Hi I have just got back in from walking Freddie and need some advice please. We went on our usual walk which is along a farm track it was getting dark as we set off and nearly completely dark on our way back. Freddie is doing well with his recall and we were practising calling him between myself and my daughter and he came to us every time. But then just at the end of the walk he spotted another dog which neither myself or my daughter had seen otherwise I would have put him back on his lead. He ran off towards the dog which was on his lead and ignored my attempts to get him back. I quickly followed him and soon had him back on his lead. I apologised as I was getting near and said he was only a puppy. The man shouted at me that his dog was a puppy too and I should have mine under control. I apologised again and said I hadn't seen them because it was dark. He picked his dog up and was walking away from me. I called after him to ask if his dog was ok and that Freddie wouldn't hurt his dog and I was sorry. I appreciate it was my fault for not spotting the dog earlier but it was dark and there are no lights as it is farmland. How do I get Fred to come back from distractions like other puppies? It has really shaken me being shouted at and I am going to be nervous about letting him off the lead again. Thank you
You did the right thing. Now I recommend the Total Recall book which will take you through it step by step. It is hard work, but well worth following ...
You'll always meet mean people - luckily for every one nob there's 9 nice people. You said sorry, no harm done. I wouldn't worry about it and don't let it put you off letting him off and just work on his recall
As you will learn there are some good people out there and some not so nice. Most of us are kind and have been in similar situations so can be understanding. You apologised and clearly intend to do training I wouldn't let people like that get to you.
Firstly, try not to worry about being shouted at. There are some difficult people about sometimes and it would have been more helpful if he had stopped to talk, rather than shouting at you. Were you using treats for Freddie for your recall practice with you and your daughter? Let Freddie know that you have some really yummy treats in your pocket before you let him have a free run, then call him back intermittently and treat him each time he responds before you release him again. It's probably best to err on the side of caution when it's getting dark, too, so put Freddie back on his lead when you're nearing the end of the walk. It's all too tempting for puppies to push the boundaries a bit and find something far more interesting to do when they realise the walk is nearly over! You could also take a torch to check the path ahead. Reflective/LED collars and leads are also useful - but you can't guarantee that other dogs will have them! Restore your confidence by taking him out in daylight for your next walk and perhaps take a toy and practise recall with a game of 'fetch'. I hope all goes well.
All those above have said exactly how it is, so I won't repeat their wise words. Have been in exactly the same position with our youngster, so I understand how you feel. Keep enjoying taking Freddie for walks and NEVER be put off by selfish and thoughtless individuals.
Thank you everyone for your reassurance and kind words. What I at the moment is have a pocket full of treats and when Freddie is off lead use the whistle to call him back every now and then and treat him each time. I also treat him when he checks in with me of his own accord. I often look down and find him trotting along by my side. This is always when no other dogs are in sight and I put him on his lead when I do see other dogs. I guess I am nervous of practising his recall when other dogs are about and this has reinforced my own worries. I will read Total Recall. We usually walk in the afternoon but we were late out today. I nearly didn't take him down the track today because it was getting dark. Hindsight is a wonderful thing!
You did what you could, nothing bad happened so I agree the other man didn't need to sound off at you. Having a young dog himself if he doesn't know dogs are not machines he soon will. Unless he plans to never let his off leash. ONe thing you can try, if you think your dog is going to ignore you (understanding you have done everything you can to train but these things do unexpectedly happen. It's called Life. ) is RUN the other way. Call so he sees you running away from him. It's very hard to do but if you chase him likely your dog sees you as support coming to him. You can't catch him so run the other way, prompt him to chase you. You can practice this, not too often or he'll learn it's a game and make his own decision whether to play with you or the other dog. This won't look good to that other dog owner either but if it works, so what, and maybe you will have run far enough he won't bother sounding off at you.
I don't have anything to add except to say that there are some really nice dog people out there, and unfortunately some horrible ones. Keep practising and I'm sure your recall will get there
You will get there, keep training it does take time before you get there. Ignore the fact you were shouted at. There are some fairly awful people out there (met one today...) luckily there are few and far between. Most are very understanding of young dogs, after all we have all been there! Good luck with your training!
Don't worry Nichola, brush yourself off and remember tomorrow is another day. I highly recommend Pippa's Total Recall to help you with lots of exercises to recall Freddie from. Do you have any friends with dogs that you could practice recalling from and doing some bits of training? This will not only help Freddie but also build your confidence with your training when you see the results. Don't let other people knock your confidence. You will get there. xx
Remember it wasn't intentional, it was dark, your dog is a puppy and you just tell me how many other puppies would not have done the same. The man should have been more understanding if he is a dog owner himself. Try and forget it and train Freddie to come back, no dog is born knowing and they don't learn overnight, it takes time and non of them are robots!
I pride myself on being one of the nice dog people! When Murphy and I are out walking and we approach someone with a dog I always start the conversation with "He is really friendly and loves dogs, is your friendly too?" If they say no, I say ok and make sure we keep a safe distance so the owner does not wind up getting their arm yanked out of the socket. We have had a lot of really good talks with all sorts of people. Murphy is one of those that just grabs people's hearts immediately. We met an older couple, heck I am older, he sat right between them so they could pet him to pieces. Then he laid down at their feet. The woman told her hubby: dear, THIS is why we need to get a dog!
You just made a mistake, letting Freddie run up. It happens to us all - I honestly think anyone who has a young, lively, normal young Labrador that has never had it run up to another person or dog either is a professional trainer, lying , never lets the dog off a lead, or unfortunately has a very rare nervous one. I do have to say though, I find it intensely annoying when dogs run up to mine. I never say anything, and I just keep managing my own dogs, but I hate it. A woman was walking 5 spaniels down a lane tonight, and I had Betsy on her lead (because I was walking towards the road) and the spaniels surrounded us, making Betsy leap and jump, and the woman kept calling 'it's ok! they are all friendly!'. I wanted to say 'bugger that they are friendly, they are also a complete pain in the arse!'. But I didn't, I just kept sticking turkey on Betsy's nose....
If you are a bit worried it may happen again think about getting a long lead - eg a 21ft horse lunge lead and when doing recall practice have that as your back up (as in dragging behind him). Then you have something you can grab a bit easier than the dog IF you are worried while he is learning and he does the bolt again. The mere fact the other person 'picked their dog up' shows their knowledge is lacking on what to do (and a puppy boucing towards you with an owner giving chase is clearly different to an aggressive dog charging).
