Recall
I'm looking for some advice please. We have an 8 month old OES bitch who won't come back when let off the lead. She circles and barks, coming close then running away again but basically refuses all attempts at recall. We've tried treats, ignoring her, walking the other way and long lead training but none seem to generate any improvement. Is this a common problem with OES? It strikes me she's playing at rounding up and is just reverting to type but it's becoming such a problem that we can't let her off the lead and therefore she's not getting as much exercise as I think she needs. Any ideas welcome please! Thanks |
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| 8 months is one of those hard ages. You have to double your efforts. Back on leash. Call once or twice and then if she doesn't come, she gets reeled back in. Don't reward reeling her back, she didn't respond to the recall. Only reward when she does it correctly, small treat, one "good girl" and then move on. Don't get upset with her, you are in charge and have the patience of Job (maybe). This brain dead period takes a bit longer to overcome but with you working on it 10 minutes at a time, several times a day, it should snap in place. No off leash until she is reliable on recall. Even a "fairly" reliable will forget everything if something better comes along. |
Ahhh OES selective deafness!!!  I would put her back on the lead (as much as I hate the lead sometimes we have too  ). Teach her close (or whichever command you want to use) - praising at every point she does this and hopefully she wont pull, if she does tug the lead a little and say no. Once you feel she is paying attention and listening to you drop the lead without her really noticing but still on the close command - see how she reacts. Then when you feel comfortable - stop let her walk on and then call her back - praising at each point. I am aiming to get Esher off the lead fully by the time she is six months old - Tia, her mom was off the lead at four months and then I did the lead training with her - I'm left handed and so do everything backwards!! Lincoln being the male - seems to be huh you talking to me attitude - so he's a Kevin in the making. Good luck and remember OES have selective deafness and innocence!!! Let us know how you get on!  |
Yep, I remember when Howie went through that stage. He could make us look like idiots in 20 seconds flat  . We did as Susan mentioned, back on leash a liver treats (his fav.)A few days ago Mark & I and Howie were out for a walk at the lake. Howie was off leash and running a little ahead. Then out of the blue he ran up to me, nudge the leash and sat. He wanted back on his leash! Not sure why, but he happily trotted beside us as we walked together. Go figure. Good luck with your training, it will pay off , it really is worth the effort. peg and howie |
| You can also play "the recall game"....You need at least two people to play and a leash...Put her on the leash with two people on opposite sides or if there are more people, sit in a circle....Have treats handy. One person gives her the command, using her name..."Doggy, Come...when she does, treat and praise. Person on other side now does the same...back and forth...Always use the same command and her name and always treat when she comes...Eventually she will associate the come with a great reward and you can wean off the treats... The recall is one of the most important things you can train and probably the hardest! be aware at 8 months they are beginning to 'feel their oats" and may run off so keep on leash and if you call her to come, be sure you can enforce it. Don't keep yelling come come come...command, enforce - even if it means going and getting her and bringing her back to you. And always always remember...you may lose your patience and want to scream when she runs of and finally comes back to you but NEVER yell at her when she comes to you. You want her to know coming to you will ALWAYS be a pleasant experience...Keep training...have patience and practice! |
Quote: you may lose your patience and want to scream when she runs of and finally comes back to you but NEVER yell at her when she comes to you.  Oh how many of us have seen (or done this  ) |
| Thanks all for your encouraging words and advice. It's good to know that others have had similar problems and that its hopefully something we can overcome in time. Everybody we meet who has or has had OES tell us what wonderful dogs they are, but in all honesty I didn't realise just how stubborn they can be. I've previously had a staffie bitch who was positively co-operative by comparison, but each breed brings with it it's own challenges. We have two young children and she shows a great deal of patience towards them both which was one of the main reason we chose an OES (not that staffs aren't good with kids, because in the main they are). We'll go back to the extendable lead and see where we go. Thanks again |
| Yep bloos the same. We go training, so we pick up tips. When we go to the park , i only let him off lead wheno other dogs are around, as hes to boustrois. I carry a magic treat bag everywhere i go. Everytime she comes back make her sit and reward. Have you tried letting someone hold her lead, then you sneak away, and call her. Always make it enjoyable for the dog. I make myself look silly, hehe... dance about going `yay blooey what a good boy, YAYY`  people think im mentalBloo comes back, then runs off again when i try to grab him  keep saying hes deaf Do you play fetch off lead ?? This ight be good place to start. |
SheepieBoss wrote: Quote: you may lose your patience and want to scream when she runs of and finally comes back to you but NEVER yell at her when she comes to you. Oh how many of us have seen (or done this )I remember being at the dog park years ago and this guy yelling and screaming for his dog to come, which the dog ignored. The guy was muttering that he was going to kill that dog when he got ahold him. I told dh that if I was that dog I wouldn't come either knowing what was in store for him. |
| My teachers always taught us that basic premis...As frustrated as you may be, when your dog does come to you, try to smile and give a trteat...You NEVER ever want your dog to think coming to you will be unpleasant...they must always know coming to you is the greatest thing...Its us humans that need to learn that! Ah. it can be so frustrating! Just rtemember to smile, and treat, and reward for coming to you..... |
| Hi all, Just a note to say that six weeks after my last posting we have seen a tremendous improvement! She is an absolute pleasure to walk now and comes back off the lead for treats. Still easily distracted when playing with other dogs, but this is understandable and we're just happy to be able to let her run about safe in the knowledge she'll come back to the lead when required. Much happier now and I think that goes for both of us. Thanks again for your encouraging words and advice. Amazing what a difference a few weeks can make! |
Rubes wrote: Hi all, Just a note to say that six weeks after my last posting we have seen a tremendous improvement! She is an absolute pleasure to walk now and comes back off the lead for treats. Still easily distracted when playing with other dogs, but this is understandable and we're just happy to be able to let her run about safe in the knowledge she'll come back to the lead when required. Much happier now and I think that goes for both of us. Thanks again for your encouraging words and advice. Amazing what a difference a few weeks can make! Thanks for letting us know how it went! It is important to see the results so that the next person having the same problem (which might just be me the next time I get a puppy!) can learn that things did improve. |
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