Hi, Buster, our 12 month old has started running away when off the lead. He was previously pretty good with recall and didn't venture too far, but has clearly found a lot of new confidence as he is maturing. It has got to the stage where I can no longer let him off the lead as he would run across roads and put himself in danger. I appreciate I need to go back to square one with recall training and bed that in propoerly. I have taken delivery of 'Total Recall' and am about to get started. However, my question is, now that he is restricted to lead walking he is getting a lot less exercise. Is it simply the case that he needs to be walked longer on the lead to get the same amount of exercise, or would a long training lead / extending lead work as a solution to give a bit more energy burning? Or would that counteract the recall training? Any advice greatfully received. Thanks. Trevor.
Hi Trevor, welcome to the forum I feel for you - it's hard to keep up with a young dog in their prime and feel like you're giving them enough physical exercise on a leash! A long line which trails behind him, and which you can quickly stand on or pick up when you spot something he might run towards, can be really useful. But if you're relying on him zig-zagging about and covering much more ground than you during a walk to wear himself out, then a long line might not be much help. Firstly because it's liable to get tangled up in things. And secondly because it might be as out-of-reach as the rest of him when something exciting catches his attention. We've got more information about long leash training here on our sister site. Unfortunately, we don't recommend extending or retractable leashes as a solution either, due to the risk of injuries to both you and Buster. You can read more about that here. An ideal solution, although it involves a little travel and expense, is to find a nearby dog exercise field you can hire by the hour or half hour. For now it will be somewhere Buster can storm around after a ball and burn off energy. And as you progress through Total Recall it will be a valuable place for proofing your new recall cue in very controlled conditions. I hope that helps, and I hope you enjoy working through Total Recall, and establishing a new recall cue that you can be totally confident in!
As well as a blast in a dog safe field, I'd focus more on exercising his brain more than his legs while you get to grips with the "Total Recall" programme. Simply asking him to sit while you (gradually increasing distance, duration and distractions) throw balls around him, play 'leave that', train heelwork etc are very mentally tiring for him
