[Iowa guy]

Ellie is a 15 month old female shepherd and has had basic obedience class. We both passed with flying colors! We keep her inside and are very happy with the progress she has made.

Lately, I've had trouble getting her to come inside the house. Now this doesn't happen everytime but it's becoming more frequent. These occurrences can happen in the morning or in the evening after a long walk. I'll call her in and get that "nope don't think I want to do that" look and just stand there.

She will listen to commands and obey them (i.e. down, stay) until I get to her, then she dashes off when I reach for her. I don't make a big deal or game of this but keep walking towards her and using sit/stay commands until I eventually get her by the collar and attach a leash to her. Then, she's a completely different dog and listens and reacts to everything I say. Latey, I have been attaching an 8 foot rope to her collar when she goes out to make it easier to catch her. For some reason, I don't have any problems with her listening to me while shes dragging around the rope. Then, about the time she's outside without the rope on, I'll get that look again.

Is this adolescent regression, which is something she will grow out of? Is there something I should be doing that would get the point across, which indicates she doesn't decide when it's time for her to come inside?

 

[MaggieRoseLee]

Won't come in from the yard anymore!!!

Congrats, you have a normal intelligent GSD that's figured it out.

Staying in the yard is more fun than coming in the house. Generally all my dogs agree.

I never ask they to come if I don't think they will. Come come come come come come come doesn't happen in my house/yard. Not that they always 'come', just that I don't even bother with a command if I don't think they will come.

What I do instead is use find a REWARD that will make them 'come' and a new word that will make them 'come' but not saing the word at all! No battle of wills.

I keep a treat jar with REAL treats right by the door. And when it's time to go inside I say 'it's treat time!!!'. And guess what happens when my pup is outside but wants a treat that is INSIDE?

They COME! And get a bunch of treats. So being INSIDE with ME is as much (more?) fun as staying in the yard.

 

[Kayla's Dad]

Originally Posted By: Ellie1122Is this adolescent regression, which is something she will grow out of? Is there something I should be doing that would get the point across, which indicates she doesn't decide when it's time for her to come inside?

Mu first reaction reading your thread was

to the teen years! Your last paragraph basically summarized it.

You do not want to allow Ellie the opportunity to ignore your commands so attaching the long line is a great initial step. Are there fenced areas where you can go and work Ellie without distractions? I would try to go there and work with the recall. Even you walking toward her is invoking the chase mode in her so you want to try to avoid it. One thing is to have something she REALLY likes with you-a toy or ball. When you hit that "moment" when she starts to move away----pull out the toy and make a big fuss like it's the greatest thing in your life and start walking in the opposite direction. If she starts coming toward you, PRAISE HER UP as she coming and make sure she gets that her coming back to you is more important than that toy.

Good Luck and

to the forum!

 

[Iowa guy]

Re: Won't come in from the yard anymore!!!

Thx Maggie, I've read alot of your comments and believe you know your stuff!

I'll work with the treats although I've been against it in the past. I figured I didn't want Ellie getting accustomed to being bribed into obeying me.

Whose being hardheaded now???? LOL

 

[MaggieRoseLee]

Re: Won't come in from the yard anymore!!!

One thing I've learned is to now not sweat the small stuff. Is it worth the point to 'force' a come and getting angry/aggravated if they don't listen?

Or just better to use something that is easy for me, my dog likes it, and I get the behavior I want. If the point is to HAVE MY DOG LISTEN AND OBEY ALL THE TIME NO MATTER WHAT..... that's one goal.

If the point is to hurry and get the dog in the house, then I'd use the treats! I am happy and not angry aggravated. My dog is happy and gets a treat. Happy happy happy.

Everett54 has good suggestions and using a toy to motivate is a good idea. Another way to reward the pup and motivate it to get near you and in the house. Fun is playing with mom!

Quote: Thx Maggie, I've read alot of your comments and believe you know your stuff!

And clearly you have excellent judgement.

 

[middleofnowhere]

Re: Won't come in from the yard anymore!!!

What it sounds to me like is that coming to you ends all the fun. I don't know if you are calling your pup and then going inside (what a bore!) but if you are, I'd change that behavior on your part. Call her to you with a game that follows her coming to you, a lot of hyper praise, patting and reving followed by something like a game of catch or chase. (Call her to you, when she comes, tag her and run off, She'll catch you quickly, then you tag and chase her.) Stuff like that helps attitude a lot. While you may think that it will take too much time, it's going to result in some time saving as you will not have to be chasing your pup around the yard, getting annoyed, sweaty, cold whatever. Another good trick is to run the other way. Or run the other way, plop on the grass with a lot of animation and laugh wildly. But maybe you should save that one for emergencies...


For me this whole thing has gotten to be an excersize in mutual understanding - getting the dog to do what I want it to because it wants to. The downfall of course is that I can get to be a boring old person pretty fast...