Oh Deer Deer, help with the long line please!

[mcphee]

We went to the fallow field today with Bonnie as it is her favourite spot. Rufus has been on the long line for every walk since his escapade on Wednesday, when he spent an hour rearranging bunnies in the field of maize (Now about a metre high at least). All went well, and he was quartering and much more active than he has been, because he is usually busy looking for a way into the maize, and this field just has old stubble and weeds, with a very interesting(for Sir Huntalot) ditch through the middle . However, there were deer in the field, which is unusual at this time (about 5.45pm) and as soon as he realised he was off, and playing deaf. I think he just got the scent as they were some distance away, and he is much more excited if he sees them. It is a rather pathetic sight seeing an unfit lady in her very very early fifties trying to jump on the end of the long line , but I succeeded, and he stayed attached to me for the rest of the walk . On the way back I let the lead go and practised some recall and he came back. Is there anything particular I should do when he starts a hunt and ignores me, other than grabbing or stepping on the rope and giving the command?

[joanne_v]

The others are probably beter at advising on this but if it was me I wouldnt be letting go of the long line for a while longer and if I do I would make sure I am always within reach of it so that the dog cant go off hunting again as it takes you right back to square one. Do you use a harnes with the longline and how long is it? I used to attach two together to get a 40ft line as the 10-20ft ones are impossibly short for active dogs. Make sure when you catch the end you dont jerk the dog too much, I kind of let my foot slowly come down on it so its a gradual thing. Easier said than done when the dog is just about to bolt!

If he does manage to bolt I would silently try and get him back, not use any commands as its too late for that and then take him right away from the source of the distraction. Then I would go back to basic recal exercises and reward those.

[Nicola]

You may have the same issue that I did with Alfie on a long line - if I held the end of it he treated it as a lead walk and didn't display any hunting behaviour which made it difficult to then modify it. I would keep him 'loose' so to speak but work to keep him at a closer distance to you - don't let him get beyond about 20 feet or whatever distance you know you can safely 'catch' him from. You will need to watch him like a hawk for the signs that he's about to go further or take off so you can get him back again either by calling or by being ready to step on the line. For me this involved a lot of watching and calling Alfie back then letting him go again, I was rubbish company on walks at this stage, as soon as I took my attention off him for a second he'd be off so I couldn't speak to anyone else at all. If he spotted something but didn't bolt and came back when I called I would reward him and then send him off in the other direction again. If he ignored me and I had to go after him he got a sharp 'ah ah!' to get his attention and then I brought him back to the spot he was in when he first ignored my command and ask him to sit. I would then do some heelwork to get him re-focussing on me, have a game of fetch with the prized tennis ball and then let him go again but keep reinforcing the recall.

[mcphee]

Thank you both. The line is a 10 metre one, attached to his collar. I am careful when treading on it.. I suspect that Rufus is playing me along and the moment it comes off, he will be off, which is what happened last time, so I assumed it wasn't going to work. This time I am determined to keep using it because the maize antics are beyond a joke. I am going to take the clicker with me tomorrow, because I have noticed that even with the line on, he is looking about in his usual way to see what there is to chase and I have to work hard to get his attention. Squeaky chicken didn't work yesterday, nor did his ball, so I will start doing some focus work tomorrow and try and make my self more interesting than the prey. I hope he is not too old to change!

[PennyB]

The line is a 10 metre one, attached to his collar.

You should never use a long line with a collar only a harness

[mcphee]

The line is a 10 metre one, attached to his collar.

You should never use a long line with a collar only a harness

Oh! my trainer said to use the collar. I am going out with her tomorrow and will check again. I specifically asked.

[Nicola]

Oh no, definitely a harness with a long line or else if he really takes off and you stand on it you'll garrotte him   A jerk on the neck like that could potentially cause serious back and neck injuries to the dog.

[joanne_v]

The line is a 10 metre one, attached to his collar.

You should never use a long line with a collar only a harness

Oh! my trainer said to use the collar. I am going out with her tomorrow and will check again. I specifically asked.

Penny is right. That's why I asked about it. I've heard of dogs breaking their necks this way so please invest in a harness!

[mcphee]

Ok, I'll get one tomorrow. A while ago I posted about Ruffwear, because Rufus is between sizes, but I got no responses. Does anyone have any suggestions. We have a PAH, nearby, and a more working type store a bit further away. Should I go for bigger or smaller, and what type?

[Top Barks]

I have been working with Skye Sue and chloe this afternoon with the long line. Chloe odes not check in with Sue very often or respond to her name in distracting circumstances so we were clicking her for attention even if it was just the weeniest bit.
I want her to start paying more attention so we have to click for it.
I do drop the line, I use a 15 metre one made from webbing with Knots tied in so I can stop it sliding.
I pick up the line if I think my dog isn't giving me the focus that i want or there is a chance it will be distracted.
Long line should definately be on a harness and not a collar.
I was clicking Chloe for looking at sheep this afternoon and she started to get the hang of look at the sheep then look at me but if it wasn't for the line she would have been after them.
Think of the line as your insurance policy to set your self up for success.
Only when you have a strong behaviour do you ditch the line.