Because we live in the country, Annie spends a lot of time off leash on our walks. We've done basic obedience and agility, and some other fun things (like a doggie dancing class, which was hilarious--but great for sharpening training skills).
She had a "90%" recall -- she'd recall immediately from anything other than chasing cats or squirrells. If one of them hove into view, she'd recall after a vigorous chase.
So I retrained her (and me) on the recall using the "Really Reliable Recall" training on DVD. Very simple, just a variation of how I trained in the first place, but with more focus and a new "emergency recall" signal.
Yesterday, off leash on a country walk, we ran into a surprise cat (how it got where it did I don't know) -- the first off-leash cat experience since I started the retraining.
Annie recalled immediately to me. I was suprised and very pleased.
One sparrow does not a summer make, but still....
It helps also that she's 3 1/2 and is now much calmer and more responsive; and that I have a few more training skills than I did before.
The video's available at Dogwise.com.
She had a "90%" recall -- she'd recall immediately from anything other than chasing cats or squirrells. If one of them hove into view, she'd recall after a vigorous chase.
So I retrained her (and me) on the recall using the "Really Reliable Recall" training on DVD. Very simple, just a variation of how I trained in the first place, but with more focus and a new "emergency recall" signal.
Yesterday, off leash on a country walk, we ran into a surprise cat (how it got where it did I don't know) -- the first off-leash cat experience since I started the retraining.
Annie recalled immediately to me. I was suprised and very pleased.
One sparrow does not a summer make, but still....
It helps also that she's 3 1/2 and is now much calmer and more responsive; and that I have a few more training skills than I did before.
The video's available at Dogwise.com.