Running away

[DianeKomorowski]

We have a new Aussie pup. She has been wonderful most of time. We do not yet have our electric fence set up yet. Most times she stays with us when we take her out and we are teaching her to come. But sometimes she just bolts and will not come when we call. What do I do when she finally does come. I feel like I should not treat her because she did not come at first or even after several attempts. I know I can keep her on a leash but then she does not get to really race in circle around the yard like she needs and loves to do. How do we handle this so she knows it is not acceptable to just take off.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hello Diane Komorowski,

Welcome to the forums,

This needs tackled because every time a puppy or dog doesn't come when called and gains reinforcement from something in the environment, the recall weakens while ignoring the recall reinforces.

 

It sounds like though your puppy is coming to you, but rather slowly. You still want to reinforce those slower recalls just that the faster ones may get paid better. You can keep in your treat pouch regular treats and super high value treats for those fast and enthusiastic great recalls.

 

However, every time you notice a slow recall you will want make a mental note to self that she needs more practice in those specific circumstances where this happens. She may not be ready for that level of distractions yet. Make sure you start at home, then in low distraction areas and then around more distractions gradually. I usually allow dogs to sniff around and explore for several few minutes outside until they grow a bit bored of their environment before practicing recalls. This helps increase your saliency while reducing the power of competing stimuli in the environment.

 

If you ever notice she is a bit slow, once you notice her orienting towards you, you can make a quick turn and run away from her to help her come faster to you. Once she catches up, lavishly praise and reward.

 

It's important to not fall into the trap of repeating commands, especially the recall. If a dog is not responsive, again, this is often sign that the dog is not ready for responding under that level of distractions yet. Since it sounds like you are working in an open area, with the opportunity to bolt away, I would keep her on a long line (not a leash, but a long line as those used for horses) so that she can explore safely and not bolt away.

 

Instructions on how to train a recall with a long line can be found here:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/recall/

Edited January 20, 2019 by Adrienne Farricelli

[JMFS]

Gertie gets like that once in a while. I can usually predict when it's going to be a tough time to recall her and on those days I'll take the treat bag with me. When she's distracted I'll shake the bag and hold it up so she can see that I have something far better than what she's messing with. I have a good success rate with that tactic. I also use a 50 ft lead. She can still run around, but only so far and I can reel her in. I use that primarily at night because she gets a bad case of The Zoomies just before bed. Black dog at night even with her NiteIze on is difficult to track. The bonus to the lead is that she's learned lead = business trip, no play. She tends to get her stuff done faster when I use the lead.

 

The hardest thing for me to learn was to always praise them for coming back, even if they spent 5 minutes ignoring me (and making me feel foolish - it can be frustrating). With Gertie I learned that praise = faster response time. I'll be blunt - it's not going to happen overnight. I've had her since April 2018 and we're still working on it. Every article I read answers the question, "how long does it take to train recall" with "forever." It's always a work in progress. Some dogs are quicker with it, others, especially those with energy or who are slaves to their nose (Beagles and Hounds for example) are tougher to train. We're having to overcome their natural instincts and curiosities and frankly, some days I lack the energy to be more interesting than the environment.

 

BTW, I saw a 30 ft rope yesterday at the Dollar Store if you want to try it out before buying a more expensive version. I bought a 50 ft rope for $8 and had my husband tie a handle into it, then I tied knots about every 18" so I can control how much play to give. I learned a hard lesson, too - the rope Burns if it slips through your hand - I had a gnarly blister / burn / cut across my palm after one mishap with a squirrel being too enticing. Now I wrap the end around my hand 5 or 6 times so it can't slip. You can also stand on the rope - I have two knots the width of my foot at the 40 ft mark for the days my arthritis is rearing its ugly head, making my hands weak. That way the knots act as stoppers against my foot.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

"Every article I read answers the question, "how long does it take to train recall" with "forever."

 

Excellent points Jennifer. Yup, the recall is one of those things you have to maintain and reward generously. It's an investment that will provide coverage that day you are caught off guard and you really need your dog to come back to you ASAP, no questions asked.