Unreliable off lead

[Rosie]

I have an adorable 9 month cocker called Charlie who is impecaably behaved on lead but is more than a little unrelaible off the lead.  When I walk him on my own I have few, if any problems with him, but when any one else walks him or I am with my husband or friends half way through the walk he decides to go home alone.

It is getting to the point where it is diffcult to trust him at all off lead but I still want him to be able to enjoy walks.  I have tried extendable leads, dog whistles, changing walks etc but nothing seems to work.                    

[Jane S]

Hi Rosie

Take a look at the "Training" thread in the Puppy forum - there are a few tips there for dealing with recall problems which might help. Don't worry - you are not alone, most "teenage" Cockers go through a phase of being unreliable off lead but with persistence, you will be able to get over this & enjoy walks off lead with Charlie - might take a while though                      

[FionaM]

Hi Rosie

My cocker Poppy who is almost 8 months was really bad at coming back to me when there were other dogs around (See the other post that Jane mentioned). Jane suggested that I use a special toy that is only used on walks and have a game with it at the end of each walk to encourage her to come back (I use a frisbee). So far this is still working (Thankyou Jane! )  

Maybe if you try something like an exciting game at the end of a walk it might ancourage Charlie to hang around a bit longer rather than heading for home... It's worth a try anyway

Fiona                    

[luna_babe]

Oscar really enjoys carrying his lead, he will walk to heel if I put the lead in his mouth (I don't know if this a good thing to do, but it works with Oscar). He used to be a real problem off the lead but now when I call he will come back, sit and have his lead put on and then provided he has been good on the walk he can carry his lead....... and the key words to all of this is patience and discipline I have been really repetitive with him to get to this stage.

When he has been naughty he doesn't get the lead and he is told he has been bad. I is hard not to fall for the saggy eyes, but they have to be told! I have increased over time the amount he gets off the lead according to how he behaves, if he goes for other dogs then he is straight back on the lead, but I did let him investigate other dogs and he is a lot better now.

Good luck!                    

[Gilly]

I also have this problem to some extent with Fudge (8 months) as Jane S says it must be an adolescent thing.
I bought a frisbee about 2 weeks ago, and it interests him for a while, then he gets bored ???I think I may have made a mistake, but I use his dried food to entice him back, I started by rewarding him everytime he came back, I would make him sit in front of me, if he did this he would get a small piece of food. now when I call him if he comes back straight away (probably because he's a greedy oinker , although I don't give him something all the time just give him loads of praise, as I'm trying to cut the treats out, only problem now is how do I get him off the treats altogether                    

[Barry Sharpe]

Hi Gilly

At this training school we use they use toys only never treats. When we first started we had the same problem in that he would only take to the toy at his leisure. The way we got around this was firstly to use a toy that fits in pocket. Secoundly only ever let him have the toy for a couple of minutes generate intersets in the toy by playing with him then when he is at his most feverish take the toy away. keep doing this and you should find that he firstly associates the toy with certain things such as at training sessions and when you play with him. This should then allow you to use the toy as a training aid ibstead of treats. This has worked for us we now have george on a chewy toy which he only sees during his training times and at certain paly times.

HTH

I also have this problem to some extent with Fudge (8 months) as Jane S says it must be an adolescent thing.
I bought a frisbee about 2 weeks ago, and it interests him for a while, then he gets bored ???I think I may have made a mistake, but I use his dried food to entice him back, I started by rewarding him everytime he came back, I would make him sit in front of me, if he did this he would get a small piece of food. now when I call him if he comes back straight away (probably because he's a greedy oinker , although I don't give him something all the time just give him loads of praise, as I'm trying to cut the treats out, only problem now is how do I get him off the treats altogether

                   

[Gilly]

Thanks for the advice Barry, I'll try and substitute the treats for a toy, and hope this works better. I've recently been teaching him Sit/Stay, which he mastered really well.
He's actually very clever (not that I'm biased ) but I still feel he only wants to do things when it benefits him, and not just because I ask him too >:(This is really frustrating as I still don't feel like the top dog at times. See Excessive barking & stealing :(I suppose theres never a quick solution and these things take time added with the fact that he seems to be in his teenage rebellion stage.
Cheers
Gilly & Fudge                    

[Mike]

Do all cockers go through a 'teenage rebellion' stage? Daisy is currently 4.5 months old, and pretty well behaved. She's excellent off the lead, and toilet training is progressing much more quickly than it did with my springer - still the odd accident now and then, but on the whole she's clean inside. Question is, is Daisy still likely to go through a phase of bad behaviour on top of this good start? If so, what is the general age that this might happen (if there is a general age).

I was hoping that I lucked out and she was just a naturally obedient, well-behaved youngster (just like I was as a kid  )                    

[Jane S]

I can't say all Cockers go through a "Kevin The Teenager" phase but have seen it happen enough to think it's fairly common   It's generally around the 7-8 month mark (probably coinciding with hormonal changes) when puppies of both sexes may go through a phase of ignoring their owners, going deaf to commands they had previously responded to etc  We have a 6 month puppy now & I'm just waiting to see what's going to happen in a month or so - at the moment she comes instantly when called but I have a feeling this won't last                      

[Mike]

okay, well, it's good to know that there might be a change in behaviour, and that it doesn't necessarily mean my dog has become demonic or anything   My springer is quite a calm and passive dog, so I'm hoping that influence will rub off. Wishful thinking quite possibly, time will tell  :-                    

[Louise]

How do I know when it's safe to try Jazzy Monster off the lead in a open place, in the garden and the house it's about 70/30 on whether she will come to you...I haven't felt brave enough yet to try her outside yet.                    

[joanne]

Hi Louise,

I was exactly the same with Jenna, and I think I asked Jane the same question.  

I made sure I took her to an enclosed field, there were no roads nearby and I could see where she went.  I also took along my children for help if I needed it (or for moral support).

I took the crunch and let her off the lead only to find she didnt leave my side.

Now however she loves to go and investigate and trots off all over the place, but because I have always called her back quite often, and given her lots of praise and the odd treat she always comes back to me when I call her.  There has been the odd time however when she has seen one of her pals in the field that she ignores me a bit (or chasing a bird), but touch wood she has never gone out of site.

Hope this gives you a bit more confidence Louise, Jane will no doubt give you some good advice too!                    

[Jane S]

I can't add much to your good advice Joanne - think you've covered most things   It's best to start letting a pup off the lead sooner rather than later - a young pup is more likely to stay close by & so you will find recall training easier. As Joanne says, keep calling Jazz to you on & off but don't always put her back on the lead or sometimes put her on the lead & then after a "Sit" exercise, let her off again. Use treats to begin with if you like but don't always give her one, keep her guessing   The special toy to use only on walks is also a good "habit" to get into -  call Jazz to you & when she comes, have a little game with the special toy (but don't let her have the toy all the time - you decide when she has access to it!)

Good luck!