Overall I'm very pleased with Cassie's recall, mostly verbal these days but practise with the whistle once a walk. Pretty much the only time it fails is if she's dead set on a delicacy such as a bit of poo or a squashed apple I can usually manage the situation so that it doesn't happen, but it's quite annoying! She gives me a furtive look, eats whatever it is, then comes running back as if everything in the garden is rosy! I've been thinking, whether to go back to the recall exercises, starting in the house with high value rewards. Or whether to teach the magic word? Cos it's not like she runs away or anything. I've never used sardines, sort of reserving them as the heavy artillery, perhaps now would be the time. Just interested in peoples thoughts
@selina27 Mabel is exactly the same. I shout while jumping about “yay, look what mummy’s found”. She comes racing to eat what ever I have “discovered” on the floor. It can be a handful of cheese, biscuits or whatever she hasn’t had for a while. I did read once (I’m pretty sure it was on the forum) that Labradors are impressed that you have hunted and found something yummy, making you very interesting in their terms.
Oh Gosh! You have a little gap in recall...we have a ginormous chasm with Benson! Back on the long line it has got so bad...but the ping pong sausage game worked really well!
Noooo, I don't believe it Perhaps that's the way to go, longline in what I know to be a High Risk area and sardines to convince her I'm the best hunter ever ! Always happy to do ping pong recall though, it's such fun.
Plum did just this on this afternoon's walk, ran off because she smelled something and didn't come back immediately. It happens mostly when we're in the woods; at the park she stays by me and is very responsive to requests to "find it." In the woods near me she is also pretty responsive and I know where the hot spots are and distract her or put her on the lead so she can't self reward. Today we were somewhere new and she darted off and came back licking her chops. I was so cross/stressed. 20 mins later she vomited up whatever it was. I couldn't make out what it was, it looked like a whole Solero ice lolly, but wasn't! A bit like butter or a bar of soap but it wasn't them either! I'm afraid I don't know what the answer is @selina27, I'd love to go out and just walk without having to think too much about it!
Labradors seem to work on the basis that they'll respond to your recall signal unless there is something interesting to eat. I'm afraid that's Holly's weakness too.
Oooh yuck, but probably better coming back out the way it went in! To be honest, it doesn't stress me out greatly, it's just a bit irksome to lose out to poo, also there is the safety aspect. I'm probably trying to be to perfect!
