I was just wondering how old were your puppies when you let them off the lead? My 18 month old Border collie was ok with recall until 6 months as she was quite nervous and was not going to be left behind. However my 4 month old retriever pup is more independent and really couldn't care a less. I have been trying to train the recall on a long lead but for some reason she never seems to go far away enough. I have tried her off lead (in a safe place.) She never goes far away but if she is distracted when i call (usually sniffing or trying to eat rabbit/horse poo) she totally ignores me. I have tried a whistle, a squeaky toy and running away and she simply did not care. She isn't very food orientated, even though i offer liver which most dogs love. I know i have basically just got to go back to basics and stick to a long lead so that i can give her a gentle tug when she doesn't listen, but i was wondering how long it took everyone to get a reasonably reliable recall so that you could let them off lead.
She does go to classes, although we are on a months break at the moment. I guess i am trying to make sure we are progressing ok, after the problems i had with my BC I'm desperate to encourage a good recall!

My puppies are loose the minute they can go out. I take them with well behaved dogs (my older ones) and the pups stick close as they are a little unsure being that young. Call the big 'uns back and pup will follow, then loads of praise, a treat and send them away again. Works for me.
Dawn.

samw with my pup i let her off when i first took her out only for 5 mins the called me big one back with the pup and lots of praise and a treat she is now 17 weeks and still sticks to my older dog like glue, my partner has a few probs getting her back but i keep telling him do not shout (this makes it worse) take treats out call big when first then little one then they both come back together.
Hope that makes sense

That works from me as well Dawn. I let my pups off the minute they can go out (making sure there are no dangers).

Helen

I'm the same as Dawn with my pups.

Jesse

I do the same as the others, as soon as we start walking. It does help, I think, when there is another well behaved dog for them to learn from. We still go through the teenage deafness stage but I tailor the walks to safe areas going back on the lead as we pass through areas less safe or with temptations. I have had to train my husband too not to 'order' them back but to use a upbeat voice, when we are walking all together though they still run past him straight to me even if he's doing the calling :) They come to him alright though when I am not there.

Same here when i had Oscar a year ago he just followed my others when i had Ollie who is 16mnths and i had him 1month ago i tied him to Cass and let her bring him back when i called and he got treated. As for your pup he should follow your older dog when i had my 1st dog she just used to follow me any way

I also let my pups off right from the beginning (not always with an older dog though). It is natural for most very young pups to stay close to you but do formal recalls as well on lead in a training session so they know that "come" means Come here now whatever and whenever.

Christine

I let mine off around 4 months, with the help of my friend's older dog. With her dog around, my girl didn't go far, plus she didn't like being left behind.

I also let mine off at around 4 Months, Although i have an older dog i decided to do it on his own, I thought it important that he got used to listening to me and not simply following my other dog back. He is great off lead and never wanders far, always checking back to see where i am :)

Rox

As your Retriever seems much more independent than your other dog and consequently doesn't respond to your recall, I would first work on building up the relationship between you and your dog. I'm not saying you haven't got a good relationship already but that your dog needs to see you as being more important than other things!!

It is often harder when you have more than one dog as they can, depending on their temperament, bond more with each other than they can with you so you have to work a bit harder.

Play with your dog a lot throwing out a ball, low to the ground, and getting him to bring it to you. If he's so independent that he gets the ball and runs off with it, play with him on a lead to prevent him taking off and playing by himself, and reduce the distance you throw the ball out accordingly. Make having fun WITH YOU the best thing in the world for your dog and when you teach the recall on a long line, make sure he gets a really, really, good reward when he comes in to you. If you then call your dog to you when he's out on a walk, call him when you don't necessarily need him, give a treat/reward and then send him off to play. Do this randomly enough and he will never know what he's going to get when he comes to you but past experience should make him think its going to be something good and worth coming for!!

The trick is, to be more interesting than whatever your puppy is investigating at the time. So, try calling him over with the most exciting voice you can and with some really smelly food he's not had much of before (eg: cheese if he hasn't had much exposure to that). What the instructor at my puppy school recommends (for recalling your puppy), is getting something really colourful and "waveable" (like a really colourful stuffed snake or something that's like half a metre long) and waving it around your head like helicopter wings. She'll see it and hopefully will come over to investigate this new toy.

Thanks everyone you've been really helpful. I have found that she will follow my other dog around like they are physically attached or something, which worries me a little. Although it is nice that they get on i would like to be the one she listens to not my older dog, otherwise i feel i have no control. Consequently until i have good recall i have been taking them out separately. I guess i'll just keep making myself more interesting!! Thanks everyone.

Well I am surprised you all let them off lead so early, I certainly wouldnt recommend it. Firstly, there bones are growing, during the first few months of life, not fully formed hips, Mine do not go off lead until at least 9-10 months, also, even if the older dogs are around, I would not trust them to recall under distraction at such a young age.

Charm

Hi Charm
Two schools of thought here. Having for years gone with the "don't let them off the lead till they're older" method, and had nightmare recalls because they are so bored on the lead they go both deaf and bonkers when they're free :rolleyes:, I am now a fan of the "let them off as soon as you can while they still think you're God's Gift" method. All the dogs I've seen raised this way have been wonderful off the lead, because it isn't a novelty.....

Have to agree with you here Jeangenie as with independant breeds like mine this is the only way to get them half reliable off lead. It has taken me 3 years to get an acceptable recall on the youngest bitch who came back at 8 1/2 months.

Her mother Grandmother and great grandmother are much more reliable and can be off lead most anywhere, as they were let off lead as real babies (3 months) when being so young they would tend to keep closer, and if needed I copuld catch them! :D Whereas with Jozi I have to make sure it is a reasonably safe large area, because every now and then she will just give me that look that says I will come back when I am good and ready, and when I have gone to see what is through that gap, behind that building, or what have you.

Yep.

:D