Katie, who is 8 months, had, until quite recently, a near perfect recall. However, she has recently started ignoring my call when she is around water. We usually walk near water and play fetch with a ball. She has stopped bringing the ball directly back to me when we are near the water and instead wanders off into the water with it. When I call her, she completely ignores me! At other times, when we are not near water, she still comes every time and brings the ball back to me. Today we went for a walk in a new place and she totally ignored our calls and jumped into the water. I am not sure how to get her to understand that yes, even when she is around water, she needs to come back. I've tried giving her treats when she comes back and she is, shockingly, not really interested. (Like most labs, she is always hungry so this is a surprise.) All she really wants is her ball and some water to swim in!
Re: Recall around water! Harley is nearly 8 months and loves water too. I have started throwing the bal in the water for her and she quickly got that if she brings it back, she gets to go in again. Do you encourage Katie to go in the water or does she think it's not allowed?
Re: Recall around water! I usually throw the ball in the water for her to retrieve and she used to bring it straight back. Now she has started wandering a little with it.
Re: Recall around water! Hmmmmmm, I do wonder sometimes if they are hitting the naughty teenage years! Harley is still brilliant in water with coming back, but a few days ago, in a field, she would not come back from another dog no matter what I did (ran backwards, jumped up and down with a treat in my hand etc), eventually I said 'bye' in a normal voice and started to walk off.....she was with me in a flash :
Re: Recall around water! What treats are you using Alli? Water is a powerful distraction and needs powerful rewards (juicy roast chicken for example) It is possible that she is beginning to view being called from water as the end of her fun. You might need to sort this out with a check cord. The idea is to teach her that swimming, or fetching her ball, or even you throwing her ball, is contingent upon a recall from near or even in, the water. So you'd be using access to water as her reward for a recall. A training lead lets you get the first few recalls in so that you can show her you are going to let her have another go. You obviously need to be very careful using a training lead around water to avoid tangling. Avoid anywhere with submerged branches or other hazards. Before you resort to a long line, it is worth trying some old tricks like running away from her (making her believe you are actually going home without her if she does not come back) If you are successful in getting her back, reward her by letting her go back in the water again. It is really tempting to want to get away from the water to avoid another conflict, but this is counter productive.
Re: Recall around water! Well, I totally screwed up today. First, her recall around water hasn't gotten much better even though I upped the treat to bites of cheese, which she loves. Then the ball must have gotten a hole in it and sank out in the water before she could get to it. She swam round and round looking for the ball. Then she completely ignored me while I recalled her. She swam for probably a good 15 minutes completely ignoring my call. I finally walked away and hid behind a tree further up the path. That did it because she came looking for me. My big screw-up was that, instead of letting her get back in the water like you suggested, I took her home because I was so pissed off! I completely forgot that you said NOT to do that. She seems to know that I am angry with her too. I guess I will be buying a check cord and trying to undo the damage. Argh.
Re: Recall around water! Don't be too cross with yourself Alli, there is always another day Use a long line to get her retrieving and recalling from the shallows. If you are not worried about steadiness, her reward can be another immediate throw of the ball. Hang on to the line to begin with and when you feel confident that she will come back, (after several successful sessions on several different occasions) let the line trail on the ground. You can fade the line by cutting bits off it, or swapping it for a shorter one
