Am I confusing her?

[NewbieShepherdGirl]

Ok so Sasha has been doing really well on training. I'm simply amazed at how smart and eager to learn she is. That being said, I'm wondering if I'm confusing her. Sasha cannot be off lead. I've had her for only eight days, and don't believe for a second that she would come back. We don't have a fence, but we live on an acreage so I run with her on the grass (well snow right now lol but you get the idea). She absolutely loves it. At the same time, I am trying to teach her that when we walk on the road she needs to heal. Do you think it is confusing to make her heal sometimes on the leash (when we're on the road) but not other times (when we're in the yard)? When I taught my other dog to heal I didn't worry about confusing him because we got him as a puppy and he knew this was his place, and whenever we were done training I'd let him off the leash and tell him "free" and he just got to run around on his own. I wish I could do that with her, but I absolutely will not let her just run until I'm 100% convinced she will come back when she is called.

[doggiedad]

nice looking dog. you can teach Sasha to heel
anywhere at anytime. you can teach her to heel
on and off leash and on both sides. you're right about
not letting her off leash untill she has recall.

[NewbieShepherdGirl]

You don't think it's confusing that she only has to do it sometimes? I try to use the word "play" when we get to the yard, so that she knows the difference. I just don't want to frustrate or confuse her.

[DCluver33]

Originally Posted by NewbieShepherdGirl

You don't think it's confusing that she only has to do it sometimes? I try to use the word "play" when we get to the yard, so that she knows the difference. I just don't want to frustrate or confuse her.

it shouldn't be confusing to her. I went hiking yesterday with my dog and I had him heel when bike went by but other than that he was allowed the rest of the leash. I just told him his release word whenever he didnt need to be in a heel and told him heel when he was to heel.

[MaggieRoseLee]

I'd get a really long lead for her to wear (and me to drop) when out in the yard where she could safely get the distance of the lead from me...

There's a difference between the VERY strict and controlled position that 'heel' represents (and shouldn't be used for prolonged periods of time....) and just having our dog not pull on the leash or walk more on one side of me than the other (like near the road when traffic is coming).

I'd almost just teach a 'sit' if traffic was coming.

[Larien]

I do exactly what MRL suggested - I have an invisible fence, but I don't put the collar on Remi, he's 5 months old. What I do is put him on a 20 ft. line when we go out. At first I held it, and whenever he got to the edges of the yard, I'd stop so he couldn't continue. Plus he learned from my other dogs. Now I drop the line, so I can easily grab it if he ran off, but so far he has stayed within the yard and hasn't once tried to leave, so he is learning.

But I break it up - sometimes we go out on a 4 ft. lead and I have him casually heel. And only when I say "break" does he know he can start sniffing around and that kind of stuff, though. So he knows by now the difference in leash and the heel/break commands, so he isn't confused - long black leash means playing and running, brown leather short leash means walking next to mom.

[NewbieShepherdGirl]

Originally Posted by MaggieRoseLee

I'd get a really long lead for her to wear (and me to drop) when out in the yard where she could safely get the distance of the lead from me...

There's a difference between the VERY strict and controlled position that 'heel' represents (and shouldn't be used for prolonged periods of time....) and just having our dog not pull on the leash or walk more on one side of me than the other (like near the road when traffic is coming).

I'd almost just teach a 'sit' if traffic was coming.

Yes we are working on sit when there is traffic, she also is told to "look at me" so that I know she's focused. She seems to be doing well with that.

I am planning on getting a long lead so that we can work on recall from longer distances. When we work on "stay" and "Come" in the house, I can go anywhere in the house and she'll come to me. However, I'm not convinced that outside would be the same thing.

Thank you all! I don't feel as bad now

[MaggieRoseLee]

You may want to see if you can find a fenced in area you can see how she'll do off leash, you may be surprised.

Schools? Playgrounds? on weekends you can 'sneak' in and use them

Don't work too much on focus and control to think only THAT will get her to come..... Play and toys (and treats) will do the same or even better in a pinch. I know if I'm swinging a favorite tug/squeaky toy around I can pull Bretta back from miles away!!!!!!! The bond that play forms between dog/handler is sometimes more valuable than the control of obedience.

You working even more on clicker/fun/TRICKS? http://www.silvia.trkman.net/tricks.htm <- Read that!

[Larien]

Yeah it's always harder for Rem to recall outside, too, lol - so I use like, a really great toy he loves usually and then play tug or fetch after a successful recall. Or a big juicy piece of hot dog or cheese, something even more tempting than the great outdoors!

[NewbieShepherdGirl]

We have a fence for our livestock (that only graze there in the summer) and I'm thinking of sectioning off part of that to see what she'd do.

No I don't think that that only that will get her to come. Actually the look at me is mostly because she seemed kind of interested in passing cars and I wanted her to know that I'm way more interesting in cars (for her own protection) She'll NEVER be off lead in town. Not so much for the car thing, though that is part of it, but more because of other people letting their dogs run wild. So she'll never get a chance to chase a car, but I didn't even like the small tug on the leash. She was perfectly content to focus on mom once I asked her, so that was reassuring. Yesterday was our first in town walk, and I was pretty impressed that she did so well We shall be doing more of those!