Hi, Looking through the training recall thread and just wondered what we should do about taking our dog on his daily walk. We take him every day to a location where he has a 30 minute walk, off lead, where he can play with other dogs that we meet regularly. His recall is non-existent when other dogs are around so we are using the guide through the labrador site to re-train his recall. Should we now change his daily walk routine to a lead based walk or is it ok to continue as normal during the time we re-train? Thanks in advance!
Hi @Rob Smith, isn't the answer it all depends. If your dog can run off with another dog, and escape from the dog park (?), then he should not be off lead until you have a rock solid recall. If you need to be able to recall him if he is bullying a new dog, then you need a reliable recall. If he could knock over someone, then yes you need to keep him under effective control. If you are just worried about the off lead walking spilling over to reinforcing selective deafness, then just don't use the word come. When you are ready to go home just walk over to your dog and slip on the lead. Don't attempt recall unless you can be sure you can ensure it will happen. Might I be bold enough to suggest that you should think about spicing up your routine. Put the dog in the car and drive to a town you've never walked before. Socially walk the new area. Let the dog sniff new worlds. Sniff new narratives. Engage with your dog rather than letting the dog believe that life is meant to be running with the same dogs at the same dog park. Variety is the spice of a dog's life too.
Hi Michael, Thanks for your reply, I think I may not have made my concern fully clear. George is 16 months old and has been having off lead walks since he was 6 months old, under advice from a trainer in our local area. His recall is ok until other dogs appear, at which point he ignores us completely. We want to re-train/train his recall but we are not sure whether we should restrict his daily walk to lead only until he/we are at stage 4 of this guide: https://www.thelabradorsite.com/train-a-puppy-or-dog-to-come/ George is very boisterous on his walks and I think having read your reply I would now probably describe some of his behaviour around other dogs as bullying. His latest discovery at our regular walk spot is wild rabbits so he now self rewards by going in search of them instead of returning to us. In general he will keep all four paws on the floor around humans, but there are certain women that he likes to jump up to which we find strange and do not understand the association he is making to display this behaviour. Oddly though, when we take him into town and go for a coffee he will sit or lay by us at the table and generally just watch other dogs walk past without trying to get up and pull toward them. It is only when people come to him to say hello, or bring their dog for a hello, he knows he is then allowed to show interest. We do take him wherever we can so that he is getting the variety you describe. He loved the lochs in the highlands, and the beaches on the Norfolk coast line. France is the next new location in the pipe line. Again usually he is very well behaved when on his lead in new areas but manages to sniff out any food that has been dropped and it is straight in his stomach before you realise that he has found any. This is difficult to manage as we have to constantly look at the floor to spot anything before George, as well as looking where we are going and if there is any other distraction we need to avoid!
Hi Rob - You need to get a 10m long-line to train your dog, because you will need a way to prevent him from ignoring you and running off to other dogs. I highly recommend a biothane long line as they don't get smelly or wet or absorb water... and tend to get stuck on things less as well. Then you will need some AMAZINGLY tasty treats: Like sardines, smoked mackerel, paté, gourmet wet dog food.... And a plastic toddler spoon to give them to the dog without getting them all over you. Decide what your recall phrase will be - like "Fido Come" "Fido Here" "Fido This Way" for example - and always call the same thing, in the same pitch of voice. It should not be just your dog's name (Fido) as you probably say this a million times a day and it doesn't always mean 'come here desperately urgently'... When walking in locations with other dogs and using the long-line to train a recall, it's important that the other dogs don't come over to you and your dog whilst you are trying to prevent your dog from reaching theirs - because that defeats the purpose of using the long line. At first, pick locations without other dogs around and really drill that recall for the amazing treats, over and over. Then you can venture back into areas with other dogs and hopefully maintain that... Good luck.
Hi @Rob Smith on the basis of the additional information I largely agree with @Jo Laurens entry. Where I differ is the length of the long line. 10 metres is unwieldy. Few trainers can deal with such a length. All of my students struggle with a 5 metre lead but with a bit of guidance and practice they can manage that length. After practicing recall without any other dogs my suggestion would be to first practice recalls when other dogs are in the distance with a standard length lead. Once that behaviour is rock solid then graduate to a 5 metre long line. The reason for using the shorter lead first is that the closer you are to your dog the less distracting are the other dogs even though they might be in the distance. Your dog has a history of play with the other dogs so you will want to create situations that allows your dog to win.
You don't hold the whole of the 10 m leash - you drop it on the floor so the dog trails it, and only grab it if you need it. So to that degree, it doesn't matter how long it is - BUT if it is too short, a dog just won't get much exercise because they won't be able to go far enough away from you before you call them back. You always want the end of the leash to be reachable, on the ground, so if it is 5m, the dog will never be more than 5m away from you.... 10m is the standard length really, for recall training, and also the length which the Clix recall long-lines are made at. You can get 5m lines too, and these are ideal for BAT purposes - where you are holding all the leash, all the time.
Agree, 10 m long line is a perfect for recall training, and don't buy textile one because of smell after a while
Hi I'm new to this site but I'm having problems with recall with my 18 month old lab. It's getting worse by the day. I have just been out with her and it really worked. My question is though how long do I need to do this for and how will I know if she's ready to be let off again? She's been trained to the eyes and can do every trick in the training book. It's just that she's started to hunt especially in the woods.
Hi @Beryl Nicks can you please tell us how you have proofed your dog's recall? ìm not clear what is going on because your account fails to supply enough informatin. Ýou initially say the recall is not woriKng. And that he just did it now. What had changed? The environment? The degree of distractions? Your distance from the distractions?
