Dog Recalls? My dog won't come back!!!!! Please help?

Question

I have a 4 1/2 year old male whole boxer, who is very good at listening to all my commands other than the come ( as in come back) one!!! And I'm at my wits end - this is truly a battle of the wills and I'm losing......I think it's at the point were he will no longer be able to be allowed of his lead - especially as he ran off today and ended up upsetting another older whole male dog ( but IT WAS NOT SERIOUS) I felt awful - What can I do?

Ok - you guys are great - I forgot to mention that he doesn't seem to be overly motivated by treats! And we used to attend puppy classes for 18 months when we first got him - do you think it's worth returning? And how do I get him motivated by food! Boy can he be stubborn if he doesn't want it - even if its steak he would rather go without!

Answer 1

If he's not motivated by food, does he have a favourite toy? (One thing to note here is that treats are more of a motivation to the dog BEFORE his dinner)

One common mistake people make is to get so sick of calling their dog that when they finally do get hold of it, the walk is over. The dog learns that coming to you means the end of a fun walk, so he doesn't come to you any more.

Next time he comes to you, give lots of praise, touch his collar as if to put his lead on, then let him go again.

If that doesn't work, try putting the lead on him (when you finally get hold of him), walking a few metres then letting him go again. He will then learn that coming to you means he gets a treat/toy/etc. AND the walk isn't over.

No matter how long it takes to come to you, ALWAYS praise him for doing so. Dog logic doesn't work like ours - they link the consequence with their latest action only. So even though in your mind you'd be telling the dog off for not coming to you immediately, he thinks "running away is bad, coming to owner is even worse".

If that doesn't work, have a look in your library for further dog training tips.

Really hope that helps. Best of luck.

P.S. Another thought. Getting your dog neutered might be a good idea.

His running away so far doesn't sound as though it's linked to this BUT... If he's still entire and smells a b.itch on heat you really will have trouble getting him back!!

Answer 2

The problem is that whats happening elsewhere is more attractive than recalling; treats are useless fo this so don't bother. And negative re-inforcement is a really bad idea. When you say 'come' you don't then want to punish him, as he'll associate the punishment with the word 'come', not with him failing to comply.
First, change the word you use. Then teach him the command 'stop' by practising in the garden and at every kerb you cross when you walk him. You want him to stop dead on command.
Then teach him down at distance, meaning wherever you are, he has to lie and stay put while you approach him.
If you see him interested in another dog and about to run off, you get in there first and give the stop and then the down command. You walk over to him and put his lead on, then walk him over to the other dog so he doesn't see being put on his lead as a punishment and the end of his fun.
Take the battle out of the recall and stop using it for now!

Answer 3

use a very long line for the first few weeks. let him move a small distance away and call him, and if he does this okay then let him get a little bit further every time. Lots of praise and treats when he does come back. Also dont feed him before you go out and he will be more food motivated if he is hungry. If he does manage to run away, then you should run in the other direction making high pitched exciting noises. if you make yourself more interesting to him than anything else, he will chase after you.

Answer 4

Basic Training of the Puppy - Read here https://tr.im/byqI8

The new puppy is certainly one of the most adorable and cuddly creatures that has ever been created. It is the most natural thing in the world to shower it with love and affection. However, at the same time it is important to realize that if you want to have a well trained adult dog, you need to begin the training process right away. The dog, like its related ancestor, the wolf, is a pack animal. One of the features of a pack is that it has a single dominant leader. Your new puppy is going to want that leader to be you, but if you do not assume that role from the very beginning, the puppy’s instincts will push him to become the leader.

The most important thing to remember about training the puppy during its first six months of life is that it must see you as the leader of the family pack. The essential thing is gaining the trust and the respect of the puppy from the beginning. You will not do this by allowing the puppy to do whatever it wants to do whenever it wants to do it. On the other hand, a certain amount of patience is required. Most people err in their early training by going to extremes one way or the other. Although you need to begin the basic training process at once, you can not expect your dog to do too much at first. Basic obedience training is fine and should include simple commands like sit, stay, and come. Remember that trying to teach the dog advanced obedience techniques when it is a puppy is much like trying to teach a five year old child algebra.

It is also important to restrain from cruel or abusive treatment of the puppy. You can not beat obedience into your dog, and it certainly is not going to engender feeling of respect and trust. House breaking is an area where this usually becomes a problem because of the anger that is triggered when the puppy fails and creates a mess inside the home. Although this issue must be addressed without anger, it most be addressed. If you allow the puppy to eliminate inside the house, it will continue to do so as an adult dog. The same thing is true of other destructive or dangerous behavior such as chewing and biting. Do not expect the puppy to grow out of it. You are going to need to train the puppy out of it, but you should do so firmly but with a sense of play and fun using positive reinforcement and lots of love and praise for good behavior.

Answer 5

First, if he is not fixed, that is the first order of priority.

(Don't breed your dog, no matter how great he is.... the world needs no more dogs. Intact males have one priority, and it isn't you, or being obedient -- it is to breed a female. Intact males are miserable, since the sex urge is so great and not being fulfilled. Unless you wish to have this a constant battle, have him neutered. Spayed and neutered animals are wonderful pets.... an unspayed female has the same problems. Have owned and trained dogs all my life, and would never obedience train an intact dog.... just doesn't pay off, and never works anyway..... Thought you'd like to know.)

Secondly, Boxers are not the best obedience critter to own -- they can be quite independent, but these are the things that usualy work:

In a quiet area, put a very long,(at first 12-15 or more feet) light clothes line rope on this collar -- (one that he cannot pull out of). Allow him to wander away from you. Call his name "Benny, come.", and repeat it over and over as you gently pull the rope toward you. Make a big fuss over him. Give him a little treat. Do this several times during a 5 minute training session. If the rope will not get tangled in your yard, leave it on him. Go out 6 or 7 times every day, and call him, and pull him toward you. NEVER call him unless he is on that rope. And you want him to get used to the rope so that he doesn't really associate it with being pulled. In a few weeks, he should come to you.All this time ease up on the treats, but continue to tell him how wonderful he is, pet him, and make a big deal of it so he understands he has pleased you. Now, go out in an open area, but hold onto the long rope, and do the above exercise over and over, and again, never call him unless you can pull him toward you, and always make a big deal of it when he comes.

Successful training of any critter of any trick or obedience rests on repetition, over and over. And there will be times in several months when he will not come to you. Go back to a training session of several days or weeks before you again let him off line.... dogs sometimes have a short memory, or they have gotten away with being disobedient a few times, it worked, and suddenly, he won't come when called. Again, however, I urge you to have him neutered. Unless he is worth $4000 as a breeder and a show dog, and you stand to make pots of money with him as a movie star, neutered critters are far happier, make better pets, and even live longer than those intact.

Answer 6

keep on lead in the house if its the retractable type thats fine or if someone can hold him while you go to other side of room.(infact in house you don't need a lead but never approach him wait till he comes to you)
Call his name ,wait till he comes to you then tell him SIT hold his collar under his chin and make sure you always do this !!!
and give him a tiny treat cheese,ham etc then walk away no need to stroke and pat or good boy just treat do this again (his name )Come,SIT, hand on collar and treat this treat can be done few times and few times he just gets a head stroke and good boy always hold his collar this means he is used to getting treat with hand on collar ,do this for a good while around the house you start going into other rooms and calling him getting him to sit and treat him once u feel its embeded in his head he gets a treat try him outside maybe on a long lead someone other end and you a distance away see if he still comes and as he is on lead he won't get away.

I can do hand gestures with my puppy without saying a word he knows arms out wide is come i slowly move my two fists together as he approaches and lift slightly up above head and he sits i hold his collar and say take it for his food.
if you want to try this when you say come have arms wide as he approaches start moving hands together then wait till he sits or say sit he soon learns u don't need to say anything.the point of this is dog if running towards he knows to start slowing down and not jump up and send u flying or dirty u with mucky paws.


ok if he is not fussed on treats give him his breakfast and say you are going for a walk at seven do not feed him until after the walk he will be ok and will want treats ,i bet if you did some training before breakfast he would be great he is getting food and isn't hungry check he is not overeating or cut back abit on food he is given so treats willl be effective also try some different food see what he is going mad for don't let his treat be anything like doggy biscuit or a dry dog food it has to be a lovely tiny treat not huge treat.

Answer 7

This may sound really silly and you will feel silly doing it possibly but if walking in the opposite direction won't work try sitting on the ground (you may need a plastic sheet to sit on) play with the grass pick daisies or something but ignore your dog completely, believe me he will come back because he will be curious to know what you are doing, really give him plenty of praise and if food doesn't do it for him have a fave toy with you but don't let him see it until he comes back! obviously if he is a problem with other dogs then you will have to pick a quiet time to do this and it may take time but it really does work.
Good Luck

Answer 8

Boxers are EXTREMELY stubborn dogs. They are also very intelligent. It's not that they don't understand what you are requesting, they just choose to ignore it. I cannot stress enough the importance of obedience classes...they are a God send.

And yes, it is worth returning to the classes! Just remember consistency at home as well as in class, and he'll do just fine.

Answer 9

Here's what you do, and trust me, it works. Take your dog to an open area, a park works great. Take with you a length of rope. Tie the rope to your dogs collar or harness. Allow your dog to wander off, then pull the dog to you, giving him the command HERE! Have a treat when he comes. Repeat this several times for several days. Eventually your dog will come to you when you call. Praise your dog when he does. This method really works...But you have to stick with it.....Good luck.

Answer 10

put him on a flexi and walk however far out and then call him and if he doesn't come jerk him until he comes and once he gets to you give him a lot of praise (pet, yell, tell him how good he is, then offer a treat if he wants it) it worked for me! i had a 2 year old male rott that would do the same thing and i have him coming now