Hello I have a 3 year old lovely feisty male Irish Terrier who from when he was a puppy has chased anything that moves, joggers, cyclists, children running, scooters, skateboards, footballs, birds, cats, anything! From when he was a puppy I have spent close to £900 in 2 years on training courses, both group classes and intensive one to ones both on general obedience but mainly on recall because I cannot let him off a leash because of his running after people and objects and barking and jumping up at them as people quite understandably get annoyed. However nothing has worked! When in a field with NO distractions or at home yes he does recall for treats perfectly with whistle or clicker but as soon as something moves he ignores everything and races off. In desperation I have recently contacted some behaviourists as I gave up with trainers and they have all said that chasing is almost impossible to rectify in fact one of the top CCABs in the UK said 'The prognosis is not favourable. In woods and parks with a variety of thrilling chase outlets, and his innate pre-dispositions and strong predatory drive, he may need to continue to be managed on a long-line to ensure you have adequate control of him.' Can anyone help suggest a way forward (I only take my boy off the lead in very remote areas now)? Most grateful for any advice. Thanks
Also forgot to mention have just purchased Pippas book Total Recall, hence my post on this site, can't wait to.start the process and so hoping this works as seems to have exhausted every other option. Must also add that apart from chasing my dog is overall well balanced and friendly with people and dogs and a pleasure to have except chasing after anything that moves quickly, he seems to get excited like its a thrilling chase.and jumps and barks but not in an aggressive way. Just a pity I can never take him off a lead in public places as I don't have efficient control.
Hi Amanda, welcome to the forum! I LOVE Irish Terriers And I can talk a lot about dogs with high chase drives, because I have young whippet with many of the same instincts as your boy, so I spend a lot of time thinking about this very topic! But I'm afraid that when a lot of experts agree that a recall cue is never going to overcome his chase instinct, you probably have to accept that they might be right. Pippa sent me an interesting new research paper with a little while back which looked at the same issue in Greyhounds. The researchers had interviewed 80+ behaviorists and trainers about whether teaching recall could ever completely overcome their chase instinct, and the overwhelming consensus was "not a hope". The problem is that chasing stuff is so intensely rewarding for some dogs - and so hardwired into their psyche due to human breeding choices - that nothing else can ever be more rewarding. And a successful recall depends upon your dog associating their recall cue with a more positive experience than whatever it is they're already doing. When recall cues aren't completely reliable, the alternative is prevention instead. So walking on a harness and lead, walking off lead in remote areas where he's unlikely to see anything to chase, and using secure enclosed spaces like off lead exercise field which you hire by the hour or half hour. All of this being said, in my experience working through Pippa's book, and practising all the elements of strong recall is still a really good idea! Your dog is still relatively young, and you might be surprised what distractions you can eventually proof your recall cue against, with really thorough step by step training, and also as he continues to mature. His recall might never work against everything, but you could still make some gains which open up more possibilities for off lead walks, and make walking less stressful Good luck, and do let us know how you get on!
Hi Sarah Thanks so much for the advice and interesting to hear about the research done on the subject. Good to know I am not alone and some other dogs experience this high prey drive to chase. Sometimes it can be a little frustrating when I'm in the park (especially recently when the parks have been so busy with more people jogging and cycling) and it appears that I'm the only dog owner using a lead whilst the other dogs are just walking along near their masters or playing with a group of dogs and my dog attempts to run across the park and play with them but can't as he's on a long lead which I often feel quite bad about. I've also had quite a few dog owners saying why can't I just take him off the lead to play as they seem puzzled until I explain. Luckily there are some fields with hills not too far away I can drive to where he can play with dogs without other distractions such as bikes and joggers. He's my first dog so wasn't sure if this is a common issue or I was doing something wrong with the training so it's helpful to know this information. Also interesting that I see a few other Irish Terriers when I'm out and about walking (though not often) and most of them are off leash walking calmly and their owners say they don't have a chase problem and have never done any training! Just proves that not all dogs of the same breed have the same chase drive, I'm just grateful that his behaviour is so good in many other ways so will have to accept that and continue enjoying having my lovely boy and sharing wonderful times together.
They have terriers that don't chase without training? Either they are being unduly modest about their training, or they're drugging their dogs! I can empathise with feeling like you have the only dog which needs to be on a lead, but it's really not the case. Let's face it, quite a few of those off lead dogs probably ought to be on one anyway, but that's a completely different rant!
Hi Sarah Just a quick update, the recall training with whistle using Pippa's Total Recall book was going very well for the first 4 months (during this time my 3 year old terrier was on chemical neutering for the first time via Suprelorin) however since the jag has now ceased and he's back to being intact full of testosterone again! I've noticed a definite change in obedience and his recall with whistle has deteriorated and he now often ignores the whistle completely when on walks. Very disappointing after getting quite far into the training program. He used to watch me and engage while on walks but now he just keeps his head to the ground most of the time when we're outdoors sniffing and scenting and so when I blow the whistle he usually ignores it, only rarely does he come to me on command now. I am not going back to Supreloron or neutering as aside from better recall there were some anxiety nervousness and aggression issues whilst on the drug which he hadn't demonstrated before and he's now much clamer relaxed and confident but it's just he ignores me and seems to be in a world of his own on walks and not as connected to my voice or whistle, is there.any way you could provide some tips to train recall to intact males? Thanks Amanda
