Hi Alfie is nine months old and lovely most of the time; he walks fairly well to heel, will sit when told, will retrieve (if he isnt too distracted), but (theres always a but) his recall has suddenly become awful. We have always worked really hard on practising his recall everyday, always rewarding him for coming back, taken him to training classes since he was 12 weeks old and currently do gundog training with him every other saturday, and he does it beautifully at home away from any distraction and food but once outside he just ignores us then when you try to catch him to prevent him self rewarding he knows and will run away. Sometimes he will even stop when he hears his recall signal look at you then go the other way . We have worked been so careful at training him and now i just feel so disheartened everytime I take him out. Any advice would be really greatfully received.
I thought my kids had a really good, firm and loving upbringing but at 16 my eldest daughter decided she didn't need us anymore! She came back to being lovely at some point nearing age 20. I think it's no different with the adolescent dog. No matter how good your training some will rebel. I'm no expert at all (not even vaguely close) but I do think lots of dogs do this and then come good again. Your efforts won't be in vain long term. I'm afraid I've no advice on how to handle this rebellious stage, so I'm totally useless for your actual question!
I think I have read somewhere on here, or the main site, about retraining your recall during adolescence - we also have a nine month old that is pushing the boundaries at the moment as with you always rewarded a recall, but I've found I've had to step up the value of the rewards - he used to come for kibble now its chicken or hotdog sausage! We've also at times used a long line to make sure he can't run off too far, but due to my total incompetence at using the long line (tied up like a Christmas turkey once - me not Bailey!) I'm not keen on using it my OH is better with it than me. Bailey also has a high chase drive so I always have a ball for him to chase around, usually a rugby ball. If he decides that he's still honing to run away I find making an odd noise (one that gets his attention) then running off in a different direction brings him back (then give him a treat). I'm no expert by any stretch of the imagination but this is working for me at the moment.
I'd suggest looking at play with you as a reward as well as food. Teach some exciting games at home (different from your gundog retrieves) such as tuggy or catch and then as soon as you let Alfie off lead engage in a game with him. End it before he's bored, let him sniff, run etc and then recall him for another exciting game. Make a noise, squeal, sound bubbling over with the delight of it all! I agree it is partly age / stage of development and you shouldn't feel down, but on the other hand changing what you do can help see you through it.
Train, train, train and train some more. This is the age it can all fall apart and can be very disheartening. Try to put it out of your mind that he used to be able to do it, because at this stage of development, the environment suddenly becomes so much more interesting, which means that, even in places he was perfect before, the level of distraction is amplified to heights you just haven't proofed yet. Start again from the beginning. It won't take as long as it did the first time, don't worry, but if you work through the stages from the beginning, you'll be setting yourselves up for success rather than frustration. Good luck, it will come
Thank you for your responses - made me feel much better about the whole thing!! Time to up the treat value, re start the exercise and limit the 'free time'. Thank you!!!
It this possible that you might have done some mistakes along the path so maybe try to analyze a bit what you were doing and when you were doing it. with dogs everything is about timing. With good timing you can teach them anything. For instance if you call your dog and you put him on the leash the second he cames to you? If you do that, he will not feel very rewarded even if you stick some thing to eat in his mouth. So he might not come the second time you are calling him. Try to make yourself a bit more interesting to your dog so that he enjoys coming to you. Food is just one way to reward your dog and if he is not hungry he might no appreciate food over freedom (i am saying this because you said you are carefully rewarding the dog). Afaik food and freedom are the best rewards so if you take one and give the other in exchange, it might not be enough. Try this: When you recall your dog ONCE, if he is not coming, try to run away FROM him (this should stimulate him to come). If he comes give him some snack and don't put the leash try to pet him, talk with him, try to engage in a bit of a play and do not put the leash. Let him roam again and repeat. Of course if necessary put the leash but try to do it just after he is next to you for about 2-3 minutes or so. That should teach him that when coming to you it will not automatically mean that freedom is over. Good luck.
What I found after similar experience where Vanilla was not returning, do the recall closer to you the first time again. This way she knew that when the whistle went it was time for a nice treat and a game/belly rub or cuddle. This allowed me to increase the distance again. We have been doing this for the last few weeks and I can now gradually increase her distance again or distraction. Plus I still do a couple of recalls at home just to make sure it is not forgoten. First one never has a food treat, just a game. Which makes second one more exciting for her as she speeds up more. Might be worth a try? Don't get disheartend it will swing back in your favour again...
I do not think a good recall is all about recall training. I think you can train recall until the cows come home, but if you don't have engagement, you are not exactly wasting your time, but nearly wasting your time. And nothing you can do can make your training stand up against distractions. It's all about the dog being engaged with you. Everything is about this. If you have engagement, you can train effectively. If you don't - well, forget it. It's engagement that gets you through the tough bits. The dog really, really wanting to be with you. Knowing that the best things happen when he comes back etc. It's not just about the rewards you dish out for recall, or whatever, it's much more about your dog thinking the universe revolves around you. Some people call this 'relationship' but I think that's misleading because 'relationship' suggests it's about whether your dog likes/loves you. It's not that - it's whether your dog thinks you are exciting and interesting. Engagement (and focus) is a behaviour, it can be trained like anything else.
I've noticed this during loose leash walking training. That's been a struggle for Libby but I have finally, after much 'watch me' time, click, and treat, got her focused on me and she has GREATLY improved.
