Hello, my name is Keith and I have a yellow labrador that will be 2 years old in September. Her name is Powder. She is a beautiful dog. In the house she obeys me very well. She take commands as come without failure. She also leaves, even when I have food, when I clap my hand together once, and then she leaves and lies down. She loves to play with her tug toy and also loves to fetch her ball. Where I live, the community has a very large dog play ground that is fenced in, so we go there often and play with Powder. In the play ground, she comes, fetches, and does fairly well. She doesn't even try to run off.
Now my problem. At home we at this time do not have a fence. We have recently moved, when she was a puppy, and have not been able to put up a fence yet. I go out many time during the day and play with her on her permanent leash. And my wife and I walk her every day. But if she goes out of the house without being on her leash, she takes off like a rocket. I call her and she gives me the cold shoulder and keeps running. I can get close to her and as soon as she sees me, OFF she goes. So lately, I have been using my car to call her. She takes the car door open as an invitation to go to the dog play ground and runs right to me and jumps in the car. But with out the car, she comes back when she feels like it rather than when I call. What can I do. In house, she is great and obeys, outside and not at the dog playground she does what she wants. Did I ruin her by having her on a permanent leash. That is what my friends have told me. If so, what can I do too change her. Help me please...........................

Thanks,
Keith and Powder

Hi Keith,

You did not ruin Powder by having her on a permanent lead, that's nonsense. You just didn't quite finish teaching her the recall command - all commands need to be "proofed" in different situations or they become situational. If the dog is confined to home or fenced area - it obeys. If there is a yummy treat waiting -- the dog obeys. Take away the fence and the treat -- and you would think the same dog is afflicted with SDS (sudden deafness syndrome) In fact, they have simply not learned to respond to the same command the same way, regardless of location or availability of a reward.

You can use the same command you have been using for recall, or, you can choose a new one. You need to refresh her on recall, concentrating on recall when she is outside. Because she is used to being on a lead she is very sensitive and aware when she it not, so you will not be able to start off reteaching her without a lead. There are very long training leads (40 feet or more), but a long washing line will do just as well. When you are sure she knows the recall in a confined area begin working her outside. Work on the recall from near you to gradually the farthest away Powder can get on the line. If she starts to take off in the wrong direction, quickly reel her back to you using the line - praising her all the way. When she reaches you, touch her collar and give her lots of affection and praise. (You touch her collar so she does not associate it with being "captured" against her will.) Coming back to you when recalled Powder should regard as the most wonderful thing she can do for herself. When she is flawless at recall on the line you can try it without you holding the other end (makes it easier for you to get her if she errs) so she knows she is free to run, and eventually do the recall in a safe area without the line at all. And of course, never use the recall command when you want her near to yell at her or do something horrible - like give her a bath. :-)

By the way, even the dogs I've owned that I never taught the recall would quite happily jump in the car when they were on the run. It's some weird thing dogs have about cars, related to you being leader of the pack according to one trainer. I'm not so sure, but it worked for my dogs, even though they never went anywhere in the car but to the vets.

Stacey

Hi Keith.
I'm guessing from your use of words that you are in America? If so, I don't know what if any leash laws you have in your area???

One of the big problems with having a dog on the lead is that when the lead comes off, the dog is so excited at the new found freedom that she is not keen to give it up in a hurry. With working Labradors we have a saying, "When the lead comes off never put it back on again!" Obviously not strictly true but the idea is that the more the dog is off the lead, the more "Normal" it becomes. The less excitment it raises in the dog so the more control you have with your dog.

Obviously I would never walk a dog off the lead in any place where it was not safe but at the same time I would try to always end up at a place where I could let my dogs have a free run. Having to keep your dog on the lead in the garden is not allowing you to keep up the "Free running training" in the garden therefore finding a safe place for her to open up and run is rather more important. Labradors were bred to work in the field all day so they really do need to stretch their legs.

Regards, John

John

Where have you been! Havent seen you in here for agess! :D

Just a quick one whilst your here (!) my now 9 mth black is still very excitable so i am wondering whether or not to hold off on the serious gun dog work untill he matures a little further. Is it the case that if you introduce the training graduallly at this age they will steady themselves accordianlly and learn to control their behaviour a little more, or is it that he is still just a young pup?

It's just i have watched the Holland and Holland gun dog video ( Halsteads video soon to arrive!) and his dog was about 10 mths when he had completed the training, so i am wondering if that is the norm or its is down to the dog.

Kind regards

Mark

p.s Good advice for keith there, i have a 3yr yellow lab too and i now tend to walk him off lead in the woods but to heel. He has found it the norm now and will not constantly try to run off, along side this his recall is slowly but surely getting better!

Hi Mark. I'm always here :d

All dogs are different and for that matter so are the handlers. A friend of mine regulaly has his Springers and Goldens out in the field before a year old. Thinks I'm slow because I dont get mine out until 18 months to 2 years. I'm happy to bring them on slowly. A dog in the field must cover anything required by the keeper and I'm not happy to start mine jumping fences until at least a year old.

I start training from day one, literally as soon as I get the puppy at 8 weeks old but that is play training as far as retrieving is concerned. Retrieving stops as they start casting teeth and does not restart until all the adult teeth are through and that is the time I start getting a little more serious. Steadyness starts to get more important and I would hope to do a puppy working test by around a year old (Assuming the puppy is a spring puppy) and if this goes off ok then I would be thinking about getting her into the field by around the following Christmas. A puppy born late in the year would only be around a year old when the shooting season starts so at the very earliest I would not get her out until, with a very advanced puppy, maybe a half day right at the end of the season but more likely the following season. There is no point in rushing, get it right and you have a companion for years.

The old saying in training is train what you can't do not what you can do! If he's excitable then work on the steadyness exercises, stays, heelwork and dummies retrieved by yourself with only a few retrieved by him just to keep his interest. Retrieving is very exciting so will wind him up rather than the calming which you need. (With a very laid back puppy, one maybe reluctant to leave me to retrieve then the training would be slanted the other way.) Remember that he is still a pupy until around 2 years old so there is nothing wrong with him having a zest for life! The aim is to quietly mold him into what you want.

Best wishes, John

Might not be any help but my dog was the same as soon as leash came off the dog darted as fast as poss away now i take a handfull of treats and let him off call him back and give treat i never put the lead on when i call him back or he knows if i go back to my owner end of free run so i call and treat several times i put lead on then let him free again that way it doesnt mean end of walk as i said may help may not