Hi everyone, Ozzies is 9 months old and his recall used to be really good, but the last few weeks it's been getting worse and worse, he would only come back to me If I was out of sight, then this progressed to me going out of sight and him thinking "let me finish what I'm doing first then I come find you after I've sniffed everything and stop a few times on the way" I have put him back on his long line this morning but this hasn't proved very successful as he is now 31kg and is very lean so it's all muscle and power now, and he very nearly pulled me over (which I can laugh about now) I'm thinking about introducing a whistle to the recall as I think the recall word is now ruined from him not coming to back. does anyone have any advice on 1) introducing a whistle to the recall? 2) improving his recall again? From a very frustrated owner
Re: Introducing a whistle to recall Have just myself set up a "recall thread" Bruno my 9 month Labradors' recall has also gone completely down hill! I also want to use a whistle to help with this as it is a lot more clear from distance, if you have any success let me know on any steps/ tips you followed as it has proven a struggle for me!
Re: Introducing a whistle to recall I introduced a whistle as my voice is inconsistent due to damage to my vocal chords. I started by whistling twice (one short pip, one slight longer pip) every time she came back to me when either I called her or she came back off her own accord. It took a few days but she got the hang of it pretty quickly. I also used it in the house to start with when calling her from one room to another. As for improving recall, I also started jumping about, spreading my arms etc every time she was coming back and heaped on the praise so she recognised recall was good. I also took some high value treats that she rarely has and gave one every time she came back until she was reliable then decreased how often she had a treat. Now I use a throw of the ball when she comes back as this is her favourite reward ever. Hope this helps a bit
Re: Introducing a whistle to recall I'm going to give Pippa's Total Recall book a plug here. It'll help you take things right back to a point from which you can successfully build (or re-build) the recall.
Re: Introducing a whistle to recall Whatever whistle pattern you decide to use for recall start using it when you feed him too. That's what Inca's breeders did with her from the word go and I have kept it. It seems to work really well
Re: Introducing a whistle to recall Hi everyone, Thanks for your help and listening to my rant! I was very fusratetd with him this morning especially considering we were the only people out this morning, as I went out later and to a different field so we could do some long line recall training and he just wasn't interested. But would do all his other training on point and as soon as he was asked too. Am I best off starting with the whistle in the house? If I use it outside the house should I shout his name 1st then whistle or just whistle? I'm trying to find a paperback version of Total Recall, as my kindle is broke after having a quick swim in the bath - whoops! If anyone knows where I can buy this in the UK, please let me know. Katie - a slightly happier owner
Re: Introducing a whistle to recall As we need our dogs to recall to whistle every time, we train them with the whistle from the time they arrive in the house at 8-9 weeks old. It is really simple to do at feed time, with a pup at that age as they have 4 feeds a day. Some grasp it quickly others take a while. 1.Teach the sit with the food bowl held over the pups head, it should put its bum on the floor. ( a pup should be taught to sit and wait for its food ) 2.With the pup sitting move away and call it when it starts to move towards you blow the whistle (2 pips for a recall) 3.Extend the distance and finally leave the pup outside sitting and recall into the house using voice and whistle. 4.Finally just use the whistle. 5.Go out into the big wide world and try it with some tasty treats. It really works
Re: Introducing a whistle to recall Thank you Karen You can get the book here Katie - Using a whistle or a new word is a good idea. And there are quite a few articles here Recall Training Centre which you might find helpful
Re: Introducing a whistle to recall [quote author=Indy link=topic=9487.msg136798#msg136798 date=1421175091] As we need our dogs to recall to whistle every time, we train them with the whistle from the time they arrive in the house at 8-9 weeks old. It is really simple to do at feed time, with a pup at that age as they have 4 feeds a day. Some grasp it quickly others take a while. 1.Teach the sit with the food bowl held over the pups head, it should put its bum on the floor. ( a pup should be taught to sit and wait for its food ) 2.With the pup sitting move away and call it when it starts to move towards you blow the whistle (2 pips for a recall) 3.Extend the distance and finally leave the pup outside sitting and recall into the house using voice and whistle. 4.Finally just use the whistle. 5.Go out into the big wide world and try it with some tasty treats. It really works [/quote] Will this be difficult to do now he is 9 months old ? Or is it the same process with him? He does sit and wait for food because he's had sensitive stomach issues from around weeks old, so he's great at that. We also feed him out of a wobbler nor which he loves! So we get him to sit and wait in the kitchen then hide the wobbler in the lounge and call him to "find it" so could we do this with a whistle bleep instead? Or would this teach him to run around trying to find his food instead of coming to us? Am I just over thinking this? Thanks Pippa I've just ordered it I will certainly have some reading cut out for me tomorrow! I will start by reading the site while I wait for deliver
Re: Introducing a whistle to recall I think you will be fine with a 9 month old pup. Just got to learn the new way of doing it. Pippa's book explains this very well for pups and older dogs that have gone off track.
Re: Introducing a whistle to recall [quote author=Indy link=topic=9487.msg136866#msg136866 date=1421189400] I think you will be fine with a 9 month old pup. Just got to learn the new way of doing it. Pippa's book explains this very well for pups and older dogs that have gone off track. [/quote] Thanks very much I'll keep you posted on how I get on
Re: Introducing a whistle to recall When Benson got to around 8/9 months old a few things happened. He became more independent, roamed a bit further, less interested in us on walks. I guess he was maturing, other disstractions were just more absorbing to him than us. Recall really went to pot, to the point we had a couple of those moments when he really buggered off! : : We went back to a more structured training regime. Lot more back on lead mid-walk, higher value and different treats. We worked on "look at me" and "checking in" so when he looked at us on a walk he got a treat. We varied our walks, changed familiar routes slightly so he was never quite sure where we were going. We worked on capturing his attention just before he zoomed off, combined with keeping him really close, around no more than about 25 feet away, mainly because the nearer he is to us the easier it iwas to attract and keep his focus. We also started to take toys out on our walks, a fur ball and a kong frisbee work really well. He really did improve, adding a long line really helped cement the recall, especially with other dogs around, although going back to basics in a quiet area, THEN working with a long line with a few distractions worked better for us, ie getting back the recall then using the long line to help with proofing. Then we got Casper and well the dynamics of our walks changed completely! Now at 15 months, I can let Benson roam, as he is fairly reliable now, unless there is a bitch in season, but I usually get a clue that he is about to bolt...
