As I said in a previous post, I'm collecting an adolescent dog on Saturday. Hes a blank canvas apparently however has basic obedience. When it comes to walking him for the first time, would it be advisable to let him off the lead and gauge him properly? Or keep him on a long line? Also Im only assuming that his recall won't be perfect or maybe even good. Should I start from the beginning of total recall? I lm struggling to think of a way that prevents him from rewarding himself whilst on walks. Any help would be great! Thanks.
Hi there, I would definitely keep your dog on a long line outdoors for the first couple of weeks at least. That way you can build a bond with him a and figure out how to keep him focused on you without worrying about him heading over the horizon Good luck with your dog and let us know how you get on!
Your new adolescent dog is not a blank canvas. He is coming to your with all his previous life experiences - good and bad. Any dog coming into a new home needs time to settle, to feel relaxed and comfortable. Many dogs entering new homes are 'perfect' for the first weeks and then any problem behaviours start becoming apparent. So I would focus on just building a strong relationship with him and rewarding all the good decisions he makes without any emphasis on 'obedience' training. Definitely don't let him off lead on walks as you have no relationship with him and no record of recall behaviour rewarded and 'banked' with him.
Lots of info here on using a training lead effectively - https://www.thelabradorsite.com/using-a-training-lead-on-your-labrador/
Ok thank you, I often read that one of the best ways to bond with a dog is to carry out some basic training? Would it be a bad idea to reward and reinforce stuff he has already learnt? Im taking 2 weeks off work with him to try and establish that initial bond.
Please excuse my ignorance, however, the article mentions a 5m and 10m line depending on situation. What would you suggest would be ideal for mine? Thank you
Not it's fine to reward behaviours he might already know, but you have a lifetime of teaining opportunities ahead of you so I would focus rewarding for attention/eye contact, name recognition and start building all those 'life skills' rather than formal sit, down etc at the moment
If you are able to train / walk on open ground then I'd get the longer one. The downside of the longer ones is that they are more likely to get tangled
Personally if you have no experience of a long line, which should only be used clipped to a harness, I would recommend the 5m as it is easier to manage. It is long enough to allow some freedom but also lots of opportunity for rewarding for coming when called, check-in etc. I always train keeping a dog within an imaginary circle around me - far enough to give some freedom but not too far for emergency action. 5m is also easier to manage should you find your new family member being a little uncertain of something - 10m can be a pain to manage.
Thank you, I went with the one that's recommended on the article. We have a lot of open ground so hopefully shouldn't be to hard to manage!
Thanks, I did go with the 10m as mentioned in the article. Hopefully it isn't too hard to manage. Already have a harness for use with it.
I had a rescue dog when he was 13 months old, he had only lived in Gundog kennels, no outlook except a brick wall, a barrel to sleep in and a bucket of water. He was paralysed with fear when I picked him up with my other two dogs, we arrived home and I put him in the utility room with the door open so he could choose were he wanted to be. This is the mad part, I took him up on the top of my hills and LET HIM OFF the lead, gambling that he would want to be with me, when he went one way, I went the other! It worked but I don't think I would ever have the courage to do something like that again!
