Hi, all! I'm writing half puzzled, half anguished... like a teenager's mother (which I actually am ). Today, Ema ran away from me after I called her to C&T as usual after pooing. She simply ignored the call and as I moved towards her and called her again she deliberately ran faster. It wasn't a play invitations, as sometimes is, but rather defying me... I simply grabbed her, put her on the lead, said NO! really angry, and took her home with no sniffing or greeting. I also locked her on the balcony for a while (which I NEVER do, as she's allowed everywhere in the house, except bedrooms). My question is, was I right to "punish" her like that, or do you have any other suggestions? Thanks a million and ALL THE BEST FOR THE COMING YEAR!
I don’t think it was the right thing to punish her because she won’t understand that she was marched home and locked on the balcony because she didn’t come when you called. The thing to do is to reward the coming when called in situations where there are no distractions to start with -like from one room to another within your house. Then gradually build up to places / situations where there are more distractions. In the meantime just go and get her without calling when you’re in a situation where you think she won’t respond. Hand in hand with this, build your relationship with your dog by playing games when you’re out and about so that she learns to think of you as the source of all good things. The book Total Recall by Pippa Mattinson gives a really detailed training program for Recall, giving much more detail than I have given. It’s available for kindle as well as book form.
Hi, Joy! I understand your point of view, but I believe we should NOT reward the dog (continue to run, sniff, play) after a bad behaviour (ignoring the recall). That is one of Pippa's advice in her Guide. I will read "Recall" though! Thanks and all the best for 2018!
I absolutely don’t think to punish her was the right things to do. She wasn’t ‘defying’ you dogs simply don’t think like that. Being with you needs to be exciting, fun… the best place to be. If you grab her, attach the lead and shout at her what incentive will she have to recall. If someone grabbed, you by the neck & shouted at you: you soon wouldn’t want to be returning to them. Then walking all the way home to punish her again by locking her on the balcony, she won’t understand what was happening, she won’t assimilate that the balcony punishment was anything to do with not recalling to you. Spend time putting the lead on & off so she doesn’t associate lead with home, fun over. As Joy, I would recommend the book total recall.
You absolutely don’t want to reward a failed recall, in those times simply go & get her without saying anything or rewarding & certainly not punishing, simply ignore it & set up a simple recall even on the end of the lead or long line where you’re guaranteed a success to finish on a positive. Do lots of training simple recall scenarios & build up from there. Set her up for some successes then slowly progress to distractions etc
I didn’t suggest rewarding her when she didn’t come -but don’t punish her. Not rewarding is not the same as being cross and shouting as you said you had done. I am saying that you should simply go and get her (and not call at all) in situations where your recall clearly isn’t going to work yet. To train your dog to come when you call, call your dog in circumstances where it is easy for her to respond and reward her. Then gradually increase the distance and distractions that you are calling her away from.
As others have said, punishing is not the way forward. After a failed recall like that (or any other failure) we tried to immediately do something successful. Do something that the dog knows how to do, for example a stay-wait, to get the dog (and us) back on a positive track. After that we might start to do some more recall training.
