Upset because I am failing

[AnnieA]

I'd also be having a word with the children about how you're feeling and how much they wanted a dog, and thinking of ways to get the whole family involved so you don't feel so alone with the problem.

Good luck. 

Thanks. My children are aware of how I feel - eldest dd saw how upset I was yesterday and, unbeknown to me, read my original post. I think it shocked her a bit to see me write down what I have been saying for a while. She is 12 and has promised me faithfully that she will try harder to get involved with Freddie. She has wanted a dog since she was 6 or 7. Other dd is another kettle of fish, not as compassionate, pretty selfish (as a lot of 9 year olds are). So, what is the best long line to buy?

Awww, lovely that your 12 year old wants to try harder to get involved.    Sometimes I think they need that little shock! 

I've got a 10m cord long line - possibly a Company of Animals one?  My neighbour has a flat webbing one, which I suspect is a bit heavier but possibly less liable to tangle?    Don't feel you need to get every last knot out of it - they actually make it easier to grab hold of in a hurry (or better, stand on, avoids burnt hands).  I attach it to a lovely soft fleecy Dog Games harness.  As I think I said before - be prepared for a bit of a learning curve - it can seem an enormous faff at first!  I scrimped on the last stage of Top Bark's recall plan because I found the long line difficult to handle, and I suspect that's one of the reasons why I'm having problems now.      So that would be my other tip: always listen to Top Barks and follow his advice to the letter! 

[mlynnf50]

Hi i have been reading this thread with interest, and it is comforting to know we all go through the same, i am going to try the long line now as Selby is a teenages and just ignores everything i say, so dont think you are alone my motto is i will not be beaten!!!!! although at times its difficult to keep trying, it would be easier to give up.

One thing i am not sure about is, if you call them/or whistle for them and they dont come back and you have to reel them in do you still give them the treat or not.

Selby is about the same age he is nearly 8 months.

[harveyroan]

Hi i have been reading this thread with interest, and it is comforting to know we all go through the same, i am going to try the long line now as Selby is a teenages and just ignores everything i say, so dont think you are alone my motto is i will not be beaten!!!!! although at times its difficult to keep trying, it would be easier to give up.

One thing i am not sure about is, if you call them/or whistle for them and they dont come back and you have to reel them in do you still give them the treat or not.

Selby is about the same age he is nearly 8 months.



Hi NO don't reward your dog if you have to reel them in you only want to reward the correct behavior

[Sheepscheeks]

Well, the whistles (bought 2 cos I know I will lose one or put it down somewhere daft!) arrived yesterday - Freddie opened the package for me while I was having a shower and chewed one of the lanyards!!!! He doesn't normally go for the post but it usually arrives when someone is around.

He did a runner this morning on our walk. Saw a lovely border collie just as we got onto the path up onto the field - I keep him on lead until we get to the field because of roads on the estate - they had a sniff and off went collie. I don't know if she was a girlie coming into season - she was off lead - but something really made Freddie ultra hyper. As soon as I let him off he bombed up the field then bombed back the way the collie had gone. Spent the next 20 mins or so doing this - 3 times when he was running towards me I called him, got down low and held my arms out but he just ran past me! Lost sight of him several times and went off on a wild goose chase to find him - another lady with her lovely lab found him in the opposite direction. The lab and Freddie are friends and have a great time. However, today, even Solo (lab) wasn't good enough and he legged it again. Finally got him back on the estate sniffing at a front door. Don't know if it is a house with a dog or not, think he just ended up there! Pretty fed up by this point so took him home. He had had a good run about though even though we didn't get very far!

[Karma]

That sounds like it's quite possible the Collie was in season.... or another dog in season had been walked around.
 

In that case, you did exactly the right thing... you took him away from a situation he wasn't going to be able to focus in. 
Remember, you can practise reinforcing recall in the house and garden (I would do this quite a lot in circumstances you know he's pretty good with it!) as this will help stregthen the command for more distracting situations! 

[Sheepscheeks]

Probably don't reinforce recall enough in house and garden. He almost always come when I call him from wherever he is but I don't reward him very often unless I am trying to get him away from the piece of litter/book/remote control he is currently trying to devour!! Have just made some fresh tuna bread so will do some training when it is cool. Am going to make pilchard bread for whistle training and only use that for the whistle.

[Top Barks]

It is so important your dog learns the value of the whistle in an environment without distractions first.
It is really important that you do not rush this.

[PennyB]

He's entering the 'teen' months so please don't think of yourself as a failure

or him

[Sheepscheeks]

He's entering the 'teen' months so please don't think of yourself as a failure

or him

Oh I realise it is not Freddie who is failing - he is just being an adolescent dog. I don't ever get cross with him if he doesn't come back - I just don't fuss him. Is this the right thing to do? I only fuss and treat if he comes back first time.

Top Barks - I have only started with the whistle indoors today as per your Reliable Recall thread. What happened today was without a whistle. I will be following your advice as closely as I can. I have made pilchard bread - which he loves - and am at stage 1!

[Top Barks]

Fab,  if you stick to the plan and take your time you should see improvement

[SkyeSue]

Have been following this thread with interest 

There's been some fantastic advice, and as others have said, if you follow Mark's advice to the letter you won't go wrong 

But I KNOW how hard it is to be totally consistent, 100% of the time and to be abe to organise your life around what is quite a strict trainingplan. I have gotten to the stage with Chloe where I know my limitations, and hers......so we have a situation where her recall is virtually spot on..............EXCEPT...when she smells deer or sheep  . Yesterday, we were walking in the forest, doing retrieves, and her attention was focussed on me 100%. I was at that stage where I honestly was the most interesting thing at that time.  However, after a couple of miles, she suddenly dropped the ball whilst on her way back to me...and charged off...nose to the ground...going from side to side of the path. Sure enough, we both spotted a deer about 100 metres away at the same time. I gave one blast on the whistle, but didn't work. She was offski!!!!! So, no point in whistling or calling her back then...I just let her go and she returned after about 3 minutes. With sheep, well, I just don't let her off lead near them, as I have yet to be able to call her off them. Maybe one day, but certainly not at the moment.
Not sure if this is of any interest or help, but anyway, I wish you the best of luck....and fwiw...I reward Chloe for coming back ALWAYS....even if she wonders back of her own accord. Even the slightest teensy treat, or  play with a ball, or a big fuss  It mostly works for us 

[zeranum]

What a shame that the other person, as a dog owner, wasn't more understanding! Please dont let it upset you, almost all dogs take time to train (some quicker than others) and the other owner should have shown more patience . If you follow all the advice and keep it constistent it will be worth it! Maya is exactly the same age now and we are going through the same, some weeks she is brilliant and others she is really naughty, we found that giving a sharp whistle and getting her used to the fact that if she does not come straight away you walk in the other direction helped. Good luck and hang in there! 

[Sheepscheeks]

Not sure if this is of any interest or help, but anyway, I wish you the best of luck....and fwiw...I reward Chloe for coming back ALWAYS....even if she wonders back of her own accord. Even the slightest teensy treat, or  play with a ball, or a big fuss  It mostly works for us 

Thanks Sue - I take on board every bit of advice I am given because Freddie is our first dog so we are very very wet behind the ears and learning all the while. I try and reward Freddie for coming back of his own accord - get down to his level, arms open etc but quite often he just trots past me. I have to admit that if he does that a couple of times, I don't bother the third time. If we are out and there are no dogs around he usually stops and checks out where I am every now and then by looking back. Sometimes when he does this I call him and sometimes he comes back, other times he just trots on.

Thanks to you and every one else who has responded to this thread. 

[Karma]

If we are out and there are no dogs around he usually stops and checks out where I am every now and then by looking back. Sometimes when he does this I call him and sometimes he comes back, other times he just trots on.

If he does this, turn on your tail and run away..... (if necessary making a really exciting noise!)  He WILL chase you... and when he catches up with you you can give him a big fuss.

[Sheepscheeks]

If we are out and there are no dogs around he usually stops and checks out where I am every now and then by looking back. Sometimes when he does this I call him and sometimes he comes back, other times he just trots on.

If he does this, turn on your tail and run away..... (if necessary making a really exciting noise!)   He WILL chase you... and when he catches up with you you can give him a big fuss.

Thanks, I do this sometimes, especially if he gets quite a way ahead of me. Do you think I should do this every time?