Recall! How do you enforce this training?

Question

I rescued my dog 2 years ago. He was aged 6. Obviously has his own traits now. But, I cannot let him off the lead. It's such a shame he cannot run and be free when I take him out. He has managed to escape a couple of times and will not return to me when I call him. I have to run after him each time and corner him or jump on him whilst he is doing his business. It's certainly no fun for him or me. We have taken him to classes but this didn't help, he cannot socialise with other animals. Can anyone advise?

Answer 1

First of all you must find out what his most favourite treat in the world is. This might be food (chicken is popular) or fuss (like a scratch behind the ear). What ever it is you must be able to take out with you (or do when out). This treat muct then be kept ONLY for when you are training him to go off the lead.
Choose a word that you would like to call when you wish your dog to return to you, it must be one that you have never tried to train him with before.

from the start of training you must never tell him off for not coming back, just reward him when he does.

there are two rules to stick to with all training
i) always keep training periods short, so no more than 10 minutes at a time, and once every day if you can.
ii) you must always be consistant with the training, commands and reward.

training starts at home, maybe in a big room or garden.
1. start by saying the word with ur dog next to you. when he looks at you give him a treat. do this over and over until he response instantly every time, it may take a few days, or he may get it in one. Then do the training the next day just to make sure he does remember what he needs to do.
2. let the dog move away from you and when he is distracted by something say the work load and clear. when he comes back to you say the word agai n and give him a treat. This also need to be repeated again and again until its perfect. then once more the day after just to make sure.
3. have your dog in the house and in a different room from you, but fairly close by. say the word load and clear. when the dog comes say the word again and give him a treat. repeat until he does it every time you call. then repeat the next day to make sure he remembers.

Right, Now you have an idea of how repeatative you need to be I will just give you the main gist of what you need to do, but do it every time like the steps above.
4. take the dog out for a walk on the very long lead, go to a field where there are distractions and repeat step 1, but this time keep him on the lead.
5. let the dog run about on the long lead, then when he is destracted say the word when he comes to you say the word again and give him the treat.
6. when he is perfect at all of the above steps you need to find things that really distract your dogs attention and repeat step 5 with them around.
7. time to let him off the lead and see if all of your hard work has paid off, and as long as you are consistant, keep the training short and make sure he does each step until he is 110% at it, then you should have great success. (don't try without treats until all completed and all has been going well for a good long time without the lead, then if you like you can try cutting down, but you don't have too)

I'm sorry this is so long winded, and I know it can seem like you put lots of work in and get no where fast, but it is worth it in the end, just think of those nice walks you and your dog can have after it is done.

also remember to be very excited and happy to see him when he comes back, as well as giving the treat. An exciting owner is much more appealing for the dog to return too.

Good luck with it all, and if you do try my steps and wish to contact me then please do, I am interested and would love to help.

PS this may take anywhere from one to 10 days per step, depends completly on the dog being trained, so don't worry if it seems to be going slowly.

PPS if he suddenly stops responding then go back to the step before and strat again with that one.
The reason for keeping these things seperate is so that your dog really likes to have the treat, and knows exactly what comand means he is going to get the treat.
You also need to get a very long lead or rope (not an extendable lead).

Answer 2

Try a long extendable lead or rope! Let him go out as far as possible and then call him using an exicted tone of voice. There should be no hint of command at the early stages. Keep some treats (cubes of low-fat cheese or dry dog food are good) with you. As soon as he gets close let him see the treat and when he gets to you give him the treat and lots of praise. You need to make him associate coming to you with something good. Do this a few times and then progress to off lead in a secure situation like the garden. Once he's obeying you every time try it outside.
Don't chase him, ever. Never lose your temper and dont call him just because you intend to leave the area! A few re-calls and then a release before the final one stops him thinking that the recall means an end to his fun! Good luck but be assured you CAN teach an old dog new ways!

Answer 3

Recall can be difficult with an older rescued dog. Especially if the previous owners punished him when he ran away.

Remember the Cardinal Sin of Dog Training, Calling your dog to you then punishing him.

So, don't call him to you then put him into the bathtub, or trim his nails, or make his fun stop. You need to be more fun and exciting than anything he was doing. Try some roasted chicken or liver.

Never call him if you can't be sure he will come back. If you have used a word to call him and he's blown you off, pick a new word that you will use only when you can be sure to get him back.

Start with him on his regular leash on walks. When he gets out in front and distracted, stop and get his attention and call him with that new word. Move rapidly backwards, making kissy noises, high pitched sounds, thigh slaps, etc. Anything to attract him to you while you move away from him, preferably with a loose leash. You want to avoid tugging him, as that may be a "punishment", too.

Repeat this with your regular leash until you can always get him to follow you with a completely slack leash. Then get a longer leash (50 feet of clothesline with a hook tied to one end and a handle tied in the other and knots tied every 6 feet)

Don't start with the entire length at first, but work it in increments. Practice in the yard. When he has that down, move to a schoolyard or public area that is quiet. Gradually add more distractions and more people.

Always, when he gets to you, be the happiest place on earth. Lots of great treats and pets and massage and love. Practice reaching for his collar with one hand and holding a yummy treat in the other, so he will let you reach for him every time.

Answer 4

It's going to be harder with an adult than a dependent puppy, but you can do it with persistence. The first thing is you have to never, ever give him the opportunity to disobey the recall command!

Take him out with a long, very light-weight nylon rope tied to his collar. You'll want to start this somewhere with no distractions, the first little while anyway. Let him wander a bit, then call him, making sure to keep your voice really happy. If he comes, give him lots and lots of praise, and a treat too if that works for him. If he doesn't come, give him a quick, short tug to see if that gets him started, keep calling and praising if he responds. If he's not coming at all, keep calling him and gently pulling him in, then praise when he gets to you.

It sounds like it could take a while with him, especially as you don't know his history, but it should work eventually. The other thing you can do is try calling him and running away from him to see if he'll come after you, praise him when he gets to you.

Answer 5

Some dogs can never be trusted to do the recall off leash, and I wouldn't recommend it. Your better option to give your dog the feeling of being "free" is to buy a long line. You can get these nearly any length you want and they don't cost an arm and a leg. This way your dog feels "free" while you maintain control.

As far as reinforcing the recall, lots of practice, lavish praise, and treats. If your dog comes to you, praise like he's just saved the world, and give him some yummy treats. After a few weeks you won't need treats all the time, slowly weed them out, but always use them on occassion to reinforce the behavior.

Never call your dog to you to punish it. If you call your dog to you and it comes, that cancels out any misbehvior. I don't care if he was stealing a case of t-bones, or digging up your prized rose bush, if he comes when you call, forget about it. If you want to tell him NO for doing those, you need to go to him.

If your dog is digging up the rose bush, and you call it, and then start yelling at it. Its not going to associate your yelling with the rose bush, its going to associate coming to you with the yelling. Now he may come a few more times after this, but soon your dog is going to say Hey, they just called me, I might get yelled if I go over there, I think I'll wait, what I'm doing now is more fun than being yelled at. Same as a person, if I called you over to me, and then yelled at and hit you, would you think twice about coming the next time? You bet you would.

Coming to you should always be a very positive experience for your dog, if not he's not going to bother when the squirrel he's chasing provides more fun.

Start slowly and work your way to longer distances, you'll want a long line for doing this as well.

Answer 6

Frist of all you chase him, that has turned his disobedience into a game and he loves it. Return to your obedience school for a refresher it's not unusual for a rescue dog to need more reinforcement than a dog that you have raised from a puppy. Ask for private lessons, they should offer you a discount and you will get one on one attention.
When I teach recall, I teach the owners that they have to prove to the dog that they are more fun, more interesting than the pile of poop across the road. Go back to the very first step that you were taught in class. Dog in a sit, you at the end of the leash facing the dog. Call 'come' in a very high and happy voice, a little tug on the leash and when he does get to you pat him vigorously all over his body and keep telling him 'good come'. Do this over and over until he is coming quickly for the pat and happy voice you have. Show excitement at his coming to you. If you're standing and yelling at him why would he want to come. Make it a pleasant, happy moment.
I find that dogs respond to physical praise and the happy voice more rapidly and consistently than they will to treats or clickers.
Good Luck.

Answer 7

Recall should be quite easy to instill in your dog.

Work with an extension lead. Let him wander off on this long lead for a couple of minutes then recall him for a favourite treat. Keep doing this until he comes back each time for the treat.

When he has really got the hang of this, go to a fairly enclosed area let him off lead and call him back for a treat and lots of praise. Do this every few minutes.

Gradually you will be able to let him off for longer and longer periods as he begins to progress, and the treats can be given every other time he comes back, gradually over a period of a week or so replacing the treats with lots of praise.

Also when you call him back do it in a really happy way like you really want to see him....never shout....he won't WANT to come back if he thinks he's been bad!
Hope that helps

Answer 8

He knows that when he's off his lead and you call him back it's to be put on his lead and to be taken back home. Chasing him only reinforces his game.Try calling him back several times and treating him every time he does. Then when you call him he'll think he's getting a treat and not being taken home.

Get a lunge-ing rope as used for horses. Clip this on his collar as well as his lead. When you let him off only unclip his lead and leave the lunge-ing rope on. You can get within 12 foot of him with out him thinking your going to try and catch him and pick up the end of the rope and call him back while reeling him in. Praise him, treat him and let him go again. Practise in your garden first till you both get the hang of it.

You don't say whether you scold your dog when you finally catch him and tell him he's a naughty boy, as i've seen many people do. Never do this no matter how frustrated or angry you may be. Praise him every time he's back with you. I wouldn't go back to some one that had got an angry voice or who was going to tell me off.

Answer 9

A well-trained dog makes everyone happy, including his owner. Take a little time training him, and you'll never regret it; you'll always have an obedient dog by your side. Find more https://tr.im/530mZ

By their nature, dogs are pack animals with a well-defined social order. Through basic training, you need to consistently make sure your puppy understands that you are the leader, not him. So in teaching him the basic rules, you take on the role of pack leader.

To fit into the family circle, your dog must be taught to recognize his name and such commands as come, heel, lie down and sit.

Answer 10

Master plus pro. Its a collar that shoots a spray of water into the dog to distract him or her. I've got a rescue dog and worked wonders with him. They r not cheap £120 but well worth it. Can get cheaper ones but the range isnt as good

http://www.dogtrainingproducts.co.uk/masterplus-remote-collar.php

Watch Dog Borstal as well BBc3 weekdays at 7pm for training tips