how long does it take to train a staff bull terrier to come back to you when let the off lead?

Question

how do you know when to take the chance on this?

Answer 1

Here is what I did with my dogs: Wait until he is obedient & listens to all commands (by training him) Then late at night when it is quiet & no one around to distract him, make sure there are no cats or other animals around either. Take him by the collar and tell him to stay with you (or use what ever word he understands) take him out front with you and while holding his collar say that command over & over. You should be able to judge him before you get to the street on whether he will dart off or not. Then let go of his collar and keep saying stay with me over again and again and use a stern voice so he knows you are serious. Be sure to bring a treat or his favorite ball with you just in case he goes farther then your comfortable with or does not come to you when called. If he passes the test be sure to let him know how good he was when you return inside.

Answer 2

A recall is not reliable unless he will come even if there is a dog walking by or a rabbit runs across the yard.

It can take a very long time to get to the point where your recall is totally reliable.

I HATE it when strange dogs come running at us when I am walking my dogs! Even if your dog is friendly, you have NO IDEA if mine are! If yours runs up to another dog and they fight, you can be sued (and they will win if theirs was onlead) and then your dog could be put down.

I have been teaching obedience classes for 25 years and my dogs are ALL onlead, why do you think yours shouldn't be? The only dog I would ever have off lead is my CDX titled dog with a TOTALLY solid recall, and that would be only if we were actually working. Otherwise ALL onlead!!!

Answer 3

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Answer 4

It's a terrier and terriers tend to have minds of their own. When you walk him take a pocketful of treats and get him used to them b4 u let him off the lead. Good luck. I used to lose a Springer spaniel for hours every day. U just have to persevere.
If the dog looks back when he is running away, immediately run in the opposite direction, and usually he will rush to see where his meal ticket is going

Answer 5

not long

Answer 6

Treats and toys don't work!! Those only work if the dog wants the treat or toy more than he wants to do something else. That is the fundamental problem with the current fad of "bribe doggy to listen."

You have to MAKE him come even when he doesn't want to - and give him a very good reason not to disobey you.

Would you ALWAYS obey the speed limits if there was no risk of a ticket?? If you wouldn't get arrested, would you grow pot in the backyard if it made a lot of money for you?

Using treats is silly because one day you will start to forget the treats or not have them or something, and the next time you call her, she'll remember not getting the treat and figure "why bother?" And what happens the day the doggy decides it is more fun to chase the rabbit than come for the treat?

Clickers are just flat stupid - they are for people who are too dumb to figure out how to quickly say "GOOD DOG" in a happy, excited voice.

You always have your hands and your voice. Use them

By the way, many women in particular, but men do it too, have a real problem with voice control, When they get upset or frustrated, their voice go UP. The dog ignores them. In the pack, the boss dog or alpa uses deep tones (rumble in the chest, growl etc) to express displeasure and get compliance from the dogs lower in the pecking order. A dog making a high pitched sound (yapping, yelping etc) is not only not going to get compliance as they are perceived as ineffectual and the not-Alpha, not-the-boss but that it is giving an invitation to play.

On Equipment:

Go get a slip/choke. We are talking a strong dog here. Get a 6 ft leash - no more no less.

I HATE those "gentle leader" things. First, they are one good way to give your dog a case of cervical whiplash. Second, the minute you take it off the dog KNOWS that you have no means of making them obey. Third, , teaching 'come' or anything where the dog is not at your side is impossibleThey are a shortcut to get temporary - and I do mean temporary - control while walking for people too dumb or too lazy to teach their dog proper manners. I spend a lot of time making house to calls to teach puppy to come , sit, stay, down and heel after the owners paid money for 'obedience classes' with someone for 'training' with those head collar things.

There is NO REASON to use a pinch collar except as an absolute last ditch resort. They are popular with the public because they work - they work because they are SEVERE!

Under the AKC rules it is ILLEGAL to even walk a dog about on the show grounds using a headhalter or funky martingale or pinch collar - and the reason is that the dog is fundementally OUT OF CONTROL and has no idea of how to behave or obey if they have to be moved about by those gadgets.

In AKC obedience competitions there are only TWO collars permitted: a flat buckle collar and a slip/choke chain choice of 95% of competitive obedience people.)

Maybe those who spend the time training and competing their performance dogs know more than the neighbor or the "trainer" at Petsmart who never sets foot in a competition ring to prove their training skills against others.


Here are excerpts from the material I give clients:

Teaching Come:

Step 1 Walking next to you nicely

Hook the leash on the dog's slip collar (see below on how to fit it and why the flat buckle collar is not going to work.). Get the dog on your left side. Hold the end of the leash in your right hand. With your left hand, take up the leash so there is some slack between your hand and the dog's collar - maybe a loop of 6-8 inches on each side. Learn to use it. You SNAP the collar - NEVER pull or drag. It is a fast jerk/release. Put it on your wrist and have someone try pulling and then snapping on you. You do it to someone else. When it feels like a slight whack or bump when the leash is snapped you have the idea. I always put the slip collar on my student's arm to show them the difference in the movement. Gets the point across real fast. Do NOT keep a steady pull on the collar - snap.release.



Walk off. Make her stay even with your leg and not pulling forward, dragging behind or leaping sideways.

Step 2 Starting Come

Put the leash and collar using a slip collar (see below for how to fit it and put it on) on the dog. Have the leash in front of you and not behind you over the hips. Walk off with her at your side in heel position. Go along for a distance - say 20-40 feet - and then you loosen the lead and run backwards saying "come, come" making the dog turn and come to you. Try to keep going about 15-20 feet in reverse. Make her come all the way to you by gathering in the leash. Lots of praise - pets hugs tummy rubs and voice - NOT treats. (She'll love this! She gets to chase you.)

Now as you go backwards, lots of excitement in your voice as you encourage her to come, whoop and be silly. (You will keep up the happy excitement every single time she is moving under her own steam - even using the long line as set out below. At the longer distances with the long line, I'll drop to my knees as they move towards me and hold out my arms and let them pile into my lap and we roll about if they like. You won't always have to act that silly - just long enough for her to think 'come' is a great thing and always to be done and never optional.)

Step 3 Coming at a distance

Move on to the long line.

Go to the hardware store. Get 3 lengths of ¼ inch to 3/8 inch soft nylon line – 20 foot, 50 foot and 100 foot. Get 3 snaps. Tie the snaps on one end and make a loop handle on the other.

Start with the 20 foot line. Use a CHAIN slip collar that is fitted so there is 3 1/2 - 4 fingers of space between the dog’s neck and the collar. Put the collar on so the ring that slides comes across the back of her neck and directly at you. With a flat buckle collar, you are in a pulling match that you are going to lose with about any dog over 15-20 lbs. Either you can't move the dog effectively or they jerk the leash out of your hands.

Note: use the CHAIN slip collar because they learn to listen for the rattle of the collar and adjust their behavior before you have to correct them. Nylon slip collars just simply do not work 1/4 as well.

Hook the line on her collar. Hopefully she knows sit and wait. If not, teach it to her. If she does know sit and wait, put her in a sit, step back 2 or 3 steps and call her. If she doesn’t come, haul her in with the line.

When she comes over a distance of 5-6 feet, move back to 10-12 feet and call her.

Repeat this process until she is working on the 100 foot line.

You can also take her out on the long line and when she is happily distracted, call her and make her come.

ALWAYS ALWAYS use the dog's name " Muffy - come" The name gets their attention that you mean them and you are not just talking to someone and the word that is the command is being used in conversation. Name first - then command.

NEVER TAKE HER OUTSIDE WITHOUT A LEASH (6 ft) OR ONE OF THE LONG LINES. NEVER TURN HER LOOSE OFF LEAD AND CALL HER UNTIL SHE COMES 100% OF THE TIME ON THE 100 FOOT LINE WITH ALL KINDS OF DISTRACTIONS, IE: OTHER DOGS, KIDS PLAYING, TOYS BEING THROWN IN HER PATH AS SHE COMES, ETC.

Once she is 100% on the long line, start dropping it and moving a bit further back but be sure you can cover the distance to pounce on the line. Later you can start shortening the long line a little at a time. One day it can be as little as 12-18". The dog doesn't measure the line - it just knows it can feel that lightweight snap on its collar and you have always been able to get it if it ignores you.

When you say “come” and she doesn’t, haul her backside into you using the line repeating “come”, “come”. Use a STERN DEEP voice that brooks no argument about the matter if the dog already knows the command 'come' and is choosing to disobey.

Whatever you do , don't let your voice slide upwards into high tones unless you are giving praise. When you give a command, used an authoritative voice and sound like you mean it - and not "would you please 'come'-if you happen to feel like it of course."


When she gets to you – willingly or unwillingly, praise and pet and make a big fuss and tell her that she is such a good girl.

Never ever ever call a dog to you to punish or correct them once they get to you. The dog needs to understand that ignoring you and not coming makes you growl at them (the stern voice insisting they obey) just like the boss dog would do; but getting to you (no matter whether voluntarily or involuntary) is a good thing and gets rewarded.