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14 month old GSD female

1K views 5 replies 5 participants last post by  Frisco19 
#1 ·
Hi all. We have recently noticed a good difference in our pups behaviour, she's became better with general recall and distraction. We have one problem that when we are trying to recall her to put on the leash at the end of the walk she will think it's a game. It's as if shes not done and wants to stay out. We've tried the positive recall with treats etc. Along the walk and we heel her off the lead she is perfect. We have been told she's at an age where shes trying to test us too.
Any advice would be great.
 

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#2 ·
Yeah, that's around the age where they test ya. Mine will be 2 years old in January. He's been testing me, including fighting me on the leash...something I thought ended a year ago. He also won't let me put on his collars before we go out for walks. I have to bribe him with treats. There's a few other minor things that he's testing me. It's frustrating in the moment; however I can't do anything but laugh afterwards. All I can say is...because they're testing you, you can't let them win. If your dog is not coming to you on a recall, then she needs to be on a leash. You can't reward that behavior with offleash walks. Once she is over her testing phase, then you can go back to your offleash walks.
 
#3 · (Edited)
Do you ever call her back to you and not put the leash on? If you regularly call her to you, give a high value treat, then immediately release her to go back to playing, she won't know when she's getting leashed and when she's not. I also do the same game but clip my dog's leash on, walk literally two steps, then take it back off again. That way they learn coming to you isn't the end of fun and having the leash put on isn't necessarily the end of fun either. Though I do agree with Tc68. If she won't come when called, she doesn't get freedom.

ETA: Just reread the OP and it seems like maybe you do play this game with her? If she only does this behavior when you get to the same spot (when the walk is over), have you tried stopping the walk sooner/later and leashing her then?
 
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#4 ·
When playing ball out tracking or tug in the AKC building I frequently put the leash on my dog frequently and play some more and the take it off. He turned two in July and is my most "testing me" GSD to date.
 
#5 ·
Hi all,
Thanks for the advice.
Yes, so she loves to play with a tennis ball, fetch etc. I always get her to come back to me and ****, then do some down, stay, around(runs around me). I have started clipping her on to the leash whilst doing that, and as someone stated playing and unclipping etc. I feel she isnt as bad with me. As they say I am more the alpha with her, and it is mainly when my wife takes her. She is getting irritated as she won't get on the leash. When we are on the field on our own with her she's perfectly fine coming back. It is when she is playing with another dog and we want her to come back to the leash, she knows.
We do have a 20metre training leash we used whilst she was a puppy. We have said we should go back to that. But I have just taken her out this morning and she was absolutely fine off the lead for me. I just put her back on the leash a little earlier as stated.
I have a new job which requires working a way a lot more, leaving My wife to do a lot of the walking, so she has said she is going to keep her on the long leash.
We also thought about a trainer coming to see us but we have been given really expensive quotes for 2 hour home sessions.

Thanks for your advice and open to any more you have.
 
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