CockersOnline Forum
Cocker Specific Discussion => Puppies => Topic started by: Oliver21508 on September 20, 2008, 09:57:49 PM
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Hiya
I don't think I could ever let Ollie off the lead. Nowhere is really safe enough, and I don't think I'd have the nerves. Is it ok for a dog to never go off-lead (just extendable lead) or does this affect their life?
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I think it would affect them and more than that it would be a real shame because they and you would be missing out on so much. There are some dogs who can't go off lead unless in very contained areas but that is usually for their own or other animals' safety due to serious behavioural/training issues. I would hate to never see my lot running free, they're very seldom on lead. Apart from anything else I'd need to route march them about 10 miles on the lead every day to give them enough exercise to tire them out.
What is it you're worried about? Are there really no parks/beaches/woods/common areas near where you live where people let their dogs run off lead?
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I'm worried he'll run off and get onto a road etc etc. In our park, there are open exits to roads. In the country park, it's a bit safer, but still access to a car park and lake. He usually listens but if he sees other dogs or people, he'll completely run off to see them and then we may get in trouble if he jumps up at a child etc.
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I'm with Nicola. You cant let your apprehension/fears affect your dogs quality of life. Of course its worrying but if you put in the work with training them and walk in relatively safe areas then you have a very small chance of an accident. I would absolutely hate it if I coudnt let my dogs offlead, its what they live for.
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Spaniels NEED to run.
The sooner you start letting him off the better to be honest. Dogs that have never been free until they are older can be extremely difficult to retrain. If you're worried about tackling this on your own, find a good trainer and ask for advice and help doing this safely now particularly if he's not a young pup and has never been off the lead. Invest in a long line to start training him to stay within a certain distance of you too.
Hannah xxx
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He's 4 months. Is that young enough for him to stay close? He's going to the country park tomorrow. I think that's safer and if I go early enough in the morning, there won't be any children. He's fine with dogs (and children) but some parents can be a bit iffy, and so many children are scared of dogs these days too. The number of children I've met on walks that are terrifed of Ollie (even though he's on a lead). Even had some kids sobbing at the sight of him.
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As Hannah says the earlier you do it the better. He's 4 months old now which is good as you should still be able to outrun him if he were to run off (although at that age it's unlikely that he'd go very far but that will change the older he gets) AND he hasn't yet reached the teenage selective hearing stage. Honestly, if you leave it much longer you're only going to make it more difficult because he's going to get faster and braver and it's going to be much more of a novelty for him.
You need to pick a quiet time of day to start off with - get up early and head out first thing so you won't need to worry about lots of people and cars being around in the car park - and arm yourself with things that make you more interesting than whatever else is going on, whatever really gets him going be that a tennis ball, his favourite tuggy toy or some roast chicken and when you let him off work hard at keeping his attention on you. Call him, play games with him, run around clapping your hands etc. make it fun for him to be near you. As for him jumping up on people, it's normal for pups to be interested in people and other dogs and he might well jump up on a few folk, all the dogs I've ever had from puppyhood have done at some point or another, but people are generally fairly understanding about young puppies being trained. The onus is on you to be more interesting than the other people though.
Are you practising recall with him at home and/or at training classes? If you have been then he should be getting the hang of it by now. Please do let him off lead, it's really not fair on him to make him stay constrained for the rest of his life because you're afraid he might run off - training training training!
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Thanks. I'll try that tomorrow. I can call him in from the garden (if he's in the mood) (if he's in a funny mood, he'll just be cheeky and run circels round you). I practise calling him a short distance out on walks on the lead, which are very good. In the park, on the extendable lead, he runs after me (when I run :)) and sitting down attracts his attention too, for a strange reason.
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Just another thought, if you feel happier, if you've driven to the park, have someone stay at the car, just as back up, I doubt very much if you'd need it but it may make you relax more. Agree with the others, best do it now, it's nerve racking, but it's got to be done, just make it as safe as you can, and make you the most interesting thing on earth. Good luck.
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Spaniels NEED to run.
They most certainly do
Best thing is to may be have someone with you who can give you confidence, may be with another dog at 1st. I sometimes help peopel with their dogs on the park re this. I was just as scared and on Ruby's (age 12 weeks) 1st day on lead down on the park one of the guide dog puppy walkers came up to me and gave me some good advice and confidence and she's been offlead ever since.
Play chase games --- you run away from pup and they try to catch up with you. You also have to be loud and exciting and don't go in one direction only weave around. Or Get someone to take him a distance away from you then get him to run back to you while you jump up and down and shout lots of encouragement then give him lots of praise and yummy treats. Change the way you do it every so often so he doesn't know what to expect.
Play games with him as well while you're out as it keeps him focused on you.
One thing though is never be angry with him no matter how mad you feel plus if you chase them then they will just run faster as if its a game.
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Jacks only on lead a few mins a day. Hes been off since his first walk and always stayed close. he actually heels better off lead than on. He also comes and sits with me if i stand still or sit down to see if he gets as cuddle or treat. Its the best thing in the world watching them run around having fun, just make sure your the most exciting thing there.
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alot of the people i see who have problems only call there dogs back to put them on lead. Call him back every so often just for a treat or a cuddle then let him run on. Also i sometimes call Jack back and put his lead on during a walk for a few mins then let him back off so he doesnt associate the lead with going back home. Hide and seek is fun and with Jack that and taking off running from him made him pay alot of attention to what i was doing and not go out of my sight. good luck i promise its worth it :-*
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alot of the people i see who have problems only call there dogs back to put them on lead.
Good point
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Some times when ours use their selected hearing I start to run in the opposite direction and call them they realise the voice is moving and run after us. I also make sure they know I have some interesting treats with me so they know if I come back I will get a treat ;)
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Practice recall in your house / garden any opportunity to call him back to you use it. Offer lots of praise or treats when he comes back. Always make sure he follows a command especially recall because you will need it at some point when you are out and you'll feel much more settled knowing he's pretty reliable at it. If he don't come on first attempt don't give in as you are only showing him its ok to ignore you which obviously won't help when you are out. If he feels secure with you he'll trust you which again will help when he's out.
Find a large open space without many distractions. Let him off and call him to you say every couple of minutes and give praise. If you see another dog call him to you before he see's it and pop him on his lead after giving praise just so you can manage any situations, with a firm basis you'll get to know what he does and later you'll be able to decide if it's on or off the lead when you see other dogs / people. Sometimes in the early stages when you are apprehensive go for walks with the whole family so there are more eyes on him, but try not to chase if he ignores you as he may make that into a game which can be tiresome just continue to alter voice slightly so that you become more exciting that what he's seen and he should come back. Always praise for a return though no matter how long it took because scolding will put him off coming back in the future and perseverance should quicken him up eventually.
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I sympathise with you...I was terrified of letting Chloe off the lead but was persuaded by a friend that she would, in all liklihood, not run away too far as she wouldn't want to lose sight of me. The first time she went off was on a huge sandy beach that was almost deserted and it was pure joy to watch her. She didn't go very far from my side at first, but then got braver and braver and charged around like something demented. I kept calling her back every few minutes and put the lead back on her for a little while - all the things everyone else on here has said work well. This was only 2 weeks ago; now I let her off anywhere there's no livestock or traffic and watching her running free is the most wonderful thing in the world. My big problem is getting her to walk nicely ON the lead and teaching her that cars are dangerous...she would just launch herself at them given half the chance!
Good luck...once you've taken the plunge you'll always want to find opportunities to let her off!
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He was great. We just walked along the path and he ran a little way ahead, then stopped and waited for us. The most scary thing that happened though is there was a steep bank into the lake (which was thankfully quite shallow) and he leapt in. My dad had to go in and get him out before he went out into deeper water. So now, he's going on lead by the lake. :) Other than that, he was very good, came when we called and behaved very well with runners, cyclists, and other dogs. Now, got to do it in the local park which has open exits to roads. ARRGHHH!!!
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thats great :D
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brilliant....really pleased for both of you!
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Well done that's great! :D It's lovely to see them running off lead and really enjoying themselves isn't it :D
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Great news --- I trained mine walking along the taff trail where bikes/horses sometimes speed by so I would recall them to sit by my side then give a treat when hazard had gone. There are lots of other hazards there as well but practise makes perfect and don't get complacent though --- even if you think they've got it keep testing every now and then.
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Yay well done ;)
x
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Yeah well done, you have had some great advice here on recall, as Penny B said, keep testing it though. Enjoy.
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Recall can work even better if you use a whistle. If you do a search on here you will find plenty of threads telling how to introduce and use one. :shades:
Here's one
http://www.cockersonline.co.uk/discuss/index.php?topic=45326.0
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Thanks. I quite like the idea of using a whistle, cos the sound travels far and the command always stays the same. Do you know where I could buy a whistle from?
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Thanks. I quite like the idea of using a whistle, cos the sound travels far and the command always stays the same. Do you know where I could buy a whistle from?
Gunshop or online --- acme 210-1/2 is one of the ones many use (I also bought a lanyard with mine so I know where it is).
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We took ours off lead for the first time around other dogs who were with us and who they were both used too.
I was always worrying about Honey - unsure why. They are both great, i still worry now and heart flutters as Honey loves to find other dogs and play with them. Alfie's re-call goes out the window when he see's a football or seagulls. Although he always returns.
We are yet to purchase a whistle, but i usually take dog treats out with me and this encourages them back, we used the command "come" and it usually does the trick!!
Keep up with it, good luck!!!
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Shouldn't he be better trained before he goes off-lead? He does not have a recall really, so he's danger to himself.
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I was terrified before letting marty off lead for the first time (hes 15 weeks) and that was only last week! I posted on another thread about how worried i was about it, and i was wayyy more nervous letting him off than he was, he came back no problem when i called him and hes not that well trained at recall but hes getting a lot better now im not so worried, its sooo much fun letting him off the lead and having him run between the two of us.
I took cheese or hot dogs cut into small pieces with me, so that he could smell them and he came running back when he knew i had them ( i was calling his name really excitedly aswel)
So trust me,its so scary letting them off but i'm sure he'll come running back!
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arrgh! Chloe ran away this morning! After me being so smug about her always coming back! We were on a fairly remote glen path and she'd come back to the whistle half a dozen times...then finally decided to take off into the heather and bracken and must have travelled quarter a mile (it was a case of now you see me, now you don't, as she jumped through the undergrowth all the way down to a river in full spate.....) By the time I caught up with her, I was knee deep in peat bog and vowing to never let her off the lead again! Perhpas I should start this as a new post, cos I really need some reasurance/help now! Is it just her working background....she's never happier than whilst charging around in undergrowth...presumably like her Mum and Dad before her who were both gun dogs!
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Hi, I completely understand how you feel - we let Ruby (also 4 months) off her lead for the first time on Sunday, on a beach near us which was quite busy because of the recent good weather and I was really worried what would happen. So much so that I couldn't actually "unclip" her, my hubby had to do it, but she was fantastic. She rarely went more than a few feet away from us, came back when we shouted or whistled and didn't even head for the water (although I think that was pure luck ;)). I was so proud of her and everyone was stopping and fussing her and she was good as gold. I really couldn't believe it as we haven't done any proper training with her, just a few commands which she sometimes responds to and sometimes doesn't, depending on her mood :005:.
Anyway, I would say take someone with you who can run fast and hope for the best. Ollie will love you for it! :D
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Shouldn't he be better trained before he goes off-lead? He does not have a recall really, so he's danger to himself.
but he has to be offlead so you can teach the recall first. Recall at home and recall in the park are totally different things. Hurley has the best recall in the house, he is ok(ish) in the park, but even if he does run off, he always comes back - his biggest fear is being left behind The best time to teach recall is when they are puppies and don't want to leave your side and you have handfuls of tasty sausages!!!! As soon as any dog hits adolescence it becomes much much harder.
IMO all puppies, should be let off the lead on their first trip out. It's really not fair on the dog to condemn it to a lifetime on the lead because you're too frightened to trust them.......
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I agree, with cockers needing to run.
We let Roxy off from day 1. Her first ever walk was off lead. As long as you are commited to training first and foremost recall then you shouldn't have a problem in future. You can always use a long line ;) Are there any tennis/basketball courts locally where you can let him off? That way you can let him run off lead where it is fairly secure without worrying he'll run off. There you can also test his recall to see how he reacts?
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I had a lot of baggage from a previous dog owning experience when we got Molo - including seeing my previous dog jump off a railway bridge to avoid an oncoming train, losing her within spitting distance of the M25 and ultimately, her tragically killing a domestic cat that was in the field we were exercising in :'( - and so I didn't let Molo off lead when he was a young puppy - and it is my very biggest regret :(
It took me over a year of long-line training when he was older to undo the damage that my (understandable) paranoia had caused.....time I would far rather have spent enjoying my young dog, rather than feeling as if I would never be able to let him off :'(
I know it is scary, but try to find somewhere secure - if it makes you feel more comfortable then pay for use of a fenced paddock or tennis court - and let him off as soon as you possibly can.
Don't mistake a puppies desire to be close to you with recall though - make sure that you do "train" recall to a whistle or command, even though he may happily stay by your side at the moment, in a few months he may go through a challenging phase and a well trained and established recall will be impossible to train, then ;)
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Don't mistake a puppies desire to be close to you with recall though - make sure that you do "train" recall to a whistle or command, even though he may happily stay by your side at the moment, in a few months he may go through a challenging phase and a well trained and established recall will be impossible to train, then ;)
I agree, mostly they stick with you as they're scared they may lose you but then as they get older they get more confidence and so want to go further on thier own. While you're teachign recall also find different strategies as they get complacent plus you need to make sure they come back/away from whatever in an emergency.
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Jesse was also off lead from day one and has never caused any problems! If you are not sure about the recall though I would not let him off in a park with exits onto roads so close! Stick to the country park until you are 100% sure that he won't make his way onto the roads!
Vera
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He does have a long line and an extendable lead, so I don't see what the difference is between that and off-lead (except safety). Isn't it safer that a dog is on a long lead and under control, than a dog off-lead? He loves running about on his long lead / extendable and he gets the same running around time and space as he would off-lead, just I have control of him.
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He does have a long line and an extendable lead, so I don't see what the difference is between that and off-lead (except safety). Isn't it safer that a dog is on a long lead and under control, than a dog off-lead? He loves running about on his long lead / extendable and he gets the same running around time and space as he would off-lead, just I have control of him.
but he is only a puppy. I have an extendi lead, and I have a long line and there is now way he has the same amount of space as when he is off lead.
I agree, that you need to have control of him, and that can be taught but you are making a rod for your own back the longer you leave it. What happens if he accidentally slips his collar and runs off - and you can't get him back because you never taught him a strong recall. :huh: :huh:
Leaving him onlead can lead to a load of problems with other dogs because he will find it hard to exhibit and learn natural dog communication skills if he has a lead limiting what he can/can't do. He may become dog aggressive or reactive because you are limiting the flight response.....
Im sorry if this offends you but I actually think you are being really unfair by condeming your dog to a lifetime of onlead walks.
http://www.cockersonline.co.uk/discuss/index.php?topic=49319.msg700226#msg700226 (http://www.cockersonline.co.uk/discuss/index.php?topic=49319.msg700226#msg700226) this was posted today and shows how it only becomes harder the longer you leave it
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The long line that we have is too heavy for him to carry with it trailing on the ground. I did think about doing that, but the clip is like the size of his head. LOL. We'd all feel MUCH happier having a long line to trail behind him. It's just that he's so small and can run fast that we don't think we can catch him if he runs off, but with a long line, it's much better. What long lines do you use that would be suitable?
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The long line that we have is too heavy for him to carry with it trailing on the ground. I did think about doing that, but the clip is like the size of his head. LOL. We'd all feel MUCH happier having a long line to trail behind him. It's just that he's so small and can run fast that we don't think we can catch him if he runs off, but with a long line, it's much better. What long lines do you use that would be suitable?
You could make your own with a long piece of thin rope and a clip. :D
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http://www.companyofanimals.co.uk/longline.php (http://www.companyofanimals.co.uk/longline.php)
I got my longline from the Company of Animals (link above) and it was fine although with a longline you MUST use a harness, not a normal collar else it could damage the dog's neck....
Used properly a long line is BRILLIANT for teaching recall. When Hurley was a puppy he was crate & house confined from the age of 6 months to 12 months and we had to teach recall using a longline as his was pretty awful. It can take time but as he is only a puppy he will learn so quickly (although it can become a little testing when they hit adoloscence!)
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That's almost identical to the one we have, so I'll just get a harness for him.
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Use the long line and - he'll be fine ;)
We'll be expecting updates!!!! ;)
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I never go on a walk without treats and a 'dummy' both of which are Bellas two favorite things. The dummy is her special toy for walks, when we get home it gets put away. Every walk i call bella back at regular intervals and treat - either food or a fuss, if she decides were going one way for a walk i go the other - keep her guessing, if she goes too far in front i either hide or turn round and run (that's my favorite) she catches me up so quickly.
As for going in the lake when bella was younger i was forever dragging her out of the canal, now she has learnt which bits she can get in and out of.
Good luck.
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He does have a long line and an extendable lead, so I don't see what the difference is between that and off-lead (except safety). Isn't it safer that a dog is on a long lead and under control, than a dog off-lead?
Yes, it is much less risky to do this, but dog ownership is about managing risk, as it is never possible to avoid all together ;) A dog that is not used to being off lead is far more likely to bolt if they slip their collar for instance, than a dog that is trained to respond to commands on and off lead in a variety of situations ;)
The longer you leave it before you take that lead off, the harder it will be (I know, I've been there) - and it is quite possible to hire an enclosed court, or a fenced paddock in order for you to gain the confidence you need and realise that you won't lose control of him, and he won't become a little dot disappearing on the horizon ;)
Don't miss out on those few weeks where you are the centre of his world and he will do anything to be close to you and please you - puppies want to stay close to the things that make them feel safe; he trusts you, and won't run away from the only things that are familiar to him ;)
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just to add to this....my mum has a dog who is 13 and she was never aloud off the lead as puppy (as my parents bought her in malaysia while they were living there and it wasnt the done thing to take dogs off lead :huh:)....anyway she is very fearful/aggresive with other dogs now as understandably she was never able to form proper skills. she cant ever come off the lead as she'll either run off or attack other dogs....its really sad! :'(.she is such a sweetie at home though,great with the other dogs my parents have and kids!
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He does have a long line and an extendable lead, so I don't see what the difference is between that and off-lead (except safety). Isn't it safer that a dog is on a long lead and under control, than a dog off-lead?
Yes, it is much less risky to do this, but dog ownership is about managing risk, as it is never possible to avoid all together ;) A dog that is not used to being off lead is far more likely to bolt if they slip their collar for instance, than a dog that is trained to respond to commands on and off lead in a variety of situations ;)
The longer you leave it before you take that lead off, the harder it will be (I know, I've been there) - and it is quite possible to hire an enclosed court, or a fenced paddock in order for you to gain the confidence you need and realise that you won't lose control of him, and he won't become a little dot disappearing on the horizon ;)
Don't miss out on those few weeks where you are the centre of his world and he will do anything to be close to you and please you - puppies want to stay close to the things that make them feel safe; he trusts you, and won't run away from the only things that are familiar to him ;)
I agree with Cob web here. At the moment he thinks you are his world, the longer you leave it the trickier it will be. I also agree with Kalami, yake some tasty treats and a favourite toy so that you can interact with him and gain his attention. This will also help with recall ;)
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Recommend a squeaky toy or something that they're dying to get hold off, we have had 'squeaky mouse' on every walk now for 1 year, she get's to fetch him out of the water and have a little play, it's hard to get him back off her, but he always goes back in my dog walking bag, til next time.
Also, I know if she's heading somewhere I really didn't want her to go I just have to give her a little squeak of mousy and she looks at me and I reward her. I know, on the very few occasions I haven't squeaky with me I'm not happy, as I know this is my back up. Good luck.
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Thanks. I'm getting a squeaky toy and harness tomorrow, and I'll use the long line to trail on the ground, as i feel much happier with that on. I'll hopefully buy a whistle soon to help with recall.
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good luck with it, i'm sure you'll be fine. I was soo suprised i actually managed to get the courage to let marty off lead but i'm so glad i did, its sooo nice to see him running around and especially running between me and my sister, he just looks so pleased with himself for coming when i call him( he wants the hot dogs really...)
My piece of advice and it's been said before is if possible take another person with you, then maybe try having him come when called between the two of you ( makes for a fun game... twice the treats lol) also means if he does decide to run which im sure he wont! that you can easily get him. it seems like they can run fast but treats and games are much more interesting!
x
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Took Ollie to the local park today, wiht a harness, long line and squeaky toy. He was FAB!!!!!!! The line was on the ground, trailing behind him. When he stopped walking, had a sniff, saw a dog in distance, etc, I called him and he came running up to me. I gave him a treat everytime he came to me. He is more on the nervous side than confident. A whippet ran up to him quite fast so he was a bit frightened but once the dog had stopped to say hello, he was fine. Two westies came to say hello, and he hid behind me, but he's had a bad experience with a westie, so it's understandable, and one of the westies didn't help either, by barking at him, not aggressively, but more in frustation. The rest of the time, he was brillant. I only used the squeaky toy to get his attention but didn't really need to be used. Now, got to show my mum what he's like, as she doesn't trust him one bit.
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Well done you for plucking up the courage, here's to many more off lead romps. :shades:
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Well done. In time your confidence will grow and grow, you may get the odd scare but generally you will look back and wonder why you were apprehensive about letting him go free.
The whistle is a good idea too, start in the house, working up more and more distance. I always rewarded with something extra special for the whistle. Also, make sure when you do use the whistle that he's in a position not to fail, if you know what I mean, so he doesn't learn to ignore the whistle. Keep up the good work, you will certainly enjoy him more off lead. :D
Sarah & Willow
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Thanks. I feel much happier about him. I could probably trust him off-lead altogether now, but i'll probably wait a week. My mum's got to get used to him too, as she's the one that takes him to the park mostly.
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Thanks. I feel much happier about him. I could probably trust him off-lead altogether now, but i'll probably wait a week. My mum's got to get used to him too, as she's the one that takes him to the park mostly.
Well done!! You should be proud of yourself and Oliver, you for having the confidence to trust him and yourself and Oliver for doing so well on his recall :luv: :luv: Don't wait another week though :shades: you'd be better off carrying on as you just have, you will need to frequently repeat whatever you want Oliver to learn loads of times in order for it to sink in. He sounds so responsive at the moment and has done really well..... you may as well strike while the iron is hot ;) :D
BTW - tis probably a good idea to hold a little bit of that trust back - it's good for our dogs to keep us on our toes and although most of the time I know what Hurley is going to do, sometimes he does surprise me!!!!
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He'll be on the long line everyday now (just trailing, so semi off-lead :)) In about a week, when I have practised the recall loads, we'll take the long line off altogether.
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He'll be on the long line everyday now (just trailing, so semi off-lead :)) In about a week, when I have practised the recall loads, we'll take the long line off altogether.
Good to hear it! :D :D
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Have only just seen this thread and am so pleased Ollie is doing so well.
There is a cocker that lives down the road from me who, apparently, ran off when he was a puppy. Now I don't know whether 'ran off' means he actually disappeared or he just didn't come back when they called him. Anyway, he has never been off his lead since and he is 14 now. Have to say I thought it was dreadful when I heard, I can't imagine how Ellie would be if she didn't run off lead for a day, never mind all the time, but he seems a happy little dog. He does get lots of walks, still walks very sprightly, he is not fat and to be honest if you didn't know he was 14 you would never think he was.
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Just wanted to give a little update. He went for a walk in the park on his long line yesterday, and he was fab as usual. I can really trust him now, until he finds something to play with!!! He found a lipbalm stick (which is what annoys me about littering) and he ran off with it. There was no way I would have been able to get him if he didn't have his long line on. I shortened the line until I could get him, and took it out of his mouth. (and threw it in the bin!!). If he didn't have his long line on, I don't know what I'd have done. He goes into a play mode, running away and thinking it's a game, doing playbows and that. As you get closer to him, he tries to eat it and swallow it, so at this stage, I'd like to keep the long line on. Is there any way that I could stop him from doing what he did, as in the future, he may do it whilst off-lead? Why do people have to litter?!?!?!!!!
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Just wanted to give a little update. He went for a walk in the park on his long line yesterday, and he was fab as usual. I can really trust him now, until he finds something to play with!!! He found a lipbalm stick (which is what annoys me about littering) and he ran off with it. There was no way I would have been able to get him if he didn't have his long line on. I shortened the line until I could get him, and took it out of his mouth. (and threw it in the bin!!). If he didn't have his long line on, I don't know what I'd have done. He goes into a play mode, running away and thinking it's a game, doing playbows and that. As you get closer to him, he tries to eat it and swallow it, so at this stage, I'd like to keep the long line on. Is there any way that I could stop him from doing what he did, as in the future, he may do it whilst off-lead? Why do people have to litter?!?!?!!!!
You need to work on a drop command. Practise with a toy first, by getting him to hold the toy, then show him a treat and say "drop" as he drops the toy. Slowly work up by giving him better toys and then treats until he wil reliably drop anything. :D
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Well done for giving Ollie his freedom - you just need to train him well now to come back when you call/whistle and then hopefully when he hits his teens he won't be too much of a problem. Young pups do tend to stay fairly close but when they get to adolescence and get a bit more confident.......... ::) My trainer always said " do not mistake the puppy's need to follow for good recall" - how right she was. At 7 months Coco seemed to forget all her training and decided to do just what she wanted. I still gave her as much freedom as possible but it was hard work at times >:( The early training is crucial though so that when they gets over the teen phase they remember their training. ;)
As for picking up trash when out walking, it is a tricky one. You got off lightly with a lipbalm ;) - Coco usually finds revolting stuff usually like a full poo bag, condom or a deer's leg to give a few examples :o :o It is great treasure to them so you need to teach Ollie to swap his find for something with you. Never chase after him as he will think it is a game but teach him a reliable "give" or "leave" and swap the offending item with a treat or a toy. It may not always work but most of the time - you really need a high value reward with you at all times to make it worth swapping. Coco was not about to give up the bag of poo though - would need to carry a whole roast chicken in my pocket all the time to get total reliability from her! :005:
Keep up the good work - sounds like you are doing a great job and I am sure Ollie is loving his freedom. :D
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He does do a very good drop command with a toy. Like if we are playing tug of war, and I say drop, 9 times out of 10, he'll drop it instantly. Think I need to work on other things though. Will hopefully get a whistle soon, so I can do recall with that. I do say come as a command if wanders too far, and he does come. Is that proper recall, or just puppy following?
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I found that, if Honey picked up something she shouldn't, if we ran away or looked really interested in something on the floor she would soon come over to see what was happening - she wouldn't necessarily come close enough for us to get whatever she had from her, but close enough that we knew she was safe.
These days a ball or something is normally enough to get her attention back on us... :D
We just got back from camping and most of the time even on the site she was off lead (she did have the long line on just in case, but it wasn't needed) and she stayed close and came running whenever we called, and that was in an unfamiliar place with lots and lots of interesting smells. We practice recall every day on walks.... and try not to recall when there's a liklihood she will ignore us (this just teaches them to ignore you!!!).
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Today went really good, made up quite a distance before calling him, and he came. Except at the end, he found a REALLY interesting smell, and just ignored all my calls. So I hid behind a fence, and waited for him to come. He did, but nearly ran straight past me, but I just grabbed his long line. ;) Love that long line. Best thing we ever bought.
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Today went really good, made up quite a distance before calling him, and he came. Except at the end, he found a REALLY interesting smell, and just ignored all my calls. So I hid behind a fence, and waited for him to come. He did, but nearly ran straight past me, but I just grabbed his long line. ;) Love that long line. Best thing we ever bought.
That's great news - well done to both of you :D
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Soundsl like you are doing absolutley fantastic, keep up the good work and enjoy.