Myles started out so good when I would let him off lead (dropped short lead). But lately he has discovered trying to get me to chase him. This has been a problem since he was a baby even in my yard. I don't know how to get it out of him. Today proved I need a long lead (was just using his leash). And not long enough to step on it to catch him. Im sure I'm doing everything wrong in the process, simply don't know how to get him to stop doing this. For the first few weeks he seemed satisfied to be off lead and follow me, checking in. Doing some sit, stay. I've tried fetch but he won't stick to it. Just need some tips on what steps to follow to break him of the urge to get me to chase him. He has decided this is the MOST fun thing to do off lead!
Firstly, never chase him. It's a great game and he'll love playing it. Once your dog realises you can't catch him you're in a world of trouble. Don't let him learn that! A couple of suggestions: Try running away from HIM. Dogs have a strong chase instinct so he'll probably come after you. If not, add in some high-pitched, exciting squeals as you run, wave your arms around etc. Yes, you'll look like a loony, but it'll make you fun for your dog to come and chase! When you're walking, hide. He'll want to know where you are and will come hunting for you. Similar to the above, do lots of about-turn walks. If he runs ahead, turn around and walk in the opposite direction. When he catches up with you, turn again. By being completely unpredictable, he'll want to stay closer so he can know where you are. You may not actually get anywhere on your walk, but walking your dog should be more about him than you anyway, so who cares? Click and treat him for checking in. You need to make yourself the most fun thing in his world. As young puppies, this is easy because they have a strong desire to stay with you, but as they get older, their confidence grows and their environment becomes more exciting to them. You have to make yourself worthwhile. So lots of treats for coming to say hi unprompted. At first, this may just be clicking for looking at you from a distance, but as time goes on, you can reward more stringently; for coming within five feet, then coming to the heel position etc. Teach him to hand target if you've not done this already. It's a fun game for them - Shadow will run a great distance to slam his nose into my hand.
First of all, don't chase him , this is a massive game to him , he runs and you run after him . If its a safe environment, run in the opposite direction, you`ll soon have him chasing you . I think sometimes, its a case of back to basics , training sessions, short ones, on the garden and indoors and only recall him when he is actually coming towards you, then treats . Forget the sit, stay for now , recall is the most important lesson to learn , the long line is a valuable tool to use and again, only use your recall word ( Come or Here ) when he is coming to you . Keep using the long line until you feel confident enough to let him off lead but only in a safe place away from roads, make sure that the treats are really high value like chopped up pieces of sausage . Have you thought about buying Pippas book Total Recall ? Its well worth it
Thank you both. Good reminders and I most definitely will not rely on his short lead anymore. I failed in not chasing him (I was slightly panicked), so will have to work on ME. Again if I had had him in a long lead (I do have one), I could have stepped on it then tried running from him to get him to chase me. I did actually do this and he did chase me, but then he ran past me and continued wanting to play the game. It was all one big no no on my part. I have Pippa's book in my Amazon cart, time to push the button! He does know hand touch, but he's not super eager to do if. I've never been able to use it to my benefit (get him to come) or anything. He will only do it reliably indoors and when he knows we are in clicker training mode. I will take a few steps back and try to work on this more in my yard or at least with long lead, and better treats! I have gotten lazy on bringing the good stuff on our walks. And no more chasing him. Shoot, hope I haven't ruined him already
No, you haven't ruined him, don't panic , if I can teach a rescue terrier of around 9 years of age to recall , then so can you teach your youngster, its never ever too late to start over
The way I built enthusiasm for hand targeting is by standing in front of them in a wide stance, bouncing a little bit from one foot to the other like a goalie, hands behind my back, then saying "Reeeeeeaaaaaaddddddyyyyy? Steeaaaaaaaadddddddyyyyyyyy........... TOUCH!" as I whipped my hand out. It made it the most fun game ever! Then, I gradually built up the distance. It's good for steadiness, too - put him in a sit, then he needs to stay still while you're being exciting in front of him until you whip out the hand. I haven't really used the hand target for a lot, but it was a good stepping stone on to targeting other things - a target stick which you can then use to train other behaviours by getting him to follow the stick which you can hold out at a distance from you. I'm now just starting to use targets that are stuck into the ground, which will eventually help me to train direction work. All from the foundation of the hand target
You can also build up the desire for him to chase you by giving him a gentle push away from you and then running wildly in the opposite direction. This will REALLY ignite his desire to chase YOU. I also like hiding and then going "where's mom???" and she comes running to find me. ANother option is putting him in a wait and then releasing him to come to you for a treat. That all builds up a "I run to mom, she doesn't run to me" approach. And anything where you hold them back from coming to you ignites their desire TO come to you lol.
