Cocker Specific Discussion > Puppies
Off-lead walking
bizzylizzy:
--- Quote from: dave w on December 19, 2021, 07:55:29 PM ---
--- Quote from: vixen on December 19, 2021, 04:48:23 PM ---I think you should have got his recall nailed before letting him off. Use a long line or flexi lead with a harness. I used the recall method at the top of the training section and persevere and get a totally reliable recall. I use a whistle and my girl ( 5 months) returns like a shot. Do as Top Barks advises, at first only use the whistle when he is returning, The idea is to condition your dog so that when he hears the whistle he will instantly come back.
The first year of a puppy’s training is hard. You have to be alert and try to spot temptations before he does and call him to you and treat and keep him focussed on you until the ‘obstacle’ whether it be game/ people/joggers etc has gone past. If you are unsure if there will be birds around, keep him on a lead until his recall is 100%..
As mentioned, the first year is hard but if you put the work in, you will have a dog you are proud of and can take anywhere :luv:
--- End quote ---
ive read the sticky and ordered a whistle and a long line and are just waiting for them to arrive, i started panicking that i should be getting him off the lead and did what my trainer recommended which i think would have been fine if there were no birds to chase but not much chance of that were i live ,i think your right i will keep him on a lead until i get his recall sorted, i really cant trust him yet, totally my fault
--- End quote ---
Don‘t beat yourself up! ;) We‘ve all learned by doing, and made lots of mistakes on the way but this is why COL is so great because we all benefit from each other‘s ! Long lead is a good idea, - as said, I started without a lead which was great for building that bond but a long lead is very useful for giving them a sense of distance and working on a solid recall. You‘ll get there, just need lots of patience and consistency but it‘ll pay out in the long run! :D
sophie.ivy:
I bought a long lead this morning as Ivy bolted after a pigeon in the woods, she did come back (at a much less enthusiastic pace then she left!) but I can tell she's starting to get a bit more adventurous. I won't even mention what happened when I took my eyes off her for 2 seconds around a group of ladies doing outdoor yoga...
Will be going back to basics with the recall training and focus with distractions over the holidays. She does seem to be regressing slightly this week, she forgot how to 'sit' yesterday and weed in her crate for the first time in weeks. I did read you can expect a few puppy brain 'farts' at this age, or it could just be the fact we've run out of cocktail sausages?!
Katrina - I haven't let Ivy off when there's children around as she loves them too! Every child she sees she wants to greet and lick, which not every child (or parent) is so keen on her doing! That's great to hear about Oscar's recall with the dog walker :D I wonder if she walks him in a pack? The first couple of off lead walks we did, we borrowed our friend's working cocker (a very good girl) and she copied her behaviour. I wonder if you could borrow a dog, or go with a friend who has a well trained dog, for the first few off-lead walks?
I appreciate that you might not want to take my advice after the aforementioned yoga incident :005:
It is tough all this puppy training malarkey, but I'm sure it will all be worth it in the end!
bizzylizzy:
Oh please don’t keep us in suspense! DO tell us about the yoga ladies! :rofl1: :lol:
Katrina:
:005: I NEED to hear more about these yoga ladies too!!!
She does walk him in a pack - she has some very well behaved sprockers with excellent recall and he just does what they do - although she says that she can now recall him independently of the others. I'm going to book a dog field near us for half an hour - it's totally fenced off so very safe from distractions. Plus, I will stay calm... which will be the real challenge in real life.... my panicked squeals are very rewarding :lol2:
But otherwise I don't know any great off lead dogs. He has a daschund friend who is a bit cheeky and Oscar just become his wing man for the walk, copying everything he shouldn't!!
I've opted for more "life skills" classes before moving to the recall class with our trainer - I've prioritised them for life with two kids and a cocker... which is very challenging at times :-\
sophie.ivy:
I don't know if I've ever heard of a dachshund who isn't cheeky :005: I do love them though! Keep threatening a long haired dachshund as our next dog, not sure the husband is on board!
I do find puppies copy behaviour so that's great he's learning from the sprockers! There's a nice secure dog field near us so I'm going to do the same and book it so we can practice recall there. Also to give us a bit of space and time to learn how to use the long line...Ivy wasn't happy about it this morning, wrapped herself and various shrubs up in it and got upset when it was touching her side (strange dog!)
Ah the yoga incident...it was chaos. She wanted to say hi to everyone in her enthusiastic, bouncy manner and licked a few faces of people in the box position. Then as her finale, she tried to nick a long band >:D
Luckily, they all laughed and she got all the cuddles she was hoping for! But I can't show my face in that field from 8-9am on dry mornings now.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version