it a dog, cat, or other small animal.

[pfitzpa1]

Originally Posted by martemchik

Sorry but this is something that is definitely very easy to teach without an e-collar. I'm not saying it doesn't work, but its the "easy way out" and your dog comes to you out of fear of getting shocked rather than wanting to come to you because something good is going to happen. Many dogs like this won't recall when the e-collar is off because they know that they can't get punished for not listening. It took me a good 6 months to develop a 100% recall no matter what is going on, and no matter what he's chasing, be it a dog, cat, or other small animal.

I agree. Don't expect instant results, a perfect recall takes time and exposure to many proofing experiences that will happen as you give your dog more freedom.

Regarding critters, there's a part of a local island I go to that is infested with rabbits. I take my dog to that spot a couple of times a week and we practice heeling, release and come. Rabbits and squirrels will run across our path and she will not chase until I release her, similarly she will recall in the middle of a chase. Most of the time I just let her have fun but the location is very close to the road so I have to be sure I have good control. It is a very good proofing ground.

[I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO]

Originally Posted by pfitzpa1

I agree. Don't expect instant results, a perfect recall takes time and exposure to many proofing experiences that will happen as you give your dog more freedom.

Regarding critters, there's a part of a local island I go to that is infested with rabbits. I take my dog to that spot a couple of times a week and we practice heeling, release and come. Rabbits and squirrels will run across our path and she will not chase until I release her, similarly she will recall in the middle of a chase. Most of the time I just let her have fun but the location is very close to the road so I have to be sure I have good control. It is a very good proofing ground.

I also agree! And, that's funny I also used squirrel chasing to proof and reward and because of that can also call him off of a chase (requires more than just "come," I have to get his attention with HEY or huuuuuuh sound). This has come in handy in real life too, we were out in our front yard and he started after a squirrel that was going to cross the street-not a busy street- but anyway I called him off of it and he came screeching to a halt and came back to me. Since he's so good now, I usually just let him chase at the park and call him back after and reward for coming.

[ShoshanaRVT]

My GSD was always an easy recall. I don't think the idea even exists in his mind to not promptly come when called. My husky we trained on a long line for about a year before it was reliable, and an emergency with the dobie made me grab an electric collar. We had just adopted him about a month previous and were working on his recall. He was leash-smart: he knew when there was a leash there to pull him back, period. We live on a very busy road and one day he slipped out, ran directly onto the road (unfortunately the park is on the other side) and got hit. (Luckily he took the car bumper in the head and there's not really much in there to damage so he was fine). The next day we bought an e-collar, and continued training. Within a week we had reliable recalls. By the following month, he was off-leash and able to be recalled while chasing a rabbit. *However, if you have no experience with an e-collar consult a trainer first.

[SewSleepy]

We're working on it with a long line. I believe it's 30 feet. I try not to use "Come" unless she's on the leash so I can give her a little tug.

We practice in the open space near our house and at the dog park. Each time just 3 or 4 times. As soon as she comes without the tug I take off the leash, or just stop of we're not at the dog park. We practice a few times a week, and I've definitely seen progress, but we aren't done yet.


Sent from my iPhone using PG Free

[AgileGSD]

This is another great recall program: Lesson 6

E-collars are not always the quick fix people want them to be for recalls. While e-collars can get fast results, those results tend to be dependent on the collar. The above protocol does talk about the use of an e-collar but only after the entire recall program has been trained and that most dogs trained with this program never "need" it. The recall program outlined above uses positive methods that make the dog want to come to you every time, rather than relying on compulsion to make the dog think you can correct him for not coming. The discussion of the e-collar use in this article is more for special cases which the author says those cases are and should be rare.

[brandeeno]

Nala does just fine when left on a loose long leash. She knows I can enforce for her to come, so she almost always listens when on the long lead without the need for me to pull her in. Once she knowns she is off leash though, thats when other things can distract her.
To be clear... I can take her on the train loose, and without distractions, she will recall. With other dogs, she will not listen at all. How to break this barrier between long leash working, and without not?

[blackshep]

Well my pup's recall went out the window last night at our first grade 2 class!

They threw toys and treats all over the floor! LMAO! It was just plain cruel! My pup saw one toy that she just HAD to have. Finally got one good recall, she sat in heel position and whined at it though.

[Red Dog]

Originally Posted by Wild Wolf

I wrote an article on training a great recall... worked on my boy, Hunter. I am extremely confident about having him off leash. You can read what I did here:

K9 Instinct - Dog training, dog obedience training, raw diet, raw feeding, minimal vaccines: Dog Training: Teaching your dog the perfect recall.

Excellent article. Simple method but very effective.