Hi guy's just thought I would pass on my latest experience of recalling my 6 month old girl :) - She has lots of toy's in a box and she pulls out whichever one she feels like playing with at the time - however a while ago I bought what I called, her SPECIAL toy :D, it is a hedgehog with a tennis ball in it and cost a few £'s.  Anyway it lives in a special spot that she can't get to and every now and then I get her really wound up with it (at first I used the clicker to reward her interest in it ;)) - I played with her for about 30 seconds then put it away (that way she's always wanting more!)  Well, she loves it, and I have been taking it out on walks, but keeping it in my pocket most of the time, when I go to my pocket she comes to me for a play (which she gets!)  When she wanders off I call her for a play...And it works!!!!!!  It doesn't come out all the time, just enough to get her excited and wanting more :D - Thought I would pass this information on as it may work for someone else!  Got to go, dinner is ready and he's telling me off for being on here all the time :rolleyes:
Sarah :D

That's brilliant Sarah, and exactly how you get a dog interested in a "special" toy :)

Plus you are making yourself far more interesting than anyone or anything else :D

Lindsay

Good for you Sarah, youre well prepared for the Kevin stage and Im sure you and Lana will reap the benefits :) as will others reading your post. Its good to share. Thanks for reminding me how to add a secret weapon to the arsenal. :D

:D - I think the key is trying to get an 'obsession' with this toy, it lives on top my work station where my pc is sat and every now and then I catch her looking up at it, so I just get her really wound up about it - play times are short so she is always left wanting more - and I swap it for a treat at the end with an 'out' command :)
We also go on supervised puppy walks in an outdoor environment and the other week there was an adult mastif playing policeman :D - when Lana got to brave he would remind her of her place and I think this really helped as she doesn't seem so keen to leave me since that :rolleyes:
Sarah

I think I'll take Dizzy to the pet shop to choose a toy tomorrow - her recall is awful, even with cheese or sausage :rolleyes:

Will try the same thing!! Murphy is fine when its just us, but put any, and I mean any - kind of distraction into the situation, I might as well have a lump of raw steak tied to my head- he will not come!!! By distractions I include - other dogs, people ( esp children which he adores!! ) birds, leaves blowing on a windy day - the list goes on!!! I would love to let him off his lead - Gordons are a beautiful sight at full sprint, but I just couldnt trust him to come back, and now he is getting big he could easily knock a child over if he launched himself at them! I have a lead of about 12 feet, but will have to try the lunge rein idea, let him run further and keep trying the recall thing!

Hi Deb's, same thing with Lana really - she's an afghan and I would hate to have to keep her on the lead all the time so we started recalls at quite a young age.  She started off really well but recently went through a phase of deafness when called :rolleyes: (at 5 months) - So I piloted the toy idea - it takes a while to get them obsessed with it, but it has started to pay off.  Dont get me wrong, I still struggle to call her out of mid play and chases but we are getting somewhere :) - yesterday she went for a valentines walk with Murphy, the choccy lab (:D) and both of them ended up following a jack russell going in the opposite direction, couldn't see her for a bit so decided to give in and go and get her, as I walked to her direction I pulled out the toy and she came bounding over...I ran off squeeking it and as she caught me I dropped the toy and we played with it for a few seconds then I put it away, she spent a few paces then looking at my pocket!  She also plays with it in the company of other dog's which is encouraging!  Thing is I think I must look a right weirdo at times, with my high pitched 'play' voice and the rolling about on the floor () - but its the only way I can make myself interesting to her!!!
Sarah

hey you will soon have to get it off the workstation! as they grow they can reach almost anything! i have to put the cat food on the cooker hood now! its the only place delilah cant get to ....

Wish Sparky had read the script, though. I tried taking his football last time we went walking, and he was like a dog possessed - no football on the park was safe, no matter how many "leaves" we had practised. Back to longline, Sparks!! :)

Hi Catherine!  How is Delilah?  Hey, your right you know :D, Lana has developed a chair climbing system to try and get to it :rolleyes:  She will be tall enough soon - she is six months now and is as tall as her mum on her back legs!
Sarah