My young dogs recall has just started to break down. Bit of a back story, the dog is around a year and a half. I live in quite a rural area and my dog has been off the lead since a puppy. I've worked a lot on recall, started on a long lead then moved off least as my dog could be trusted. She's been perfect up until these last couple of weeks. I mean outstanding as soon as she hears the recall she comes zooming back to me no matter what she is doing. I use a whistle (5 pips means come back) . The other week somthing happened, she loves those kids thin plastic football's and she goes crazy for them. She found one on a walk, I called her back and to my surprise she completely ignored me (I assume she though I would take her new favourite toy away from her) . This is where I messed up, i tried going after her and putting her on the lead. This is where it turned into a game of keep away!!! It lasted for about 15 min, and she was having the time of her life. I only used the whistle once and did not use it again because I was afraid I could burn my trusty recall command and she would learn to ignore it. So next few walks it was back on the long lead. I though I nipped it in the bud but I clearly haven't. Her recall has been a little slower and less enthusiastic since and once or twice in the last couple of weaks she has ignored it. Last walk a few hours ago I was playing fetch, she got tired then decided to turn it into a game of keep away (I saw what she was doing and didn't even bother to use my recall as she would just ignore it) . I mainly ignored her and got her back by striking a run can I found against a metal fence. The strange sound was too interesting to resist and I was able to get her on the lead pretty easily. My problem is how can I deal with this dog, what steps do I need to take to not make this a permanent problem? I'm really gutted as I've worked so hard on the recall and have had a dog I can really trust for the last year and a half. Her main trigger for the game of keep away is when she has a toy we've been playing with and somthing triggers her to want to change the game from fetch to keep away. The only other time in the last few weeks is when someone left the back gate open, she ran out to explore, knew I wanted her back, so that changed to keep away. Will be gutted if she has to go on long again permantly as we spend most our times in the woods, so it's not practical. Or mabye stop playing fetch unless it's in a secure area? Mabye I've become to predictable and not fun enough?
When she was an 8 week old puppy I bought the book total recall and built her recall using that. Long time since I looked at the book so might re read it.
Hi @Yant0s I suggest you buy a plastic football. But hide it in a bag. When she comes on hearing the cue let her play with the ball. Have her on a long line so that she doesn't run off with ball. Use something of very high value, such a sardine, to exchange for the ball. Put the ball away in the bag, and place in your car. Reset and repeat at other sessions until you are confident she will return and willingly exchange the ball for your other reinforcer.
The park she did it in is only about 100 yards from the house and the woods we walk in is just beyond. Last night when it was cool, I walked her on heel off leash to the park (its very quite, no cars and her heel work is strong). As soon as we got to the park I put her on a long lead. I worked her with her frisbee by some play sand that triggers her excitement, I also played either her to the point of getting tired and bored (I normally never do this). With both being tired and the sand, I could see she was just about to play "keep away". I don't know if what I was doing was 'correct' but I wanted to trigger her into acting up, so I could learn how to deal with it and teach her it's not fun. Anyways she started acting up, and the fact that I had her on a long lead have me confidence I could catch her anytime. I remained completly calm and unaffected, she looked at me at to say "why are you so unreactive, why aren't you chasing me like an idiot around the park". A few seconds later she trotted over to me, handed me the toy and the game of fetch continued. What I learned is "It's my metal state that is the reason the game carries on. She must sence my stress and this make the game more fun for her". Is what I did ok??? Setting things up so she is going to act up, but in a way I can control her and the consiquences. Sort of like, if you she tries to initiate a game of keep away, she just stands their like a lemon and she doesn't get the chase she wants. Giving her no other choice than if she wants to run and play she has to come to me and play fetch. How long should I keep the long lead thing up? I know I could cheat and keep a ball in my pocket. So if she acts up, I could ignore her, show her it's boring for her to play by herself and play with my own ball. Until she comes back????
Also I think I've become complacent. I think I've fallen into the trap that I think she is now a well behaved dog and training and constant reinforcing behaviour has taken a back seat. So today I've started to take it more seriously again. Come back from a walk in the woods today. She was amazing, I started by keeping her on lead in the park, the new problem area . Got into the woods, she was off lead but on the heel command for a few minutes. Then I let her off to play, when she got more that about 10 metres away I would turn and walk the opposite direction. I was trying to "loose" her, obviously she would turn around a few seconds later and charge back to me. Kept on repeating this a few times. Then she was choosing to walk to my heel, in her free play time. Did a few sits and stays, was staying for a few min while I walked a out 70 meters away, sometimes out of sight. Didn't move until I walked back and told her she could go play each time. Done a game of hiding her toy when she wasent looking and played a game of "hunting it", Well zig zaggingand sniffing furiously until she found it and brought it to me. Did a few stays at me heel, whilst I threw her toy. She had to stay until I release her to fetch the toy for me. She did everything perfectly. I was the center of her universe this waln and she wouldn't leave my side. To be honest every walked used to be like this with her. Constantly playing and bonding. But as time as gone on its just turned into a normal walk and less fun. So mabye this is where the game of keep away has come from? I've become too boring and predictable?
Ok, so your main problem is keep-away - and keep-away is a retrieving problem - not a recall problem. Your dog's enjoyment of keep-away (with an object) has affected her recall. I would highly recommend you do the clicker retrieve with your dog, simply because it's the most effective way of working with and preventing keep-away problems that I know of. For the same reason, it's the most effective way of dealing with resource-guarding. Which is closely related to keep-away. If you want to do the clicker retrieve, I run a 5 week online course on the subject and you can email me at jo@dogworks.org.uk for more info. Any time there is an object involved, the problem is a retrieving issue - not a recall issue... Lastly: I highly recommend that you find a dog sport which involves interacting with your dog, in a rural environment - so that all this time you spend 'walking' the dog, is actually spend training the dog to work with and co-operate with you, in a distracting location. Dogs learn what is reinforcing and if you just repeatedly 'walk' them they are just learning that the environment is reinforcing and you are boring.... Gundog training would be my recommendation because so far it's about the only dog sport I know that can replace a 'walk' for physical and mental stimulation...
