Off the lead - beyond nervous

[lesley3165]

Meg is 5 months old this week and today we let her off the lead in the local park, oh my word what a nerve wracking experience.  High value treats at the ready she was really good and then saw a bird,off she flew  (meg and the bird!!) my daughter ran after her shouting her and managed to get her attention, I then shouted "come meg" and over she came to me  but we then lost our nerve and put her back on the long lead. The rest of the walk was lovely, hope I can find more confidence to let her off again

[JeffD]

All cockers are gun dogs by breed so they will chase birds unless taught to leave, please read Top Barks reliable recall at the top of the training and behaviour board you will not find better advice.

5 months is quiet old to be off lead for the first time is easier when they are very young as they do not want to leave you, your pup did return so you are half way there please stop being nervous find a safe place and let your pup explore, practice the recall with some tasty treats.

[Liz F]

I let both Diesel & Olli off lead on their very first walk out its a scarey moment.  Its easier the younger they are as they automatically follow you, as they get older and more confident they can ignore recall.  Hope you let Meg off tomorrow again, if she doesnt come back first call worst thing you can do is run after her she will think its a game of chase, run away from her whilst calling her name and she will follow.  Good luck with your recall training - maybe you might try a whistle.

[maxineh]

same here with Poppy - let her off within 1st week of walks in a secure place.  Don't run after them or they think it is a game.  I just call "this way" and start walking where I want her to go.  Most of the time it stops her going in a stinky ditch if I am lucky    She was playing with her puppy friends today and I decided to walk in the opposite direction and she followed when I called her and didn't go back to them.  hopefully long will this continue 

[BeeBoo]

Don't worry about ''waiting till 5 months'' - I did exactly the same thing.

I know ''the earlier the better''/''first walk'' etc etc but actually, in the teenage months puppies will want to wander off regardless of whether or not you let them off first walk...or not! There's plenty of ''recall failed'' stories here on COL. I used a longline for a couple of months and slowly let the distance between us increase.

My own puppy who is almost 9 months had 1 episode of running away from me when he was given a new Kong toy on a walk (he was around 7 1/2 mo), but that was because it was brand new off the shelf and he didn't want me to have it. Now I hold on to anything bigger than a ball, it's MY toy and he gets to play with it, not the other way around Another time he may ignore me - but not run off as he did with Konggate - is when there's mud or a person he likes the look of. I have to be one step ahead of him, as everyone does with a ''teenage puppy'' and hold onto his harness until I know his interest has vanished and I let go for him to run about again.

We're in the process of teaching recall to whistle and I really recommend it, blow the whilst when the puppy is already coming back. If he's having a lazy day, I also take a squeaky toy with me, drop to the ground or RUN AWAY shouting his name in a silly voice/waving my arms. All dogs no matter what age or breed love ''chase'' - if you run after them/''chase'' them they'll run away, if you run away from them they'll chase you.

Basically just have things in place (like toys, treats or a longline if you're in a ''fun'' place like woods or large park) to ensure the puppy never decides to make its own fun - you're the provider of all things fun. They will test you on any subject - not just recall - during the teenage phase, like any adolescent  


It's always going to be nerve wracking, it is for me....they are so special and we wouldn't want harm to come to them.   That's why I waited so long....

[praia]

Agree with BeeBoo about most adolescent pups running off because of some distraction despite being let off the lead from early on.  The only way to get reliable recall is by proofing the training through constant repetition and gradual increase of distance, distraction levels, and duration.   It's unrealistic and completely unfair to expect a dog to recall from a possible prey item or a possible play date with another dog when you haven't built to that level of obedience yet. 

Do not use treats as a form of bribery as you will almost always lose.  Treats should only be used to reinforce correct behavior and to aid in proofing to fluency, meaning it's an automatic reaction no matter the distraction.  Fluent behavior means the dog simply reacts to your command and doesn't even think to consider - treat or fun? 

Practice recall in your home and garden and practice recall in high distraction areas like the park with a long line until the dog has earned the right to be allowed truly off the lead.  Try incorporating different cues (vocal, visual, whistle) in your training.  Above all, be patient and be fair in your expectations of your dog.  Of course a dog is going to run off when you haven't actually taught them the appropriate behaviors in specific situations.

[lesley3165]

Thank you for your replies, was beginning to get worried that I'd left it too late to let her off but feel much better now. We have been teaching recall since the day we had meg and I was really pleased with her when she came when called yesterday even with the distraction of the bird. I think the point I was trying to say was that we were the ones who were overcome with nerves about her running off.

We have just been down the cool (temperature wise) woods and let her off again, she was good and kept close to us and came when called,  I know there might come a time when she might not come but I'm going to try the whistle to reinforce what we've started. (thank you for that tip, saw another post about recommended ones)

I'll still use the longline lead in fun places where I don't feel quite as confident but hopefully after today I'll relax a little bit more.

[praia]

That's good that you've gone and tried again.  Just remember that she will run off again the next time a bird pops up unless you build up her recall training to that level.  Keeping a long line on her while you proof her training is a very good idea. How about teaching her to sit the moment she sees a bird she wants to chase and then allowing her a nice flush once she has done so?  This is a great way to maintain control over your dog despite high distractions like prey animals and using their prey drive to your advantage. 

Also, the whistle is not a reinforcer nor is it supposed to be used as a way to distract or divert attention.  This is a common mistake for those who bring whistles, squeak toys, or high value food and wonder why their dog still chooses to run off.  The whistle is simply another cue, the importance of which is only as strong to the dog as you the trainer make it. 

[lilliegez]

maisie is 16 weeks old now.  I have been letting her off in safe away from road areas from 12 weeks old.  She is always in sight and has just started to chase birds but I use a whistle and she comes straight back.  I also hide from her at times so she likes to keep an eye on me. she is quite Velcro like with me at the mo but things will probably change as she becomes older. 

[BeeBoo]

Thank you for your replies, was beginning to get worried that I'd left it too late to let her off but feel much better now. We have been teaching recall since the day we had meg and I was really pleased with her when she came when called yesterday even with the distraction of the bird. I think the point I was trying to say was that we were the ones who were overcome with nerves about her running off.

We have just been down the cool (temperature wise) woods and let her off again, she was good and kept close to us and came when called,  I know there might come a time when she might not come but I'm going to try the whistle to reinforce what we've started. (thank you for that tip, saw another post about recommended ones)

I'll still use the longline lead in fun places where I don't feel quite as confident but hopefully after today I'll relax a little bit more.

I am each time I let him offlead.... 
not because I don't trust him (well... I don't trust him 100% until he's adult!), but I'd be devastated if he was to come to harm or be snatched....he's only a baby & he's my baby!

Little steps....enjoy the teaching process with Meg. I think it's natural & right to be cautious....like I say I waited till 5 months, and in certain places I still deploy the line 

[Landy andy]

Very different from us, we were letting ours off the lead at 9 weeks, now at 14, and he's doing ok..

Andy