We have a very bright, playful and energetic Cockapoo puppy, who's about 5 months old and we love him to pieces. We take him for several walks a day and at the park we use our extended lead so he can have a run about and we practice recall as we've not been brave enough to let him off the lead yet unless it's in the garden. He does really well and will return to me with the ball every time and I reward him with treats and lots of praise. My only worry is, he gets extremely distracted by other dogs / people if they're in the vicinity and he automatically runs over to play / greet them. He jumps around and gets extremely overexcited but no amount of calling him back or shaking treats makes him come back to me and apart from reining the lead back in, I've no control over him. Some people are fine with him because they can see he's just a playful puppy, but others are not, especially if he's jumping up at them or their dog isn't for playing! How do I get him to return to me when I call - is it just lots of practice? I'm worried that if I let him off, he'll get distracted, keep running and won't come back! Any advice appreciated please.
Is he ready to let off the lead?
PJ2410
21 - 39 of 39 Posts
Unfortunately I don't have any friends with dogs who live close by so I can't walk her with another dog regularly but we do occasionally and we practice recall then but sometimes she just gets too distracted. She seems to get a bit intimidated when there's a group of dogs but most of the time she's fine, just eager to play. Where we walk there are a lot of other dogs and a few times dogs run up to belle whilst she is off lead and play and then when their owners call their dog back she follows them and pays no attention to me. I've signed her up for classes to work on recall so hopefully that will help.
Joined
·
2,744 Posts
Is Maggie ready to let off lead? NO! This morning she was bored so we went for a long walk up to the fair ground where she got to run around on her long line. Coming back she was too tired to walk so I picked her up to carry. When we got about half way home, a lady and 2 kids in their yard wanted to say 'hi' to Maggie so I put her down and she went from person to person for lots of pats and attention. After a few minutes we said goodbye and I went walk her but she just lagged behind me so I bent down to pick her up again and she turned into a growly bitey crockapoo. I knew she was over tired so I just stayed crouched down beside her waiting for the crockapoo to subside as it usually does, but then she pulled back and slipped her harness. Off she went doodle dashing around the lady's yard. (thank goodness there is very very little traffic on a Sunday morning) I knew there was no sense calling her so I just waited for her to stop. The lady brought her little dog out on a leash so Maggie just kept going around us and the little dog till finally she went to the lady and got captured. I so wish she would grow out of the cranky overtired crockapoo stage.
Joined
·
7,589 Posts
I'm confused. She slipped out of her harness and went on a spree? That does not sound like a cranky over tired Poo to me, it sounds like a dog in search of action. What my trainer would have had you done when you caught her was hold her collar for a second give her a full minute of love and then release her to "go play" again. It is only when they trust you that they will want to come back to you. She knew coming back meant being put back on lead and heading home. That is not cranky, that is smart!
Joined
·
4,993 Posts
It sounds like you have plenty of potential friends and just need to be a bit braver about speaking to people if where you walk there are a lot of dogs. When you meet a dog who is playing well with yours introduce yourself to the owner and ask if you can walk together for a while. That way your pup is getting some socialising and you can wait until she is all played out before you call her so increase your chances of success.
Joined
·
2,744 Posts
So I guess I read her wrong. The lagging behind after we left the park was not cause she was tired but that she just didn't want to leave the park. And the temper tantrum was cause she wanted to go back and play with the lady and her kids. These little poo minds are so complicated sometimes.I'm confused. She slipped out of her harness and went on a spree? That does not sound like a cranky over tired Poo to me, it sounds like a dog in search of action. What my trainer would have had you done when you caught her was hold her collar for a second give her a full minute of love and then release her to "go play" again. It is only when they trust you that they will want to come back to you. She knew coming back meant being put back on lead and heading home. That is not cranky, that is smart!
Joined
·
4,993 Posts
My feelings on off lead is that dogs benefit so hugely from the opportunity to socialise and investigate their environment we owe it to them to try and give them as much of a chance as we possibly can as long as we have access to safe environments - even if that means we need to travel to reach the safe environments.
Chance has been off lead over the fields since she was 11 weeks old and whilst she has occasionally been a work in progress has mostly been no trouble at all
![Image]()
Molly was 17 months old when she came to me, had rarely been walked and never been off lead and was totally obsessed with chasing birds - so she has been a whole heap of trouble she spent a long time on a long line learning in a safe environment and I acquired quite a few grey hairs along the lines with her. At one stage I felt she was never going to be safe to be off lead over the fields I love so much. She has always been heavily rewarded for coming back and somewhere along the lines has turned into mostly reliable and never far from me on walks.
With regard to distraction and things they want to do I used an approach of firstly calling them to me, when they came (and if it was safe to do so) I would let them do what it was they wanted, so chase the bird or go and see the other dog. This started on a line with Molly and meant at one point I was actively seeking birds close enough for her to want to chase them. I would get her attention, get her to come to me, reward that and then let her chase. With Chance she did not need the lead but learned that if she saw another dog and came to me she would be rewarded and I would then let her go to see them anyway. It means she does not generally go bombing off to see other dogs and the more we practiced the better she got and the longer I was able to keep her with me before allowing her to go and say hello
Chance has been off lead over the fields since she was 11 weeks old and whilst she has occasionally been a work in progress
has mostly been no trouble at all 
Molly was 17 months old when she came to me, had rarely been walked and never been off lead and was totally obsessed with chasing birds - so she has been a whole heap of trouble
she spent a long time on a long line learning in a safe environment and I acquired quite a few grey hairs along the lines with her. At one stage I felt she was never going to be safe to be off lead over the fields I love so much. She has always been heavily rewarded for coming back and somewhere along the lines has turned into mostly reliable and never far from me on walks. With regard to distraction and things they want to do I used an approach of firstly calling them to me, when they came (and if it was safe to do so) I would let them do what it was they wanted, so chase the bird or go and see the other dog. This started on a line with Molly and meant at one point I was actively seeking birds close enough for her to want to chase them. I would get her attention, get her to come to me, reward that and then let her chase. With Chance she did not need the lead but learned that if she saw another dog and came to me she would be rewarded and I would then let her go to see them anyway. It means she does not generally go bombing off to see other dogs and the more we practiced the better she got and the longer I was able to keep her with me before allowing her to go and say hello
Joined
·
9,258 Posts
I love my dogs running free off lead.
Like 2nd mine have been off lead since they were tiny pups - and the rescue two that I have had were initially walked in safe areas off lead.
I am always mega/over cautious near roads or livestock. It is not worth the risk. I am lucky in that I live in an area where there are lots of lovely places to walk in the actual countryside and I have never yet lost a dog (permanently!!!) although Kiki has very occasionally got so engrossed in a hunt that her recall was non existent... in that she was so into it she was literally deaf to me. However because we were walking in a safe area no traffic no livestock - I was not too worried and soon enough she reappears tongue out and tail high. I always act pleased to see her and never berate her for not listening - the fault was mine.
My dad used to say ' there is no point shouting at a dog's bottom - their ears are on the other end'. Most dogs respond to you if you call them before they get too far away - as if there is a magic circle around you - inside that circle your dog is very tuned to you. When you start building a relationship with a pup or new dog the circumference of that circle is very small - as the bond between you grows so does the circle.
IMHO it is hard to give a dog the stimulation and exercise and relaxation that they need on lead.
Walks ideally should be that - you walking from one point to another hopefully in a circle so that you start and finish at the same point. If your dog walk involves going the same way every day your dog will become bored and look for excitement else where. The worst behaved dogs we encounter are those belonging to people who walk a short distance and hope to encounter another dog that their dog can chase while they stand still....
Like 2nd mine have been off lead since they were tiny pups - and the rescue two that I have had were initially walked in safe areas off lead.
I am always mega/over cautious near roads or livestock. It is not worth the risk. I am lucky in that I live in an area where there are lots of lovely places to walk in the actual countryside and I have never yet lost a dog (permanently!!!) although Kiki has very occasionally got so engrossed in a hunt that her recall was non existent... in that she was so into it she was literally deaf to me. However because we were walking in a safe area no traffic no livestock - I was not too worried and soon enough she reappears tongue out and tail high. I always act pleased to see her and never berate her for not listening - the fault was mine.
My dad used to say ' there is no point shouting at a dog's bottom - their ears are on the other end'. Most dogs respond to you if you call them before they get too far away - as if there is a magic circle around you - inside that circle your dog is very tuned to you. When you start building a relationship with a pup or new dog the circumference of that circle is very small - as the bond between you grows so does the circle.
IMHO it is hard to give a dog the stimulation and exercise and relaxation that they need on lead.
Walks ideally should be that - you walking from one point to another hopefully in a circle so that you start and finish at the same point. If your dog walk involves going the same way every day your dog will become bored and look for excitement else where. The worst behaved dogs we encounter are those belonging to people who walk a short distance and hope to encounter another dog that their dog can chase while they stand still....
Joined
·
4,993 Posts
I love that Marzi - and very true
Joined
·
9,258 Posts
He was good with dogs... not so good with people!!If it is not obvious - what he was trying to say was you need your dog to look at you before you recall it - we used to do field trials with our GRs and they are trained to stop and look back on a long whistle - then you can give additional commands'
With pet dogs sometimes just running backwards making an excited noise is enough to get your pup to look back to check on you then call them 'Yay Buddy! Lets go and keep running away from them - as they start to catch up with you, stop turn around kneel down and say 'Come puppy, good puppy!' Quick treat and fuss and then send them off to play again!
I may try that out but I'd feel so embarrassed and awful if I had to spend ages trying to get her back at the end and they got roped into it
Belle has now successfully mastered coming back to me when called in the garden so I'm feeling a bit more hopeful
Joined
·
7,589 Posts
Catherine every time you call her back hold her collar, give her a treat and a good fuss and then release with a "go play". She'll learn that calling her does not mean the end of play time. When you must leave the park don't call her. Walk calmly to her telling her apologetically "We must go but when we get home I'll get you a biscuit". It really works.
Thank you for all your tipsCatherine every time you call her back hold her collar, give her a treat and a good fuss and then release with a "go play". She'll learn that calling her does not mean the end of play time. When you must leave the park don't call her. Walk calmly to her telling her apologetically "We must go but when we get home I'll get you a biscuit". It really works.
Joined
·
6,317 Posts
sounds like the perfect time to try out a long line, let it out but keep hold of the very end, when she has pulled it about half way out (hope that makes sense) turn away from her and call her excitedly so she wants to chase you, when she catches up make a huge fuss and give treat/play with a toy etc, coming back to you should always be a good thing. you may soon find you feel confident enough to try the same without the lead. The holding the collar is good advice too so they don't think that means the end of a good time, its good to hold the treat right against your leg so the collar comes next to your hand before you hold it rather than you reaching for it, I also used to pop Dudley's lead on and off a few times during the walk as well.I may try that out but I'd feel so embarrassed and awful if I had to spend ages trying to get her back at the end and they got roped into it
Belle has now successfully mastered coming back to me when called in the garden so I'm feeling a bit more hopeful
Funny you should say that, I have just ordered a long line a couple of hours ago! I'm very excited to test it out, Belle's recall has improved so much. She now comes to me when she is called out in the garden with a few distractions and she loves to find me if I hide in the house and call her. She now understands and I'm feeling very hopeful that with a bit more training she will listen to me every time
Joined
·
7,589 Posts
Fabulous. My trainer framed it this way. Every time you call they weigh their choices "Listen to mum and get a stupid piece of kibble or chase that juicy looking squirrel?" It is your job to always out do the squirrel when you call, with lots of affection, fabulous treats and above all else the chance to keep playing exciting games.
Belle went off lead in the woods this morning and she was wonderful! She stuck close to us and I didn't use the 'come' command, just walked up to her, gave her a treat and clipped her lead back on. Though we didn't see any dogs so I'm not sure how she will be when we meet them off lead.
She stuck close to us and I didn't use the 'come' command, just walked up to her, gave her a treat and clipped her lead back on. Though we didn't see any dogs so I'm not sure how she will be when we meet them off lead.
Joined
·
7,589 Posts
Good dog Belle! I'd try to walk in places with few dogs at first. Watch ahead and try to see one coming before she does. Clip her lead on and call ahead "is your dog friendly?" If yes then let the dogs have a short play. Only play for a bit then keep walking. Don't call her just walk. When she has this down well you can go to the next step which is when you meet a dog she really connects well with walk on and when she follows you call her in for a treat and a fuss then tell her "go play" and go back with her to her friend. It is all about teaching her that you have her very best interests at heart, as long as she listens to you.
I'd try to walk in places with few dogs at first. Watch ahead and try to see one coming before she does. Clip her lead on and call ahead "is your dog friendly?" If yes then let the dogs have a short play. Only play for a bit then keep walking. Don't call her just walk. When she has this down well you can go to the next step which is when you meet a dog she really connects well with walk on and when she follows you call her in for a treat and a fuss then tell her "go play" and go back with her to her friend. It is all about teaching her that you have her very best interests at heart, as long as she listens to you.
Joined
·
3,045 Posts
When I take mine for off lead walks I never take the same route and I often take sharp turns and unexpected corners sometimes turning round and going backwards just so that they are always on their toes and watching where I go. I don't call them very often. I have seen owners who call out to their dogs continuously on walks which can lead to them being ignored as owners. When I call them I only call once ( like if they are charging towards a picnicking family and I need them to return to me) if the call doesn't work I blow very loudly on my whistle and it makes them look round straight away. I aways keep high value treats in my pocket for a reward when they return.
21 - 39 of 39 Posts
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
