Henry doing great but....

[lmiller212]

He is now 7 months and is starting to settle down and grow up all at the same time 

We did have great recall, he would come back without any problem now however we are having a problem.  He will come in the house or in from the garden when called.  But when we go to the park he just won't come back.

He doesn't run away, he doesn't bother any other dog/person all he want's to do is chase a stick!! (or a bird  )  Where is the problem I hear you ask?  Well once I have thrown said stick he run's away with it and just eats it, you can't get anywhere near him while he has his stick as he just runs, lies down and starts eating.  When I call him I have to have another stick in my hand, when he get's to me he won't even take a treat, only wants the stick.

He is so focused on this stick that he turns into a dog on a trampoline, he's only a pup but can still get his feet up to my chest.  This means when we go home I have paw prints and slabber all over me!

Once I get him back with another stick and he's back on the lead he's so wound up walking is a nightmare, he's still bouncing about!! 

Any suggestions or help would be so appreciated 

[panda66]

I never throw sticks as I have heard of so many injuries caused to dogs eyes and mouths. Can you ignore him when he picks a stick up and throw a ball instead. Lila runs away with the ball sometimes so I lie on the ground and make silly noises (which is ok if you are not in public) and when she comes I don't take the ball off her I just make a big fuss and then she gives it to me so I throw it again as a reward and repeat.  This is working for her and I practice in the house every morning. Alternatively you could keep him on a long line so he has to come back.  Not sure about the jumping up though but maybe he would be happy carrying his ball.

[Sarah.H]

I would stop throwing sticks and start some more structured playing/training. Putting a long line on helps to keep control if they refuse to bring the toy back.

[minimoo]

 i would stop the stick and get him a very hard rubber ball i got mine to return it by giving them a high value treat that they only get whilst out walking in my case primula cheese i would let him off leash give him a few minutes to sniff about then call him back if he comes give lots of praise and a treat if he doesnt come wait a bit and then try again , if you persevere im sure he will get the hang of it 

[elaine.e]

Some good advice given already

Thrown sticks are incredibly dangerous for dogs and injuries to the mouth, tongue, throat and eyes are common. Many dogs are injured every year and some die. If you do an internet search you'll find numerous warnings from vets and others about the dangers. So if you want to throw something stick like, try one of these http://www.safestix.co.uk/the-new-kong-safestix/ or something similar.

But in your current situation I think I'd stop throwing things altogether for the time being. Harry is being over stimulated by all the stick throwing, which is why your walk home is a nightmare as he's on an adrenaline high and is incapable of calming down, he can't help himself. It's a bit like taking a child to somewhere really exciting then expecting them to be really calm and relaxed the second the exciting activity ends.

You could try other things that will give him mental stimulation without the relentlessness of stick chasing. If he's kibble fed (and if other dogs aren't too close) you could scatter some of his kibble on the ground and ask him to go find it, then advance to making it more difficult by hiding some and telling him to go find it. My walks are in areas with trees and I sometimes use dead trees or trees with ridged bark to hide little bits of cheese and then send the dogs to go find (one at a time as I have 2 dogs) and they spend an enjoyable couple of minutes using their brains and noses to find the treats. If that game isn't possible, spend some of your walk doing any kind of training that will keep his mind occupied for a while, then let him spend time relaxing and just being a dog so that by the end of the walk he's had physical exercise, some brainwork and some downtime to help him relax.

Once he's more settled on his walk you could re-introduce some safe throwing, but make it on your terms and as a structured part of the walk. If he starts to get over excited and won't bring the toy back then stop the activity.

[lmiller212]

Thank you so much for all your replies, you've given us some really great advice.  I never thought throwing a stick could be such a dangerous game, definitely won't be doing that again! 

I think I knew myself that he was over stimulated (no focus/ won't listen or respond) and funnily enough my husband told me last night he doesn't throw a stick and Henry will come back to him and that's not like Henry, my recall was always better   

I will try without anything just now and just put him back on his long line while he's at the park.  Also will try the doing some more training/ structured games.  Panda I'm sorry I had a little laugh at the thought of you lying on the ground  our park is very busy and I think I would get some really funny looks doing this!!

Once we have some control back I might introduce the ball. I am worried we would have the same problem with the ball though? 

What do I do if we get to the park and he finds a stick? He is like a dog possessed with his stick.  Do we avoid the park altogether just now and do some street walking on the lead?  We have a good sized garden but Houdini has found several holes so can't be left unattended!

[JeffD]

At 7 months old he will start to push the boundaries, great advice from previous posters I would also go with a trailing training lead for a while, chances are he will soon sus that you can put your size 10 boot on it and stay within distance whilst he is connected 

[*Marie*]

I brought a kong stick for bracken much safer than a stick!

[lmiller212]

Haha I liked the comment about the boot Jeff 

We actually went out on the training lead yesterday to a much smaller park and he very quickly realised that he could only go so far! He then stood at the end of the lead and looked at me.  He wouldn't come the first time he was called so I waited a few minutes and tried again, he was getting better even after 20 minutes.  I then walked him home a different way making him walk to heel, excercising his mind, it worked much better.

Can I ask what is the benefit of hand feeding Henry a meal? Is it to do with trust?

Thanks

[*MaryG*]

Pepper loves to play with a ball . what i do to try and control the excitment is i throw, he eventually brings it back and gets a treat. sometime we repeat this, but other times i put it in my pocket and with word 'finsihed' and hand sigle put it back in my pocket. you have to be firm and not give into the bouncing at this point! Pepper knows now no to try but wil go pff for a whilr. try to be the on that initiates the game, so if ha comes and asks to play ball, signal no, but then you choose when the game starts and finished. the ball i use is a hard rubber ball it's very tough. sometimes we play with it in the woods when its much harder for him to find but i think it makes him think a lot more, takes longer to find.

[JeffD]

Haha I liked the comment about the boot Jeff 

We actually went out on the training lead yesterday to a much smaller park and he very quickly realised that he could only go so far! He then stood at the end of the lead and looked at me.  He wouldn't come the first time he was called so I waited a few minutes and tried again, he was getting better even after 20 minutes.  I then walked him home a different way making him walk to heel, excercising his mind, it worked much better.

Can I ask what is the benefit of hand feeding Henry a meal? Is it to do with trust?

Thanks

Yes trust and they grow to believe your hands are good things, I do this with all my dogs no matter how old they are, I hold chews and treats so they can chew the other end, Teal will bring me every PaddyWack treat she has for me to hold one end, lazy little madam, small treats in a clenched fist that they have to nose out this all creates a bond and trust that can come in very handy if you have to take something away or actually out of their mouths.