Recall and Going Walkies

[MurrayWhite]

Over the years I have had a few dogs , the latest is a Mini Schnauzer ,Male and now around 8months old. I see Pip twice per day , morning and  late afternoon .In total we do around 5-6 kms per day .

Mornings are a road walk on a short leash and the afternoon one is on a longer leash to the local school , or to the Doggie Park where I use 6 metre leash. All walks are done using a harness.

The first problem we encounter and only recently is , rather than getting excited to be going for a walk he actively tries to avoid , by heading out the kitchen door and ot responding to any encouraging, would prefer to chase  the cat.

When going for the walk I take loads of meaty treats, Possum,( a local pest to the environment, made into a dog roll)  Lambs liver or beef or chicken jerky.

He has always bee a nervous dog , and for the first week we had him , wouldn't leave the section , came right with help of local trainer .The trainer did a test at about 16 weeks , on name recognition , only 40% score. Seems to have gotten worse.

On the walks I have rewarded him for walking beside me and ever time le looks to see where I am ,he is rewarded. I was told this will pay for itself in future, not seen any sign so far .

I don't want a dog to do circus tricks , just one that has good manners , and comes when called.

So the good points , walks well on short lead , not bad on long lead. Will sit sometimes, trying to get ham to stand at crossroads and to follow my lead in crossing.

Bad Points , doing a disappearing act when the harness appears , this is only recent , and only started after I purchased a larger one .

Not motivated by much , sits on  front seat of ute on way to park , once there , happy to sit there and not get out ,he is lifted into the ute (must be over 10Kgs),once out of ute , very much a sniffer, seagulls are fair game ,and small sparrows likewise, not that he can catch one.

Loves water , goes out of way to get wet.

He gives the impression of being laziest dog on the planet , would happily watch Netflix with the girlfriend .

So no real major problem just niggles , suggestions welcomed.

[Adrienne]

Hello and welcome to the forums!

Well, for a pup being 8 months old and therefore at the peak adolescent stage, I think over all your pup is doing great.  So you need to pat yourself on the back for doing a great job! I will try to tackle the issues you have posted one by one. Your questions/concerns are in bold, my answers/further requests for info are not in bold and are right under. 

The first problem we encounter and only recently is , rather than getting excited to be going for a walk he actively tries to avoid , by heading out the kitchen door and not responding to any encouraging, would prefer to chase  the cat. When going for the walk I take loads of meaty treats, Possum,( a local pest to the environment, made into a dog roll)  Lambs liver or beef or chicken jerky. On the walks I have rewarded him for walking beside me and ever time le looks to see where I am ,he is rewarded. I was told this will pay for itself in future, not seen any sign so far.

It sounds like you are doing a great job walking Pip. The treats are creating positive associations with the walks and you are reinforcing walking next to you and checking on you. This is all great!

Bad Points , doing a disappearing act when the harness appears , this is only recent , and only started after I purchased a larger one.

The detail about this starting after purchasing a larger harness is important. Is it the same exact type (make and model) only larger? Or is there more to it, like requiring something new such as having a loop go over his head or lifting his paws to place them through some straps or having different clasps that are producing a different sound? These are all things that can impact a sensitive dog. You described Pip as being a nervous dog, so a simple change can make a big difference to him. 

It may be interesting to see whether he perks back up if you show up with his older harness. 

The trainer did a test at about 16 weeks , on name recognition , only 40% score. Seems to have gotten worse.

Was the trainer testing his response on coming when called and he only came back 40 percent of the time? 

What are you using to reinforce coming back to you?

Does he seem to struggle coming back to you in specific circumstances? If so, please list some circumstances. 

Have you ever called him when you were upset with him?

With dogs who aren't too motivated to come when called, I like to insert a sit/say or down/stay into the exercise. In other words, I would ask him to sit/stay or down/stay and then move away at a distance and say happily "Pip come!" This offers a double whammy of rewards: being free to move again and then receiving some tasty morsels that he only gets when training. 

Here is the guide on training stay, in case he doesn't know that yet:

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

As always, start training in areas with little distractions (inside the home in a quiet room) and then gradually work in areas with more distractions (yard, in front of the house, of course always on leash when not in safely fenced area) 

If he loves so much getting in the water, I would use that natural love of the water as well for training a nice recall. Once he's good with sit/stay/ down stay, I would ask for that and then move towards the water area and then call him to come join you and play in the water.

If he doesn't know "stay' yet, you can have a helper hold him as you move away, and he gets eager to follow you,  then call him to join you for the fun by the water. 

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

 

Not motivated by much , sits on  front seat of ute on way to park , once there , happy to sit there and not get out ,he is lifted into the ute (must be over 10Kgs),once out of ute , very much a sniffer, seagulls are fair game ,and small sparrows likewise, not that he can catch one. He gives the impression of being laziest dog on the planet , would happily watch Netflix with the girlfriend .

Well, he walks a lot so that needs to be factored in. Also, as the weather gets warmer, dogs tend to get more lazy. You can try to walk him in the cooler hours of the day and see if he perks up.

However, being a nervous dog, it would be important to consider whether he's being lazy or perhaps frozen in a state of learned helplessness. Some nervous dogs freeze and become sort of limp, when they are faced with too much overstimulation and if they are nervous a whole lot, they need a lot of recuperating to do to recover for the stress, so they'll want to rest and sleep more.

So I would keep an eye on his body language and see whether he displays signs of being overstimulated or anxious when exposed to certain stimuli or situations. Here are some signs to keep an eye for:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/signs-fear-stress-dogs/

Finally, if this laziness is rather new and somewhat out of character for him, a vet visit would be important just to make sure he checks 100 percent fine in the health department. It would also be important to ensure that the walks aren't too much for him, does he seem happy to walk along or does he show signs of tiring along the way? 

[MurrayWhite]

Hi Thanks for the prompt reply , one thing I forgot to mention is , we  are in Tauranga New Zealand , in hte South Pacific , so heading into winter , although today is fine and  sunny with a temperature of around 70F or to us 20C.

With the new harness it is way less of a performance for me to put on , I struggled to put it  on , Pip was very tolerant of this and  sat patiently waiting for the idiot owner put the harness on , I usually gave up and threw it at my partner to do.

One thing with Pip he is the most tolerant dog I have very come across, has no resource guarding issues , will let you take food from his mouth  , no tug toys , just gives in.

The name test was done to see if he responded to his name, while standing quietly , with no real distractions , but was out side at local school , no kids around.

With coming to his name , will generally ignore being called by name, usually have to find him often asleep somewhere or plying with his toys.

At the park and on road walks Pip seems well socialized ,more so than other older dogs , tail is always igging, being  a Pup ,f trouble he rolls on his belly in submission , this is very infrequent, and seems to bounce back with renewed vigour.

He has always been lazy but can be very fast given enough motivation.

He is off to the vet this week to be fixed , not sure I wanted to do this but all advice is for it, I would have liked to bred with him  , he is pedigree , but I am a lone voice , he has no say.

Today I got  his harness on made silly noises etc , big treats etc, harness , he headed for the door and around the back to avoid the lead, right , " I am going for a walk by myself " he immediately came over to me , fastened the lead and off we went , was perfect all 2,5K, so i suspect , it had been turned into a game , of me catch him and them the walk .Will try again this after noon and see what happens.

I think my main concern is the recognition of name and the lack of recognition of it

Cheers

Murray

 

[Adrienne]

Thanks for your details, very helpful! Please see my observations/answers under your bolded quotes:

"With the new harness it is way less of a performance for me to put on , I struggled to put it  on , Pip was very tolerant of this and  sat patiently waiting for the idiot owner put the harness on , I usually gave up and threw it at my partner to do."

Some sensitive pups may pick up our emotions, so if you struggled putting it on, and maybe got a bit impatient fumbling with it, your pup may have felt that. 

Today I got  his harness on made silly noises etc , big treats etc, harness , he headed for the door and around the back to avoid the lead, right , " I am going for a walk by myself " he immediately came over to me , fastened the lead and off we went , was perfect all 2,5K, so i suspect , it had been turned into a game , of me catch him and them the walk .Will try again this after noon and see what happens.

That's wonderful! I was about to post some general desensitization and counterconditioning methods for dogs who dislike harnesses for some reason, but it looks like you're on the right path to turning it into a great activity and it seems to be helping. Keep me posted. 

The name test was done to see if he responded to his name, while standing quietly , with no real distractions , but was out side at local school , no kids around. With coming to his name , will generally ignore being called by name, usually have to find him often asleep somewhere or plying with his toys. I think my main concern is the recognition of name and the lack of recognition of it

With name recognition, it's important to firstly create positive associations with the name. If this step isn't done it can lead to poor responses. Here the thing: your dog's name has very little meaning at first. You will need to create positive associations with it, so that it becomes music to your dog's ears, informing him that something wonderful is going to happen.

The Name Game

Upon hearing you say your dog's name, you therefore want a response, a state of attentiveness that tells you that your dog will be looking at your immediately for information on what you would like him to do next.

To give your dog's name a meaning, you will therefore have to start in a room with little distractions. Pronounce your dog's name and toss him a tasty treat his way. Do this several times, and then, at some point, wait it out. In other words, just say his name and see if your dog starts looking at you in anticipation for the treat. When he does, make sure to praise and give him a jackpot of treats (that's several pieces of treat scattered all at once for a fun treasure hunt).

This is the ultimate goal of the exercise: your dog stopping whatever he is doing to look at you. Make sure you use yummy treats to keep your dog's interest alive.

Practice in various rooms and then try the same exercise outside in a quiet yard or other fenced area without many distractions. If at any time your dog doesn't look at you, consider that the level of distractions were likely too much for him or you have went too fast in the process. Walk away and evaluate what may have happened: Too many noises, was he concentrated on sniffing? When a dog sniffs a good percentage of the brain is devoted to that, so best to skip pronouncing his name while actively sniffing for now. Once you identify what happened, resume the exercise later in a quieter area so you can aim for more success and then gradually expose to the more distracting environment using baby steps.

Aim to practice this several times a day (like a dozen of times) until you get a reliable response. Your dog's name should be music to his ears!

Consider that, the more attention you get, the more you are energizing your dog's name. The less attention you get, the more you are weakening it. So make sure to set your dog for success by increasing the chances of him responding.

Adding Recalls to the Name 

Once your dog looks at you reliably upon hearing his name, start adding obedience cues. For example, with your dog nearby, you can say "Rover, sit!" or "Rover down" or "Rover stay" and then, the moment he complies, praise and reward.

To use your dog's name for recalls, you'll do the same. You'll be saying "Rover come!" in a happy tone that denotes great happenings. Of course, you'll need to train your dog a good recall before your dog comes rushing to you. This should be started once again in a room with little distractions. 

You can have a helper hold your dog initially across a hallway and you can crouch down and say "Rover come!' and your helper releases your dog and he is fed several small pieces of treats in a row as soon as he reaches you. You can take turns with your helper holding or calling your dog.

You should then start doing this exercise in gradually more distracting environments and as always carefully evaluating how your dog responds. As with the name exercise above, you want to increase the chances of success so that you can power-up you recall as much as possible.

It's important to recognize that no recall is not without struggles. All of us, even the best trainers, have stumbled upon situations where our dogs were too distracted to come when called. As upsetting as this can be, embrace the challenge and take it as a lesson to further empower your recall by overcoming these little hurdles by taking a more gradual approach.

A Word About Your Dog's Name 

So lets consider your dog's name: Pip. This is an adorable name, but if you say just "Pip!" if may be a little too short to grab his attention as fully as we need it. Indeed, when naming a dog it is usually recommended using two-syllable words like my dogs were named " Pe-tra and Ein-stein" (Einstein was actually his name of art, his call name was Kai-ser). 

 

This first syllable alerts them, while the second one gets them running. If they are distracted or miss the first part, they receive confirmation when they hear the second. However, this doesn't mean that you have to re-name your dog, you can just attach the cue to it to help your dog out. So if you haven't done this already, try using "Pip, come!" rather than just Pip!

 

Let's do a little troubleshooting now....

 

Why Doesn't My Dog Respond to His Name?

When a dog doesn't respond to his name, it's important to carefully evaluate what may be happening. Training a dog to come when called is something that is built though time. There's a lot more to it than just calling a dog to come to you as you do when calling a child to tell him dinner is ready.

It's about establishing a strong reinforcement history, it's about creating a strong relationship, it about competing against distractions, and it also entails making good judgement calls. Not to mention, it's important knowing about a few phenomena that may take place without you even knowing.

With all this in mind, let's take a look at several possible causes as to why your dog doesn't respond to his name.

Avoid Playing the Repeat Game

It's a strongly ingrained human habit to repeat stuff when we don't get the results we want. Don't make the mistake repeating cues (commands) in dog training.

For example, avoid calling your dog repeatedly if he doesn't come the first time. If you are guilty of this, you have likely trained your dog, after a series of repetitions, that the cue is no longer just "Rover come," but "Rover, come, Rover come, Rover come!"

This is similar to a child who has learned not to attend to mom the first time she tells him to do his homework. However, don't get upset with your dog. It's not like he's blowing you off and being stubborn for not listening the first time.

Very likely, if your dog could talk he or she would be saying something along these terms: ''You have recently taught me the command is ''Rover come, Rover come, Rover come'' so when I don't come rushing you you right away the first time, please consider that I am simply politely waiting for you to finish the command!'' 

Jokes aside, while your dog won't likely think exactly this way, there must be some similar phenomenon going on. 

Solution: So what to do when Rover doesn't come the first time? In such a case, if you really need to get your dog, avoid repeating the cue but rely on a second life line, for example you can try making a smacking sound https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/the-airplane-game/the-smacking-sound/to get him coming or you can try running away in hopes he chases you. Never chase your dog. Afterward, don't forget to keep tabs and evaluate what happened so not to fall in the same trap next time.

Watch Your Tone

As mentioned, your dog's name should be music to his ears. You need to sound happy and welcoming. If you are upset with your dog for some reason, as frustration builds in, you may use a louder or much harsher tone which can put your dog off.

The use of this tone will only lead to further problems. As dogs perceive our built-up frustration, they will often shut down or engage in calming signals in an attempt to calm us frustrated owners' down. The dog may therefore perhaps yawn, turn around, sniff the ground, walk away or come walking very slowly which only irritates owners more.

Solution: avoid harsh tones. Even if you are frustrated, try to hide your emotions and think about some endearing traits or something you love about your dog as you call him happily.

Avoid Poisoned Cues

Have you been guilty of calling your dog to give him a bath, trim his nails, or close him in a crate when you were about to leave for work? Well, if you dog dislikes any of these activities, he has learned to associate his name and your recall with these negative happenings.

In such a case, it can be said that his recall has been "poisoned." Poisoned cues are common in dog training and the recall is one of the cues that is most commonly impacted. Once your dog makes this negative association, he may become tentative in coming to you or eventually stop coming altogether.

Solution: once a cue is poisoned, it is complicated restoring its value. It is often just easier to switch to just start fresh with a new cue and train it all over. So if you have been guilty of this and said "Pip come!" to give him baths or something else he hates, it may help to swap to "Pip over here!"

Avoid Learned Irrelevance

Learned irrelevance is a phenomenon where your dog stops attending to your cues because they have become insignificant somewhat like the birds chirping in the trees.

This often takes place when you call your dog too many times and you fail to get a response. This weakens your cue considerably, leading it to reaching the point of no longer having an effect.

Solution: avoid calling your dog when you are unsure if he will listen. For instance, at the dog park, do not call him while he's playing if his recall isn't too reliable. Remember to add distractions gradually; you can't go from teaching a dog to come in your hallway and then move to the dog park the next day. 

So these are just a few examples of dogs who may be reluctant to come when called. Of course, we also need to consider the dog's general health, whether it is hot, or the dog is thirsty, whether there are too strong distractions around (female in heat, loud noises, dog is anxious and over threshold), poor reinforcement history etc. 

If you recognize any of these patterns, feel free to post and we can discuss more in detail. 

I hope this helps!

Best wishes for Pip's speedy recovery after his surgery. 

Adrienne