[BeckyP]

Morning all.

I'm hoping someone will have some tips or advice for me. Kipper is 16 months now, and for the last couple of weeks we've been having real problems with his recall. He's always been good at coming back when I call or use the whistle, but now he either completely ignores me - or comes racing towards me, gets halfway and changes his mind and turns round and runs away again.

It feels a bit like adolescence, but surely he should be past that now!

Heeeeeeeeelp

 

[Marzi]

Maybe Kipper is having an early midlife crisis

Have to say that since the arrival of Dot, Kiki's recall is stunning - because she knows that I will be giving tasty treats to the pup, so maybe another puppy is what you need

But seriously - you need a good recall... has the bad recall coincided with the wet weather and might it be that his walks are not so much fun, possibly shorter and then when he does come back he knows he is facing the prospect of a bath, towel down or hair dryer?

He is at the peak of feeling wonderful, boundless energy and appetite for life. Walk further, play with him more tugga toy or ball or just running around being fun yourslef. Call him to you lots and lots give him a treat and then literally push him away and say 'gogogo!' then call him back and repeat, so that it is fun. But always treat and sometimes hold his collar while you treat him.
Walk in different places, change direction a lot and be unpredictable - it is his job to keep an eye on you and stay close.
Resist the temptation to stand still while he plays with other dogs and then just call him when you are ready to head back to the warmth and dry of home - you walk, he walks with you...
Otherwise it is a long line or road walks on lead.
Put lots of effort in now and hopefully he'll soon be back to his normal responsive self.

 

[fairlie]

Maybe Kipper is having an early midlife crisis

Have to say that since the arrival of Dot, Kiki's recall is stunning - because she knows that I will be giving tasty treats to the pup, so maybe another puppy is what you need

But seriously - you need a good recall... has the bad recall coincided with the wet weather and might it be that his walks are not so much fun, possibly shorter and then when he does come back he knows he is facing the prospect of a bath, towel down or hair dryer?

He is at the peak of feeling wonderful, boundless energy and appetite for life. Walk further, play with him more tugga toy or ball or just running around being fun yourslef. Call him to you lots and lots give him a treat and then literally push him away and say 'gogogo!' then call him back and repeat, so that it is fun. But always treat and sometimes hold his collar while you treat him.
Walk in different places, change direction a lot and be unpredictable - it is his job to keep an eye on you and stay close.
Resist the temptation to stand still while he plays with other dogs and then just call him when you are ready to head back to the warmth and dry of home - you walk, he walks with you...
Otherwise it is a long line or road walks on lead.
Put lots of effort in now and hopefully he'll soon be back to his normal responsive self.

Brilliant advice! All of it!

 

[Grove]

I love how a potential solution to any problem on here is 'get another puppy' !

Love the name kipper as well.

 

[BeckyP]

Thanks for your thoughts guys.

I think I'm doing all of those things to be honest. He has about an hour/ 1hr 30 in the morning and a 20 min leg stretch in the evening. And when we're out I always through the ball lots (ideally down any large hill we're passing to wear him out). He loves the ball, and I tend to throw it alot in the garden for him in the day too. So he shouldn't be a lack of exercise.

I've always got a bag of liver cake which he is rewarded with when (if!!) he comes. I do keep walking too in the hope that he'll catch up with me, which he does eventually, but obviously it's when he's ready, not when I call him. We sometimes walk with other dogs and they'll all come back to my whistle but he ignores it! He's got his head down sniffing madly, on the chase of something far more interesting.

I've been trying to do the calling him back a bit more often, and rewarding well, and somedays it works a treat, (at the weekend, he came back on a whistle mid-dash to a flock of birds - great result) but then the next day we seem to be back to square 1 again with him dissappearing into the woods for 5 mins and me having no idea how to get him back.

We do walk in different places. I get bored doing the same walks all the time so I vary them often, and try to go to new places regularly. I was hoping someone would say, aha that's the typical 16 month phase, he'll be over it by 17 months.

I'll just keep on keeping on (and no, we're def not getting another pup just yet!!)

 

[fairlie]

Ahhh, that typical 16 month phase! It lasts another week and a half and you'll have a perfect recall again, no worries!

Does he have an emergency recall or just the regular one? Cockapoos are smart enough to learn "she doesn't really need me back, I'll just take a bit more time". You could practice an emergency recall at first with a long lead. The sound must be different, a different word or whistle. You only do it once a day and then much less, and then never until you need it. The reward needs to be something amazing for him, like half a hamburger.

In general the less calling him back to you the better. They learn to habituate to your call otherwise. Also have you hidden on him? Has he ever lost you? Putting puppies through that once or twice deliberately teaches them that they must follow you and not vice versa. It might not be too late to hide from him.

Good luck, he sounds like a lucky dog, I think he'll be through this soon.

 

[BeckyP]

hee hee thanks!

Yep tried hiding on him a few days ago and got caught out hiding behind a tree by another dog walker... ha ha think she thought i was a bit crazy! I used to do that when he was little too - and then he stuck like glue for the rest of the walk. I love him going off and having a crazy run around, it's just he's going that little bit too far away and out of my control.

Liking the idea of an emergency call - and half a hamburger might just do it!! I'll let you know how we get on!

Thank you!

 

[lady amanda]

try switching up the treats too!

Marzi, great advice by the way!!

 

[Marzi]

Thanks for your thoughts guys.

I think I'm doing all of those things to be honest. He has about an hour/ 1hr 30 in the morning and a 20 min leg stretch in the evening. And when we're out I always through the ball lots (ideally down any large hill we're passing to wear him out). He loves the ball, and I tend to throw it alot in the garden for him in the day too. So he shouldn't be a lack of exercise.

I've always got a bag of liver cake which he is rewarded with when (if!!) he comes. I do keep walking too in the hope that he'll catch up with me, which he does eventually, but obviously it's when he's ready, not when I call him. We sometimes walk with other dogs and they'll all come back to my whistle but he ignores it! He's got his head down sniffing madly, on the chase of something far more interesting.

I've been trying to do the calling him back a bit more often, and rewarding well, and somedays it works a treat, (at the weekend, he came back on a whistle mid-dash to a flock of birds - great result) but then the next day we seem to be back to square 1 again with him dissappearing into the woods for 5 mins and me having no idea how to get him back.

We do walk in different places. I get bored doing the same walks all the time so I vary them often, and try to go to new places regularly. I was hoping someone would say, aha that's the typical 16 month phase, he'll be over it by 17 months.

I'll just keep on keeping on (and no, we're def not getting another pup just yet!!)

It sound as if Kipper is a very luck lad, who is just testing his boundaries.

I would up basic training with him. Do some sit and stay work with him while you are out. Short formal recalls. Try leaving his ball behind you and walk him away from it on lead, then release him and send him back to get his ball.
I don't have an emergency recall, but I do train an emergency stop. On the stop command the dogs must STOP until I go to them and give them the release command. Inzi goes into a down, Kiki sits. Dot hasn't yet got it, but she will sit, I think.
On the whole though I do try not to nag the dogs when we are out. I don't mind them scampering around the undergrowth and having a hunt. Or chasing birds... however if I see joggers or dogs I don't know I will call them in, or stop them.
As Fairlie says Kipper will probably be fine in a couple of weeks

 

[fairlie]

Maybe we have it all reversed and he is actually trying to train you to be a bit more mature and walk without him quite so close? As long as he is keeping one eye on you at all times he likely knows he can get back to you in a few seconds if need be. Just don't walk anywhere near traffic or potential lures to bait him on to the road (squirrels). I would love to do a test and see what he would do if you suddenly laid down or a really big dog appeared out of nowhere.

Are you also working on a "stay right beside me" command? It helps when you need him to stay close by if you get uncomfortable.

 

[Tinman]

Ralph's recall training also disappeared last week, with him twice bolting out of the field gate onto a road,
I have purchased a 15 meters training line, and I have used this for the first time tonight with a good level of success.
He is fine on the way into the fields at the beginning of the walk - it is at the end when we have come to the spot where we have a treat and put the leads back on.
So this evening I did plenty of recall for nice treats, and way before we got to our normal lead spot, a whole field away, I put the training line on Ralph and walked back.
It his didn't seem to bother him at all as he still had plenty of freedom - I think the most annoying part was ruby biting on the lead haha.
I then put the lead on at our normal spot with treats - no problem.
I figured that spending £15 on a training lead would be whole let less expensive than a vets bill, and a whole lot less traumatic than a potential road accident!!
I think it's all about going back to basics and reigning in their freedom.
With lots of extra tasty treats so they know its worth their while to come back x

 

[DB1]

Can't give advice as Dudley does exactly as he pleases I reckon, the good thing is most of the time what he pleases is what I want, ie - he wants to come to me for a treat most of the time, so recall looks good. Its the the occasional time that what we want differs that is the problem!
Marzi how do you begin to train an emergency stop? I would love to have that control.

 

[fairlie]

We are working on an emergency stop too. I am just extending the distance with the down stay command bit by bit, started indoors, now outdoors from quite a distance. You need to use a hand signal as well as a voice command in case they can't hear you. Then release them and treat. My problem now is keeping him in the down stay while I am out of sight, it is hard in the country to find safe situations where he is on one side of say a parked bus and I am on the other.