Hi all

My puppy off lead is generally very good.  If she sees another dog/puppy she plays very nicely with them.  After 2-3 mins I recall her and more often than not she comes back.  At the park today, she came across a little girl with her mum, I didnt have time to put her on her lead or grab her as she just appeared.  She is very friendly and approached the little girl without bounding.  The problem is that not all people (esp those who dont have dogs) appreciate been approched by dogs, not all are friendly.  How do I get her to stop when its really necessary?  She completely ignored me.  Normally when I walk her in the mornings we only see other dog walkers.  Any advise appreciated.  Shes nearly 6 months old.

I think it is problematic having her off lead without a good, solid, very reliable recall.  She is entering adolescence and is likely to become somewhat more rebellious and willing to explore things without you being right there with her.

In short, I recommend not having her off lead, in an uncontained area, until you develop her recall.  Look for a book/cd called \"Really Reliable Recall.\"  It is an excellent technique that will help you loads.

Good luck.

You need to really get the recall so good so that she NEVER goes off to play with anything -no matter how friendly the other dog. After all, apart from kids, one day she could run up to a dog that ISN'T friendly, and so she needs to know she must never approach anyone, dog or human, unless you have given her permission first to do so. (Which involves you speaking to the dog's owner or the person first, to ask if it's okay.) So back to basics. :)

I agree.  She may have a good recall with no distractions, but that's not good enough - you have to keep working on it until you can recall her in any situation, away from any person or dog, no matter how close they are to her.

You should be rewarding her with REALLY tasty treats every time she comes to you, whenever you call, whether or not there are distractions.  If you doubt that she will come back in any situation, then you should have her on a long line.  Call and then gently encourage her back to you if she doesn't come.

People on here are always talking about really tasty treats!! We are getting a puppy in a couple of months & I would like to have a few suggestions as to the best treats to offer as a reward. We learnt very late on with our last dog the benefit of treats for recall etc. This time we intend to use them all the time & hopefully she will learn a little quicker than Solo!!

Mine love chunks of frankfurter. :)

Hotdog sausage and cheese are my staples.

But for recalls I use smoked mackerel, tinned kippers, jerky, a bit of apple or banana - any tasty things lying around the kitchen really.

Think smelly rather than tasty - dogs sense of taste isn't that brilliant, but their sense of smell seems to be what tells them what's good and worth pursuing - cheese, cooked meat (I had a golden retriever in classes who had switched off to ham, but adored another owners roast pork left over from Sunday lunch - mind you, it smelt so good, I had half a mind to snaffle some as well), as already mentioned - hot dog sausages, garlic sausage seems to go down well too, although there are some health warnings about dogs and garlic, personally I've never had a problem or been aware of anyone else who has.  Anchovy oil is good for perking things up.  Cooked offal if you can stand the smell - liver par boiled, then cut into tiny pieces (perhaps with some garlic powder?) and baked VERY slowly in the oven.....

Just think like a dog really (but I'd draw the line at the road kill ;))

thanks for all the helpful suggestions & I will email to myself & keep in puppy folder !!

And avoid anything packaged as a treat as it won't be good enough :P

You need proper food as it were :)

Lindsay
x

I agree, plus it will be v expensive only to use packaged treats.  Plus they usually have all kinds of junk in them. 

But if shes not allowed off lead till her recall is perfect how does she get socialised in approaching other dogs?  Her recall is excellent when no-one around and for 6 months old I think im doing well.  If another dog is aloof or doesnt want to play she is very good a reading the signs and leaves them alone.  Perhaps with age it will all fall into place.  Will keep on practising though.  Thanks for advice

Just to add to that - I see loads of dogs and I can say that 95% of them dont return first time on their owners recall

I agree that 95% of other people's dogs don't come back when they call, but that's not really relevant because why compare yourself to other people?  Aim for perfection - no one ever achieves it, but the higher your goals to start with, the more you will achieve and the closer to it you will get.

You should never be allowing her to run up to other dogs off lead.  When you see another dog you should always recall her (and the other person should always recall their dog) and then you should both approach each other with dogs on lead, and ask if each other's dogs are friendly.  If they are, then you let her off to play.  You don't need a perfect recall for your dog to play with other dogs.  It's not polite to let your dog go running up to someone else's dog, whether or not their dog is on the lead.  If she is trailing a long line she can play with other dogs with this on (just keep an eye to make sure it doesn't get tangled). You can grab the end of it when you want to recall her and "help" her get it right.

I also agree with JG - she is approaching adolescence.  What usually happens is people say their puppies had a great recall under all circumstances before adolescence, and when adolescence started their recall deteriorated.  My point being that if she doesn't have a good recall now with distractions, before adolescence, it could well get worse, not better, as time goes on. 

You should never be allowing her to run up to other dogs off lead.  When you see another dog you should always recall her (and the other person should always recall their dog) and then you should both approach each other with dogs on lead, and ask if each other's dogs are friendly.

in a perfect world this would be nice

thanks for your advice. 

might try the trailing line, not seen these in pet shops, will look though

When you see another dog you should always recall her (and the other person should always recall their dog) and then you should both approach each other with dogs on lead, and ask if each other's dogs are friendly.

Exactly. :) And I speak here as somebody whose dogs (some of them anyway) would DEFINTELY go for a dog that ran up to them (especially if they don't approach sensibly, some dogs tend to just charge up without manners -but my own dogs would NEVER approach anyone without my permission), my breed isn't known for being friendly with dogs they don't know. And all it takes is one bad experience and a pup can have bad impressions that lasts for life. For instance I had a Golden who hated Boxers for all of his life, as one ran up to my Cocker when the Golden was just a pup. The Boxer didn't DO anything, but the Cocker got scared and ran off, and the Boxer followed, chasing her. For the next 9 years I had to avoid Boxers as the Golden hated them.

To the original poster -Goldens are such loving dogs that I know it can be hard, but this is also exactly WHY you need to be extra careful, because they can be much TOO trusting. The good news is that they are also very trainable and yours is still young, you can do it! :)

I think you and she are doing brilliantly! For such a young puppy she's marvellous! Keep on doing what you're doing (it's obviously working) and time and steady practice will see you right. :)

thanks for that jeangenie.  Perfection just takes time doesnt it

A word of caution - she's approaching adolescence, when they turn into bolshy teenagers (the 'Kevin' stage) and training can seem to go backwards, and you start wondering what's gone wrong! Generally if they've been well-behaved before this stage they'll be well-behaved when they come out the other side, but it can be hard going in the middle. If you're prepared for this it won't come as such a shock and you'll be able to adjust her training to suit. Good luck!

dont worry its a pup being a pup, ok use yummi treats but make yourself more exciting then what ever is over their! make a funny noise, run about shout in a funny voice!! thats what i do, and it works 97% of the time but your dog is young, dont expect them to be grown up, they make look it (size wise) but they are such babies untill 1! at least!!!

thanks everyone for your replies - i will keep at it - shes a lovely dog and very very trusting, its a learning curve for us all xx

I would suggest teaching her a 'wait' command, like the emergency down / stop command in the Good Citizen tests. My Cav boy is very reluctant to actually come back when he wants to say hello to someone, but if I shout 'Wait!' he will usually slow down and stop so I can catch up, put him on the lead, and let him meet the other people / dogs in a controlled way. Does your girl go to training? I know she's only a puppy, but it's surprising how quickly they can learn. I taught my dogs to obey a 'wait' command, first with me by their side and stepping away from them a step or two, then increasing the distance, and walking right round them and so on. Then when they understand 'wait' means to stop, I started recalling them and then going to meet them with a 'Wait!' command so that they did stop, and then I could back away still saying 'wait' until I was where I had given the first command, and then gradually moving forwards less and less. You ned to do a normal recall to finish with when practising this, btw. My boy who has passed his gold will now stop dead (most times!) when I tell him to wait. This has saved him from serious danger or even death once or twice, like the occasion when the lead broke when he was in a field with sheep, and my OH shrieked 'WAIT!!' and he stopped at once! It helps to be able to put some real urgency into the call!! I think a 'wait' command is even more important than a recall in many ways! Sorry for the long rambling post!!

thanks lucy

yes she does do training - she does do the good citizen test.  Its just knowing the command and sticking with it.  We are taught a lot of "leave" at the classes, and I tend to give that command when I want her to not go any further.  Its 50/50.  Maybe wait would be better....its all very good in a controlled environment, its teaching them when there are distactions.  But is it unrealistic to expect a 5 and a half month old puppy to be able to do this already?  Theyre like kids arent they, just need time, patience and lots of kindness

No, I wouldn't expect a 5 1/2 month old puppy to be able to do that - but if she's fairly intelligent and fairly motivated, she should able to start learning it. My girl passed her bronze at about 7 months, and if the trainers at my place didn't keep getting sidetracked by unnecessary training like weaves, she could do her silver now at 14 months I reckon. Of course your girl won't do what she's told all the time, and at such a young age she'll still be learning that 'leave' means what you say it is outside in the park and at home, not just at the club. I use 'leave' for 'stop sniffing at that disgusting whatever it is', but the dogs understand the sound, not the word itself. As a lot of books say, you could use any word (must say I've always been tempted to choose something really bizarre just to startle people! :-D )

I taught Nips (now nearly 7 months old) a "steady" command which stops him running up to people or dogs. Since we walk in wild places it isn't always possible to get him back on a lead before said people or dogs pop up but I always ask if play is allowed. 99 times out of a 100 it is and a great time is had by all. However, even the steadiest older dog can be very irritated by a bouncy pup who forgets its manners which is why it is so important to crack this running up business. And no, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect a 6 month old to be making progress in this respect!

Having said that my dog obeys a "steady", however, shouldn't be confused with his willingness to treat all my wishes as his commands since we've just entered "Kevinhood" with a vengeance!  So he's developed a very selective memory and a convenient deafness which, in practice means that although his recall remains excellent on a walk, when it is time to go back on the lead he thinks that this will be at his convenience and runs around in circles - like a particularly wicked dervish - all the time keeping one eye carefully on me. Since running after him just adds to the game I don't and we are going to have to concentrate on more training and very much tastier treats. But he did fall for the old "lie down and play dead" trick in the forest yesterday. Although as I sank, dramatically to the ground, it occurred to me that I hadn't checked for anything unsavoury on that particular patch of it...

Thats the stuff she is good at.  If a dog doesnt want to play or is a little slow due to been old she comes away.  Or ive normally grabbed her in advance, so shes not really doing too bad.  Shes just a friendly pup that loves kids.  She is making progress too.  She tends to approach people (not all the time i might add) when they havent got a dog -- shes not interested in people if they have a dog:rolleyes: