David is in New York this week and Grace my daughter is back from Uni and kindly offered to walk Charlie for me. Twice this week she has had to let his lead go as he first spotted a Pheasant and she couldn't hold him, he went for about 5 minutes but came back, Grace did not recall him. Today he saw a rabbit being chased by a fox so again she had no option but to let go of the lead or risk injury herself, Charlie returned after approx. 5 minutes. Teenagers think they know everything and she would not put Charlie on his harness which would, I think have avoided these incidences as she would have had control. My question is will this have refuelled Charlie's desire to hunt away for longer periods of time again, we have been so very, very careful with his training, which as you know has taken a heck of a long time? :'( Thanks x
Re: Not so good Helen - oh dear, we have one of those teenage daughters too. But don't worry - the short answer is no. Take him out yourself and reinforce your training and all will be well. Think of it this way - if one 'super reward' (in this case running off after a rabbit) sorted out the conditioning once and for all, then the opposite would also be true - and we all know that's not the case (thinking of the endless hours spent training) So all will be fine although some retraining of teenage daughter will be required
Re: Not so good I don't think he will have forgotten. The fact he was with your daughter altered the rules. I would insist she uses the harness although not easy insisting with teenagers especially when she offered to help. You could also tell her how to BAT. She will probably look at you like you've gone mad. If she spots a potential Charlie trigger a dog, rabbit, pheasant, cat, first she distracts Charlie with tasty treats. Also 5 minutes isn't long compared to what he used to be like is it ? Next time you let Charlie off I'd maybe concentrate on keeping his attention to begin with, quick recall between you and David for example so he doesn't have time to think. I don't think you need to worry though .
Re: Not so good Close the page and start the book again tomorrow Helen , these dogs arent daft , they know who they can " play ", please dont despair x
Re: Not so good As Jen says, I'm sure dogs realise there are different rules with different people. Molly certainly behaves differently with my OH, my son and me. Fingers crossed for you.
Re: Not so good It'll be ok Helen. Tomorrow is a new day, with new rules. One of those rules is - you walk the dog, you use the harness!!
Re: Not so good I agree with everyone else Harley walks very different with me than with my husband......she does pull a lot with hubby, but with me it is getting a lot better. I would insist on the harness (I do with my daughter)
Re: Not so good I hide the slip lead and only put out the harness and fixed lead for everyone else to use
Re: Not so good Seriously Helen? A fox CHASING a rabbit? That is a big big temptation! Hiding the lead might be a good option....
Re: Not so good A return after 5 minutes isn't really too bad in the scheme of things...... I think that actually reflects the work you've put in. He could've been gone much, much longer. But it won't happen again as now it's harness or nuthin'
Re: Not so good Helen,whilst I know this wasn't an ideal situation and you are understandably miffed.....the fact that he came back after 5 minutes should be a great confidence builder for you,I know the fear of the previous absconding episodes is never far away ,understandably.I wasn't around in those days but I know he used to do the off for hours .....amazing progress and by goodness he had temptation
Re: Not so good Yes Helen. I was overcome by the image of the wildlife.... 5 mins is nothing compared to before - a pat on the back for you, I agree. You just need to get Grace trained up. Charlie is doing great. He was probably pushing the boundaries, I bet he wouldn't have done that with you or David. Keep up the good work!
Re: Not so good Thanks everyone, all back to normal and no damage done Charlie had about 20 minutes off lead walks this weekend and came back when recalled xx
Re: Not so good [quote author=charlie link=topic=6440.msg86612#msg86612 date=1402328051] Thanks everyone, all back to normal and no damage done Charlie had about 20 minutes off lead walks this weekend and came back when recalled xx [/quote] That is brilliant to hear Helen
Re: Not so good That's great Helen. I was wondering earlier if you'd had Charlie off lead and how you'd got on. Was going to ask but you've already answered. ;D
Re: Not so good Thanks ladies, we are trying really hard not to let anything knock our confidence or Charlie's. We are really chuffed that he is enjoying a little time off lead and that the training seems to be paying off, so maybe that penny has finally dropped : xx
