We have just adopted a 7 Year old black labrador called Jack and we were taking him for a walk the other day and we decided to let him off the lead . He was doing brilliantly until we got to a stile and he just jumped over it and sped off !!! He has done this before with my dad, be good then get to a stile and run off. What do you think it is about the stile that is making him be like this ?

Helen
X

Maybe he used to be walked somewhere similar and would be on his lead until he got to the stile, and that was the place where his lead was unclipped and he'd be allowed to run off? 

or ...

could be that's that where he picks up a scent of rabbits or something ... is it the same stile that he's done this at, or two different places?

2 different places but it always seems to be over a stile

Did you get any background on Jack ?

Lucy
xx

I think I agree with Topsy here - I think that maybe his previous owner/s always used to let him of the lead when the got to the stile and let him have free run.

You could try a few things here to try and break this habbit - firstly, I'd keep him on the lead, make him wait till you have got over (this is tricky as you will have to hold the lead whilst climbing over - I had to do this with my springer cross for a while and it looks most ungainly !:D ) then, get him to come over the stile, walk with him for a few paces then make him stop, wait, slowly release his lead and then actually 'release' him from his waiting position.  Or, tkae his lead off as you do now, hold his collar gently and again get him to stop and wait for a while then actually release him.  You should, in time, be able to increase the time he stops and waits before he is released.

Hopefully this will break the old habbit and make this part of the walk a little easier on you.