i have got a 1 year old sheltie and have been struggling with recall, have tried to do it on a long line like my trainer said but that doesnt seem to work, woundering if anyone has any ideas? also we r also struggling with fetch she goes to the toy picks it up then drops it and comes back any help would be very thankful
Rachel

I would try going back to basics with the recall and doing it from a very short ditance with loads of treats and praise. If you are strugglng to get her back from free running then try lying down, running away, doing something funny like jumping up and down or making silly noises. Once she is looking or coming in your direction then run away calling her and sounding really excited. Don't forget the HUGE fuss when she comes and a very high value reward. If she is food orientated then I have a pouch with a velcro seal and my girlies know that sound very well.  I Wear it all the time at home and treat every time they come as puppies and make a fuss of opening it so the noise is a prelude to the treat...my lot can hear it at a couple of miles distance!!!LOL..never fails

I have two 1yr old Shelties and they're pretty good at recall, I'm not sure if this is down to being well trained or just blinking greedy as I use a small plastic container full of their fave kibble.

I rattle it like a loopy and call their names in a silly high pitched voice whilst waving my arms like a windmill, they come back like a shot. :)

As for retrieving toys that is a work in progress and not much progress is taking place :(

I would go back to basics, as already said.
Always carry treats round with you at home or in the garden, mine like cheese. If your in another room call your dog and when you see the dog coming to you say the command you want the dog to get used to ie come. Even if you don't call the dog but he's coming towards you always say the word so he starts to associate the word with what he's doing. You can practise this all day in the house and garden until the word is firmly fixed in their head. Always treat as soon as they come and make them sit before the treat, this will help when you want o put the dog back on the lead.
Remember when your out walking and your ready to start letting them off the lead to call them back every couple of minutes or if their going too far and give a treat then say 'go play' or what ever word you want. Never only call the dog back just to put the lead back on else that means end of fun to them and they want bother coming back.
My friend couldn't get her pup to come back but by taking him out with mine and giving lots of treats he was really good. if they can copy a dog with good recall that helps. their less likely to run off if theres a play mate with you.
Maybe you could find someone to walk with for a while.
As for the fetching the ball my dogs are great in the garden but not bothered with one on a walk so can't help much there but it's the same principle of getting them used to a command and rewarding them ie as soon as you see the dog pick the ball up then say a word and treat him, then if they know the come command it should help with them bringing it back.
Good luck  

Hi Rachel, have you got a narrow alley (as in down the side of a house or garage), or hallway that you can use? Like you, I've found the long line doesn't really solve the problem. If you set your pup up in a long narrow hallway or alley, she has to come back to you. Using a whistle may also help because it's harder for annoyance to creep into the whistle tone. I use a 211.5 whistle with mine and most of the time they are very good and come back to that--a much greater success rate than if I stand there calling them by name. Mid you, I've also had other dogs, total strangers, running over to me responding to the whistle...

I thought the reasoning behind the long line is that you can carefully reel them back in and so enforce the recall. They have no option but to return when you call them if you are holding the other end of the line. Loop the line back into your hand as you recall them and then praise when they have reached you - at least that's what I have done with my dogs when they reached the selective deafness stage :-)

Hi Harley, I've tried a long lead with our older lad, who seemed a bit hesitant and then downright morose with it. It might be the business of returning by 'choice', which is what they get in the field--there isn't a whole lot of choice when set up in a hallway, to be sure, but I have found that my dogs recognise the incentive offered (e.g. a treat--rabbit fur ball is a hot favourite, food doesn't really do it for them) and that there is a human willing to play a game with it, rather than being reeled in. I've found that good behaviour on the lead doesn't translate to the same off it, so it's narrow spaces for our two

but I have found that my dogs recognise the incentive offered (e.g. a treat--rabbit fur ball is a hot favourite, food doesn't really do it for them) and that there is a human willing to play a game with it, rather than being reeled in

If you reel them in whilst recalling them and then use the ball and a game as the reward for coming back to you they will learn that a recall means fun and games and thus becomes a fun thing to do. The long line means they can't ignore your recall because they have no choice but to return when called.

I have a rescue terrier who had a very iffy recall and progressed to returning in a flash. We then hit the teenage stage and everything went out the window. He went back on a long line for 8 weeks and would be recalled, reeled in and rewarded on numerous occasions during a walk. His recall is back to being almost instant as long as I keep a good look out for distractions - he is a terrier after all :-) I do agility with him and have found that the best thing for gaining his attention is a squeaky ball so this is kept just for agility and as a reward for brilliant recalls.

My other dog is very food orientated and calling him for his dinner helped to reinforce the idea that returning to me when asked resulted in a jackpot reward :-)