Would a long line help?

[Elmo]

Elmo's off leash recall is really good and im very pleased with his progress in general but twice now he has "become deaf" as a rabbit has run out of a bush and he just goes after it til he has lost sight of it then he comes back all excited straight to me He is rewarded for coming back eith er with a treat or a toy/tug game and he knows the command very well but its just with the rabbit he doesnt listen to any command. Luckliy we live in a very remote are so no worry of him crossing a road but its still not a behaviour i like.

Would long line training work if i were to take him out to a spot where there is going to be rabbits jumping out and giving him big rewards for coming back

[Hurtwood Dogs]

I'd say definitely!

It's not a quick fix but you might be able to do it over a period of say a month regularly and the message should sink in. I've stopped my Weim going deaf and going off tracking and also stopped her digging using long lines..

You have to do it constantly for a period though if it's just occasionally, it won't work as quickly or effectively..

Good luck!

Hannah x

[Elmo]

thanks Trevor

is there a book you an buy or does it usually come with a leaflet on how to wok with it?

[Hurtwood Dogs]

Not sure about a good book I'm sure some one will be able to recommend one to you shortly! A trainer showed me how to use it.. basically you will need to attach a long line 10-15m is good, to a harness (not a collar) and get him used to staying within a certain range of you.. send him off and let the lead out then before he gets to the end recall him if he doesn't come straight away - give a little tug then reward him lots when he gets back to you.

Continue doing this until you can let the lead trail on the ground behind him if he's getting too far and not listening to you may need to jump on the lead to stop him! The idea is to get him to stay within a certain range of you and deliver bang on recall - EVERY time you ask him to. Once he's used to the line, take him to where you know there are rabbits and use the same technique. After a while he'll get to know that you mean business and understand the 'rules'... in theory! I was recommended to only walk my dog on a long line for at least a month and it did work (albeit I ended up using a slightly different type of lead for safety around my son and other dog)

Lots of luck, it does work and I think in theory the sooner you address these types of habits, the easier they are to curb!

Hannah x

[Elmo]

is just any harness ok to use? i have a padded one from when he was smaller which would adjust to fit.

I need to get dummy rabbits to jump out and run really to test my recall:005: Maybe i could get OH to dress up as one

As i said his recall is very good as i go along and call him every 30 seconds or so so he doesnt get chance to get too far away and stay withing a certan range....its only when the little fluffy beggers appear we have deafness

Its only happened twice but i want to nip it in the bud  sooner than later

[Hurtwood Dogs]

is just any harness ok to use? i have a padded one from when he was smaller which would adjust to fit.

I need to get dummy rabbits to jump out and run really to test my recall:005: Maybe i could get OH to dress up as one

As i said his recall is very good as i go along and call him every 30 seconds or so so he doesnt get chance to get too far away and stay withing a certan range....its only when the little fluffy beggers appear we have deafness

Its only happened twice but i want to nip it in the bud  sooner than later

I'm sure that harness will be fine - the reason you use a harness is that with a very fast/determined dog there is a chance you might hurt their necks. if he's staying close anyway it should be really easy to pop the line on and wait for the bunnies to appear!! I can't remember how old Elmo is but just to warn you, my current pup had bang on recall until he was about 7 months old.. then he turned into a teenage and started questioning things 

Hannah x

[Elmo]

is just any harness ok to use? i have a padded one from when he was smaller which would adjust to fit.

I need to get dummy rabbits to jump out and run really to test my recall:005: Maybe i could get OH to dress up as one

As i said his recall is very good as i go along and call him every 30 seconds or so so he doesnt get chance to get too far away and stay withing a certan range....its only when the little fluffy beggers appear we have deafness

Its only happened twice but i want to nip it in the bud  sooner than later

I'm sure that harness will be fine - the reason you use a harness is that with a very fast/determined dog there is a chance you might hurt their necks. if he's staying close anyway it should be really easy to pop the line on and wait for the bunnies to appear!! I can't remember how old Elmo is but just to warn you, my current pup had bang on recall until he was about 7 months old.. then he turned into a teenage and started questioning things 

Hannah x

Im waiting for the teenage phase to drop on me like a ton of bricks Hes 10 months.