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Training a 1 yr old westie

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  • 04-01-2008 3:31pm
    #1
    angmcg1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5 ✭


    I have just gotten a male west highland terrier (jock), who is one year old. he is very good in the house, very few accidents since he came to live with me. full of beans and loves playing. my only real problem with him at the min is that when he goes outside he totally ignores me, wont come when called, in fact totally blanks me, which means that i cant let him off the lead at all if we are outside. inthe house he wont leave my side for two mins. i dont let him out on his own but would like to be able to take off his lead on the beach and let him run free but am afraid he wont come back.

    does anyone know where i would get classes to teach him to come when called (Letterkenny, Co Donegal or surrounding areas).

    thanks
    ang


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    #2
    glineli
    Registered Users Posts: 1,098 ✭✭✭glineli


    My westie, Gerry, I still havent taken him off the lead outside. Like that i am not 100% confident he would come back. In fact i know he wouldnt. The other day i had to run around half the estate following him cos he got out the side gate and made a run for it!!

    I am hoping the older they get, the better he will be. When he is out the back garden he will come running over to me all the time.

    Must bring him down to the local gaa pitch, that will tire him out!!!:D


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    #3
    fits
    Registered Users Posts: 13,522 ✭✭✭✭fits


    You need to train recall, starting in the house, then in the garden, then on a long lead, and then on walks in a secure area with no distractions... finally you should try it on walks with distractions around. Its not something that dogs 'know' how to do. It has to be trained.

    At the moment your dogs know they can ignore you and get away with it. You need to start from the beginning again. Classes would be a good idea so that you learn how to train your dogs.


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    #4
    peasant
    Registered Users Posts: 17,819 ✭✭✭✭peasant


    As fits said ...

    But then there are certain dogs whose recall will only ever be iffy at best ...we have one of them at home.

    She just stays on the lead when we go out ...she doesn't seem to mind though


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    #5
    SuzyS1972
    Closed Accounts Posts: 488 ✭✭SuzyS1972


    peasant wrote: »
    As fits said ...

    But then there are certain dogs whose recall will only ever be iffy at best ...we have one of them at home.

    She just stays on the lead when we go out ...she doesn't seem to mind though

    I have one of those too - terrier aka chief hunter. Far too risky to let her off.

    Also I would advise the same as Fits - start off in the kitchen and teach the dog a command - I use " come here " and the dog only gets the treat when my hand is on her collar - FAR too many times the little feck comes back to me alright but not close enough to stick the lead back on her. I don't call her name - just the command so there is no confusion over what I want her to do.

    Then extend this to the garden using a long line ( anything will do ) and use the command again and treat and praise
    You must always be more interesting than other things !

    Move on from there and only let him off when you are confident in his recall.
    Also if you haven't had him long he may be confused by all the new action and may not have had previous training so be patient !


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    #6
    macshadow
    Registered Users Posts: 485 ✭✭macshadow


    What works a treat for me is a referee whistle and when he comes he gets a bit of sausage roll, I keep that one for an emergency with my red setter who usually has good recall. It could be that the little bugger:D has learned you will not leave him behind, i sometimes turn around and walk the opposite way when he's not looking, teaching him to keep an eye on me, although always somewhere remote where he can come to no harm.


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    #7
    angmcg1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5 ✭angmcg1


    thanks for those replies guys.

    i only have him a few weeks. when i got him he was in a bit of a state, had been kept outside with a load of other dogs and not allowed into the house. i do have him indoors and i assume he was at one time a house dog as he is house trained. i dont know anything about his background and my vet is currently trying to trace his registered owner for me (i was told that the owner was going away and couldnt take him and gave him to someone to get rid off for her!!) there is a chance that he could have been stolen or lost, but i am keeping my fingers crossed that this isnt the case and that he will be staying with me. he is the most lovable little fella and i would hate to have to part with him. i will get him started on the training in the house and hopefully see how it goes. i think i would like to do the classes too though as much for my sake as his, just to give me the confidence that i am doing it right.

    thanks again folks, advice very much appreciated.

    ang


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    #8
    kerrysgold
    Closed Accounts Posts: 969 ✭✭✭kerrysgold


    my westie is the same, a cousin of mine who had a westie, he wouldn't come back either! maybe it is a westie thing? mine will also make a run for it if she sees something chaseable so I never let her off the lead unless we are at the beach or in the garden. she doesn't mind though because she isn't particularly energetic when it comes to walkies anyway lol.


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    #9
    BanzaiBk
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,285 ✭✭✭BanzaiBk


    I have 3 westies and a cairn, and while our cairn will run all over the beach/field/park etc the minute you call her back she runs back and sits next to your feet. In the beginning our westies all seemed to have this "running away" complex. It was getting worrying because we live in the countryside and were afraid they would run away or get knocked down, so we started the referee whistle/dog treat method in the house ->then the garden->then the long lead-> then no lead. Now they run back when they are called and it's a big relief.


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