thanks
My puppy loves everyone help
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milliegirl
- Posts: 12
- Joined: Sat Nov 25, 2006 5:01 pm
My puppy loves everyone help
My 3month old puppy lab-collie cross loves everyone inside the house and out, great in the park off lead if no one is around add people and dogs well she ignores us calling her back, we turn and walk in the other direction calling her name but still nothing, try distracting her still nothing, if someone comes towards us we walk in the other direction to avoid them. we do not want to keep doing this what are we doing wrong.
thanks
thanks
This is happening because other things are more interesting than you are!
So at a guess, id say the treats and rewards arent so great, you are predictable in your route and response to her zooming off or coming back, and shes simply learned that you DONT mean it and you ARENT rewarding.
Stop letting her off the lead for now.
Get yourself a long line, a length of rope, or webbing with a clip at one end, NOT a flexi lead please.
Shes young yet and she actually DOESNT need hours of off lead hurtling about, its not good for her joints and the muscles shes not yet grown either.
Break up your normal walking time, and do a few shorter walks instead of one or two longer ones.
Teach her to walk beside you on the roads with the lead short, and her by your leg. If she pulls, you stop. If she walks by you, occasionally give her a treat as a reward.
When you are wakling, even on the pavements, vary the pace, change direction be INTERESTING.
If you meet other dogs, allow her sufficient lead if she will meet nicely, after asking if this is ok. If this is clearly not ok (ie owner is moving away from you), either get her to sit nicely as the dog goes by, or pass them quickly if they are waiting for you ... and reward her REALLY well.
Other dogs are very nice, but the NICEST thing about other dogs is that they make YOU hand out treats!
When you are off road, you can allow her to wander a little on the long line. Practice your recall, again vary your pace adn direction, vary the rewards too, sometimes a food treat, sometimes a toy, sometimes a big fuss and a cuddle. If she ignores your recall command, DONT repeat it, just silently reel her in and carry on, allow her to choose her distance a little later by giving her an 'ok, off you go' type cue.
Carry on with this, and carry on using the recall word or whistle whenever you want her to come, at first when you KNOW she will come, or when you can prevent her from not coming, so at home in the garden, when on the lead, when you are putting down teh food for dinner, etc etc.
DONT use the command if you think she wont come. Go and get her. DONT use it if you are going to do something she doesnt like, like clip nails, bath etc.
Get her coming back to you nicely on the lead even when there are other dogs, at first dogs at a distance, then dogs nearer by. Allow her to greet them b y all means if the owner is willing but YOU choose when this happens and tell her so.
If you make other dogs forbidden fruit, the reward could be a lifetime supply of dog chocs and she couldnt care less because seeing other dogs will be better than that because it rarely happens.
Seeing other dogs needs to be no big deal, it needs to mean that she looks to YOU for a reward.
Sharpening up the recall is easy - just reward the fastest recalls. Set her up at first to recall quickly and reward it very very well. Then do one where you think she will be a little slower.... then another fast one. She should soon get the idea that its only zoomy fast recalls that get treats and games.
Then you can introduce, in places without other dogs, the idea that not only must she return fast, but that you might suddenly leap up, yelling and RUN OFF the other way, WITH all the treats and toys! You can make this even more important to her by saving a very precious toy only for walks and not allowing her access to it at other times.
I would also advise taking her to a training class that allows puppies to socialise properly (not a free for all!) and get used to the presence of other dogs, preferably an outdoor one although at this time of teh year that might be hard. Whichever training classes you find, go to them for one session WITHOUT your dog and make sure the class will suit you. If you are not comfortable with anything you see the trainer do, or allow other people to do, dont take your dog there.
Hth
Em
So at a guess, id say the treats and rewards arent so great, you are predictable in your route and response to her zooming off or coming back, and shes simply learned that you DONT mean it and you ARENT rewarding.
Stop letting her off the lead for now.
Get yourself a long line, a length of rope, or webbing with a clip at one end, NOT a flexi lead please.
Shes young yet and she actually DOESNT need hours of off lead hurtling about, its not good for her joints and the muscles shes not yet grown either.
Break up your normal walking time, and do a few shorter walks instead of one or two longer ones.
Teach her to walk beside you on the roads with the lead short, and her by your leg. If she pulls, you stop. If she walks by you, occasionally give her a treat as a reward.
When you are wakling, even on the pavements, vary the pace, change direction be INTERESTING.
If you meet other dogs, allow her sufficient lead if she will meet nicely, after asking if this is ok. If this is clearly not ok (ie owner is moving away from you), either get her to sit nicely as the dog goes by, or pass them quickly if they are waiting for you ... and reward her REALLY well.
Other dogs are very nice, but the NICEST thing about other dogs is that they make YOU hand out treats!
When you are off road, you can allow her to wander a little on the long line. Practice your recall, again vary your pace adn direction, vary the rewards too, sometimes a food treat, sometimes a toy, sometimes a big fuss and a cuddle. If she ignores your recall command, DONT repeat it, just silently reel her in and carry on, allow her to choose her distance a little later by giving her an 'ok, off you go' type cue.
Carry on with this, and carry on using the recall word or whistle whenever you want her to come, at first when you KNOW she will come, or when you can prevent her from not coming, so at home in the garden, when on the lead, when you are putting down teh food for dinner, etc etc.
DONT use the command if you think she wont come. Go and get her. DONT use it if you are going to do something she doesnt like, like clip nails, bath etc.
Get her coming back to you nicely on the lead even when there are other dogs, at first dogs at a distance, then dogs nearer by. Allow her to greet them b y all means if the owner is willing but YOU choose when this happens and tell her so.
If you make other dogs forbidden fruit, the reward could be a lifetime supply of dog chocs and she couldnt care less because seeing other dogs will be better than that because it rarely happens.
Seeing other dogs needs to be no big deal, it needs to mean that she looks to YOU for a reward.
Sharpening up the recall is easy - just reward the fastest recalls. Set her up at first to recall quickly and reward it very very well. Then do one where you think she will be a little slower.... then another fast one. She should soon get the idea that its only zoomy fast recalls that get treats and games.
Then you can introduce, in places without other dogs, the idea that not only must she return fast, but that you might suddenly leap up, yelling and RUN OFF the other way, WITH all the treats and toys! You can make this even more important to her by saving a very precious toy only for walks and not allowing her access to it at other times.
I would also advise taking her to a training class that allows puppies to socialise properly (not a free for all!) and get used to the presence of other dogs, preferably an outdoor one although at this time of teh year that might be hard. Whichever training classes you find, go to them for one session WITHOUT your dog and make sure the class will suit you. If you are not comfortable with anything you see the trainer do, or allow other people to do, dont take your dog there.
Hth
Em
